Chapter 163

Chapter 163
Author's POV

The atmosphere in the room became tensed as Grayson frantically worked on his laptop, his face lit only by the glow of the screen. The revelation of the syndicate’s failsafe had shifted the entire operation from offense to defense. Everyone knew what was at stake now—millions of lives were on the line.

“They’ve got this set up as a chain reaction,” Grayson said, his fingers moving with precision. “If one city goes down, the others follow. It’s a domino effect.”

“How many cities are we talking about?” Ethan inquired, maintaining a calm and steady tone despite the mounting tension in the room.

Grayson swallowed hard. "At least six major cities are the primary targets," Grayson stated. “This is their nuclear option.”

Lila’s hands tightened into fists at her sides, anger brewing beneath her calm facade. “They would destroy everything just to protect their secrets?”

“That’s exactly what they’re doing,” Grayson replied grimly.

Ethan turned to Reyes. “What’s our chances?”

Reyes checked his watch, his expression darkening. “Two hours, tops. After that, the failsafe triggers automatically.”

“We don’t have time to sit here,” Elene said sharply, wincing as she adjusted her still-healing arm. “We need to stop this madness as soon as possible.”

Ethan nodded. “Grayson, can you disable the failsafe remotely?”

Grayson shook his head. “No. The servers controlling it are decentralized. Every city possesses its own synchronized node. The only solution is to physically disable the primary node first to disrupt the chain.”

“Where’s the primary node?” Ethan asked.

Grayson tapped a key, pulling up a map of the city. A blinking red dot appeared over an industrial area on the outskirts. 
“Here. This is an underground bunker pretending as a waste management facility. If we manage to take it offline, the entire system collapses.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. “Then that's our next stop.”

The convoy sped through the city, weaving through traffic as sirens wailed in the distance. The atmosphere inside the vehicles was heavy with determination and urgency.

Ethan rode in the lead car with Lila, Reyes, and Grayson. His eyes never shifting from the road ahead, his mind already calculating every possible scenario they might face.

“You good?” Ethan asked Lila, his voice low but steady.

“I am,” she replied, though her grip on her weapon betrayed her nerves. “Let’s finish this.”

Reyes checked his rifle. “If this bunker is as fortified as Grayson says, we’ll need to hit hard and fast. No room for mistakes.”

“We won’t make any,” Ethan answered, his voice firm.

They arrived at the facility with an hour and thirty minutes left on the clock. High fences and barbed wire surrounded the unassuming concrete structure, but the team already knew better than to trust its mundane outlook.

Grayson scanned the perimeter from the back of the car. Guards are stationed on the roof, at ground level, and within. They look ready for trouble.”

“They’re just about to get it,” Ethan said, stepping out of the vehicle.

The team moved quietly, but with precision, splitting into two groups to cover more ground. Reyes led one team to create a diversion at the front gate, while Ethan’s group slipped in through a side entrance.

The initial breach was clean. Ethan neutralized the first guard with a swift, silent takedown, while Lila covered his back. They moved deeper into the facility, navigating the corridors guided by Grayson’s voice over their earpieces.

“You’re getting close,” Grayson said. "You are about getting to the control room, but be cautious—there's a lot of activity on the thermal scanners."

As they rounded a corner, a group of guards spotted them. Gunfire erupted, echoing through the confined space.

“Down!” Ethan shouted, pulling Lila behind cover.

The firefight was intense but brief. Ethan and Lila worked seamlessly, taking down the guards quickly. They were running out of time. When the last one fell, they pressed forward, their urgency renewed.

The control room was a fortress of technology, with walls lined with blinking monitors and rows of servers humming with activity. A lone technician sat at the central console, his eyes wide with fear as the team stormed in.

“Don’t move,” Ethan ordered, his gun aimed at the man.

The technician raised his hands, trembling. “Please, don’t shoot. I’m just doing my job.”

“Then you’re going to help us,” Ethan said coldly. “Shut it down now.”

The man hesitated, his gaze darting to the screens. “I—I can’t. The system is locked. Only the master key can disable it.”

“Where’s the key?” Lila demanded, her voice sharp.

The technician pointed to a secure glass case on the wall. Inside was a small, metallic device.

Ethan nodded to Lila. “Get it.”

She smashed the case with the butt of her weapon, retrieving the key and handing it to the technician. “Do it.”

The man inserted the key into the console, his fingers shaking as he entered a series of commands.

“It’s working,” Grayson said over the comms. “The node is getting disabled.”

But just as the progress bar reached 75%, an alarm blared, and the screens flashed red.

“What’s happening?” Ethan demanded.

The technician’s face sank. “They’ve activated the secondary protocol. The failsafe is still going to trigger unless you shut down all the nodes simultaneously.”

Grayson’s voice was urgent. “Ethan, you’ve got less than thirty minutes. The only way to stop this now is to destroy the entire facility. Take out the servers, the hardware—everything.”

Ethan made a split-second decision. “Reyes, what’s your status?”

“Just finished clearing the front,” Reyes replied. “Do you need a hand?”

“Plant charges on every critical system you can find,” Ethan ordered. “We’re blowing this place up.”

“On it,” Reyes said.

Ethan turned to Lila. “You and I will cover him. Let’s move.”

The next twenty minutes were a blur of chaos. The team moved through the facility, planting explosives and taking down any guards who stood in their way.

The countdown ticked closer to zero, the tension escalating with every passing second.

Finally, Reyes signaled over the comms. “Charges are set. We need to get out of here.”

“Go!” Ethan shouted, leading the way back toward the exit.

They barely made it outside before the first explosion rocked the ground. The blast's force sent a shockwave through the air, triggering a series of secondary explosions that reduced the facility to rubble.

Ethan and his team regrouped at a safe distance, watching the inferno consume the building.

Grayson confirmed over the comms that it was complete. “The primary node is offline. The failsafe won’t trigger.”

Ethan exhaled, the weight of the moment sinking in. They had won a crucial battle, but the war was far from over.

“Let’s regroup,” he said, his voice firm. “We’re not done yet.”