Chapter 96 Before Midnight
Chapter 96 Before Midnight
The timer showed three hours remaining.
—
Outside the hidden archive, night had fully settled across the mountains.
Search teams combed through the nearby area while media helicopters hovered far beyond federal barriers, capturing the unfolding situation.
The entire nation waited for midnight, unclear on the reasons behind the tension.
—
But inside the underground vault,
Everyone understood exactly how dire the next few hours could become.
—
Lila stood over multiple screens, examining digital interceptions rapidly.
“No location lock as of yet.”
An exhausted analyst spoke up.
“He’s cloaking every signal by rotating dead networks.”
A third voice added,
“The final file is impossible to disabled from the outside.”
—
Adrian listened silently, his hands resting on the edge of the main table.
His gaze fixated on the glowing countdown timer on a monitor.
02:57:13.
—
Zoe approached quietly again.
“Do you think he’ll actually go through with it?”
Adrian hesitated before answering.
After all that had happened,
He no longer knew which part of Charles was making decisions anymore.
The strategist.
The heartbroken son.
Or the shattered man left behind after both identities collapsed together.
—
Finally, he replied--
“Yes.”
Zoe's chest tightened.
“Then why does it feel like he still wants you to stop him?”
That question lingered heavily.
Because deep down l,
Adrian felt the same way.
—
Charles had left clues behind.
Patterns.
Openings.
—
It was almost as if he wanted to be found before the conclusion could unfold.
—
Suddenly,
One analyst looked up sharply.
“Wait.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted in an instant.
“I found a partial visual relay linked to the transmission source.”
Lila sprang into action immediately.
“Show me.”
Static flickered across the screen.
Images began loading slowly in a distorted manner.
A dark building with circular windows and elevated terrain.
—
Then one clear frame finally stabilized briefly.
A domed ceiling.
Old telescope equipment.
The mountains in the background.
—
Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
“I know that place.”
Lila turned quickly.
“Where?”
“The Blackridge Observatory.”
There was a beat of silence.
“It was closed down years ago.”
Another moment passed.
“My mother used to take me there during meteor showers.”
—
Zoe stared at him.
And suddenly understood the terrifying pattern.
—
Charles wasn’t choosing random places.
—
Every location was connected to Adrian on an emotional level.
His childhood.
His memories.
His past.
—
Not because Charles cared about sentimentality.
But because he wanted to strip Adrian down to a raw, human state before the end.
—
Lila immediately started issuing orders.
“Tactical teams mobilize now.”
But Adrian had already grabbed his jacket.
“I’m going.”
“Absolutely not alone.”
“He’ll disappear again if he senses a military presence first.”
Lila stepped directly in his way.
“You are not walking into another trap by yourself.”
Adrian's voice lowered quietly.
“Yes, I am.”
—
The room went silent.
Everyone recognized the certainty in his words.
—
This was no longer merely about strategy.
It wasn’t even about stopping the leak completely.
—
Adrian needed to face Charles himself.
Because somewhere beneath all the devastation,
They had become tangled together in a way neither could escape anymore.
—
Zoe stepped closer immediately.
“Then I’m coming too.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“It’s dangerous.”
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
“So is letting you carry all this alone.”
Silence filled the space.
—
That statement struck harder than expected.
Because even after everything,
She still stood by his side.
—
Lila glanced between them, then let out a sharp breath.
“I hate both of you.”
No one argued.
—
About an hour later,
The observatory loomed through thick fog high in the mountain ridge.
Deserted.
Imposing.
Dark against the night sky.
—
Federal vehicles remained far enough back to avoid immediate detection.
Only Adrian, Zoe, and Lila advanced closer through the winding trail.
—
The countdown continued ticking on Adrian’s phone.
01:41:22.
—
Cold wind swept violently across the ridge as they approached the old structure.
Broken glass crunched beneath their steps.
The metal framework creaked softly in the darkness.
—
And inside,
Lights glowed faintly.
—
“He’s here,” Adrian said quietly.
—
At the same moment,
Charles sat by himself beneath the massive telescope dome.
The countdown for the final file reflected across multiple monitors around him.
News channels continued tearing apart King empire on a global scale.
Victor’s emergency legal teams were scrambling publicly.
KingTech’s stock was frozen indefinitely.
—
Everything was going up in flames just as he intended.
—
And still,
Charles felt nothing.
—
Not victory.
Not satisfaction.
Not peace.
—
Just exhaustion.
—
The observatory doors creaked open behind him.
He didn’t look back right away.
Because he already knew who it was.
—
“You came,” Charles said softly.
Adrian stepped inside first.
Zoe followed close behind him.
Lila stayed closer to the entrance.
—
The observatory felt eerily silent.
Dust floated in the faint light.
Massive telescope machinery looming overhead like something ancient watching all of them.
—
Charles finally turned to face them.
And for the first time since this ordeal began—
He appeared human again.
Not polished.
Not manipulative.
Just exhausted.
—
His eyes moved briefly toward Zoe.
A trace of relief crossed his face, barely noticeable.
Then he looked back at Adrian.
—
“You found the last place.”
Adrian stared at him coldly.
“End this.”
Charles offered a faint smile.
“It already ended.”
A moment's pause.
“You’re just late to the funeral.”
—
The countdown timer glowed behind him.
01:39:08.
—
Zoe glanced anxiously toward the screens.
“You can still stop the release.”
Charles turned to look at her, his expression quiet.
“Why?”
“Because this won't fix anything.”
“No,” he admitted softly.
“But it will bring everything to light.”
—
Adrian stepped closer now.
“And after that?”
Silence.
—
Charles looked around the observatory slowly.
At the old machines.
The shattered ceiling panels revealing glimpses of the night sky above.
—
Then finally,
“There is no after that for me.”
—
Zoe’s stomach dropped instantly.
Lila's posture sharpened near the entrance.
And Adrian?
—
Adrian finally understood.
—
Charles never really planned survival.
—
This entire ending,
The leaks.
The exposure.
The chaos.
—
It was never a plan for escape.
—
It was a final act.