Chapter 200 More Traps
Kevan’s POV
The farther we moved into the compound, the heavier the air felt, thick with the smell of dust, smoke from distant charges, and something sharper, more metallic, almost like a warning. The first floor had been a warm-up and now we were entering the real heart of Clarence’s domain, and the subtle hints that he had been here grew stronger.
“Kevan, check this,” Darien’s voice crackled softly over comm. He crouched near a hallway, pointing at faint scratches along the wall and a scattering of overturned chairs. “Someone’s been moving through here recently. Not our guys. None of ours has been this far yet.” He looked at me then back at the mess that was left deliberately.
I knelt, brushing my fingers over the floor. Large, deliberate footprints pressed into the thin layer of dust. “You’re right. Clarence was definitely here. Either observing or testing routes for his escape.” I signaled the team forward. “Stay sharp. Minimal noise. He’s planning for us to slip up.”
The first real trap revealed itself almost immediately. There was a tripwire stretched across the hallway, too fine to see without careful inspection. I froze instantly, gesturing for the team to halt.
“Tripwire. Guys we need to be careful.” My voice was low, but loud enough to be heard. Lucian’s smirk came faintly over comm. "Kevan, he really does like dramatic entrances,” he muttered.
“Dramatic and deadly,” I said, scanning the hallway for more. “We need to disarm these tripwires as we go. We don't need any of our men getting hurt.”
One of the other warriors moved with precise caution, bending low to lift the wire out of tension. A faint click sounded but it was harmless, but it was a reminder of how close we were to danger.
Past the hallway, the first pressure plate appeared, disguised beneath dust and debris. A pile of loose paper nearby would have been enough to trigger an explosive if we weren’t careful.
“Fuck! There's a floor plate here. You need to watch out for it,” Darien warned. “No sudden steps unless you wanna be breathless and airborne." A few of my men chuckled as they moved with perfect footing.
“Noted. Thanks for the warning." I replied, stepping carefully, signaling the team to follow slowly. “This is where it starts getting interesting.”
Another doorway led into a narrow stairwell, faintly stained and scratched from constant use. The signs were clear, Clarence had been here recently, moving carefully, leaving subtle clues and traps. No sign of his beta or gamma. Not yet anyway.
Suddenly, a low mechanical click echoed faintly. It was a swinging metal bar, triggered by the movement of one of the warriors. He ducked just in time, and a small explosion in the floor jolted another, sending dust and sparks into the air.
Darien’s voice was calm but sharp. “Traps are live. Adjust your positions. We need to sweep slow.”
I gritted my teeth and advanced, keeping my rifle ready. “We’re not here to play games. Clarence is testing us. Let him. We’ve got patience.”
Lucian added a dry comment over comm. “Yeah, and patience is exactly what’s going to get us killed if we’re not careful.”
We moved cautiously, following the subtle trail of disturbed dust, scuffed furniture, and footprints. Every corner revealed signs of preparation, an overturned table hinting at where Clarence had checked sightlines, faint smudges of mud marking his route, and even a scuffed, half-torn map left on a desk. Either he deliberately left it or he dropped it in a hurry.
“Looks like he wants us to know he’s been here,” I muttered. “The smug bastard is taunting us.”
The deeper we moved, the quieter it became. No more immediate firefights. Clarence’s men had retreated or were regrouping in the inner rooms, leaving only the traps and subtle clues behind.
"Still no sign of Clarence, Stephan, or Gregory,” Darien noted. “But this trail is too deliberate to be random.” He said as he was looking around the room for anymore surprises that may be here.
“Exactly,” I said. “We’re close, but he’s controlling the pace. That means he’s somewhere ahead. The stupid ass is watching and waiting for us."
The team pressed forward cautiously, aware of every squeak of floorboard, every shadow that shifted. Each trap we disarmed, each clue we documented, only heightened the tension. We were inside his lair, following him step by step, but Benjamin himself remained elusive, as if daring us to chase him into whatever he had prepared next. He definitely had this planned, there isn't no doubt in my mind.
“Eyes sharp. Ears sharper,” I reminded the team. “He’s not gone. He’s just making sure we work for it.”
And that was exactly what we were doing. We were clearing the rooms. Taking care of all these threat while Clarence himself, could appear at any moment.