Chapter 5 Negotiation

Scarlett's right arm just hung there, completely dislocated.

As soon as Shane let go of her wrist, her lower back crashed into the cold edge of the lab's control panel, shooting a sharp pain through her.

Around them, the team breathed a sigh of relief.

Shane acted quickly and confidently, moving with such skill that no one was shocked.

It was like everyone already knew just how capable he was.

Because of that, no one feared Scarlett would hurt Shane.

Shane said sharply, "Keep an eye on her."

The countdown clock showed only two minutes left before the upload finished.

"Yes, sir!" came the quick reply.

Scarlett leaned weakly on the console, lifting her head and staring at Shane with eyes full of hatred.

She had underestimated him, which led to her dislocated arm.

Cold sweat covered her face, showing how much pain she was in, and her hair stuck to her damp skin.

She looked completely beaten, like a lamb headed for the slaughter, unable to fight back.

The clock on the wall kept ticking away.

Her right hand just dangled uselessly, and the gun she had been holding was taken away and thrown to Brent.

Shane snapped at Brent, "I'll handle you once we're out of here!" His voice was cold and sharp.

Brent muttered, "Yes, sir..."

Aware he had screwed up, he didn't dare to argue.

The girl who had assaulted Scarlett now sat in a corner, clutching her head and mumbling nonsense.

Sometimes she seemed clear, other times completely lost.

So Shane put two team members in charge of watching her closely.

After all, she was from Shupbert, and they had to get her out too.

One team member tried to calm her, saying, "Stay calm. We'll get you out safely."

The rest of the team gave Scarlett looks full of hostility.

Nobody expected Vertex Worldwide to be this cold and heartless.

They hadn't just used people for experiments; they had pushed this poor girl to the brink of insanity.

So, whenever they looked at Scarlett, their eyes were full of nothing but contempt.

She was the eldest granddaughter of Vertex Worldwide's president, known for cruel practices, and she had been directly involved in those horrors. Her hands were far from clean.

That was just how harsh the world really was.

To them, the girl was the victim, and Scarlett was the one to blame.

As a result, even when the girl went wild, trying to kill Scarlett, they saw it as just her getting what she deserved.

Nobody even bothered to help with her dislocated arm. No one cared at all.

Then suddenly, red lights started flashing all over the lab, with alarms blaring loudly.

"Captain, something's wrong!" one of the team yelled. "Our data's been intercepted! The decryption stopped just before finishing! The lab will self-destruct in 15 seconds!"

That meant their mission was over. The important decryption data they needed was lost.

Shane's face went ice-cold right away.

"Evacuate!" he ordered sharply.

Less than ten seconds remained before the whole base blew itself up.

Staying any longer would be a sure way to die.

They dragged Scarlett with them as they rushed out.

"Captain! We're surrounded," a solider shouted as the elevator doors slid open.

As soon as the doors opened, bullets flew in like fireworks, lighting up the room.

The flashes made Scarlett's vision blur, her eyes burning.

Shane grabbed her arm, yanking her aside, and they both dove behind a wall.

The rest of the team spread out quickly, slipping behind cover like they had done it a hundred times.

For these pros, this kind of chaos was nothing new.

But the girl wasn't a soldier.

She screamed, terrified, while Brent dragged her behind a concrete wall.

Right then, the countdown hit zero, and a massive explosion rocked the whole building.

The blast sent a wave of heat and debris flying through the air, with dust and rubble falling all around them.

The underground base had blown up, making the whole structure shake violently.

"Don't be afraid. You're okay," Brent said, trying to calm her down.

Thick black smoke filled the building after the blast, making it almost impossible to see.

"It's Vertex Worldwide's men," Shane whispered, his tall frame pressed against the wall as he looked out.

His sharp eyes saw a group of armed reinforcements from Faulas surrounding the building.

Scarlett leaned back against the wall, her long hair falling in a tangled mess over her shoulders. Her pale face was streaked with blood but carried a strange calm that didn't fit the chaos. When she looked at Shane, her eyes were cold and distant, showing a quiet strength few people had.

"There's no escape now," she whispered hoarsely. Blood oozed through the bandages wrapped around her chest, and her dislocated arm hung limply by her side.

Even though she was barely holding on, she could still make out the massive wave of reinforcements waiting outside.

The whole building was surrounded by Vertex Worldwide's forces. Shane's twelve people, plus the two teammates he saved, made just fourteen in all.

And outside, likely waiting for them, was the full might of Faulas. They were hopelessly outnumbered.

A gun barrel pressed against Scarlett's temple.

Brent snarled fiercely, "Stay quiet, or I'll kill you right now."

"Do it," she responded with a faint, fearless smile.

Her boldness had been clear since the moment they caught her.

"Brent, lower your gun," Shane ordered coldly.

"Captain?" Brent clenched his jaw, confused why Shane would spare someone like Scarlett, whose hands were covered in blood.

"We should've killed her a long time ago!" Brent thought someone as ruthless as Scarlett deserved no mercy.

"She's still useful," Shane replied, staring coldly at Scarlett. His tall figure loomed over her.

A faint, chilling smile touched his thin lips as he reached out. Scarlett was caught off guard.

Before she could react, he grabbed her hands and pinned them to the wall.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett struggled against him.

Shane's hair fell over his forehead. Bathed in light, his tall, upright figure stood out. He didn't say a word-just tightly tied her wrists with a rope.

"Captain, what's the plan?" Albin asked, puzzled as he watched Shane.

"Maybe we can negotiate," Shane answered, calm but firm.

From the rooftop of the building, he looked down at the crowd of armed men. Outside, a mass of armed men gathered around the building.

Shane turned his head slightly, his eyes steady and serious, his brows drawn together.

"Put your weapons down! I'm holding Estrella Spencer!" Shane's commanding voice rang out across the rooftop.

"He's not bluffing!" the crowd below murmured. Someone spotted Scarlett right away.

Scarlett was pushed forward, her hands tied behind her back. A man dressed in black tactical gear stood behind her, with his gun pressed against her head.

Her pale, blood-streaked face was framed by messy hair.

The wind caught the loose scarf she wore, lifting it up like a loose thread in the breeze. It fluttered for a moment before drifting down.

"Don't panic." A cold, female voice cut through the tension. In the dim light, a woman stepped forward, a sly smile playing on her lips. "That's not Estrella-it's a trap."

She glanced up at Scarlett, still held captive on the rooftop.

"Shoot! Now!" the girl ordered, her voice sharp and unrelenting.

As soon as Scarlett heard those words, her heart sank.

Her eyebrows moved in surprise as she saw the girl standing in front of the dark crowd below.

It was Alexia Spencer, Estrella's so-called "sister."