As the elevator chime faded, the button for the fifth floor lit up on its own. Nick nced up at the elevator disy, watching the floor numbers climb rapidly. The surprise in his dark eyes was hard to hide, but he quickly pulled himself together and asked, "You seem to know this research institute pretty well, huh?"


    How else would someone know about the connection to the next building on the fifth floor?


    Mirabe kept working without missing a beat and replied casually, "I might''ve peeked at the building''syout when I hacked their system."


    The architectural ns of the research institute were top-secret, ssified as Level S. Nick couldn''t help but smirk at her nonchnce.


    Even though her voice was filtered through a mechanical device, he could sense the unwavering confidence behind her words. Only someone truly self-assured could speak so casually about such a feat.


    In no time, the elevator dinged, reaching the fifth floor in just three seconds. Mirabe hadn''t disabled the security system yet and quickly instructed, "Stay in the elevator, don''t step out. Give me twenty seconds."


    With the building on high alert, if Nick stepped out now, he''d run into trouble just like he did on the lower level. The elevator was far from the connecting passage, and getting past the tight web of infrared beams was impossible.


    Nick replied with a simple "Got it" into his earpiece, holding his ground. Somehow, he just knew she wouldn''t let him down. This kind of trust was new to him and caught him by surprise.


    As the seconds ticked by, on the twentieth second, Mirabe hit the Enter key. Seeing the ''sess'' message pop up on her screen, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "All clear."


    Nick had been to the fifth floor a couple of times before. It wasn''t exactly familiar, but it wasn''tpletely foreign either. Hearing her voice in his earpiece, he stepped out of the elevator.


    True to her word, the infrared beams overhead were inactive. Without hesitation,


    he dashed down the corridor toward the corner building at the end.


    The rm continued to re, and he could feel the tension rising with every passing moment. Thankfully, there were no guards on this floor, and Nick reached the connecting structure without a hitch.


    The facade was all ss, and the buildings weren''t directly connected. To get across, the ss needed breaking. Worse, the only link between the buildings was two narrow beams, not sturdy enough to walk on without slipping. Falling from such a height would be fatal.


    That''s why Mirabe had warned him about the risk. But considering the armed guards below, Nick knew this was his only escape route, no matter how risky it


    was.


    Mirabe kept an eye on the guards swarming upstairs and typed furiously to reactivate the infrared on the fifth floor. "I''ll buy you some time. Move fast."


    Nick nodded, prepared for this. He pulled out his surgical knife, pressed a button, and a sharp de snapped out. The knife, specially designed for such tasks, sliced through the ss effortlessly, creating an opening big enough for him to crawl through.