?Chapter 1492:
The genuine evils were thus buried beneath a mountain of carefully crafted, easily disproven lies. The previously solid ims about substandard nutritional meals lost all credibility in the wake of the fabricated scandals. Public trust had imploded. It was the fable of the boy who cried wolf: after enough false rms, no one believes the real danger.
Watching from hismand post, Kolton observed the warming sentiment on his screens — some voices even beginning to express sympathy for Cooper Group and resistance to what they perceived as cyberbullying. A cold, satisfied smile touched his lips.
That was human nature. In the frenzy of heightened emotion, truth was always the first casualty.
Kolton’s n was proceeding perfectly.
The harsh truth proved far more merciless than any battle fought behind a screen.
Hidden beneath the sprawling city of Wronty the concealed gateway to a highly ssified biochemicalboratory.
Rain crashed down without pause, drumming against concrete and steel alike. Dressed head to toe in ck tactical gear, Raegan locked both hands around her submachine gun. Rainwater and mud smeared her features, yet her eyes remained sharp and cial, devoid of warmth.
Static hissed through her earpiece, cutting through the storm alongside frantic voices. “Ma’am, Famine squad’s assault on Zone C was unsessful. The target facility triggered a top-tier self-destruct protocol. The explosion urred before we could override the entrance systems…”
Another voice broke in before silence could settle. “Zone B has also been lost. Cooper Group personnel wentpletely off the rails — they didn’t even attempt a data transfer. Every server was incinerated on the spot.”
Each update struck harder than thest, piling ruin upon ruin.
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Raegan’s chest tightened brutally, as though an iron mp had snapped shut around her heart. They had lost. Every single operation had copsed. Cooper Group had responded with terrifying speed — Kolton, that calcting predator, had been ruthless enough to sever every connection clean, leaving no evidence behind.
Now, only Raegan and her unit remained. They were the final card on the table, tasked with finding evidence in the core facility designated as X-079. This was thest chance the leader had extended to her — and the only path left to atone, to demonstrate unwavering loyalty.
What if she also failed?
Chris’s eyes surfaced in her mind. Frail though his body had been, the authority in his stare had never wavered, nor had his warning about severe punishment for repeated mistakes. A cold shiver crept along her spine.
Failure could not be tolerated. If she could rectify her errors, perhaps she could w her way back into his trust. She had not forgotten his words — his connection to Maia was strictly professional. That meant the door was not fully closed. She had to prove herself once more, to make it undeniable that she alone deserved to stand at the leader’s side.
“Attention!” Raegan barked into hermunicator, her voice raw as urgency and ferocity fused into a singlemand. “If you want to live, move. Now! Even if you have to rip your way through with bare hands, force that door open. No one gets left behind!”
Boom! A precisely nted charge detonated, tearing apart theb’s reinforced st door in a violent rupture. Thick smoke billowed outward, swallowing the entrance whole.
“Go!” Raegan surged ahead like a predator unleashed, plunging into the smoke before anyone else could react.
Gunfire erupted instantly, sharp cracks ricocheting through the narrow corridor. Theboratory plunged intoplete disorder. Sirens shrieked as emergency rms wailed, crimson warning lights shing wildly and staining the walls in an ominous red glow. Researchers in white coats scattered in terror, screams echoing as they bolted in every direction. Documentsy strewn across the floor alongside shattered ssware, slicked through with fresh blood.
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