Chapter 1608:
The piercing whine of an electric drill echoed through the confined space, harsh and relentless. Two figures in protective suits and helmets worked with mechanical precision, employing no advanced neural interface technology — only crude, brutal methods.
The drill ground deeper through Kolton’s skull. Tiny fragments of bone scattered outward as a clean circr opening formed at the center of his forehead. Blood seeped steadily through a drainage tube, dripping into a metal tray below — tap… tap… tap…
One of the operators spoke in a cold, emotionless tone. “Initiate frontal lobe destruction. The boss’s directive is clear — preserve only autonomous bodily function. Strip away memory, erase willpower. Leave behind nothing but apliant shell.”
Tires screeched as Maia mmed the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt outside the factory gates. She and Chris stepped out immediately.
Grayson was already there with several team members, scanning the debris field with visible tension. Spotting them, he hurried forward and gestured toward the disturbed ground. “There are footprints everywhere, but someone tried to erase them. Thermal scans show nothing — no cavities, no hidden spaces.”
Maia didn’t answer right away. She walked directly toward the abandoned police vehicle. Both doors hung open, the interior empty except for dark, dried stains across the seats. Her gaze sharpened as she examined the surroundings.
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“If Kolton had been conscious when removed, there would be signs of resistance,” she said quietly. “But the area is too clean. He was likely sedated or unconscious when they pulled him out.”
She crouched, switched on her phone’s shlight, and angled the beam low against the ground so the light skimmed across the surface. Faint markings appeared — subtle lines in the dust trailing toward a shadowed corner stacked with worn tires and rusted oil barrels.
“I noticed blood inside the police vehicle earlier,” she murmured. “Kolton must have been injured. If only we had Luminol.”
The chemical reagent was widely used in forensic investigations, reacting with trace amounts of blood to reveal patterns invisible to the naked eye.
Grayson paused for a brief moment, then hurried back to his car. Secondster, he returned holding a spray bottle — Luminol solution, ready for use.
“I nearly overlooked that. Good catch, Ms. Watson.”
Grayson spoke while misting the ground with the chemical solution. “Lights out. Now,” he added sharply.
One by one, the shlights went dark.
Momentster, a dim bluish shimmer bled through the cracks behind the uneven stack of tires. A clear chemical reaction. Residual blood.
Maia’s gaze hardened. “There’s an entrance concealed behind that wall.”
“Bring it down,” Grayson ordered.
A controlled st tore through the false wall, fragments scattering outward in a violent burst. An rm shrieked to life instantly, red emergency lights strobing in rapid pulses.
Through the settling dust, a concealed ess point revealed itself — a sleek underground passage lined with advanced technology.
“Move! Don’t give them time to slip away!”
Grayson surged forward with his unit close behind. Maia stepped forward to follow, but a hand shot out and stopped her mid-stride.
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