235 The Hidden Basecamp
The Green Farm near the city border slept quietly under the night sky.
1
To outsiders, the vast fields and scattered barns would give the impression of a peaceful countryside property owned by an entric millionaire.
But nothing about this ce was simple.
Beneath the grassy hills and livestock pensy an entire underground basecamp, equipped with
tunnels, surveince rooms, weapons storage, and private cells.
The farm was merely a cover—one of Axel Knight’s base camps in the capital city.
The ck van rolled through the gates and followed a stone road lit only by asionalmps.
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It stopped beside arge gray stone house tucked
beneath thick, shadowy trees. By daylight, the house looked picturesque and serene, the perfect rural escape.
Tonight, however, the darkness swallowed its
charm.
The sliding door opened with a click, and Ethan stepped out first. His calm expression did not match the situation, nor did he spare a nce at Maxime Knight, who was still sleeping inside the van like a drunken baby.
nked by two of his men, Ethan gave a short order. “Lock him in the underground.”
“Yes, boss!” all three replied.
The van moved again, circling the house. It disappeared behind the tall trees and entered a concealed passage disguised as a shed. The secret tunnel sloped downward, hidden from even trained eyes.
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Then,
Ethan continued his step toward the main
entrance.
Inside the house, Ethan took a breath.
The tension around his shoulders eased once he
stepped into the quiet living room.
“Oh, Ethan, you are here?” Liam’s rxed tone floated toward him from the seating area. “I thought you were still in Nevalis. Why are you here?”
Ethan stopped mid–step. His eyes narrowed when he spotted Liam loungingfortably with a beer in hand. Beside him sat Lisa, scrolling through her phone with her usual unreadable
expression.
He slowly walked to them and dropped onto the sofa, opposite them. His eyebrow twitched in suspicion.
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235 The Hidden Basecamp
Instead of answering Liam’s question, he asked, “Why are you guys here? Both of you?”
“Boss told us to rest,” Liam replied while gulping
from his beer. He tossed another cold can to Ethan, who caught it casually.
“Did he rece you with Ryan?” Ethan asked while cracking open the can.
“No. Nothing like that. He just told me not to go out today. So here I am, enjoying early retirement.” Liam shrugged, although the slight smirk on his lips said he was very proud of his temporary freedom.
Ethan took a long sip. The cold beer slid down smoothly, refreshing his throat and erasing some
of the irritation he carried.
His gaze moved to Lisa. “What about you? I thought you were assigned to guard Lady Boss.”
Lisa lifted her eyes slowly, almost startled by
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235 The Hidden Basecamp
Ethan’s question. She lowered her phone and answered in her soft voice, “Same as Liam… Boss.
Axel asked me to rest because Lady Boss has no outdoor schedule this week, so I am on standby.”
“I see…” Ethan nodded, staring at them thoughtfully.
Then his lips curled into a sly smile.
He stood and straightened his jacket. “I will not be a third wheel. Continue your dating, you
two.”
Liam choked instantly, spraying a bit of beer on his own shirt. “What? Dating? Who? Us?”
Lisa’s phone slipped from her hands and ttered loudly onto the floor. Her face turned bright red
in less than a second.
“We are not dating!” she sputtered, scrambling to grab her phone.
Ethan simply waved without looking back. “Enjoy
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235 The Hidden Basecamp
:
yourselves.”
Lisa’s eyes widened as if he had spoken a curse. She bolted from the sofa and ran out of the living room so fast that Liam’s jaw dropped.
“Wha… hey! Why are you running away? You are making it look true,” Liam shouted after her. He feels annoyed and amused at the same time.
Then he stared at the empty doorway, shaking his
head.
“Tsk. Even she ran without saying anything.” His lips stretched into a crooked grin. “I guess even Lisa cannot handle Ethan’s nonsense.”
With a sigh, Liam picked up another beer. He opened it loudly and drank until it was empty.
In the Underground.
While Liam and Lisa dealt with Ethan’s teasing
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235 The Hidden Basecamp
upstairs, the operation below ground progressed smoothly.
The van reached a steel tform underground. The ramp behind it sealed shut automatically as the space lit up with white fluorescent lights.
Two guards opened the door and hauled out Maxime Knight. He was still unconscious, snoring lightly.
“Man, he is heavier than he looks,” one guard muttered while adjusting his grip.
“Boss will want him awake,” another said. “Better
put extra water buckets in the cell.”
They dragged the sleeping Maxime down a narrow hallway until they reached a steel door. The door opened with a beep, revealing a small but secure holding room.
They dropped Maxime onto the concrete floor with zero grace.
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235 The Hidden Basecamp
He mumbled something, turned over, hugged his
own body, and drooled.
One guard blinked. “This is the guy who keeps causing boss trouble?”
“Apparently so.”
“Looks… harmless.”
“Looks deceitful,” the other replied.
They stepped out and locked the door behind
them.
Ethan arrived a few minutester. His boots
clicked against the concrete floor, echoing through the hall as he met the man who brought Maxime to his temporary cell.
“Is he secured?” he asked.
“Yes, boss. Sleeping like a baby.”
Ethan nodded. “Good. You guys wait outside!”
“Understood.”
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Ethan entered the room, and the yellowmp hanging in the center automatically turned on. He saw that Maxime was sprawled out like a starfish, mumbling something again.
Ethan shook his head.
“Idiot,” he muttered before grabbing a bucket of water from the corner and dumping it over Maxime. “Wake up.”
It took three whole buckets before the man finally stirred.
Maxime blinked. Something felt wrong.
His back ached. His head throbbed. His mouth tasted like he had chewed on stic.
Then another wave of cold water crashed onto
his face.
Maxime jerked upright with a strangled yell, drenched from head to toe.
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His blurry vision cleared, and he found a tall man standing above him, holding an empty bucket as casually as if he had just watered a nt.
Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.