"They've triggered the self-destruct in this sector too."
His voice was dangerously low, but his hands moved at breakneck speed. "I'm opening a backdoor for Dragon-Thorn right now."
His fingers flew across the keyboard in a blur.
Using the virus network Serena had previously planted, he forcefully hijacked the residual access codes of the underground base.
"Dragon-Thorn, proceed immediately to Sector D4 coordinates," Nicholas ordered sharply over the comms.
The area that had already begun to lock down was forcibly stalled by his override for a few precious seconds.
A few seconds wasn't much.
But for Dragon-Thorn, it was more than enough.
Underground.
Two operatives used the temporary access Nicholas tore open to kick down the door and rush inside.
The room was tiny.
It contained nothing but a few heavily encrypted safes.
However, the incineration protocol had already progressed halfway.
The cabinets were partially melted.
They sprinted forward, desperately ripping out whatever was left inside.
But they could only salvage a fraction of the contents.
They immediately reported in. "Command, we've recovered partial core assets!"
"One aged, physical research manuscript."
"One global transport logistics ledger for core specimens."
"And a high-level security clearance key!"
The items were rapidly stuffed into a fireproof data case and scanned back to the main control center.
When Nicholas saw the half-burned name signed on the cover of the manuscript, his expression instantly turned terrifyingly dark.
Aria Wynn.
Nicholas's fingers froze over the keyboard.
His dark, predatory gaze instantly darkened with gravity.
Julian saw the name too, and the color drained from his face. "That's..."
Serena's grandmother.
The operation was proceeding exactly as planned.
A faint, icy glint flashed through her eyes.
She reached out and punched in the release code on the cabin's terminal.
Hiss.
The heavy alloy doors slowly slid open.
The green toxic gas hadn't fully dissipated, spilling out into the corridor in wispy tendrils.
The floor was littered with the mangled corpses of the Apex Augments, a shocking sea of carnage and blood.
And Serena simply walked through the ruins, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her torn uniform.
Outside the heavy doors.
A massive crowd had already gathered.
Heavily armored hazmat teams stood at the ready, wearing gas masks and protective gear.
Just beyond them stood the international representatives, the Organizing Committee, the media, and the Severian officials who had rushed over in a panic.

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