Chapter 5 - The Corporate Warlord
The soft humming of the computer servers was the only sound in the terrifyingly quiet basement.
The head librarian kept his suppressed pistol aimed directly at Thomas's bleeding chest.
He calmly pulled a walkie-talkie from his tweed jacket and announced that the targets were secured.
Chloe frantically typed on her keyboard, trying to force the upload progress bar to move faster.
The librarian chuckled darkly and warned her that pulling the ethernet cable would be a fatal mistake.
Leo buried his face in Beatrice's coat, desperately trying to muffle his frightened sobs.
Thomas tried to step in front of his family, but the severe blood loss made his knees buckle.
Less than two minutes later, the heavy metal door unlocked and swung open with a dramatic creak.
Arthur Vance walked into the room, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit that cost more than Thomas made in a year.
His silver hair was perfectly styled, and his arrogant smirk radiated absolute, untouchable power.
He slowly clapped his hands together, echoing a mocking applause throughout the cold computer lab.
I must admit, Chloe, I am highly impressed that you managed to survive and return after ten long years.
Chloe stood defiantly in front of the laptop screen, shielding the uploading progress bar with her body.
You murdered the man I loved, and I am going to make sure the entire world knows what you did.
Vance laughed softly, a chilling sound that lacked any trace of genuine human empathy.
Do you honestly believe I ordered a hit on David just because of a minor chemical pipeline leak?
Corporate fines for environmental violations are merely a cost of doing business in my world.
Chloe frowned in deep confusion, her hands gripping the edge of the computer desk tightly.
David didn't find a simple leak; he discovered the hidden manifest of what my factory was truly manufacturing.
Vance stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with a ruthless, predatory darkness.
We weren't just producing industrial machinery, we were secretly manufacturing illegal, untraceable military-grade weapons.
I sell arms directly to foreign syndicates, and David managed to download the encrypted serial numbers of every single shipment.
If the federal government sees those files, they won't just fine me, they will lock me in a dark hole forever.
Thomas stared at his former boss in utter disgust, realizing the horrifying depth of the factory's corruption.
You built an empire of blood right under our noses, and you used innocent workers as your shield.
Vance shrugged indifferently and casually gestured for the librarian to hand him the suppressed pistol.
The upload progress bar silently reached eighty percent behind Chloe's back.
Vance raised the weapon and pointed it squarely at Leo's small, trembling head.
I will generously allow you and your parents to walk out of here alive, Chloe.
All you have to do is cancel that upload and hand over the flash drive right now.
May you like
If you refuse to cooperate, your son will pay the ultimate price for your stubborn sense of justice.
Chloe's heart completely stopped as she looked down the dark barrel of the gun aimed at her innocent child.
