Chapter 9 - The Decryption
The red numbers on the explosive timer ticked down relentlessly, echoing like a heartbeat in the silent vault.
We had exactly ninety seconds before the entire basement was reduced to absolute ash.
"There has to be a defusal sequence," I said frantically, examining the complex wiring attached to the hard drive.
Salvador grabbed the birthday check again, his sharp eyes scanning the seemingly random numbers printed on the bottom.
"The check is a two-part cipher," Salvador muttered rapidly, his brilliant mind working at lightning speed.
"The routing number opened the vault, which means the account number must be the defusal code."
He grabbed the small digital keypad attached to the explosive and prepared to type.
"If you are wrong, we die instantly," Elena warned, her eyes locked on the rapidly dropping timer.
"I am never wrong about numbers," Salvador said confidently, typing in the twelve-digit sequence.
He pressed the final enter key just as the digital timer hit exactly three seconds.
The bright red lights flashed once, buzzed loudly, and then turned a calm, solid green.
The explosive was successfully deactivated.
I let out a massive breath I did not know I was holding, feeling my knees nearly buckle from the adrenaline crash.
Salvador carefully unplugged the hard drive, securing the syndicate's ultimate downfall in his pocket.
"Let's move, the police will be swarming this place any minute," Salvador ordered, leading us out of the vault.
We tied the corrupt mayor to the heavy steel pipes using the very same chains he had used on my grandfather.
We sprinted up the service stairs, bursting out into the cool, fresh night air of the city alleyway.
I looked at the people who had pretended to be my parents, realizing I would probably never see them again.
They gave me a sad, apologetic nod before disappearing completely into the urban shadows.
"We need to get this hard drive to the federal authorities," I said, turning to Elena and Salvador.
But before we could take another step, blinding police spotlights hit us from both ends of the narrow alley.
May you like
Dozens of squad cars blocked our escape, and the corrupt police chief stepped out with his gun drawn.
"End of the line, Salvador," the chief yelled with a sinister smile.
