Chapter 5 - The Hidden Truth
My lungs burned as the toxic yellow smoke thickened in the penthouse.
Lily fell to her knees, gasping desperately for clean air.
I remembered the emergency explosive charges I had secretly installed inside the window frames for situations exactly like this.
I crawled toward the hidden panel under the windowsill, my vision blurring heavily.
I smashed the glass cover and slammed my fist onto the red detonation button.
A violent explosion blew the entire reinforced window outward, sending glass raining down onto the streets below.
Freezing night air rushed into the room, rapidly clearing the deadly neurotoxin.
I grabbed Lily by her waist and dragged her out onto the narrow exterior balcony.
“We cannot stay here, his men will be coming up the stairs,” I yelled over the roaring wind.
We climbed over the railing and desperately leaped across a terrifying gap to the roof of the adjacent building.
We landed hard on the gravel roof, rolling to absorb the brutal impact.
We spent the next two hours navigating the dark alleys of the city, avoiding security cameras and police sirens.
I had no access to my money, my cars, or my allies.
“I know a place where we can hide,” Lily whispered, her strength slowly returning.
She led me into the deepest, forgotten corners of Chinatown, stopping in front of an abandoned tea shop.
She unlocked the rusted door with a specific sequence of knocks, pushing it open into complete darkness.
A single lamp clicked on, revealing a hidden room filled with advanced computer servers and tactical gear.
Sitting in a leather armchair in the center of the room was an old man sipping from a porcelain cup.
My heart stopped completely.
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It was Professor James Lee, the mentor who supposedly died in the same fire as Mei.
“You are late, Nathan,” the old man said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
