The night was very quiet. Inside the underground maintenance corridor of Zhao Group headquarters, the emergency lighting cast long, pale shadows across the concrete walls. The air smelled faintly of machine oil and cooled metal, sterile and cold. A man sat alone in front of the network monitoring terminal, his hands shaking slightly as they hovered over the keyboard. His name was Lin Hao, a finance department data coordination officer. The traitor.
His phone vibrated once on the desk. Unknown number. He answered quickly, his voice trembling. "Hello?"
Victor Han's voice came calmly through the line, devoid of emotion. "Prepare to leave the building after transmitting the final authentication packet."
Lin Hao swallowed nervously, his throat dry. "Yes… sir."
He looked at the terminal screen. The encryption escape protocol initiation was already prepared. If he finished the transmission, external access would become possible, and Victor's people could infiltrate the system completely. He typed slowly, his hands trembling with every keystroke. Beep. The authentication packet transfer started. The progress bar moved forward steadily. Twenty percent. Thirty percent. Fifty percent. Sweat formed on his forehead, dripping down despite the cool air of the corridor.
Then—suddenly—the screen flickered. A red warning box popped up.
⚠ Security Verification Override Active.
Lin Hao's eyes widened in panic. "What is this—"
Footsteps sounded behind him. Slow. Calm. Deliberate. The sound of heels clicking against concrete echoed in the narrow space. Lin Hao turned slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs. Lina Zhao stood near the corridor entrance. Her expression was very calm. Very cold. She looked at him not with anger, but with the detached curiosity of a scientist observing a specimen.
"Did you really think," Lina said quietly, her voice echoing softly, "that I would allow you to escape tonight?"
Lin Hao's face turned pale, all color draining from his skin. "Miss Zhao… I—"
"Continue transmission," Lina said, cutting him off.
Lin Hao froze, confusion warring with fear. "What…?"
"Continue your packet transfer," Lina repeated calmly, stepping closer into the light.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Lin Hao's hands began shaking violently over the keyboard. "If you stop now," Lina said quietly, "Victor Han will know you were exposed. He will know you failed."
Lin Hao's breathing became uneven, ragged gasps escaping his lips. "Miss Zhao… please… I just wanted money…"
Lina walked slowly toward him. Her heels made soft echoes against the concrete corridor floor, each step sounding like a countdown. "Tell me," Lina said, stopping just behind him, "how long have you been working for Victor Han?"
Lin Hao lowered his head, unable to meet her gaze. "Three months…"
"Who contacted you first?" Lina asked.
"A… anonymous number."
Lina's gaze darkened. Expected. Corporate warfare rarely revealed true masterminds immediately; vectors like Lin Hao were merely tools. "Do you know why Victor Han chose you?" Lina asked.
Lin Hao shook his head. "No…"
"Because you are afraid," Lina said.
Lin Hao trembled, the truth striking him harder than any accusation. "And afraid people are easy to control."
Silence filled the corridor, broken only by the hum of the servers. The transmission progress bar reached eighty percent. Victor Han was waiting on the other end, thinking his plan was succeeding, thinking he was winning. Lina spoke quietly, her voice cutting through the tension. "Finish the transmission," she said.
Lin Hao's eyes widened in disbelief. "But Miss Zhao—"
"Do it," Lina said. Her voice was very cold. Very authoritative.
Lin Hao swallowed hard. He had no choice. His fingers moved across the keys. Ninety percent. Ninety-five percent. Ninety-eight percent. Ninety-nine percent. Complete. The system screen turned green. Transmission success.
Lin Hao collapsed weakly onto the chair, exhaling a breath he felt he had been holding for hours. "Miss Zhao… please… protect me…"
Lina did not answer immediately. She picked up her communication device, her eyes never leaving the screen. "Director Chen," she said.
"Yes, Miss Zhao," Director Chen replied immediately from the other end.
"Activate internal security capture protocol."
"Yes."
Footsteps sounded from both ends of the corridor. Security personnel moved silently like shadows, emerging from the darkness with practiced efficiency. Lin Hao's eyes widened in terror as he realized the truth. "Miss Zhao… you promised—"
"I promised to decide after you proved usefulness," Lina said quietly. She looked at him, her expression unreadable. "Your usefulness is finished."
Lin Hao cried out, a sound of pure desperation. "No—!"
Security guards approached and restrained him, pulling him from the chair. Lina turned away slowly, walking back toward the light. Because this man was only a pawn. The real player was still watching.
***
Inside the Han Corporation penthouse, Victor Han received the system confirmation report. The screen glowed in the dim office. "Sir," the assistant said, "traitor transmission packet completed. Access granted."
Victor closed his eyes slowly. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips, curling with arrogance. "Good."
He walked slowly toward the window, looking out at the city he believed was within his grasp. "Prepare final phase investor pressure launch tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir."
Victor whispered quietly, his breath fogging the glass slightly. "Lina Zhao… Let me see how you handle the collapse."
***
But far away, on the dark balcony of Zhao Mansion, Adrian Lu stood silently under the night wind. His coat fluttered slightly in the breeze. His eyes were calm. Observing. Waiting. He looked at the Han Corporation tower in the distance, a faint smirk touching his lips. Then he spoke softly to himself, the words carried away by the wind.
"Victor Han… You are walking into a deeper trap."
Because the transmission packet tonight… was not Zhao Group's internal encryption key. It was a tracking beacon. And now, Victor Han's own system was broadcasting his location to the enemy.