Chapter 16 - The Ultimate Trap
The cavernous interior of the warehouse wasn't empty or ruined as it appeared from the outside; it was actually a state-of-the-art, subterranean command center disguised skillfully as industrial wreckage.
Rows of glowing computer server racks hummed loudly in the damp, salt-heavy air, casting an eerie blue glow across the concrete floor.
Standing at the dead center of a raised metal platform was Victor Vance himself, flanked by half a dozen heavily armed mercenaries.
He looked remarkably like Julian, bearing the exact same sharp facial features and piercing eyes, though a jagged, hideous scar ran down the left side of his jaw—a permanent souvenir from the yacht explosion fifteen years ago.
‘Welcome, dear brother. And a special welcome to my brilliant nephew,’ Victor’s voice echoed smoothly and mockingly across the vast, echoing space, dripping with sarcastic amusement.
‘I must admit, you boys tore through my puppet Marcus Sterling much faster than I anticipated, but you walked right into the lions' den.’
Instantly, heavy steel blast doors slammed shut from above behind the tactical team, sealing the warehouse exits completely and cutting off all radio communications with external support.
Julian stepped forward boldly, raising his weapon with absolute calm and poise.
‘It ends right here tonight, Victor. Your corporate terrorism stops permanently.’
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Victor laughed darkly, lifting a small remote detonator in his right hand. ‘End? My dear brother, this is only the grand beginning. The entire global financial network is already hard-wired to our satellite uplink. One push of this button, and Vance Global ceases to exist entirely.’
Leo’s eyes darted rapidly around the room, desperately scanning the server architecture for a manual override console before Victor could execute his catastrophic command.
