Chapter 29 – Lockdown at Sector C
Sirens blared across Bai Corp's underground headquarters as the emergency shutters slammed down, sealing off corridors with reinforced titanium panels. The fluorescent lights turned blood-red. Employees were evacuated—those who were loyal knew better than to question Xueqing's command.
Inside the control hub, Xueqing, Mo Chen, and Zhihao stood over a 3D map of the facility. Sector C flickered with five red dots moving swiftly through the restricted data vault.
"They came prepared," Zhihao muttered. "Encrypted signals, synchronized movements, thermal-masking suits. Military precision."
Mo Chen narrowed his eyes. "But not ours."
"They're heading straight for Vault C-13," Xueqing said. "That's the Phoenix Protocols—the project we buried three years ago."
Zhihao blinked. "Why would anyone want obsolete AI blueprints?"
"They're not after the AI," Mo Chen said quietly. "They're after what the AI remembers. Names. Files. Codes."
Xueqing's eyes sharpened. "Yan Huilong knows where our ghosts are buried."
---
Meanwhile, deep in Sector C, five masked intruders navigated the dimly lit corridors with cold efficiency. Their leader—a tall figure in a black coat with reinforced gloves—stopped in front of Vault C-13.
He placed his palm over the scanner, and it blinked red.
"Override denied," a mechanical voice warned.
The man chuckled. "Typical."
He pulled out a small cube from his coat and placed it over the scanner. It hummed.
"Now," he murmured.
The door clicked open.
---
Back in the control room, the system screamed. "Vault breach—C-13 compromised."
Xueqing hissed, "They're inside."
Mo Chen turned to her. "We have two options. Engage with lethal force, or trap them inside and burn the room."
Zhihao added nervously, "That vault's reinforced. You lock them in, you'll fry everything—files, equipment, everything."
Xueqing hesitated.
Then her voice was steel. "Seal the vault. Torch it. If we can't keep it, neither will he."
Mo Chen nodded. "Your call is war."
He slammed the command.
---
Inside Vault C-13, the intruders barely had time to react before the blast shields dropped. Then the sprinklers hissed—not water, but a dense white gas that ignited on contact.
Flames roared.
The leader stared calmly at the fire before pulling his mask tighter. As the inferno rose around him, his eyes—hidden behind mirrored lenses—reflected not fear, but satisfaction.
"Good," he whispered. "She's still ruthless. Just like before."