Chapter 51
Footsteps echoed heavily on the concrete stairs, accompanied by the distinct, metallic rattle of a tactical rifle slung over a broad shoulder. The guard was descending rapidly.
"Michael, you have exactly ten seconds," Claire whispered frantically, pressing her back against the cold steel of the server room door.
"I need fifteen," Michael grunted, sweat beading on his forehead as he meticulously stripped a thick blue wire with a small pair of pliers. "If I cross the wrong circuit, the whole system fries and we lose the ledger permanently."
Claire didn't hesitate. She grabbed the tray of champagne glasses she had brought downstairs. She moved swiftly away from the server room, stepping into the center of the dimly lit hallway just as the heavy security guard turned the corner.
The guard stopped instantly, raising his rifle, his eyes narrowing in deep suspicion. He was a massive man wearing a tailored suit over thick Kevlar armor. "What are you doing down here? This is a restricted area."
Claire immediately dropped the tray. The crystal glasses shattered violently against the concrete floor, sending sharp, ringing shards echoing loudly through the corridor. She gasped, perfectly mimicking sheer, unadulterated panic.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Claire cried, dropping to her knees and frantically trying to pick up the broken glass. "The head chef is going to kill me! He told me the reserve champagne was in the lower cellar. I must have taken the wrong stairs. Please don't tell the coordinator, I'll be fired!"
The guard lowered his rifle slightly, looking at the terrified, beautiful woman in the catering uniform frantically cutting her fingers on the broken glass. The human element of annoyance temporarily overrode his intense tactical training.
"There is no wine cellar down here, lady," the guard sighed in irritation, stepping forward to pull her away from the mess. "You need to get back upstairs immediately before I report this."
Behind the guard, the steel door to the server room hissed open with a soft hydraulic sigh. Michael had bypassed the lock. The guard heard the sound and instantly spun around, raising his weapon.
But Michael was already moving. He lunged out of the shadows, striking the guard in the throat with a precision blow, followed by a heavy palm strike to the temple. The guard collapsed silently to the floor, unconscious before he even registered the attack.
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Claire stood up, dusting off her uniform, her expression instantly shifting from panicked server to fierce survivor. "Good timing."
"Great acting," Michael smirked, dragging the heavy guard into the server room. "Let's get the data."
