Chapter 215
Chapter 215:
Herod nodded grimly. “Not just false information. Targeted misinformation. They identified Walsh as our inside man and used him to feed us exactly what they wanted us to see.”
He continued searching through the files, looking for further evidence. “The question is when they figured it out. How long have they been playing us?”
“Does it matter?” Rose snapped. “Our plan is ruined. If we try to exploit this fake vulnerability during the launch ceremony, we’ll walk straight into a trap.”
Herod didn’t answer immediately. His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, running a specialized scanning program over Walsh’s files. The program was designed to detect hidden code, embedded tracking software, digital fingerprints—anything that might reveal the true nature of the data.
The scan completed. Results appeared on the screen. Herod’s blood ran cold.
“They’ve embedded trackers in these files,” he said quietly. “Sophisticated ones. The moment we opened them, they activated.”
“Meaning what, exactly?” Rose’s voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper.
“Meaning they know we have this information. They know we’ve looked at it. And they’re tracking our location right now.” He began shutting down systems, disconnecting from networks. “We need to move. This place is compromised.”
Rose didn’t move, her body rigid with fury. “That bitch,” she breathed. “She’s been two steps ahead of us this whole time.”
“Not the whole time,” Herod corrected, still working to secure his systems. “Just since they identified Walsh. The question is what else they know.”
He opened a…
He tried a secure line to Walsh’s phone. The call went straight to voicemail. He tried again with the same result.
“Walsh isn’t answering,” he reported. “Either they’ve already gotten to him, or he’s realized something’s wrong and is running.”
Rose slammed her palms on his desk, leaning over to stare directly into his eyes. “Fix this, Herod. You promised me Camille’s destruction. You promised me she would pay for everything she took from me.”
Lᴬtєѕτ chᴀρτєrs ιn g𝓪lɴovєl𝓈.𝒸о𝓂
The desperation in her voice was matched only by the dangerous gleam in her eyes. Herod recognized the look—the same one she’d worn when she’d learned of Camille’s engagement. Rose was reaching her breaking point.
“We need to be smart about this,” he said carefully. “They’re expecting us to target the western junction. We need a new approach, something they won’t anticipate.”
“Like what?” Rose demanded.
Herod remained silent for a moment, weighing his options. Finally, he stood and moved to a wall safe concealed behind a painting. He entered the combination and retrieved a small thumb drive.
“This contains plans for the main power relay station that controls the entire Grid,” he explained. “Not just the junction points, but the central hub itself. We obtained this months ago, before Walsh, through different channels.”
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