The silence after the explosion didn't last long.
Dust still floated through the underground corridor, illuminated by the flashing red emergency lights. The blast had collapsed part of the west hallway, sealing off the attackers who had tried to push deeper into the Valentino estate.
For a moment, everything felt still.
Then Adrian moved.
"Come on," he said quietly.
Elara followed him, stepping carefully over broken marble and debris. Luca walked behind them, rifle raised, eyes scanning every shadow.
Above them, distant gunfire continued.
But down here—
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Luca frowned slightly.
"I don't like this."
Adrian didn't slow down.
"Neither do I."
They reached a heavy steel door at the end of the corridor. Adrian entered a security code into the keypad. The lock clicked open with a dull metallic sound.
Elara looked around.
"Where are we going?"
Adrian pushed the door open.
"To the part of the house nobody knows about."
The room beyond was enormous.
Concrete walls.
Server racks humming with quiet electricity.
Screens displaying dozens of security feeds.
The estate's central control room.
Elara stepped inside slowly.
"You built this under the mansion?"
Adrian walked toward the main console.
"I built it after the first assassination attempt."
Luca chuckled quietly.
"Which one?"
Adrian didn't answer.
Instead he pulled up the security map of the estate.
Red dots filled the screen.
Intruders.
"Twenty-two left," Adrian said.
Elara crossed her arms.
"That's still a lot."
"They won't stay twenty-two for long."
Luca leaned against a console.
"You've got a plan."
Adrian glanced at him.
"I always do."
He tapped a command on the screen.
Suddenly—
Several doors throughout the mansion locked automatically.
Heavy steel barriers dropped over hallways.
Emergency shutters sealed windows.
The estate transformed instantly.
"What did you just do?"