CHAPTER 48

Helios and I were still holding hands when we reached the first floor of Atlas' basement, where the main lab was located. Blood was splattered across the white tiles, and the place was in complete disarray. The large flat-screen TV was shattered, along with the items displayed on the tables.

"Ria!" I shouted loudly.

My gaze shifted to the open steel door of the lab. "We're going in," I told Helios.

I moved quickly, and he didn't say a word as I pulled him inside. I immediately turned into the first hallway we passed, heading straight to Section 1's main hall in Atlas' laboratory.

If they weren't in the rooms where they were assigned, they'd definitely be inside here. Section 1's main hall had special emergency lock doors that automatically sealed off the area when an intruder entered.

I stopped abruptly and let go of Helios' hand. My attention was drawn to the broken scanner. It was clear someone had tried to destroy it to gain access but failed. The scanner was smashed, with only a few exposed wires visible.

"Try connecting those wires. Maybe it'll open," I heard Helios suggest.

I turned to him. "I don't know how to do that. I'm not familiar with connecting wires. Only Atlas knows how to handle things like this."

"I'll try to open it and see if it works," he volunteered.

I felt his hand on my waist as he guided me to the side, taking my place. He crouched down and started working on the emergency lock door in front of us. Once opened, the entrance to Section 1's main hall would automatically unlock too.

"Shit!"

I quickly looked down at Helios as he fiddled with the wires. He abruptly pulled his fingers back, shaking them in the air as if he'd been burned.

"What happened?" I asked with a furrowed brow, concern evident in my voice.

"The wire is hot," he replied. "Looks like someone has tried multiple times to open this, and I think it overheated from all the attempts."

"Probably," I agreed. "Atlas is very strict with our security here in the warehouse. We won't be able to open that just like this. I'll try to contact Pallas—maybe he can open it since the scanner came from him anyway."

"Have you checked everywhere!? Atlas' wife isn't outside. Maybe there's a place you haven't searched yet!"

"We've already looked at the blueprint of the entire basement and warehouse. It's chaotic and full of twists and turns!"

"Idiots! Check every spot. She might just be hiding somewhere!"

Helios grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side to hide. Silence filled our position until we were certain that Perses's men had moved away.

"Atlas' wife," I heard Helios whisper beside me, mimicking what one of the men had said earlier.

I frowned at his words and turned to him. His expression was dark, his forehead furrowed as he stared off into the distance. The look on his face made it clear he didn't like what he'd just heard. His stormy gray eyes were sharp, focused intently on nothing in particular.

"Fucking hell, why am I getting jealous of my own father? This is so annoying," he muttered to himself.

I watched as he rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a sigh. Shaking my head, I took his hand in mine and intertwined our fingers.

"Don't worry, Helios. I'm all yours. You don't have to be jealous, and most of all, you know the truth—we're not married," I reassured him as I turned to face him. I looked up and gently stroked his jaw. "We've already claimed each other, and there's no taking that back. Relax."

"Okay. I know there's no taking it back, and I won't let anyone else have you, Hexia. I've known from the start that you were always mine," he replied firmly.

He cupped my face in both his hands, making sure my gaze was entirely focused on him—on him alone.

"I know, Helios. I love you," I said softly.

"I love you more, baby," he said, his voice rough yet laced with an alluring tone. There was a possessive edge to his voice, as if he was terrified of losing me and had already claimed me as his own.

He sighed deeply before leaning down to press a quick kiss on my lips. I tapped his shoulder and moved a little away from him to focus on contacting Pallas.

I pressed my earpiece and spoke, "Hello? Pallas?"

I called out Pallas's name several times, but there was no response. Someone did answer, but it was Atlas, and he sounded out of breath.

"Atlas? I need Pallas' help to open the Section 1 main hall of the laboratory. Ria and the others are inside, and the emergency lock doors are already down. We need to get them out before anything worse happens in the basement. It's dangerous if they're trapped in there," I quickly explained, hearing background noise on his end. I knew he was listening.

"Okay, I'll connect you to him now."

"Alright, thank you. Where are you? Are there still a lot of people there?"

"A few. We're chasing after Perses—he's trying to escape. He had the nerve to attack us, but now he's running like a coward."

"Okay. We'll join you once I get Ria and the others out of here."

He didn't respond, and I knew he had ended the call on his earpiece. At the same moment, a loud noise filled the area as the emergency lock doors lifted back into the ceiling. The main door to Section 1's main hall opened wide.

"Let's go. We need to get inside," I said to Helios. He took my hand again and led the way into Section 1's main hall.

Inside, I was met by some of Atlas' men huddled against the walls or corners, as if hiding. They probably thought an enemy had entered. There were many of them, and the fear was evident on their faces. Toward the side, I saw Ria moving quickly as she treated a man who appeared to have been shot.

"It's me, Hexia. Don't worry. We're heading upstairs to get out of here. Atlas and Oceanus are already there. We need to leave now before it becomes too dangerous and we get trapped," I told everyone, scanning the room.

"Hexia!" Ria called out.

I ran toward her and quickly hugged her, but I broke the embrace just as fast. I patted her shoulder before walking past her toward a closed room within Section 1's main hall.

"What are you doing, Hexia?" Ria asked.

"We need to get out of this basement. If we get trapped in here, it'll be hard for anyone to rescue us," I answered briskly.

I glanced at Helios, who was now looking at me with a serious expression. I extended my hand toward him. "I need an extra magazine of bullets. Do you still have any?"

"Sure. Here," Helios quickly pulled out the magazine tucked at his back and handed it to me.

When I glanced at Ria, her expression was full of curiosity, almost like there was a literal question mark on her face. I already knew what she was thinking. I smiled at her and gave her a small nod.

"Step back," I said as I felt Helios behind me.

We both moved back, and I aimed my gun at the scanner. A gunshot echoed throughout the Section 1 main hall, shattering the scanner. I handed the gun to Helios after destroying it.

"Atlas didn't use high-tech scanners here, making it easier to bypass them in emergencies," I explained to everyone. I crouched down and began connecting the wires to force the door open.

The steel door opened automatically, revealing an array of weapons neatly lined up inside—close-range, mid-range, and long-range firearms, sniper rifles, and machine guns. I stepped in and picked out a gun.

"Get your weapon, Helios. Once everyone has theirs, we'll head upstairs," I told him. But when I didn't hear a response, I turned to him with a frown. "Are you okay? You look lost in thought. Don't tell me you're hiding an injury from me."

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on me, not saying a word. I gestured to him that I'd step out for a moment and be back soon.

I peeked outside the weapon room and saw Atlas' men still watching me, standing by hesitantly.

"Go inside and grab your weapons. Once you're done, we'll head upstairs to help Atlas and the others outside. Perses has probably already called for reinforcements since half of the initial attackers are gone," I said firmly, motioning with my head for them to move.

They quickly rushed inside and grabbed the first weapons they could lay their hands on. I noticed Ria entering as well, picking up a Glock 45. She approached me afterward.

"I'll take charge of getting those who've armed themselves upstairs, so it won't get too crowded in here," she said.

I nodded and hugged her tightly. "Take care. Everyone here knows how to handle a gun, right?" I asked, making sure.

"Yes, don't worry. We can handle ourselves as long as we're armed. I'll go ahead, Hexia. Just make sure no one gets left behind in the basement," she assured me.

"I will. Be safe," I replied, watching her head off with confidence.

"Sure. Take care," I replied.

She turned away from me, removing her lab coat, leaving her in a black t-shirt. She took the lead, guiding the others out of Atlas's basement, while I stayed behind to handle what was left.

I scanned the room. Everyone in the weapon room was busy with their own tasks. Some were putting on bulletproof vests, with Helios helping them. Once everything seemed in order, I knocked loudly on the steel door to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone listen up! If you see any of Perses' men, kill them. Is that clear? Don't hesitate to shoot them—if you do, they might get to you first, and you could die. Everyone armed, head to the main hall and proceed to the elevator. Move now!"

Everyone nodded in understanding and followed my instructions. Soon, only Helios and I were left in the weapon room. I headed to a rack of snipers and grabbed an AWM, carefully inspecting it before loading the magazine.

"You shouldn't come with us, Hexia," Helios said, his voice full of concern. "Go with the others escaping. Let us handle things here."

I paused, my focus still on the sniper's scope. Frowning, I slowly raised my gaze to meet his.

"What's wrong? Why are you talking like that? I won't allow myself to leave without helping Atlas and the others, Helios," I said, my voice tinged with irritation. "Are you okay? I'm not Sarah anymore, Helios. I'm not the same scared person I used to be. I've been working in this organization for years now—I'm used to this. More importantly, I can take care of myself. I don't need to be a damsel in distress. I can protect myself—"

I didn't finish my sentence because Helios cupped my face with both hands, making me look up at him. His ash-grey eyes, filled with worry, stared deeply into mine. I could see how much he was concerned for my safety.

"I know. I know, baby. I'm just worried something bad might happen to you," he said softly.

I let out a small laugh, grabbing the collar of his shirt to pull him in for a quick kiss. Then, I patted his arm and turned away to grab an extra magazine for my AWM sniper rifle.

"Satan has been following us ever since we joined El Orden Del Abismo, Helios," I said with a chuckle as I cocked the rifle and turned to face him. "Don't be surprised—our lives have been in danger for a long time."

I smirked as I added, "The only thing left for us to do is keep dodging him."

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Atlas, can you hear me?" I said after pressing my earpiece.

We had already exited the warehouse, and Ria's team had also managed to leave. Some of them were helping take down Perses' remaining men. I ducked as I heard gunshots.

"Yes. What's the situation in the basement?"

"The lower levels are clear. Helios will head your way to assist you. I've got a sniper rifle and will provide backup from behind while you search for Perses," I replied, glancing at Helios in the short distance.

He was busy fighting off Perses' men. I stayed hidden against the wall, scouting for a high ground position where I could set up properly with my sniper rifle. For emergencies, I had a close-range weapon strapped to a leg holster on my right thigh.

"Clear, Perses' men are down," Helios said as he approached me, breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath.

The sound of crackling flames consuming wood filled the air now that the area outside Perses' warehouse was secure. All that remained was to locate Perses himself and end this chaos, but, as expected, he was hiding like a coward in the fight he started.

"You need to go to Atlas and Oceanus. They're tracking Perses."

"Where are they?" he asked.

I gestured for him to wait as I needed an update from Atlas on their current location.

"Atlas, where are you? The area outside the warehouse is clear," I asked, pressing the earpiece again.

"We're in the middle of the forest. Damn this old man, he led us all the way here. We've been searching for him, but he's hiding. He's definitely still around since I managed to shoot him in the leg earlier. He can't have gotten far because he won't be able to run fast," Oceanus answered, indicating that Atlas' line was currently off.

"Are you near the Rarito Arch?"

"Yes."

The line went silent after that. I grabbed Helios by the hand and led him to his motorcycle.

"They're near the Rarito Arch. Park the bike about a hundred meters before the arch itself, and we'll head into the forest from there. You go ahead, and I'll find a spot to set up because this rifle isn't ideal for close-range combat."

I gripped my AWM sniper tightly and quickly hopped onto his motorcycle.

"Before I head to them, I'll help you find a good spot you can climb—"

"No, I'll take care of that. You need to head there now, Helios," I interrupted him. "Perses might be trying to find a way back to your mansion. There are a lot of escape routes near the Rarito Arch. Even if he manages to get back to your mansion, it won't matter because Atlas' backup is already there, waiting for him."

He sighed heavily, and I heard him curse under his breath before he climbed onto the bike and started it.

"Please, baby. I just want to see you safe before I go. Once you find a spot, I'll head straight to them. Allow me to take care of this because I just want to ensure you're alright before I head out."

I placed my hand on his waist, and the sniper rifle was wedged between our bodies. He revved the engine and headed toward the entrance of Rarito Street.

"How do you still have the energy to flirt even in a situation like this?" I teased, laughing.

"I just love you so much, that's why I'm like this," he quickly replied.

A faint smile appeared on my lips, and I gently stroked his back, since I couldn't kiss him with him driving. I bent down and quickly kissed his back, leaving a red lipstick mark on his white long-sleeve shirt.

"I love you too, Helios. I love you so much—"

"Fuck! Hexia, go to Perses' mansion! He's gone! We missed him! He got into a black Jaguar, and he's heading there for sure!"

I almost went deaf hearing Oceanus' voice in my earpiece. He was shouting, and I felt like my eardrums were about to explode. I could even hear the rapid gunfire on the other end, as if they were showering Perses' car with bullets.

"Copy that!" I shouted back. I tapped Helios' arm before speaking.

"Perses' mansion, now!" I shouted so he could hear me.

Helios just nodded, and with a loud roar of the engine, he sped off toward the mansion to follow Perses. Well, there was no way for him to escape now because I knew he was about to be cornered.

It was a huge mistake for him to go back there.

SHANGPU