The safe house was a modest, nondescript apartment tucked into the quieter outskirts of the city. The faint glow of the sunrise seeped through the curtains, casting long shadows over the room. The air inside was thick with tension as the team regrouped after their escape from the lab.
Seojin sat at the head of the table, her jaw clenched and her eyes hard. Jiwon leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Minji, who sat apart from the group, her head bowed. Dojin paced the room, his frustration evident in every heavy step.
"Talk," Seojin said, her tone icy. "Start from the beginning, Minji. Why did you betray us?"
Minji swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "They have my sister. I… I didn't know what else to do. They said if I didn't cooperate, they'd kill her. I thought if I led you to the lab, I could buy time to figure out a way to save her."
Jiwon's scoff was sharp and cutting. "And what if we had all died in there? What then?"
"I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" Minji protested, tears streaming down her face. "I swear, I was going to help you escape!"
"Help us escape?" Dojin snapped, stopping mid-pace. "You trapped me in there with them!"
"I had to make it look convincing," Minji pleaded, her voice trembling. "I couldn't let them suspect anything, or they'd kill her immediately."
Seojin raised a hand, silencing the argument. Her sharp gaze bore into Minji. "Do you know where they're keeping your sister?"
Minji shook her head. "No. Hyunwoo didn't tell me. He just said she'd be safe as long as I followed his orders."
Seojin rubbed her temples, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on her. "This changes everything. If the Phoenix is holding hostages to control their operatives, it means their network is even more widespread than we thought."
Jiwon pushed off the wall, his voice calm but firm. "And it means we can't trust Minji. She's compromised."
"I understand why you feel that way," Minji said quietly, her hands clenched into fists. "But I want to make things right. I'll do whatever it takes to take them down and save my sister."
Dojin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not just about saving your sister anymore, Minji. You've put all of us at risk. If we make one wrong move, this whole operation could fall apart."
"We don't have time to argue," Seojin said, her tone final. "Minji stays—for now. But you're on thin ice. One more slip, and you're out. Understand?"
Minji nodded, her face pale but determined. "I won't let you down again."
As the team settled, Jiwon pulled out the files they had salvaged from the lab before the explosion. He spread them across the table, the papers detailing names, locations, and coded messages.
"This is what we risked our lives for," he said, his voice grim. "We need to decode these files and figure out where the Phoenix's next operation is. If we can get ahead of them, we might stand a chance of dismantling their network."
Seojin scanned the documents, her brow furrowed. "This symbol… I've seen it before." She pointed to an intricate emblem stamped on one of the pages.
Dojin leaned in for a closer look. "That's the mark of the Black Lotus Syndicate. They're one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Asia."
"Wait," Minji said, her eyes widening. "Are you saying the Phoenix is working with the Black Lotus?"
"It's possible," Seojin replied. "If that's true, it means we're not just dealing with a domestic threat anymore. This could be an international operation."
Jiwon pulled out another document, this one a list of coded coordinates. "These look like locations, but I'll need time to decrypt them."
Seojin nodded. "Do it. If we can figure out where they're operating next, we might be able to cut them off before they can regroup."
"Speaking of regrouping," Dojin said, his tone cautious, "what about Hyunwoo? Do we think he survived the explosion?"
"He's too smart to go down that easily," Seojin said, her expression dark. "And even if he did, someone else will take his place. The Phoenix isn't the kind of organization that relies on just one leader."
Minji hesitated before speaking. "Hyunwoo mentioned something before you arrived. He said the real power behind the Phoenix isn't him. It's someone called 'The Architect.'"
"The Architect?" Jiwon repeated, his brow furrowing. "Who the hell is that?"
"I don't know," Minji admitted. "But it sounded like they're the one pulling all the strings."
Tensions Run High
The room fell silent as the weight of Minji's revelation sank in.
"So we've been chasing a ghost," Dojin muttered. "Great."
"We're not giving up," Seojin said firmly. "Whoever this 'Architect' is, they're the key to taking down the Phoenix. We'll find them, no matter what it takes."
Jiwon crossed his arms, his gaze still wary. "And what about Minji? Can we trust her to help us do that?"
Seojin glanced at Minji, her expression unreadable. "That remains to be seen. But for now, we don't have a choice."
End of Chapter 40
Thoughts for Readers:
Do you think Minji's regret is genuine, or is she still hiding something? What are your theories about the 'Architect'?
Sneak Peek for Chapter 41:
The team follows a lead to a remote warehouse, hoping to intercept the Phoenix's next shipment. But what they find there shocks them to their core and sets them on a collision course with the Black Lotus Syndicate.