Chapter 45 - Underground Escape
They plunged into the dark, damp cellar just as a heavy breaching charge blew the front door off its hinges, filling the cabin with smoke and a blinding storm of white-hot tactical flashbangs. Daniel slammed the heavy steel cellar hatch shut and threw the locking bolt into place, diving down the wooden steps behind Marcus and Ethan.
"This tunnel leads half a mile down the ravine to an old mining shaft," Marcus said, coughing in the dusty air as he clicked on a heavy-duty tactical flashlight. "We move fast, or we get buried alive."
As they hurried down the subterranean corridor, Ethan kept the ruggedized laptop open, his eyes glued to the progress bar. "Ninety-nine percent... Come on, just a few more seconds..."
"Don't look back, kid," Daniel urged, keeping his weapon raised as they navigated the winding stone tunnels.
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Behind them, muffled thuds echoed through the bedrock as the tactical team above attempted to blast open the cellar door. A fine shower of dust and stone particles rained down from the low ceiling.
"Transmission complete!" Ethan shouted triumphantly, holding up the screen for his father to see. "The entire Janus database is fully decentralized across global maritime arrays. It’s live, it’s public, and it’s permanent!"
