Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Please tell me, that thing...

As the armed guards burst into the corridor, Elio barked orders for all researchers to rush out. Seeing someone running out, the guard nearly opened fire, but a glance at the white-coated figure revealed it was one of his valuable technicians and he quickly held back. Elio slipped through the crowd, running a few hallways before slowing down as if nothing had happened, his notebook tucked into his arm.

By the time the guards rushed into the data center control room, searched the entire room, found the researcher unconscious in the corner, and discovered that his coat had been stripped off, it was of course too late.

At this time, Elio had already walked to the bright reception area. Guards transferred from outside rushed in and brushed past the assassin who lowered his head, not noticing the "researcher" who stepped aside to make way for them.

Elio looked up at the last door, adjusted his glasses (which he had casually picked up from the table) and walked over with steady steps.

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist stopped him, "you can't take that out."

Elio paused. He lowered his head slightly, turned sideways, and casually raised the notebook tucked under his arm to the staff member, as a gesture of inquiry. After receiving an affirmative nod, Elio turned around and placed the notebook at the front desk.

He didn't say a word, just returned an understanding smile when the receptionist smiled apologetically at him.

But just as Elio turned to leave, alarms rang throughout the base.

"Attention everyone, attention everyone," the broadcast said. "Enforce security protocols. Entire area immediately sealed off. No entry or exit! All personnel freeze movement and await identity verification! I repeat, enforce security protocols..."

Elio had already reached the glass door. His gaze shifted as he saw, in the reflection of the glass, the staff member who had been smiling at him just a moment ago, pick up the phone on the table. The switch next to the door also turned from green to red, revealing a cross indicating no parking. Elio pressed it several times, but to no avail, and so he slammed into the glass door!

Elio was ready to fall out and get up again.

But when he slammed into it, the glass door didn't budge at all, only denting slightly. Elio, dazed by the collision, looked up and saw a line of red letters next to it that read "Multi-layer composite explosion-proof structure."

It's over. Just as Elio was thinking this, he heard footsteps clashing down the hallway, adding insult to injury. It looked like he was in a desperate situation, but Elio suddenly brightened and even backed away from the front desk.

Bullets shot out from the passage, and a row of bullet heads immediately embedded themselves in the place where Elio had just been; but the next moment, the snow-white front of the car rushed in from there!

The glass shattered immediately.

Benji opened the car door in the reception area, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Without him saying anything, Elio, who had been hiding on the side just now, of course rushed in immediately. The car carrying Elio did not stop at all and quickly fell backwards, but before Elio could close the car door in time, he was stuck in the doorway.

"Car door!" Benjy yelled. "Ethan, the car door is still open!"

Ethan stepped on the accelerator and the car rushed in again, colliding with the guards rushing out of the corridor, rumbling and knocking down a group of people. Elio quickly closed the car door, and Ethan reversed again. The tires drew a huge arc in the banging rain of bullets, and rushed out with increased horsepower!

Elio and Benjy, in the back seat, were thrown sideways into each other by Ethan's frantic driving. Only Ilsa, in the passenger seat, clutched the roof handle tightly, still having enough energy to fire back at the pursuers.

"Are you okay?" Ethan looked in the rearview mirror.

Elio, who had just gotten up, nodded repeatedly. He was about to pull out the USB drive from his pocket when his face changed. Ethan saw his reaction and his face changed too, but Benji, whose face had also changed, shouted before them, "Rail! Railing!!"

Ethan looked forward quickly, but it was too late. The car slammed into the checkpoint's railing, causing it to shake, and the entire car and its occupants also shook violently.

"It works!" Ilsa shouted. "Hit it a few more times!"

In the rearview mirror, the cars in the parking lot caught up with him. Ethan shifted gears smoothly, bumped into the car three or four times, and finally broke the railing when he was almost caught up, and rushed out with all his strength.

The ensuing frenzy of racing is omitted here, but by the time they had escaped the pursuit and stopped the car, they had returned safely to Ilsa's cabin.

"I almost thought I was going to vomit on you," Benjy said to Elio with lingering fear.

"In that situation," Elio looked at himself seriously, "I doubt I would have noticed that you vomited."

Benji chuckled, and Ilsa curled up the corners of her mouth.

"Give me a break," Ethan also said with a smile, "I had just been alive for a short time."

They looked at each other and saw that they all looked utterly disheveled. Some were still dripping with water, like freshly rescued drowned people. Others had tattered clothes, riddled with bullet marks, and were covered in dust, as if they had just escaped. After confirming that Elio had retrieved the USB drive, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and rested for a while, changing their clothes.

Elio came out of the shower and smoothed his wet curly hair, then put on his usual black vest. Just as he was putting on his black overalls, his new cell phone, which he had bought in Casablanca, rang.

It was an unknown call.

Elio glanced at it in confusion, but didn't answer. The heat was too intense, so he picked up his black jacket, hesitated, and then dropped it for the moment. Just as he leaned against the door to pull on his work boots and bent down to tuck his trousers in, his buzzing phone fell out of his pocket with a click.

Elio glanced at it casually, then frowned.

It was a text message from an unknown source, and it said in capital letters, "Answer the call."

'Who,' Elio thought, 'is so rude.'

A second text whizzed in, also in capital letters, "Please."

Elio frowned, his fingers still slightly damp, as he swiped across the screen. The next call was answered.

"I can cover up for you once, assassin." Mycroft's voice came from inside, "But you must know that I cannot be your umbrella."

His tone was still full of the British cadence, elegant and slow, but Elio could tell he was suppressing his anger, and he was very surprised.

“What are you talking about?” Elio put the phone to his ear. “I never asked for your protection.”

"Don't you know what you just did?"

"What did I just do?" Elio was even more puzzled. He pushed the door open to let the steam out, then walked out of the bathroom, phone in hand. "I'm not in England."

Mycroft was silent for a moment. Elio, who had walked into the courtyard, glanced at the power plant they had just emerged from.

"...No way." Elio muttered, "Is that your territory?"

"You don't even know where that is," said Mycroft. "Please tell me you still have that thing."

Ethan heard the noise on the balcony and looked out. He was about to ask Elio to come up for something to eat when he saw the latter's solemn profile.

"You tell me what it is first," said Elio.

"You don't even know what it is," the politician asked, "and you just rushed in and grabbed it?"

"Tell me what it is, or we'll have nothing to do with you," Elio said calmly. "I've been on the run for a long time, and I wouldn't mind running for the rest of my life. Do you really think you can threaten me? Or do you think it would be better for Britain to force me into a terrorist organization?"

Mycroft fell silent. Elio looked up and saw Ethan and Benjy retreating into the room. The two agents, who had been shoving each other, stopped and awkwardly whispered apologies to him. Elio shook his head, motioning for them to step back. With his phone in hand, he climbed through the small window and made his way to the second floor.

"Don't tell me you didn't know that," Elio said.

Then, he pressed the speaker button and placed the phone on the table in front of Ethan and Benjy. The phone was silent, and the room was also silent. Only Elio took the lead and sat down in a chair, unpacking the potato chips on the table and eating them.

"What's that noise?" said Mycroft.

"I'm hungry." Elio said confidently, "You know what I was busy with just now."

Ethan and Benjy sat down around the table in silence.

"Seriously? Potato chips?"

"I'm not worried about getting fat." Elio chewed on potato chips. "Listen, I know we reached an agreement, but that doesn't mean I'll obey your every command. As long as I'm alive, I'll find a way to destroy the Syndicate. But if you don't tell me what's on that USB drive, I'd rather destroy it than risk it leaking out."

"Oh," said Mycroft, "that's very kind of you. So what you got there was a USB drive."

Elio stopped chewing.

"Thank you for telling me that," Mycroft said gracefully. "I can also tell you a secret. 'Syndicate' was a proposal that once came up among us. At least, the Prime Minister and I always thought it was just a proposal."

Ethan pricked up his ears.

“…until you find out it’s real.” Elio continued eating his chips.

"I'm still going through the files on it," Mycroft said. "You know, the procedures and the formalities. Don't worry, I'll find out what's on that USB drive, but until then, please keep an eye on it. Okay?"

Elio patted his pocket thoughtfully. Ethan and Benjy were gesturing nearby, seemingly exchanging opinions. Just as Elio was about to respond, an engine suddenly roared outside the window. Ethan's eyebrows jumped, and he was the first to jump up and rush over. Benjy instinctively stood up and asked, "What's wrong?" Only Elio remained seated, turning his head to glance.

"...What's that noise?" said Mycroft.

"She's gone." Ethan took a few steps over and grabbed the coat hanging on the back of the chair. "Elio, do you still have the USB drive?"

The motorcycle keys flew into Ethan's hands almost immediately. It was obvious that he was just waiting for Elio's confirmation before chasing after them. After all, if she hadn't taken the USB drive from them, why would Ilsa be so anxious to leave without saying goodbye?

But Elio calmly raised his head, smiled, and pulled a USB drive from his pocket, placing it on the table in front of everyone.

"Still," Elio said.

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The author has something to say: Off topic, when I was writing about Oreo getting dressed, I really wished this was a movie so I could enjoy it...