Deep End | Hyunlix

20

Seungmin's fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes glued to the screen, his breath shallow. The timer on his watch ticked away, each passing second adding to the anxiety building in his chest. Come on, come on, he thought, trying to keep calm. He glanced up briefly, looking over at Han, who was pacing behind him. Seungmin knew the urgency of the situation, and the longer it took, the more he could feel the pressure mounting.

"We need to be out of here in two minutes," Han said, glancing at his watch.

Seungmin nodded, sweat starting to bead on his forehead, trickling down the back of his neck. He couldn't afford to let the pressure get to him, but the weight of the mission was overwhelming. Almost there. Just a few more firewalls. He held his breath and finally breached the last layer of security. With a sigh of relief, he quickly started the data transfer, watching the loading bar creep across the screen.

"It's transferring. Should be done soon," Seungmin said, giving Han a quick glance. Han nodded but didn't let up on his watchful stance.

As the seconds ticked by, Seungmin's nerves got the better of him. He stole a glance at his watch again, almost there when suddenly, an alarm blared from the screen. His eyes widened in shock, and panic surged through him. Fuck, he thought, his hands trembling as he scrambled to turn off the alarm.

Meanwhile, Felix was quietly moving through the office, staying as stealthy as possible. His heart raced as he made his way toward the cubicle with the light still on. His eyes flicked to his watch. He needed to make sure the others were almost done, and there was no time to waste.

He crept into the hallway, staying low and silent, his footsteps light. The quiet of the building was both comforting and unnerving. As he approached the cubicle, Felix held his breath. He could hear typing from inside. Who could be here so late? he wondered. Could it be related to the Snake Eye Clan?

His heart pounded in his chest as he slid closer, trying to make out what was on the man's screen. But before he could get a good look, the blaring sound of an alarm filled the hallway, making Felix freeze in place. The man in the cubicle jumped up in surprise. Felix quickly ducked into the shadows, pressing himself against the wall, holding his breath.

The man hastily finished what he was doing, quickly turning off the computer and bolting toward the exit. Felix waited a beat before cautiously moving back toward his team, heart still hammering in his chest. Something's not right, he thought, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Seungmin was frantically working to stop the alarm. "We need to go," Han said urgently, moving to unplug everything.

"Wait! It's almost done transferring," Seungmin replied, his voice tight with urgency.

"We don't have time," Han said, glancing around. "Someone's probably on their way up here now. We need to move."

"It's almost done," Seungmin said again. "Tell Chan and Felix to head down first. We'll be right behind them."

Just as they were about to grab their things, they heard the door open. Han raised his gun instinctively, but relaxed when he saw it was only Chan.

"We need to go. Felix will meet us at the stairs," Chan said, his voice low.

"Wait, Felix isn't with you?" Han's voice spiked in anxiety.

"No time to explain. We need to go." Chan's words were firm, and his face was serious.

Seungmin turned back to the computer and let out a relieved breath when the transfer finished. He quickly started putting up firewalls and unplugging everything. Han grabbed his bag, helping to pack everything away as quickly as possible.

"Let's go," Seungmin said, throwing the bag over his shoulder.

"Incoming, guys," I.N's voice crackled through the earpieces. "Three men headed up the stairwell. You've got eight minutes to get down and out before the cameras come back online."

They froze, looking at each other. Where the hell is Felix? Chan thought, his pulse quickening. Without wasting any more time, they rushed down the hallway, heading for the stairwell.

"On my command, we go for the door and down the stairs. Be ready, there's probably someone at the bottom," Felix's voice came through the earpieces, grounding them all.

Chan let out a sigh of relief. Thank God he's okay, he thought, the anxiety easing just slightly.

They waited in silence, holding their breath as they heard the footsteps of the approaching men. Finally, the stairwell door creaked open, and three men stepped into view. They moved towards the server room, and Felix gave the order.

"Now."

The team rushed forward, slipping through the door and moving quickly down the stairs, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"There are two downstairs. They're not near the stairwell door, so you should be able to take them out before they notice," I.N advised.

Felix nodded, his heartbeat racing again as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He carefully opened the door, peeking out. The two men were stationed by the garage door, their backs to him. He quickly closed the door again and turned to his team.

"I'm going to knock one out with the dart. As soon as I do, we need to move fast and take the other one down," Felix said, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Felix opened the door again, carefully checking that the men hadn't moved. He raised the dart gun and took aim. With a quiet shot, the first man collapsed, and without missing a beat, Felix and the team rushed forward, neutralizing the second man before he could react.

Both men were down, and they quickly made their way out to the garage, piling into the van. Han gunned the engine, and they sped away, the building growing smaller in the rearview mirror.

"Well, that was close," Felix muttered, letting out a relieved breath as he looked back at the building. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, but they were safe for now.

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1039 words