No one was hiding behind the curtains; the space was completely empty.

Gripping his gun, Bartley scrutinized the surroundings with a keen eye.

He even swung open the window to check every conceivable hiding spot, including the edges of the walls.

Yet, he found nothing.

“This is strange…” Bartley whispered to himself.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Upon answering, the voice on the other end swiftly altered his expression, compelling him to leave in a hurry. Being on the twenty-eighth floor made it highly unlikely for anyone to be outside the window.

Katelyn only dared to emerge after watching Bartley leave.

Each floor was equipped with a small, isolated platform, mainly for air conditioning units.

Katelyn had just been clinging underneath one such platform, holding on with her arms to escape Bartley’s search.

Dangling from the twenty-eighth floor was perilous, as any slip would be fatal.

Yet, she managed to maintain her grip using her upper body strength for a full five minutes.

Katelyn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and with one last burst of energy, pulled herself up and rolled safely back onto the platform. She couldn’t help but look down.

The ground was barely visible from such an immense height.

She had narrowly escaped death once more.

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Alfy quickly slid open the window.

“Gosh, are you okay?”

Exhaling deeply, Katelyn shook her head slightly. “I’m fine. Let’s head back now.”

They needed to leave swiftly, as Bartley could return at any moment.

Exiting the area promptly was their safest option.

Inside the office, Katelyn activated a hidden mechanism behind a painting and, with Alfy’s help, made her way back to their room and reset everything to its original state.

Sitting on the bed, Katelyn rubbed her sore arms and wrists. Her strength had waned significantly from the prolonged ordeal.

Enduring until the final moment was purely a testament to her determination.

Kneeling next to Katelyn, Alfy was overwhelmed with remorse.

“This is all my fault. My clumsiness keeps causing you problems.” Read complete version only at find[?]ovel.net

“This isn’t your fault. You just accidentally triggered that mechanism.”

As she comforted the guilt-ridden Alfy, Katelyn struggled to comprehend that her room had a hidden passageway leading to Bartley’s secret office. It seemed that Bartley might have designed this secret passage as his own escape route.

By sheer coincidence, Katelyn had checked into this room and uncovered the hidden mechanism.

Bartley’s haunting words continued to resonate with Katelyn.

Could he really have been involved in such heinous, unlawful deals merely for monetary gain?

Or was his motive to acquire these so-called life elixirs in exchange for favors from the nobility?

At that moment, her thoughts were a tumultuous mix of events, causing Katelyn’s heart to feel unsettled.

Suddenly, her phone emitted an urgent ring.

When Katelyn saw the caller ID, her expression turned cold—it was that enigmatic caller once more.

She pressed the answer button and heard the same chilling, mechanical voice.

“Katelyn, what’s the status of the investigation? When will you deliver what I’ve requested?”

“The information you’re asking for is proving to be quite a challenge. I need more time.”

Given Yata’s stringent societal hierarchy, leaking any scandalous evidence against the nobility, much less the royal family, was unthinkable.

The mysterious caller had truly placed her in a precarious position this time.

“You have three days. If you don’t meet the deadline, you’ll never see your master again!”

Quietly placing her hand on her shoulder and tilting her head, Katelyn had already stealthily opened her laptop. Her fingers darted across the keyboard, her eyes showing urgency, yet her voice remained calm.

“Show me evidence that my master is still alive if you expect my help. Lay a finger on him, and no matter where you hide, I’ll find you.”

While speaking, she increased her typing speed, displaying a countdown timer on the screen.

At the same time, the digital map on her screen was active, narrowing down a white circle to pinpoint the caller’s location.

A trace of cold determination flickered in Katelyn’s eyes. She had tried similar things three years earlier, but technical problems had led to failures at critical moments.

She was determined not to repeat those past mistakes. As the circle continued to shrink, the countdown timer approached its final ten seconds.

“Katelyn, don’t try any tricks!”

The mysterious caller abruptly ended the call. With only five seconds left on the countdown, the disconnection seemed to erase all previous progress.

However, just as Katelyn steeled herself for disappointment, the circle on the laptop flared to life once more!

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