She picked up her phone, bur didn't calf a lawyer or Juson,

Instead, she dialed Austin's number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"You're trapped," Austin stnted matter-of-factly.

"You don't seem surprised at all," Eila replled, her voice betraying no hint of pante.

"What surprises me is that he would resort to such a stupid approach."

Austin let out a soft laugh on the other end.

He countered, "It's not stupidity; it's arrogance. He believes that by trapping you this way, he can force you to comply."

"Where are you now?"

"Drakmoor, in Vanguard 'Technologies' Iaboratory, with a group of agents at the door who think I'm a corporate spy."

There was even a hint of mockery in Bila's tone, "Should I be considering applying for political asylum right about now?"

"Not necessary."

Austin's voice was as stendy as bedrock.

"Saay there, Don't engoae in any conflict with throm,"

"Within twenty-four hours at most, someone will arrive to naolve all your

problems."

"On what grounds?" Ella asked-less' a challenge than an instinctive wariness about situations beyond her control.

"Because I'm the second-largest individual shareholder in Vanguard Technologies."

Austin's voice carried clearly through the speaker, echoing in the tense atmosphere of the laboratory.

"Derek wants to use international regulations innovatively to meet his challenges. I'll show him who really calls the shots on this soil."

He hung up.

In the laboratory, the atmosphere remained frozen.

The lead agent had clearly overheard the phone conversation, and his face displayed undisguised contempt.

"Ms. Brooks, I advise you not to put faith in empty promises made in transoceanic phone calls. In Darkmoor, no individual stands above the law."

He waved his hand, and the technical personnel behind him hesitated no longer. They efficiently opened their equipment cases, removed data copy hardware arrays, and walked directly toward the humming server racks.

Robert's face flushed red. Like an enraged lion, he spread his arms again.resolutely blocking access to the server cabinets.

"You can't do this!" He shouted.

"You can't do this!" He shouted, "This contains over twenty years of our

life's work-the spark for future generations!"

"Dr. Adler, please calm down first," The agent said coldly, his hand moving to the holster at his waist.

"If you continue to obstruct our official duties, I will be forced to arrest you according to the law."

Ella walked over and gently placed her hand on Robert's arm.

"Dr. Adler, let them proceed," She said, her voice calm.

Robert stared at her in disbelief.

"Ella?"

"Austin said twenty-four hours, maximum," Ella replied, her gaze fixed on the agent, showing neither anger nor fear, only an almost cold composure.

"I believe him."

The agent seemed to hear the most ridiculous joke of the century.

"Ms. Brooks, you appear to hnave unrealistic fantasies about your ex-husband."He scoffed.

"In twenty-four hours, this data will be stored on our headquarters' servers.analyzed by our highest-level technical experts, while you'll be sitting in our safe house, sampling the worst coffee in the world." He ended his speech wvith a nod to his subordinates.

The technical staff immediately pushed Robert aside roughly and began connecting ports to the servers.

The laboratory fell silent except for the monotonous sound of hard drives

copying data and Robert's increasingly heavy breathing.

Ella didn't sit down. She stood there, leaning against the lab bench,quietly watching the ancient clock on the wall.

Several hours later.

The daylight outside had transformed from the faint morning light to the harsh midday sun.

The agent's face had changed from cat-and-mouse playfulness to the smug satisfaction of victory.

He'd even ordered takeout-several pizza boxes stacked on the lab bench.filling the room with the smell of cheap cheese.

"Ms. Brooks, would you like a slice?" He offered, holding out a piece of pizza with the posture of a victor.

Ella ignored him, her gaze fixed steadily on the wall clock.

Just then, the laboratory's heavy alloy doors were pushed open from outside with almost savage force.

Blinding sunlight poured in, accompanied by the sound of urgent footsteps.

Everyone instinctively turned around. At the doorway stood a group of soldiers in black combat uniforms, holding the latest tactical rifles with black lasersights that swept across the room.

Leading them was a colonel with an imposing presence.

"Who's in charge here?" The colonel's voice boomed with the authority of someone accustomed to giving orders.

The agent was stunned but quickly straightened his posture.

"I'm Sidney, senior agent with the Department of Commerce. We're executing-"

"I don't care what you're executing," The colonel cut him off, not even glancing at Sidney's credentials. He pulled out a document bearing the highest classification seal of the Department of Defense and slammed it in Sidney's face.

"By law, Vanguard Technologies and all its technical patents are,as of this second, classified as a Level One Strategic Cooperation Unit of the Defense Department, with top security cearance exemption. Now take your people and get out of my sight!"

Sidney's face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Sir, there must be some misunderstanding. Our operation was authorized by the Justice Department." Sidney stammered.

"I'll say this one more time." The colonel's hand moved to his sidearm,his eyes turning cold as ice.

"Get out."

Johnson and his technical personnel fell silent in terror. They fled the laboratory without even packing up their expensive equipment, stumbling over each other like panicked dogs.

The agents who had been so dominant just moments ago now scattered like frightened rats.

The laboratory returned to silence. The colonel scanned the room,his gaze finally landing on Ella.

"You must be Ms. Brooks," He said, walking toward her with measured steps. He gave Ella a crisp military salute, his eyes showing unwavering determination.

"Mr. Raymond asked me to relay a message to you."

"In Drakmoor, rules? Sometimes they're just made to be broken." His lips curved slightly upward in a barely perceptible smile.

Ella looked at this commanding military officer and the armed soldiers behind him, finally understanding what Austin meant. He hadn't gone through legal channels or sought lawyers. He had directly contacted the most powerful force in the country and turned that machinery into her personal bodyguard.

"Where is he?" Ella asked, her brow slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"Mr. Raymond is on his way. He said he wants to personally invite you to dinner and discuss the next stage of Vanguard Technologies' development with you in depth." The officer's tone was respectful, his eyes revealing his high regard for Ella.