The silence after the chaos was almost deafening. Seojun stood over Victor's unconscious body, chest heaving as adrenaline slowly drained from his system. Hana holstered her weapon, her gaze sweeping across the dim control room now lit only by flickering warning lights.
"It's over," she whispered.
But Seojun didn't answer immediately. He turned toward the central console and stared at the screens. The images of burning cities began to fade, replaced by static and scrambled signals. Hana joined him, typing rapidly to regain access.
"The countdown was terminated," she confirmed. "Whatever Victor was about to unleash—it's stopped. For now."
Seojun nodded. "We need to secure this place. If there's even a fragment of his code left running…"
Before he could finish, the sound of boots echoed in the corridor outside. The door hissed open, and an elite unit stormed in—black uniforms, weapons raised—but their leader quickly lowered his rifle.
"Stand down!" Agent Ryker barked. "They're friendly!"
Hana let out a breath of relief. Ryker, head of the international task force, stepped forward, surveying the wreckage.
"You two did it," he said. "The Syndicate's operation collapsed worldwide the moment the core signal dropped."
Seojun didn't smile. "Victor talked about Phase Three. What if there's still more we haven't seen?"
Ryker's expression hardened. "We're sweeping all known Syndicate locations. But without their core leadership, they're scattered. Leaderless."
Hana narrowed her eyes. "What about the ones who supported him? The ones in the shadows?"
Ryker gave a grim nod. "We'll find them. Every last one."
As the task force took Victor into custody and began data extraction, Seojun stepped outside. The sky above was dark but clearing, the air heavy with the scent of smoke and dust. Sirens wailed in the distance, but beneath it all, there was something else—hope.
Hana joined him, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"You think we'll ever have peace?" she asked.
"Maybe not forever," Seojun replied. "But for now—we've earned a moment of it."
They stood together in silence, watching the dawn begin to break.