Sean guided the sedan onto the roadway with its headlights extinguished beneath the night sky.
Resting over his eyes was the same pair of low-light driving glasses issued to Helix.
Their optical enhancement system amplified the scarce ambient light while sharpening the road ahead, allowing him to shadow the convoy without revealing his position.
Beside him, Soren remained silent, his attention fixed on the four SUVs gradually disappearing farther into the darkness ahead.
Sean adjusted the wireless earpiece in his ear.
“Lucifer. Target has three accompanying vehicles. Total of four SUVs.”
Farther behind, another sedan maintained an even greater distance.
Jion remained behind the wheel while Jayden sat quietly in the rear seat, wearing the same lightweight immersive visor issued to Niel.
Telemetry, GPS overlays, vehicle identifiers, and the drone’s live aerial feed were projected directly across his field of vision, reducing the landscape below to illuminated gridlines stretching through the darkness.
Four highlighted vehicle signatures advanced steadily along the main roadway, their spacing remaining almost perfectly identical.
“Confirmed,” Jayden reported after reviewing the incoming telemetry.
“Four SUVs taking the primary route.”
Jion kept both hands on the steering wheel, mentally reconstructing the convoy’s formation from Jayden’s continuous updates.
“They came prepared.”
Anyone transporting information valuable enough to attract the black market should have traveled discreetly.
Instead, they had arrived with a four-vehicle convoy.
It looked less like an escort…
…and more like a security detail expecting someone to intercept them.
Jayden continued monitoring the aerial feed, assigning identifiers to each highlighted vehicle as they advanced beneath the drone.
The wireframe outlines updated almost immediately.
SUV One.
SUV Two.
SUV Three.
SUV Four.
The identifiers appeared across the four vehicles as they continued deeper into the night.
Any one of them could be transporting Adrian Mercer’s research.
The convoy maintained its disciplined formation for nearly twenty uninterrupted minutes, neither accelerating nor slowing as it followed the primary route.
The four identical SUVs preserved almost perfect spacing between one another, changing lanes only when necessary and doing so with the kind of precision that suggested rehearsal rather than instinct.
From Sean’s perspective, they looked less like individual vehicles and more like a single unit moving beneath four separate bodies.
They soon reached a major intersection.
Without warning, the formation broke apart.
Sean’s eyes narrowed.
The lead SUV activated its turn signal before drifting toward the left-hand lane.
Almost simultaneously, the last vehicle mirrored the movement, falling in behind it.
The remaining two SUVs continued straight for another several seconds before veering onto a different road branching to the right.
The convoy had split.
Sean adjusted the wireless earpiece with one hand, his attention never leaving the road ahead.
“Lucifer,” he reported evenly.
“Convoy just divided.”
Several meters behind, the drone’s live feed streamed across the immersive visor covering Jayden’s eyes.
The digital map rotated smoothly as the intersection came into view from above, the four highlighted vehicle signatures separating almost simultaneously before advancing along two different roadways.
The software automatically updated the projected routes, drawing two distinct paths across the virtual landscape.
“Confirmed,” Jayden replied after reviewing the telemetry.
“SUV One and SUV Four have committed to Route A. SUV Two and SUV Three are proceeding along Route B.”
Silence settled inside Jion’s vehicle.
He had expected counter-surveillance, but this was something else.
Dividing the convoy reduced the chance that a single surveillance team could maintain visual contact with every vehicle.
Either both routes mattered…
…or only one of them did.
Jion considered the possibilities for barely a second before reaching a decision.
“Alpha. Split.” His voice remained calm, leaving no room for hesitation.
“Lucifer, take SUVs Two and Three. I’ll take SUVs One and Four.”
“Copy.”
No further discussion was necessary.
Several hundred meters ahead, the distance between the two pairs of SUVs continued to widen with every passing second.
Almost simultaneously, Team Alpha divided.
Sean eased his vehicle toward the eastern route, maintaining enough distance that the rear SUV never had reason to acknowledge his presence.
Behind him, Jion guided the second surveillance vehicle toward the opposite roadway, allowing the growing darkness between the two routes to swallow each team from the other’s view.
Jion retrieved his low-light driving glasses from the center console.
As the optical system adjusted to the surrounding darkness, he switched off both the headlights and taillights, allowing the sedan to disappear into the night while Jayden continued tracking the convoy from above.
From that point onward, what had begun as a single pursuit became two separate operations.
Through the comms, Team Beta listened as Jion revised Team Alpha’s orders.
No one interrupted—there was nothing for Team Beta to contribute.
Their own assignment remained unchanged.
The black coupe continued along the Western Bypass beneath an increasingly empty night sky.
Civilization had long since disappeared behind them, replaced by stretches of unlit roadway cutting through open countryside where dense forests and abandoned farmland occupied opposite sides of the asphalt.
The losing bidder’s sedan remained visible only as a distant silhouette ahead, its taillights appearing and disappearing whenever the road curved gently through the darkness.
Several uneventful minutes passed.
Then the sedan began to slow.
Helix noticed the change immediately.
He allowed the distance to widen even further, his attention fixed on the faint red glow ahead as the target gradually reduced its speed for no immediately obvious reason.
Almost at the same moment, Niel’s voice reached both surveillance units through the comms.
“Helium. Visual update. The target has stopped.”
Fresh telemetry streamed across the drone interface as he refined the drone’s position.
“Location confirmed. An isolated intersection where the Western Bypass meets a secondary access road. Open fields to the east. Dense forest to the west. No nearby structures. No civilian activity detected.” Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.
Helix’s gaze remained fixed ahead.
The sedan had come to a complete stop near the intersection, its brake lights glowing steadily against the darkness.
Helix eased the coupe onto the shoulder several hundred meters away, deliberately choosing a position far enough to avoid attracting attention while preserving an unobstructed line of sight toward the intersection.
Behind them, Jace mirrored the maneuver after allowing additional distance to separate the two surveillance vehicles.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
For the moment, both Team Beta units remained exactly where they were, watching the silent intersection from a distance while waiting for the target to make the next move.
Niel’s eyes remained fixed behind the immersive visor as streams of telemetry continued updating across his field of vision.
The reconnaissance drone maintained its steady orbit above the surrounding countryside, quietly mapping every road within its expanding operational radius.
Vehicle signatures shifted continuously across the digital landscape as both surveillance teams advanced along their respective routes.
Then something changed.
His fingers paused above the processing unit.
The drone had automatically expanded its surveillance perimeter as Team Beta approached the isolated intersection, causing a wider section of the surrounding road network to populate across the display.
For the first time since the operation had divided, two separate surveillance routes now appeared within the same tactical map.
Helix’s position.
Sean and Soren’s position.
The distance separating the two teams was shrinking far more quickly than it should have been.
Niel frowned almost imperceptibly as fresh telemetry continued pouring into the system.
He enlarged the projected map, watching the highlighted routes converge toward the same stretch of roadway before keying his microphone.
“Helium.” His voice remained calm despite the growing unease.
“The drone’s expanded perimeter now includes Lucifer’s position. Your projected routes are approaching the same intersection.”
Barely a second passed before the software issued another series of alerts.
Additional vehicle signatures materialized one after another near the intersection ahead.
One.
Then another.
Then several more.
None of them matched the identifiers currently assigned to either Team Alpha or Team Beta.
Niel’s expression hardened as the unfamiliar outlines continued appearing across the display, each one moving steadily toward the same location from different directions.
“Multiple unidentified vehicles detected,” he reported immediately, his eyes tracking the growing cluster of highlighted signatures.
“They are converging on the intersection.”
Niel’s report lingered for only a fraction of a second before Helix reconstructed the situation in his mind.
The losing bidder had abandoned the primary route and deliberately taken the Western Bypass.
The winning bidder’s convoy had divided into two separate elements.
The losing bidder’s sedan had then stopped voluntarily at an isolated intersection where the two road networks converged.
Now multiple unidentified vehicles were closing in from different directions.
And Sean’s team was approaching the very same location from the opposite route.
One by one, the scattered pieces aligned with unsettling clarity.
Helix’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“…It’s an ambush.”
No one questioned the conclusion.
Far ahead, the quiet intersection remained motionless for only another few seconds.
Then headlights emerged from the darkness.
One vehicle.
Then another.
Then several more.
They pulled out from concealed positions beyond the tree line and abandoned access roads almost simultaneously, their movements disciplined enough to suggest careful coordination rather than coincidence.
Within moments, they had spread across the intersection, sealing every practical avenue of escape just as the approaching convoy entered the junction.
SUV Two braked first.
SUV Three stopped a heartbeat later.
In less than five seconds, both vehicles found themselves surrounded.
Several hundred meters away, Sean reacted immediately, easing the sedan off the roadway behind a dense stand of trees overlooking the intersection.
The engine remained idling, but the vehicle disappeared almost completely beneath the cover of darkness.
Beside him, Soren kept his attention fixed ahead without reaching for his weapon.
From the opposite approach, Helix made no attempt to advance.
The black coupe remained exactly where it had stopped, concealed in the darkness beyond the intersection while Linn watched the unfolding scene through the windshield.
Neither team moved.
Neither team intervened.
For now, observation remained the only acceptable course of action.
Because at that moment…
…neither Enphire team knew who had walked into the trap—
…or who had set it.
For several long seconds, the only movement came from the vehicles surrounding the intersection.
One after another, the newly arrived units adjusted their positions with quiet precision until every practical route away from the junction had been sealed.
Doors opened almost simultaneously as armed men stepped out, spreading into disciplined positions around SUVs Two and Three.
Weapons remained lowered, but no one mistook the gesture for restraint.
Every angle had already been covered.
Inside the coupe, Helix watched without speaking.
His attention lingered not on the growing number of armed operatives, but on the way they positioned themselves.
There was no shouting.
No unnecessary movement.
No attempt to rush the vehicles they had surrounded.
Something about it immediately felt wrong.
Helix continued observing the intersection for several more seconds before quietly reaching for the door handle.
Linn turned toward him.
“We are getting closer,” he said.
It was not a suggestion.
He opened the door just enough to slip outside, allowing it to close without a sound.
Linn followed almost immediately, leaving the coupe concealed along the roadside beneath the cover of darkness.
Without another word, Helix led the way into the forest.
The terrain sloped gently downward toward the intersection, scattered with thick undergrowth, uneven ground, and clusters of mature trees large enough to conceal them from anyone standing near the roadway.
They advanced carefully through the darkness, avoiding loose branches and patches of dry leaves that might betray their presence.
Every few steps, Helix paused to reassess the positions of the armed men below before continuing deeper between the trees.
Only after they had closed the distance considerably did he finally stop.
Several broad trunks stood together near the edge of the treeline, overlooking the intersection without exposing anyone concealed behind them.
From there, they could see the encircled SUVs clearly enough to distinguish individual faces while remaining outside the pool of light cast across the road.
More importantly…
They could hear.
Beyond the trees, the armed men held their positions without a single unnecessary movement.
They had formed a complete perimeter around the two SUVs, each covering overlapping fields of fire with quiet discipline.
Although every weapon remained pointed toward the ground, the message was unmistakable.
No one inside the vehicles would be leaving without permission.
The losing bidder stepped forward at an unhurried pace.
His companion remained several paces behind, saying nothing.
He stopped midway between the surrounding operatives and the two motionless SUVs, leaving several meters of open asphalt separating him from the convoy.
For a few moments, he simply stood there, his gaze resting calmly on the darkened windshields before him.
Silence settled across the intersection.
Even the night seemed to grow quieter.
At last, he spoke.
“Hand over the research notes.”
His voice carried easily through the clearing—calm, measured, almost conversational.
No one answered.
The SUVs remained perfectly still.
Neither engine revved.
Neither door opened.
Several more seconds passed.
The man regarded the silent vehicles without the slightest trace of impatience before speaking again, his tone no different from before.
“You know why we are here.”
Once again…
Silence.
No response came from either SUV.
No movement disturbed the darkened cabins.
No attempt at negotiation.
No communication of any kind.
The silence stretched for several moments longer, then the man slowly shifted his gaze toward one of the operatives standing along the perimeter.
He gave a small, almost imperceptible hand signal.
The operative acknowledged it with a single nod before advancing toward SUV Two.
Reaching the driver’s side, he swung the butt of his rifle sharply against the window.
Glass shattered across the asphalt.
Without hesitation, he reached inside, unlocked the door, and pulled it open.
His expression changed almost immediately.
“…Empty.”
He leaned farther into the cabin, quickly checking the passenger seat before sweeping his eyes across the rear compartment.
Nothing.
No driver.
No passengers.
No briefcases.
No trace of Adrian Mercer’s research.
At almost the same time, another operative opened SUV Three.
The result was identical.
“Clear.”
The second operative stepped back from the vehicle, visibly puzzled.
“Nobody is inside.”
A brief murmur spread among the surrounding men as uncertain glances passed between them.
The engines continued idling, yet both vehicles sat completely vacant.
Autonomous.
Whoever had organized the convoy had never intended anyone to be inside these SUVs in the first place.
For the first time since the confrontation began, a few of the operatives showed unmistakable confusion.
Only the man standing at the center remained perfectly composed.
His eyes lingered on the empty interiors for another second before the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“So…” He shook his head once, more amused than disappointed.
“…they are not fools after all.”
The convoy had never been transporting Adrian Mercer’s research.
It had been transporting attention.