The mercenary leader lowered his finger slowly toward the trigger of his heavy black rifle.
The red laser dots remained perfectly still on the center of Damien Vance’s chest.
The three massive black stealth helicopters hovered low in the midnight sky, their heavy blades making a deafening noise that shook the very air.
WHIRR-WHIRR-WHIRR!
The mercenary leader looked at Damien Vance through the dark visor of his tactical helmet.
The mercenary leader spoke in a cold, metallic voice, “I will count to three, Mr.
Vance.
Step away from Evelyn Ross right now.
If you do not move, my men will open fire, and you will die in the dirt.”
Evelyn Vance stood right behind her husband’s broad shoulders.
Her heart was beating so violently against her ribs that she could barely breathe.
The glowing green light from the deep crater reflected off her pale face.
She could feel the intense heat radiating from the platinum choker around her neck.
She wanted to scream, she wanted to run, but she knew there was nowhere to hide.
They were completely surrounded by heavily armed professional killers.
But Damien Vance did not look afraid at all.
Damien Vance did not move a single inch away from his wife.
Instead, the cold, dangerous smile on his handsome face grew much wider.
Damien Vance looked directly into the barrel of the mercenary leader’s rifle.
Damien Vance raised his left hand very slowly.
He did not reach for a weapon.
Instead, Damien Vance reached for his own wrist.
With a swift, sharp movement of his thumb, Damien Vance pressed a tiny, hidden red button on his diamond-encrusted silver cufflink.
The tiny electronic signal traveled instantly through the air.
The mercenary leader saw the movement and narrowed his eyes.
The mercenary leader shouted, “Shoot them right now!”
But it was already too late.
A massive, earth-shaking explosion tore through the outer concrete walls of the Ross family estate.
Two giant, heavily armored black tactical trucks bearing the brilliant silver logo of Vance Enterprises smashed through the solid walls with incredible force.
The heavy trucks did not stop.
They roared across the ruined grass, their massive tires tearing up the dirt as they drifted sharply, creating a solid wall of bulletproof steel directly between the mercenaries and Damien Vance.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
High up in the dark pine trees surrounding the property, the hidden snipers of Damien Vance’s elite shadow-guard opened fire.
Brilliant blue laser sights flashed through the darkness.
With perfect, lethal precision, the sniper bullets struck the heavy weapons right out of the mercenaries’ hands.
The heavy rifles shattered into useless pieces of metal on the ground.
Dozens of elite Vance security guards jumped out from the back of the armored trucks.
They wore full body armor and carried advanced tactical shields.
Within five seconds, the tables were completely turned.
Damien Vance’s personal army completely surrounded the shadow mercenaries, pinning them to the ground under the barrels of their weapons.
Captain Leo Chang stepped out from the lead armored truck, holding a smoking tactical rifle.
Captain Leo Chang walked quickly to the front, his face as hard as stone.
Captain Leo Chang pointed his weapon directly at the mercenary leader’s head.
Damien Vance stepped out from behind the armored truck.
Damien Vance looked down at the disarmed mercenary leader with absolute, cold disdain.
Damien Vance said in a deep, chilling voice, “You brought toys to a military-grade war zone.
Captain Leo, disarm them completely and throw them into the armored vans.
Do not let a single one of them speak to the media.”
Captain Leo Chang bowed his head deeply.
Captain Leo Chang said, “Yes, Mr.
It will be done immediately.”
The physical threat was completely destroyed in less than twenty seconds.
But the real danger was still ticking down deep inside the earth.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
The cold, computerized robotic voice echoed violently from the hidden speakers inside the pulsing green crater once again.
The robotic voice announced: “Warning.
Core instability rising.
Titanium shield breach detected.
Self-destruct sequence is now at forty seconds.
Thirty-nine.
Thirty-eight…”
Evelyn Vance felt the platinum choker around her neck grow incredibly hot, almost burning her pale skin.
The central emerald stone was flashing in perfect rhythm with the robotic countdown.
Damien Vance turned his body quickly and grabbed Evelyn Vance’s hand.
His strong grip was firm and steady, instantly pushing away her panic.
Damien Vance looked into her eyes and said, “Evelyn, we must move right now.
The bio-resonance lock is at the bottom of the crater.
You are the only one who can stop this explosion.”
Together, Damien Vance and Evelyn Vance ran down the steep, rocky slope of the smoking black crater.
The loose rocks slid beneath their expensive shoes.
Evelyn Vance’s beautiful dark crimson silk gown dragged through the dirt and ash, but she did not care about the luxury dress anymore.
The air inside the crater was heavy and thick, smelling intensely of electric ozone and burnt metal.
The bright green light was so powerful that it blinded their eyes, pulsing like a radioactive heartbeat.
They reached the very bottom of the deep hole.
In the center of the glowing green light stood a massive, high-tech control console made of polished black titanium.
The console had been hidden deep under the earth for twenty years, but Julian Sterling’s industrial drills had forced it to rise to the surface.
On the center of the control console, a large digital screen was flashing with bright red letters: PROVE BLOODLINE FREQUENCY.
INSERT DESCENDANT DNA.
BEEP!
The robotic voice said: “Fifteen seconds remaining.
Fourteen.
Thirteen…”
Evelyn Vance looked at the screen in pure terror.
She did not know what to do.
She did not know how to operate a quantum geological console.
Damien Vance placed his large hands gently on her shoulders, pushing her forward.
Damien Vance said, “Place your palm on the glass scanner, Evelyn.
Trust your mother.
Trust yourself.”
Evelyn Vance took a deep breath.
She raised her right hand.
Her fingers were shaking violently.
She looked at the digital clock on the screen: 00:07…
00:06…
With exactly five seconds left on the countdown, Evelyn Vance pressed her small palm firmly against the cold glass of the biometric scanner.
A tiny, sharp needle pricked the center of her index finger.
A single drop of her dark red blood smeared across the glass panel.
Instantly, a bright blue laser beam swept across her hand, scanning her skin and analyzing her genetic frequency.
For two agonizing seconds, the machine remained completely still.
The digital clock hit: 00:01.
The bright red flashing letters on the digital screen disappeared instantly.
The screen turned into a calm, steady, and beautiful sky-blue color.
The violent green energy beam shooting into the night sky began to slow down, fading into a soft, gentle mist.
The robotic voice announced: “DNA frequency confirmed.
Genetic match: Evelyn Ross.
Welcome back, Daughter of
Diana.
Self-destruct sequence aborted.
The Genesis Core is now perfectly stabilized.”
Evelyn Vance let out a long breath she had been holding for an eternity.
Her legs felt incredibly weak, and she almost collapsed to the rocky floor.
But Damien Vance caught her instantly, pulling her tight against his strong chest.
Evelyn Vance buried her face in his black tuxedo shirt, listening to the steady, calm beat of his heart.
They had survived.
But just as the green light completely settled, a loud mechanical hiss cut through the quiet air.
PSSSH!
Directly in the center of the titanium console, a hidden mechanical vault popped open.
A small, square case made of heavy bulletproof glass rose slowly from the core of the machine.
Inside the glass case, protected from the dust and heat, lay two old items: a small, leather-bound personal journal and a faded color photograph from twenty years ago.
Evelyn Vance stood up straight.
Her brows furrowed in deep curiosity.
She stepped forward and slowly opened the glass case.
She reached her hand inside and pulled out the old, faded photograph.
The photograph showed a beautiful young woman with long dark hair and brilliant, intelligent eyes.
It was her mother, Dr.
Diana Ross.
In the photo, her mother was wearing a white laboratory coat, standing inside a high-tech science facility.
She was smiling happily.
But Dr.
Diana Ross was not standing alone in the picture.
Standing right next to her mother, with his strong arm wrapped warmly around her shoulder, was a tall, powerful older billionaire with sharp, piercing dark eyes.
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit and carried an aura of absolute authority.
Evelyn Vance gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth in pure, unadulterated shock.
She recognized that face instantly.
She had seen that exact same face in the news, in history books, and in the oil paintings inside the Vance mansion.
The man standing next to her mother was Arthur Vance—the late founder of Vance Enterprises, and the deceased father of Damien Vance.
Evelyn Vance turned her head slowly, her eyes wide with deep confusion and shock.
She held up the old photograph so her husband could see it.
Evelyn Vance whispered in a shaking voice, “Damien…
look at this.
Our parents…
they knew each other.
They built this place together twenty years ago.”
Damien Vance looked at the faded photograph.
His dark eyes narrowed into sharp, intense slits of absolute focus.
His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face began to tremble.
Damien Vance stared at his own father’s face, realizing that their marriage, the Ross family land, and the multi-trillion-dollar energy secret were all part of a massive, generational plan that had started before they were even born.
Suddenly, the power from the console cut out completely.
The digital screens turned to absolute pitch-black darkness.