Chapter 79 - The Fourth Key
Elias unlocked a narrow cabinet hidden behind the fireplace.
Unlike every archive they had discovered before, this compartment contained almost nothing.
One velvet-lined wooden case rested alone in the center.
Daniel slowly opened it.
Inside lay another brass key.
Different from the others.
Longer.
Heavier.
The bow of the key had been shaped into the familiar Carter symbol.
Samuel examined it carefully.
"This one was never used."
"No," Elias agreed.
"It couldn't be."
"Why?"
"Because its lock no longer exists."
Daniel looked confused.
"Then why keep it?"
Elias smiled.
"Because the lock was never the important part."
He turned the key over.
Tiny letters had been engraved along its edge.
Not a location.
Not coordinates.
A name.
Lily Carter
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Lily slowly reached toward the key.
The moment her fingers touched the brass, something slipped from a hidden compartment inside the handle.
A tightly folded strip of paper.
Daniel unfolded it carefully.
Only one sentence had been written in Victor Hayes' unmistakable handwriting.
> If Lily receives this key herself, then every plan we failed to complete has become unnecessary. Trust her judgment before anyone else's... including yours, Daniel.
Before Daniel could respond, the fireplace behind Elias emitted a low mechanical click.
The flames slowly separated.
A hidden steel panel quietly slid open behind the fire.
Cold air drifted into the room.
Beyond the opening stretched another passage.
Unlike every tunnel they had explored before, this one wasn't made of stone.
Its walls were polished white.
Bright lights illuminated the corridor.
At the far end stood a modern security door bearing a freshly installed electronic keypad.
Someone had upgraded this section recently.
Which meant one thing.
May you like
Whatever waited beyond it...
Someone was still actively protecting.
