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Chapter 19: Imminent Jeopardy

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Kim Namjoon

Stepping out of the limo with the suitcase in tow, I accompanied Hoseok and walked alongside him, Dalhwan walking ahead. His men kept us surrounded as we walked through the now open gates of E.C.T's second base.

Convincingly, I coughed to signal the rest of my group and find out if things were going smoothly for them.

Another daring smirk appeared on Dalhwan's face as he glanced over at me, then returned his gaze back to the direction he was walking in.

"Is the weather getting to you?" He questioned nonchalantly.

Brushing off his unsettling behaviour, I accepted that was how he was with people and answered his question. 

"Suppose so, it's gotten a lot colder don't you think."

Dalhwan hummed in response.

Meanwhile, I could hear Jimin through my earpiece.

"We're nearby, Jin is driving and we're looking for a place to hide the van. Once you guys are inside, Yoongi is gonna double check the security and find us all a suitable way in, we'll let you know when we're there." He explained.

"Okay." I whispered as we walked into the warehouse, one part of E.C.T's second base.

Dalhwan spun on his heels and turned to face me, clearly hearing something from me. "Did you say something?" Furrowing his eyebrows, he crossed his arms.

"Oh, I was just admiring the building," I smiled, putting my hands in my pockets. "There's an awful  lot of space."

"What else do you do in here?" Hoseok chimed in, pretending to gaze around the warehouse in awe.

Narrowing his eyes, Dalhwan was a little confused, but was quick to respond to the question. He continued walking as he spoke, leading us to the centre of the building.

"Sometimes we hold storage we can't contain at the headquarters, in here. Other times, we use this space to have meetings with other companies." He explained.

"Pretty multi-purpose huh?" I grinned, looking around.

Dalhwan chuckled, "Yes, very."

Glancing at the warehouse altogether, I could tell the ceiling was at least 33 feet high, it was fairly average but seemed to do its job. Metal frames accompanied with strong wooden slots held various boxes containing different items, and this set-up was prominently placed throughout the warehouse in neat rows before us. The smell of freshly cut wood and paint lingered, suggesting that this building had been recently refurbished. Despite the dust, the warehouse was fairly clean and well organised.

"Have you recently renovated?" I asked curiously, as we walked through to a large office.

"We have, yes, it needed revamping." Dalhwan admitted, sitting down behind a desk. He motioned us to take a seat before him.

As we sat down, he grabbed a small collection of stapled papers, they looked like important documents.

Between us sat a light coloured wooden desk, holding a sleek, black laptop, an overhanging lamp, and a cylindrical container carrying pens. A small plant had been placed next to the lamp, completing the decor. The walls of the office were painted a light shade of grey, which contrasted to the dark carpeted floors beneath us.

"This is our current state of security." Dalhwan explained, handing me  the documents I noticed a moment ago.

Intrigued and acting cautious, I analysed the security systems noted down in the documents and how they worked. Taking this moment to go over the plan, I did my best to retain everything I was supposed to say at this point. The idea was to refer them to a Singaporean security system created by ALPHA'S sister company, LOUDERS, and sign a contract for them to receive the system in the next few working days. Pretending to finish skimming over their current documentations of their security, I spoke up.

"Looks like you need a backup system for added protection." I suggested, handing the documents to Hoseok so he could glance over them.

"Okay, what do you think will work well with our systems at the moment?" Dalhwan inquired, seeming genuinely interested for the first time since we met him.

By this point, Hoseok chimed in, handing the documents back. "Our company has a sister company called LOUDERS that specialises in security."

Dalhwan was puzzled, "Then why did ALPHA get in contact with me and not LOUDERS?"

"Well..." Hoseok trailed off, "LOUDERS is not a big enough company to handle foreign exchanges, hence why they're a sister company of ALPHA." He surprised me with his explanation, it sounded very convincing.

"I see." 

Thinking quickly, I offered a idea.

"How about we sign a few contracts together, allowing you to receive the systems you require for your company?" I questioned, hoping he'd take the idea eagerly.

"Okay."

As I reached down for the suitcase, Hoseok assisted me, taking out the contracts necessary for the plan.

Jeon Jungkook

After hiding the van, we all jumped out and made a run for the base. Yoongi had already established that there were no guards on the outer perimeter or anywhere near the area we were going towards.

Things seemed to be going smoothly on the other end, as I could just about make out what the general conversation was.

Sticking to the plan, I prepared myself. All of us knew how dangerous it would be, but we had no choice.

"Right, before you go, remember to signal when it's safe for all of us to follow, watch out for yourself and be very aware." Jimin warned, he placed his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "You've got this."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Without another word, I began climbing up and over the metal fence, it was harder than it looked but I managed it just fine.

"Be safe." Yoongi added.

I nodded with a smirk before taking off.

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I kept my pace quick as I ran to the back of the warehouse undetected, a door awaited me just like we planned. Approaching it, I gently clasped my hand around the door handle, my heart was beating rapidly, almost trying to travel up my throat. 

My nerves increased as I opened the door, but the warehouse was quieter than I thought. The occasional rumble of various machines was all that could be heard. Looking to my right, I recognised the office Yoongi had told me about, sighing in relief when I knew I'd found it.

Leaned against the office's back wall, I silently opened the door beside me and peered in...

Everything was in slow motion, Namjoon and Hoseok had bent down below the desk to retrieve the contracts all while I watched Dalhwan reach for a gun in his desk drawer. To my horror he aimed at them both, yet they had not realised. 

Before I could do anything, he had turned off the safety switch.

Click.

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