The knock on the door was not loud, but it was enough to make the air inside the safe house feel tense.
No one moved for several seconds.
The living room lamp cast long shadows across the floor. Daniel still stood with a gun in his hand, while Ethan stood a few steps from the door with a sharp gaze.
Victor Hale looked the most anxious.
The man could barely breathe.
"Don't open it," he whispered in a trembling voice.
But from outside the door, Leonard Graves's voice was heard again.
Calm.
Not in a hurry.
As if he knew no one in the house could truly ignore him.
"Ethan," he called again.
"I didn't come to fight."
Daniel approached Ethan and whispered softly,
"This could be a trap."
Ethan did not answer immediately.
His mind was working fast.
Leonard Graves was not the type of person to show up without reason. The old man was always one step ahead of everyone else.
If he had come to this safe house, it meant something was very important.
Or very dangerous.
Victor spoke again,
"He must not come in."
Ethan turned to him.
"You know him."
Victor nodded stiffly.
"More than you think."
Daniel asked,
"Is he part of Helix?"
Victor did not answer immediately.
But his expression was enough to make Ethan understand.
Ethan finally walked toward the door.
Daniel tried to stop him.
"Ethan.."
"Stay calm."
Ethan opened a small drawer in the table near the door and took a spare gun.
Then he disengaged the safety.
"If this is a trap, we'll know in a few seconds."
Daniel stood against the wall, ready to shoot if something happened.
Victor looked like he wanted to run away, but his hands were still bound.
Ethan gripped the doorknob.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then he opened the door.
Leonard Graves stood outside.
The old man wore a long black coat, his silver hair neatly combed as usual. His face looked calm, even slightly smiling.
He had no bodyguards with him.
No other cars were on the street.
Only him.
Leonard raised an eyebrow at the gun in Ethan's hand.
"Do you always greet your guests like this?"
Ethan did not smile.
"Depends on who the guest is."
Leonard looked at Daniel inside the room.
"Daniel. Good to see you're still alive."
Daniel replied coldly,
"Might not be for long if you don't explain why you're here."
Leonard let out a slow breath.
"I came to help you."
Victor laughed nervously from the sofa.
"Help?"
He shook his head.
"He never helps anyone."
Leonard finally looked at Victor.
Their gazes met for several seconds.
Leonard's smile slowly faded.
"Victor Hale."
He stepped inside without waiting for permission.
"So you're still alive."
Victor looked truly terrified now.
Ethan closed the door behind Leonard.
"You said you wanted to help."
Leonard walked casually into the middle of the room, as if the place belonged to him.
"That's right."
He looked at Daniel's laptop on the table.
"And it seems you've found Elena Ward's recordings."
Daniel immediately tensed up.
"How do you know about that?"
Leonard smiled faintly.
"Because the people from Helix are panicking tonight."
Ethan said,
"They tried to hack into our servers."
Leonard nodded.
"Yes. I know."
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"How?"
Leonard turned to him.
"Because I'm the one who told them the file exists."
The room immediately froze.
Ethan stared at him sharply.
"So you lured them here."
Leonard shrugged lightly.
"Sometimes the best way to find an enemy is to make them move."
Victor almost shouted,
"You're crazy!"
Leonard looked at him coldly.
"No. I'm just more experienced."
Ethan crossed his arms.
"Did you come here just to say that?"
Leonard walked to the sofa and sat down casually.
"No."
He looked at Victor.
"I came because of him."
Victor immediately turned pale.
"No…"
Leonard said calmly,
"You've talked too much."
Daniel raised his gun slightly.
"If you touch him.."
Leonard raised his hands casually.
"Calm down. I won't kill him."
He looked at Ethan.
"Quite the opposite, actually."
Ethan frowned.
"Explain."
Leonard leaned back on the sofa.
"Victor Hale is the last witness to what happened in Elena Ward's lab that night."
Daniel said,
"We already know that."
Leonard nodded.
"But there's one thing you don't know yet."
Ethan looked at him.
"What?"
Leonard smiled faintly again.
"Victor didn't just see what happened that night."
He paused for a moment.
"He also knows who gave the order."
Ethan said coldly,
"That's what we're trying to find out."
Victor bowed his head deeply.
Leonard stared at him with a sharp gaze.
"But Victor will never say that name."
Daniel asked,
"Why?"
Leonard replied softly,
"Because that person isn't just the leader of Helix."
He looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"He's the one who created the organization."
The room fell silent.
Ethan said,
"The name."
Leonard did not answer.
Instead he asked,
"Have you ever asked yourselves why Marcus Sterling is so afraid of losing the Helios project?"
Daniel said,
"Because the technology is extremely valuable."
Leonard shook his head slightly.
"It's not just that."
He continued,
"Helios isn't just medical research."
Ethan frowned.
"Then what is it?"
Leonard answered,
"Helios is the key to something much bigger."
Victor whispered almost despairingly,
"Don't…"
But Leonard kept going.
"If that technology is successfully perfected, someone could extend their life far beyond that of a normal human."
Daniel looked at him.
"Some kind of extreme regenerative therapy."
Leonard nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he looked at Ethan again.
"Now imagine someone who already holds great power…"
he paused for a moment.
"…and doesn't want to die."
The room felt increasingly cold.
Ethan said softly,
"That person wants Helios for themselves."
Leonard smiled faintly.
"Finally you're starting to understand."
Daniel said,
"And Elena Ward refused to give them the technology."
Leonard nodded.
"So they killed her."
Victor covered his face.
Ethan asked again,
"Who is that person?"
Leonard was silent for several seconds.
His expression had grown more serious now.
"If I say the name…"
he said softly.
"…you'll never be able to return to a normal life."
Daniel replied coldly,
"We've already passed that point."
Leonard looked at Ethan.
"Are you sure?"
Ethan did not hesitate.
"The name."
Leonard took a long breath.
But before he could speak.
the sound of another car's engine was heard from outside the house.
Daniel immediately moved to the window.
He pulled back the curtain slightly.
His face changed.
"This isn't good."
Ethan asked,
"What is it?"
Daniel replied softly,
"There are three cars."
Victor immediately trembled.
"They're coming…"
Leonard slowly stood up from the sofa.
His smile reappeared.
"Looks like we're out of time."
Ethan stared at him sharply.
"Who are they?"
Leonard replied casually,
"People who don't want Victor Hale to stay alive."
Outside the house, car doors opened one by one.
Heavy footsteps were heard approaching.
Daniel checked his gun.
Ethan stood in front of the door.
Victor looked like he was about to faint.
Leonard lightly patted Ethan's shoulder.
"Welcome to the real game."
Then from outside.
someone's voice shouted loudly.
"Open the door now!"