Marcus remained motionless at the foot of the staircase.
The footsteps continued overhead.
Slow.
Methodical.
Unlike the frantic search teams inside the underground city, these individuals weren't sweeping the ruins in a hurry. Their pace suggested experience. They weren't looking everywhere.
They were examining something specific.
Marcus raised two fingers.
Cole immediately moved beside the staircase while Tomas shifted toward the broken wall overlooking the abandoned guard room. The remaining operators secured the rear entrance, ensuring no Collectors could surprise them from behind.
Selvar quietly stepped beside Marcus.
"They've stopped."
Marcus listened.
The footsteps had indeed ceased.
Not because the people above had left.
Because they were standing still.
Waiting.
The silence stretched for nearly thirty seconds.
Then came the unmistakable scrape of stone against stone.
Marcus's expression hardened.
The hidden entrance.
