Chapter 382 Entry

“Yes!”

Zach’s fingers flew across the console, and he passed control to Tilda without a single stumble.

She cut into the E route, planted the virus, and spread it like fire across Hotel Morloss’s defenses.

Cameras flickered alive, and feeds poured across her screen in endless streams.

And then she spotted the hostages.

They were trapped in a basement hall, one level underground.

She grabbed her phone and called Manfred.

In his study, Manfred paced with a cigarette smoldering between his fingers.

Endralsia’s deadline had slipped to three minutes.

The commander on video checked his watch. An aide bent down and whispered in his ear.

Anton’s palm cracked against the table.

“Parker, the people you brought can’t handle this. We’re moving on.”

“Wait!” Manfred’s voice broke sharp. “General Anton, we still have three minutes left!”

Anton’s face stayed cold. “I never had much faith in your team. We gave you an hour with the key while searching for our own way in. I appreciate the effort, but the enemy is far beyond your reach.

“They control the board. Hacking them was never going to work.”

He reached for the switch. “This call is over. We’re taking the network key back.”

“General Anton, you can’t—”

Manfred’s phone lit up.

His chest leapt.

Tilda.

He fumbled to answer the call. “Queen, tell me you pulled it off!”

Her voice was calm, steady as stone. “We did it, Mr. Parker. We have Hotel Morloss’s system and the enemy is still in the dark.

“Put me through to the Endralsia commander. Make it video.”

“General Anton is right here!”

Manfred slammed the switch to video. “General Anton, we cracked it!”

“What?!”

Anton had already risen to move on to the backup plan.

The words froze him mid-step.

Manfred turned the camera toward the laptop.

A masked figure appeared.

Tilda’s voice guided Anton through every breach.

She showed him live feeds of the hotel, and then the hall where the hostages huddled together.

Not once did she reveal her face.

A man like Anton was not one to trust.

Anton’s disbelief fell away. Awe took its place.

“Good Lord. I had written you off, and yet you actually did it.

“Your reputation precedes you, Queen of the dark web, and yet you surpass it easily. I’ll never forget this night.”

He gave a sharp nod. “I’ll send you the network key and full control of Hotel Morloss’s system.”

Tilda’s voice hardened. “General Anton, tread carefully. If the enemy staged this much, they’ve got more waiting.

“Watch your own men. Moles are certain.”

Anton’s jaw set. “Thank you, Queen. I’ll keep that in mind.”

As Endralsia’s most decorated commander, he knew her warning rang true.

He’d suspected as much in the first place.

When the transfer was done, Tilda clapped once.

“That’s it. Tonight’s mission is finished, and you all nailed it.”

Jarrett raised a hand. “Queen, what do you want from us now?”

“We’ve done everything we can. From here it’s in Anton’s hands and the other teams.

“All we can do is trust them to finish the job.”

“It’s over…”

Relief swept through the squad like a flood breaking through a dam.

Their shoulders slumped, drained to the bone.

Chapter 382 Entry

The New Year hasn’t struck yet.

“Go home and get some sleep.

“I reckon we’ll get the results by tomorrow morning.”

“Queen, after what we just went through, none of us can sleep. Not tonight.

“I think we should stay here. The base has rooms, showers, and even a game room. We’ll stick together.”

They were too wired to leave and Tilda knew it. She let out a long sigh. “Fine. But remember this: giving everything doesn’t mean you get the ending you want. Be ready for whatever comes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Time slipped by like sand in a glass.

Inside Hotel Morloss, the enemy leader watched every inch of the feed. His brow twitched.

The silence was wrong.

He glanced at his watch.

The deadline was past.

He pressed the radio.

“No response? Then drag a hostage out and execute them.”

The door flung wide.

A soldier in armor strode in.

“Captain, they agreed to our terms.”

The leader’s words died in his throat.

A smile cut across his lips.

“Good. Let them send three reporters inside. No tricks.”

Out of the Shadows: Tilda’s Brilliant Second Life