Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 353 Emergency Evacuation Signal
The plan was daring, but also highly effective. If successful, they would obtain the necessary evidence in one fell swoop. If it failed, their identities would be exposed, and the mission would fail.

“The risk is huge,” Rowan analyzed calmly, “but this might be our best chance.”

“Then it’s decided,” Silvermoon said firmly. “We’ll move in a week.”

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and the Meteorite Group's client dinner was held as scheduled. This was a grand business networking event, inviting important clients and partners from across the galaxy. The dinner was held in the luxurious ballroom on the top floor of the Meteorite Group's headquarters, which normally serves as the boardroom and is only open to the public on the most important occasions.

Rowan stood by the window of his office, looking through the glass wall at the brightly lit banquet hall upstairs. Guests of all skin colors and races mingled and drank under the magnificent crystal chandeliers, their laughter and music faintly audible. He glanced at the time display on his wrist: 8:15 PM. According to the plan, Silver Moon should have already entered the banquet hall by now.

"Lin Feng, are you still working overtime?" Tony poked his head in from the office doorway. "It's the weekend, and there's a huge banquet upstairs. Aren't you going to check it out?"

Luo Wen adjusted his glasses, feigning focused concentration: "I'm not really interested in these kinds of social occasions. Finishing the data analysis report is more important. Tomorrow's Monday, and my supervisor wants the results."

Tony shook his head: "You're just too focused on your work. But that's good; that kind of personality is very popular in our tech department. I'll be going now. Best of luck with your work."

"Thank you, you should get some rest too," Rowan replied politely.

After Tony left, Rowan quickly checked the office area. Because it was the weekend, and a dinner party upstairs had drawn most people's attention, the entire tech department was almost deserted. Only a few workaholics like him were still busy at their workstations.

Rowan walked to his computer, ostensibly continuing to work, but actually observing his surroundings. He needed to wait for the right moment to make sure no one noticed his actions.

Meanwhile, in the banquet hall on the top floor, Yin Yue, posing as Su Ya, was moving among various clients. She wore an elegant dark blue evening gown, her demeanor poised and her smile captivating—the epitome of a successful businesswoman.

"Suya, you look absolutely radiant tonight." A client from the Mechanical Clan struck up a conversation with her. "I heard you're new to the Meteorite Group?"

“Yes, I’ve only been here a month.” Silvermoon elegantly raised her glass. “It’s an honor to serve such excellent clients.”

While conversing with clients, Silvermoon's attention was actually focused on the other side of the banquet hall. That was the area where the Meteorite Group's top executives gathered; Chairman Victor Meteorite was discussing something with several important clients, his expression serious. Vice Chairman Arya Stoneheart, on the other side, was whispering with a group of mysterious figures she had never seen before.

"Who are those people?" Silver Moon wondered to herself. Although the group of mysterious figures were dressed in formal evening suits, they all exuded an unusual aura, like professionally trained soldiers or secret agents.

Just then, Manager Helen walked over. "Suya, come and meet our important client."

Silver Moon followed Helen to a quiet corner where two human men stood. They looked very young, but their deep eyes gave them a very intimidating aura.

“This is Suya, a rising star in our External Relations Department,” Helen introduced. “Suya, and these two are representatives from Shadow Trading Company, Mr. Li and Mr. Wang.”

Shadow Trading Company immediately put Silvermoon on alert. This name was on the Virtual Universe Company's list of hostile forces. Although it appeared to be a legitimate trading company, it actually engaged in many shady businesses.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Silvermoon maintained a professional smile. “Shadow Trading Company has a great reputation in border trade, and I hope we can have the opportunity to cooperate.”

Mr. Li smiled and said, "Ms. Su, you're too kind. Our cooperation with the Meteorite Group has been very pleasant. We hope this cooperation can continue and even deepen."

This statement was quite meaningful, and Silvermoon keenly caught the implication. It seemed that the Meteor Group's relationship with these hostile forces was closer than she had imagined.

“Of course, in-depth cooperation would benefit both sides,” Silver Moon responded tentatively. “I wonder which areas of cooperation you two would be most interested in?”

Mr. Wang and Mr. Li exchanged a glance, and then Mr. Wang said, "We are very interested in exchanging information, especially information on market dynamics and policy changes. Of course, we are also willing to share some unique information we possess."

Silvermoon's heart skipped a beat; this was clearly an implication of intelligence exchange. She tried to maintain her composure and continued to probe, "Information is indeed key to business success. Our Meteorite Group also has certain advantages in information gathering."

“Yes, we’ve heard that the Meteorite Group’s information system is very advanced and capable of obtaining a lot of valuable intelligence,” Mr. Li said meaningfully. “This will be very helpful to our cooperation.”

Just then, Yin Yue's communicator vibrated. It was a signal from Luo Wen, indicating that he was about to begin his operation. Yin Yue checked the time: 8:45 PM. According to the plan, she needed to buy Luo Wen at least half an hour.

“Gentlemen, why don’t we continue our conversation on the terrace over there?” Silvermoon suggested. “It’s quieter there, more suitable for a deeper discussion.”

Mr. Li and Mr. Wang readily agreed. Yin Yue led them to the banquet hall's terrace, which would allow her to continue extracting information while also providing cover for Rowan's actions.

In the technical department on the sixtieth floor below, Luo Wen finally saw his chance to act. He looked around, making sure no one else was nearby, and quietly left his workstation. According to his previous reconnaissance, the chairman and vice-chairman's offices were on the ninetieth floor, the area of ​​Meteor Group's highest management.

Rowan took the elevator to the 90th floor. The decor here was even more luxurious, with thick carpets in the corridors and priceless works of art hanging on the walls. More importantly, the security measures were much tighter, with surveillance cameras at every corner and each door requiring a special access card to open.

Fortunately, due to the banquet, the security personnel had been reassigned to maintain order, leaving only a basic electronic monitoring system. This was precisely Rowan's area of ​​expertise.

He went to a secluded corner and took out a special device. This was a high-tech piece of equipment prepared by Virtual Universe Corporation for field agents, capable of interfering with electronic surveillance systems and creating temporary blind spots without being detected.

After the device was activated, several surveillance cameras in the corridor temporarily stopped working. Rowan seized the opportunity and quickly arrived at Victor Meteor's office door. This door used a state-of-the-art biometric lock, requiring triple verification of fingerprint, iris, and voice to open. However, Rowan was prepared. He took out another special piece of equipment—a master key capable of simulating biometrics. Through a week of observation, he had already collected Victor Meteor's biometric data, which now came in handy.

The door lock beeped softly, and the green light came on. Luo Wen successfully entered the chairman's office.

The office was dimly lit, with only the city's neon lights streaming in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Rowan didn't turn on the lights, but instead began searching for valuable information using the faint light.

The chairman's desk was covered with various documents and equipment, but most were routine business files. Rowan's target was the unusual-looking personal computer, which likely contained the most confidential information.

He sat down at the computer and began trying to crack the password. With the aid of his implanted technical knowledge and mental abilities, he quickly bypassed several layers of security. The computer screen lit up, displaying the desktop interface.

“There was definitely a problem.” Rowan looked at the folders on the screen, several of which were clearly encrypted and important files. He opened the first folder, which contained some communication records with hostile forces.

These records indicate that Victor Meteor did indeed have close ties with multiple hostile forces, exchanging not only commercial intelligence but also planning operations against Virtual Universe Corporation. Even more shockingly, these operations were not merely commercial competition but also involved military actions.

"What big thing are these guys planning?" Rowan copied the file while checking more details.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the hallway. Rowan immediately stopped what he was doing, turned off the computer screen, and hid behind a filing cabinet behind his desk.

The footsteps grew closer and then stopped outside the office door. Rowan held his breath, waiting nervously. A few seconds later, the footsteps faded away; it seemed to be just security personnel on patrol passing by.

Rowan breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his computer to continue working. He opened the second encrypted folder, which contained financial records showing the financial transactions between the Meteor Group and hostile forces. The amounts were staggering; in the past year alone, there had been secret transactions exceeding one hundred billion cosmic coins.

Just as Rowan was focused on copying the file, his communicator suddenly vibrated. It was a warning signal from Silvermoon, indicating an emergency.

Meanwhile, on the banquet hall terrace, Silver Moon was facing a dangerous situation. Her conversation with Mr. Li and Mr. Wang was becoming increasingly in-depth, and they began to ask very specific questions, including information about the internal structure of Virtual Universe Company and some confidential projects.

"Ms. Suya, what is the state of the cooperation between your Meteorite Group and Virtual Universe Company?" Mr. Wang suddenly asked. "I've heard there's been some competition for projects recently?"

Silvermoon's alarm bells rang in her mind; this issue had gone beyond the scope of normal business communication. She tried to remain calm: "Virtual Universe Company is an industry giant, and of course we respect them. As for specific business relationships, an employee of my level has limited knowledge."

Mr. Li smiled and said, "Ms. Suya, you're too modest. I heard your company recently obtained some very valuable market information, which may be useful to many people."

Silvermoon realized that the other party had begun to doubt her identity, or at least was testing her stance. She needed to end the conversation as soon as possible and warn Rowan to retreat immediately.

“Gentlemen, business information is indeed important, but as professionals, we must also abide by confidentiality agreements,” Silvermoon skillfully declined further probing. “Why don’t we return to the banquet hall? There are more interesting topics to discuss there.”

Just then, an unexpected situation occurred. Arya Stoneheart suddenly appeared at the entrance to the terrace, her expression serious, followed by two men who looked like security personnel.

"Suya, you're here." Alia walked over. "A client was looking for you, I've been looking everywhere for you."

Silvermoon inwardly groaned; Arya's appearance had disrupted her plans. Worse still, she noticed a probing look in Arya's eyes, as if she suspected something.

“Vice Chairman Stoneheart, I’m currently in talks with clients from Shadow Trading Company,” Silvermoon said, trying to remain composed. “They are very satisfied with our service.”

Arya nodded, but her eyes remained sharp: "That's good. However, Suya, there's something that requires your immediate attention. The technical department just reported that someone has accessed the high-rise area without authorization."

These words struck her like a bolt from the blue; Silvermoon immediately realized that Rowan's actions might have been discovered. She had to warn him to retreat immediately, but in the current situation, she couldn't contact him directly.

"The technical department?" Yin Yue feigned surprise. "Could it be a system false alarm? With such an important banquet tonight, no one should be going to the technical department."

Arya's eyes sharpened further: "Perhaps, but we can't let our guard down. Suya, come with me now to verify the situation."

Silvermoon knew she had no choice but to follow Arya away from the terrace. As they passed the banquet hall, she took the opportunity to walk toward the service counter, pretending to get a drink.

"Please give me a glass of red wine," Silver Moon said to the waiter, while secretly pressing the emergency button on her communicator—the retreat signal she and Rowan had agreed upon.

Meanwhile, in the chairman's office, Luo Wen had just finished copying the documents. His communicator vibrated again, this time three times in a row—an emergency evacuation signal from Yin Yue.

Rowan immediately stopped all operations, quickly cleaned up the scene to ensure no evidence had been left. He stored the copied files in a special miniature storage device and then prepared to leave.

Just as he was walking towards the office door, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the corridor, and the sound was getting closer and closer. Rowan looked out through the crack in the door and saw three security guards checking each room on the floor one by one.

(End of this chapter)