Kai crouched in the shadows, eyes locked on the building across the street. Every detail mattered—the flicker of a light in a second-floor window, the faint hum of activity from the warehouse below, even the rhythm of his own pulse. The device had been traced here, and this was the moment he had been working toward. Nothing could go wrong.
He slipped along the alley, boots silent on the wet asphalt. The night was thick with fog, distorting shapes and sounds, making every corner a potential threat. His mind ran through the plan again—observe, isolate, extract, vanish. Four steps. Simple, but the execution had to be flawless.
A soft click echoed behind him. Kai froze, heart pounding. Not the target. Not tonight. He adjusted his stance, hands brushing the edge of his jacket, ready. The sound vanished as quickly as it appeared. Focus. Only focus.
From the upper windows, he spotted movement—figures moving cautiously, checking doors and corners. He crouched behind a dumpster, pulling the small tracker from his pocket. The device blinked faintly, confirming the signal was close. He exhaled slowly. One step closer.
Timing was everything. Kai waited for the patrol to shift before darting from cover to cover, every movement calculated. When he reached the rear entrance, he paused. The lock mechanism was simple, but the alarm sensor was not. A second of hesitation, a flick of his wrist, and the door clicked open just enough for him to slip inside.
Inside, shadows danced along the walls. Kai's eyes adjusted quickly. There it was—the crate with the device. His hands went to work, carefully disarming the alarm and lifting the tracker. The hum of the building seemed louder now, tension crawling along his spine like electricity.
A faint noise made him freeze again. Footsteps approaching fast. Kai slid behind a stack of crates, watching as two men passed, talking in low tones. He counted their steps, waited for them to disappear, then continued. Every second was measured, every move deliberate.
Finally, he reached the exit point. The tracker safely secured, the mission almost complete. Kai exhaled, a mixture of relief and anticipation flooding him. He stepped into the alley, shadows concealing him once more. Tonight had gone smoothly—but he knew this was only a step. The device was secured, yes, but the game was far from over.