Brown helped the slumped Chapman to his feet.
He sat Chapman down on the nearest lobby sofa.
The man staring into the void with unfocused eyes was a far cry from the confident figure Brown knew.
Brown approached a nearby hotel employee and made a polite request with a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Please ensure no one approaches this man so he can rest. My colleague will be here shortly."
He called Ben.
"Ben, where are you?"
"...Immediately request additional security for Dr. Chapman and contact Langley."
Brown hesitated for a moment.
He could hear Ben’s breathing over the receiver, waiting for his command.
He knew the massive storm this one phrase would unleash, making it difficult to speak.
He swallowed dryly and steeled himself.
"...Artistea has been compromised."
After barking at the shocked Ben to pull himself together, Brown organized what needed to be done.
'The note… the employee named Chapman… Manuel…'
All the puzzle pieces pointed to Manuel.
But he had no investigative authority in the United Kingdom.
All he could do now was request the hotel’s CCTV footage.
A moment later, Ben approached, having finished his call with Langley.
Brown had a bad feeling from Ben's weary gait. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Ben signaled to Brown, asking if he could have one too.
Brown handed one of his own cigarettes to Ben.
"What’s the situation?"
"They're issuing an international warrant. And it seems we'll get unusually fast investigative cooperation."
Ben also let out a long stream of smoke, just like Brown.
"Unusual… to what extent?"
"We'll be able to exercise all the authority here that we had in the States. The government seemed furious.”
“They would be…”
It was all too obvious.
The fallout from Artistea's theft would be immense.
“And… they said your position might be revoked, Chief..."
Ben’s voice trembled, though it wasn’t his fault.
Brown felt sorry for Ben, but he didn't say it out loud.
They had built that much trust between them.
Ben was Brown’s right-hand man.
"Right… that aside, have you heard from the family surveillance team in the States? Have they confirmed the whereabouts of the researchers' families?"
At Brown’s question, Ben averted his gaze and hesitated.
"Why, is something wrong?"
Brown asked lightly.
As a leader, he had to maintain a confident demeanor.
"Well… most of the researchers' families are safe, sir. The surveillance net has been restored."
"Most? What about Dr. Chapman’s family?"
“…Unconfirmed.”
A cold lump of iron dropped into Brown’s stomach with a thud.
"When did we lose contact in the first place?"
"In Dr. Chapman's case… probably about two days ago. Considering the time difference."
Brown glanced toward the hotel for a moment, thinking of Chapman.
"Don’t say anything to the Doctor about his family. Was Artistea the goal after all?"
Ben said nothing to Brown's speculation.
"Right, it must be. By the way, do you know anything about Manuel? This was my first mission with him."
Further situational analysis was unnecessary.
What was important was solving the problem.
That was the only way to change the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Um… I don't know the details, sir. It was my first time seeing him too, but he was quite friendly and competent, so I only had a good impression."
Ben exhaled smoke and stared into the air.
“Right… same here. When I first saw Manuel’s personnel file, I didn’t notice anything strange…”
Brown watched the smoke he exhaled dissipate into the air.
An agent of few words, but faithful to orders and diligent.
He had to figure out what he had missed.
“Are you going to check the personnel file again?”
Ben’s voice pulled Brown back to reality from his momentary lapse into thought.
He could see the worry for him in Ben’s anxious face.
To reassure him, Brown let out a short sigh and managed a smile.
He was the subordinate who understood him best.
“Yes. Neither of us knows much about Manuel, do we.”
'The sky is so clear.'
“Director Lennon will be suspicious. Accessing personnel files requires her permission, doesn't it?”
Every word from Ben struck Brown's heart like a knife.
Lennon's orders were always absolute, and Brown had never once disobeyed them.
That was the secret to how Brown became Lennon’s right-hand man.
"Yes. She will be.”
Brown patted Ben’s shoulder lightly.
“If I don’t do anything and fail this mission anyway, I’ll be fired.”
“But doesn’t the Director value you, Chief?”
Brown said nothing.
Ben, seeming to understand Brown’s feelings, didn’t ask further and stubbed out his finished cigarette on the ground.
“The theft of Artistea isn’t about me getting a reprimand and being fired. I have to do what I can."
Brown followed Ben’s lead, stubbed out his cigarette, and gestured for Ben to follow.
"We need to go to the Doctor. I have to explain the situation myself."
He saw a flicker of fear cross Ben’s face for a split second.
'I don't blame him.'
Brown was just as scared.
It was not pleasant to see a genius, who had been smiling amidst applause just hours ago, fall apart.
Moreover, they now had to inform Chapman of his family’s disappearance.
Brown quickly began to strategize what to say when he faced Chapman again.
Entering the hotel, Brown and Ben looked for Chapman, but he was gone.
Looking around, they saw the hotel employee he had entrusted Chapman to.
Brown rushed toward the employee with a frantic energy, questioning him while panting for breath.
"The man who was here, where did he go!"
Startled by Brown’s intensity, the employee dropped what he was holding.
“What? What are you talking about?”
While Brown continued to press the employee, Ben, who arrived a little later, picked up and arranged the dropped items.
"Understood. Ben, let’s go.”
Brown, having gotten the information he wanted, hurried Ben along.
Ben apologized to the hotel employee and handed him the items.
They rushed to Room 301.
Standing in front of the door where Chapman was, Brown hesitated for a moment.
As Brown stood still, Ben raised his hand to knock but was stopped by Brown.
Brown mentally organized the words he had to deliver upon opening the door.
'Artistea has likely been stolen, Manuel has disappeared, and we don’t know where your family is.'
How was he supposed to say that?
Brown let out a deep sigh and knocked on the door.
"Doctor, it’s Brown. I’m coming in."
There was no sound from inside the room.
He knocked once more, but it was the same.
Anxiety tightened its grip on his heart.
He exchanged a look with Ben and took a step back to violently break down the door.
Just as Brown was about to slam his body against it, Ben stopped him this time.
Ben fumbled for something in his pocket.
A master key that could open any hotel room was in his hand.
“Ben, how do you have that?”
“I asked at the lobby while you were running over. The staff remembered us. We identified ourselves when we installed the alarm in the Doctor's room yesterday.”
'Ben's one step ahead of me.'
He might seem clumsy on the outside, but he was reliable when it came to getting things done.
The two drew their guns and carefully opened the door.
Fortunately, there were no signs of trouble in the room.
They found Chapman lying in a corner of the neatly arranged hotel room.
Chapman lay completely still.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
Hearing his voice, Ben immediately followed him in.
Brown placed his hands on Chapman’s shoulders and began to shake him.
Only then did Chapman’s eyes slowly turn towards him.
Brown and Ben let out sighs of relief and smiled brightly.
But the awakened Chapman’s eyes were still unfocused and empty.
“All… my… fault…”
He was muttering something, but it didn't form a coherent sentence.
Could he have been drugged?
"Ben! Search the area! See if there are any drugs or syringes!"
Brown immediately called for paramedics.
Meanwhile, Ben searched the room thoroughly but found nothing.
The sight of Chapman, as if his soul had left him, began to pierce Brown’s heart.
“Doctor…. It’s my fault. I failed my mission. I thought it was nothing serious. I’m sorry…”
Brown knelt before Chapman and bowed his head.
Ben, as if not wanting to see his superior like this, quietly moved to the adjoining room.
“I haven’t fully grasped the situation yet.”
Brown’s every word was filled with a deep sense of responsibility.
“But I might be fired now. I don’t think I have much time. I will do my best to resolve this in time. I’m truly… truly sorry.”
Even if he were to be dismissed, he wanted to resolve this incident caused by his own carelessness.
Brown shed tears of penance beside the fallen Chapman.
As his tears fell, Chapman showed no reaction.
In truth, when Brown was assigned the mission of surveillance and protection for Chapman, he had thought it was an easy job compared to his previous missions.
Brown had even been excited at the fact that he could be near the world-renowned genius, Chapman.
He did think the note and video found this morning were strange.
But he thought it was entirely possible if the culprit was the genius Chapman’s own daughter.
He reflected on how lightly he had approached this mission.
A moment later, the door opened with a loud noise, and men in black suits stormed in along with the paramedics.
The paramedics immediately went to Chapman to check his condition.
The men in black suits aimed their guns at Brown.
A moment later, Ben, also held at gunpoint in the next room, knelt beside Brown.
Not knowing what was happening, Ben and Brown looked at each other and raised their hands above their heads.
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A man at the back of the group, the shortest and most solidly built with short brown hair, came forward and spoke to Brown.
“CIA, William Blake. You’re Senior Special Agent Brown, correct?”
He was from the support team Ben had called.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ben lowered his arms.
“Glad you came early.”
Ben said to Blake.
“That’s because the Director is also keeping a close eye on this case.”
“The Director?”
“Before you even arrived here, we were ordered to stand by in case a support request came in.”
'Director Lennon, of course…'
Lennon was always thorough.
He never neglected any mission.
Brown was the top agent who had earned Lennon’s trust.
But Lennon had made other arrangements without telling Brown.
“That’s right, I’m Henry Brown.”
Brown wondered if he was truly trusted, or just a dog that followed orders well.
“We’ll take over the scene.”
Blake was of a lower rank than Brown, but his eyes held no respect.
Brown, instead of replying, reached into the inner pocket of his suit.
He intended to show his badge. But Blake raised his hand to stop him.
"I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you to command the scene in this situation."
His voice was openly hostile.
“Has my position been revoked?”
Brown answered calmly.
“No, sir.”
Blake replied with a shrug.
"Is that so? Then thankfully my position hasn’t been revoked, so I still have command of this scene.”
Blake turned his head to the men he had brought with him and sneered.
“As the Senior Special Agent and the one in charge of this mission, I will atone for my own mistakes.”
Blake, hearing Brown’s words, still looked reluctant.
“What can you do?”
At these words, Ben got riled up and was about to argue, but Brown ordered him to stand down.
Ben was breathing heavily behind him, his anger not subsided, while Blake maintained a brazen attitude as if it were none of his business.
Brown took a deep breath and let out his pent-up emotions.
“So, help me. This isn’t something I can handle alone.”
“Chief!!!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Ben’s feelings, but for now, he thought this was the right way.
Nothing would be solved by antagonizing the people Director Lennon had sent.
Blake stared at Brown for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh.
All the agents in the room turned their eyes to him.
"Of course. In fact, if you had tried to evade responsibility here, I was going to punch you a few times. You’re the one who knows this situation best, aren’t you?”
Blake’s attitude changed, and he spoke politely.
"I’ll follow orders from above, but I didn’t want to work under someone with a hollow reputation. I had to see for myself what kind of person you were."
“What?”
“We know very well, Chief Brown. What kind of presence you are in the CIA.”
Blake’s tone had suddenly become respectful.
“Then why…?”
Ben was at a loss for words.
Brown liked Blake’s attitude
.When Brown offered Blake a handshake, Blake took his hand. Ben, looking displeased, just watched them with his arms crossed.
The paramedics carried Chapman out of the room on a stretcher.
The sight of Chapman’s unfocused eyes and faint breathing as they passed weighed heavily on Brown’s heart.
"So, what exactly happened?"
Blake, wanting to get a detailed grasp of the situation, took out his phone to take notes.
"I’ll explain later. First, we need to check the hotel’s CCTV."
Shaking his head, Brown led the agents to the lobby to meet the manager.
Ben returned the master key and thanked the lobby staff.
A moment later, after being contacted by the staff, the manager arrived.
They identified themselves and requested to see the CCTV footage.
The manager said that due to internal regulations, he couldn’t, and that they needed a warrant.
'Can’t be helped. This is no time to wait.'
Brown, in his urgency, carefully aimed his gun at the manager’s stomach.
If he couldn’t solve the problem here and now, there was no point.
Ben looked at Brown with a worried expression. Blake’s eyes were full of admiration.
“Even for the CIA, you won’t get away with this in another country.”
The manager said sarcastically, raising his arms above his head.
“Go.”
Brown’s one heavy word instantly broke the manager’s will to resist.
The manager pocketed the master key Ben had returned and told the agents to follow.
Brown kept his gun aimed at the manager’s back, worried about what he might do.
They passed through various parts of the hotel and arrived at a room full of CCTV monitors.
“There, satisfied? I can go now, right?”
As the manager tried to slip away, Blake roughly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
“Where do you think you’re going? To call the police? And you need to watch and identify your staff, don’t you?”
At Blake’s threat, the manager’s face began to look like he was about to cry.
Finally, dragged by Blake and roughly seated in a chair, the manager had no choice but to operate the CCTV as Blake instructed.
“What time should I start from?”
Countless videos from numerous dates, times, and various angles were displayed on the screen.
All eyes turned to Brown.
"From yesterday. Dr. Chapman checked into this hotel around 5 p.m. yesterday. We need to check everyone who entered this room before and after that."
At Brown’s instruction, the manager reluctantly began to rewind the CCTV footage.
For a long time, past footage sped by, but nothing out of the ordinary was seen.
"Ah, you said you were going to install an alarm, then you threatened me with a gun, and now you’ve got nothing!"
The manager couldn’t hold back his sarcasm any longer.
Blake lightly slapped the back of his head and barked at him.
"Shut up and just play the video!"
“Wait.”
Brown’s low voice cut through their noisy exchange.
All his attention was focused on one man on the screen.
"Zoom in. Who is this?"
“Who?”
The tone of his voice conveyed an extreme reluctance to comply.
Blake, annoyed by the manager’s words, slapped the back of his head again.
When the hit manager finally lost his temper, Ben stepped in to mediate.
Brown paid no attention to what was happening around him.
All his attention was focused on one man on the screen.
The face was blurry and unclear, but a strange man was seen loitering in front of Chapman’s door.
The man was wearing a hotel employee’s uniform.
“Manager. Do you know who this is?”
The manager, who was grabbing Blake’s collar, snorted.
After carefully watching the video, the manager shook his head.
"We’ve never seen him before. And it’s too blurry to see well anyway."
“Hey, look properly. Really?”
As Blake raised his hand as if to hit the back of his head again, Ben rushed over to stop him.
"Arti."
Brown called out to the Artistea installed on his phone.
"Enhance the face of the person in this picture."
As Artistea immediately enhanced the picture, it was revealed that the person was Manuel, disguised with a beard.
“The name tag on his clothes… it says Chapman.”
Blake pointed at the screen with narrowed eyes.
'Of course… all the pieces are falling into place.'
“Chief, this is what the Doctor said this morning…”
Ben started to say something, but Brown raised his hand to silence him.
Blake and Ben held their breath, waiting for his next words as he was lost in deep thought.
After a long silence, Brown spoke.
"The laptop."
“What laptop?” Blake asked bluntly.
"The laptop Manuel brought. He was assigned to this mission as a computer expert."
Brown continued, his eyes still fixed on the CCTV screen.
His mind was racing faster than ever.
"Manuel must have prepared a laptop identical to the Doctor’s. And right in front of us, he plugged a USB into the Doctor’s real laptop."
“It was a family video.”
Ben muttered, recalling the memory.
"Right. That video was just bait to distract us. The real purpose was the backdoor program that was secretly installed at that moment."
Brown finally turned his head to look at Blake and Ben.
"And when the mission was over, he swapped the Doctor’s laptop with his own and disappeared."
Blake’s face hardened as he listened to Brown’s deduction.
“So you’re saying he’s hacking Dr. Chapman’s information right now with that backdoor program. Is that right? I’m not very familiar with computers.”
"Yes. A backdoor is a program that opens a door for external intrusion into a computer."
Brown’s eyes turned desperate.
"That means that right now, Manuel could be stealing not just Artistea’s blueprints, but all of the Doctor’s personal information."
“Damn it.” Blake cursed.
“Dr. Chapman and Artistea are entities that influence the world beyond the US. I… overlooked that.”
A deep sense of self-reproach was evident in Brown’s last words.
Ben just looked at him with a somber expression.
“Let’s solve this now. Immediately transmit Manuel’s photo to all airports and stations in London and issue a warrant!”
Blake moved quickly, giving orders to his men.
"It’s been about 5 hours since we parted with Manuel. If he left the country, he would have taken the fastest flight. A private jet is too risky as it leaves a record. It’s highly likely he used his CIA agent status to get a ticket for the fastest flight and fled."
His mind was working faster than it had all day.
Brown hesitated no longer.
It was time to act. He looked Blake straight in the eye and said.
"Agent Blake, I’ll leave the rest to you..." Blake nodded.
The two men who had been testing each other just moments ago were now a team in the face of a common enemy.
"...Understood. I’ll mobilize local police to have additional personnel on standby at the airport and check if he used other escape routes."
Blake immediately took out his phone and started giving orders.
With that at his back, Brown shouted.
"Ben, let’s go to Heathrow Airport!"
Trusting Blake, Brown ran with Ben towards the airport.
As soon as they got in the car, Ben, panting, asked.
“Chief, it’s been five hours… don’t you think he’s already left?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Brown, his hands on the steering wheel, thought quickly.
"It would take time to steal all the data from the computer. You remember, right? Dr. Chapman’s laptop could be accessed without a password.”
Ben also recalled the morning’s events.
He remembered Dr. Chapman saying that no one would dare touch his laptop when Manuel handed it over.
“That’s right!”
“But he would have put security measures on important files like the Artistea data. He has to carry his laptop with him even when he goes to external lectures like today.”
“Then isn’t it possible he didn’t carry important data with him in the first place?”
At Ben’s words, Brown shook his head with a look of deep thought.
"No… no."
Brown continued, looking at the London nightscape speeding by.
His fingers unconsciously tapped the steering wheel.
"Hacking isn’t just about stealing data, Ben. You have to steal a person’s mind."
His voice dropped low.
"Dr. Chapman, do you think he’s the type to trust others?"
Ben shook his head instead of answering.
"Right. That’s why the most important data must be on his laptop, hidden behind very complex security. Manuel is fighting that security right now, and that takes time."
Brown’s gaze was no longer on the world outside the window.
His eyes were fixed on a point in the air, as if following an invisible flow of data.
"Besides, think about it. If there was no important data on the laptop, he wouldn’t have broken down like this over a mere possibility of a data leak. The shock of the note about his family being kidnapped is a factor, but… no, I’m almost certain. That laptop contains everything about Artistea."
“…How do you know all that so well?”
Brown recalled the feeling of his wilder days.
The days when he had to live in constant tension, not on an easy mission like protecting Chapman.
Brown averted his gaze from the empty air and answered with a bitter smile.
"I used to be part of that world. Before I joined the CIA, I was a no-name hacker."
Ben had been with Brown for a long time, but he had no idea that he had been a hacker.
To Ben, Brown was a competent superior with a great mind and few words.
He had just thought he had some similarities with Director Lennon.
But unlike Lennon, who only cared about the mission, Brown also had a warm side.
'Hey, Brown. That talent of yours, isn't it a waste to let it rot just digging up corporate secrets? Do you think you can change the world with that half-baked sense of justice? If you really want to change the world, if you want to fight real evil, come work for me.'
He remembered the words of the man who had swayed him in his reckless youth.
He was pulled from his brief reverie by the ringing of his phone in his pocket.
The caller was Blake.
"It’s Manuel’s information."
“What? What does it say?”
Brown answered on speakerphone and opened the file on the screen.
“…There’s information here we couldn’t see when we looked at the personnel file. Manuel Ted Chang. Nationality… he has four of them?”
“What? Four nationalities? Is that possible?”
"I don’t know for sure, but it says here USA, China, Pakistan, and Italy. And as expected, it seems he was assigned to this mission because he’s skilled with computers. He has a record of excellent results in international hacking competitions."
“…I guess I’m the only muscle here.”
Ben scratched his head in embarrassment.
A faint smile crossed Brown’s lips at the sight.
In this tense situation, his subordinate’s human side was, paradoxically, a small comfort.
But the smile quickly vanished. Even after scanning to the last line of the file, there was no decisive clue about Manuel’s whereabouts.
When they arrived at London Heathrow Airport, the police officers Blake had contacted in advance met them.
Brown identified himself and Ben as CIA agents cooperating with Blake and asked about the situation.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. The name Manuel Ted Chang is not in the airport entry records, and we are currently comparing faces with the CCTV footage, but it’s still in progress due to the large number of people."
A police officer explained the current situation.
“Then could you please escort us to the CCTV control room?”
Guided by them into the control room, a space filled with the cool light from dozens of monitors and the heat of bustling police officers appeared.
"We don’t have time for this. Manuel might have already left the country with a different face and name. Everyone, take out your cell phones!"
As Brown’s shout cut through the air of the control room, a woman stepped forward and blocked his path.
A perfectly neat police uniform, short, tidy hair, and strong eyes that seemed unshakable by anything.
She looked Brown up and down, then spoke in a calm but firm voice.
"I am Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline Rice of the London Metropolitan Police, in command of this scene."
“Henry Brown.”
After introducing themselves, Inspector Rice looked at Brown with sharp eyes and asked.
“And why did you ask us to take out our cell phones, Agent Brown?”
"You all have Artistea installed on your phones, don’t you? If we show the video to Artistea in real time, we can find the suspect much faster than with our own eyes."
At Brown’s words, a look of bewilderment crossed the faces of the British police officers in the control room.
Jacqueline looked at Brown for a moment, then nodded and gave orders to her subordinates.
A moment later, the voice of Artistea, ringing out from dozens of speakers at once, filled the control room.
Jacqueline’s eyes widened in surprise at the surreal sight.
“So you can use Artistea like this.”
Just then, Ben asked with an innocent face.
“Huh? Chief, why didn’t you use this method at the hotel earlier?”
At that moment, all eyes in the control room turned to Brown.
Brown didn’t miss the faint smile that appeared on Inspector Rice’s lips.
“Ahem…”
Brown hid his embarrassment with a cough and quickly changed the subject.
“I was in a rush earlier and it didn’t cross my mind.”
Using Artistea, the search speed increased dramatically.
Not long after, a call came from Blake with specific details about Manuel’s movements.
"What? Another room?"
Brown’s brow furrowed.
That was when he had sent Ben and Manuel to book their own rooms.
Blake marveled at Manuel’s audacity in pulling all this off in just a few hours and expressed his fear of the organization behind him.
"Likewise, Agent Blake. We must find out who is behind this."
Brown’s heart was heavy after hanging up the phone.
The leak of Artistea’s blueprints.
This could now become a global problem, not just an American one.
Just like the ingenious investigation method he had come up with here, Artistea would completely change the values of humanity in the future.
The fact that such technology had fallen into the hands of someone with malicious intent weighed on his shoulders.
"Nothing. It’s certain he didn't come to this airport, at least."
As Jacqueline gave her final report, the atmosphere in the control room grew even heavier.
'So what do I do now…?'
Brown thought back to his days as a hacker.
'If you’re making a deal, you have to solve the security problem first. That’s how you get a better price. Using it for personal use is pointless. Artistea requires massive data costs for learning. This isn’t an individual crime, it’s an organized one.'
When his thoughts reached that point, Brown let out a smirk. Ben looked at him quizzically.
"Chief?"
"Ben, if you knew we were chasing you, would you be trying to break into a laptop near an airport?"
“Ah… I wouldn’t.”
"Right. Manuel is probably hiding somewhere in this city, picking the most complex lock in the world. So we need to find the buyer. Not the laptop or the method of the deal."
“Understood!”
Brown felt a sense of gratitude watching Ben answer so briskly.
That pure loyalty was one of the things that kept him going.
"Right, do that. Take a look around the area. Just in case. Contact me immediately if anything happens."
“Yes! Understood!”
As Ben went outside, Brown called Blake and switched to speakerphone.
Jacqueline came up beside him.
"From now on, we need to deduce Manuel’s buyer. Do you have any information on organizations that might be connected?"
The suspicion that the British government could be behind it arose in Brown’s mind, but baseless speculation would only destroy the team’s trust.
Just as he was about to speak, Blake brought up another matter.
'Reporters… a headache.'
Brown massaged his temples wearily.
"What’s the probability of this incident leaking to the press?"
Brown asked Jacqueline this time.
“Pretty high, I’d say.”
Jacqueline answered with a shrug.
however there was no trace of worry on her face.
“But there’s nothing to worry about. There will be an embargo (a restriction on the time of publication).”
“An embargo?”
"Yes. By now, both the British and American governments will be controlling the media. Even if an article is published, it will be downplayed to something like ‘possibility of national secret leak.’ What media outlet would dare to mention the words ‘Artistea theft’? They couldn’t handle the aftermath."
Hearing Jacqueline’s confident words, a new question popped into Brown’s mind.
He ignored the commotion in the control room and raised his phone.
"Arti."
At his call, all eyes in the control room focused on him.
As Artistea’s mechanical voice echoed through the speakers, Jacqueline’s eyes narrowed with interest.
"Can… anyone else replicate you?"
“Then, would it be possible if a world-class hacker got their hands on your blueprints?”
“Why?”
"Cannot be disclosed without going through the proper procedure… is what you’re going to say. Understood."
Brown cut Artistea off.
His mind was racing, trying to untangle a complex web.
Jacqueline nodded after hearing Artistea’s answer.
"In that case, Manuel’s goal must be to hand over the entire laptop."
"No."
Brown cut Jacqueline off without a moment’s hesitation.
Over the phone, Blake’s questioning voice could be heard.
Brown spoke in the language of his hacker days.
"Manuel is not a simple informant. Look at his file again. He is clearly a brilliant hacker.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Jacqueline looked at Brown with suspicion.
“As Agent Blake knows, we are all here with our own beliefs and will. He would surely want to prove himself.”
As a CIA agent, Brown had a very strong pride in protecting the peace and order of his country.
“Are you saying he intends to implement Artistea himself with the blueprints?”
There was a hint of sarcasm in Jacqueline’s question, but Brown just nodded silently.
Blake said with a sigh. He was right.
If Manuel had covered his tracks, this chase would become a fight with no end in sight.
A heavy silence fell over the control room.
Just then, a vibration came from Brown’s pocket.
It was Ben.
"Chief! gasp… gasp… I’ve found Manuel! Near the airport car park… heading towards the construction site! I’m… gasp… chasing him now! Please come quickly!"
"Ben! Understood, I’m on my way. Don’t push yourself!"
Brown shouted at Jacqueline.
"Inspector Rice! Assemble a team and head to the construction site immediately!"
“There’s more than one construction site!”
Jacqueline shouted, looking troubled.
Brown shouted into his phone again.
"Ben, tell me anything you see around you!"
"Got it! Just keep him in your sights, and don’t approach recklessly! Wait for backup!"
Brown practically snatched the radio from Jacqueline and ran out, pushing through the crowd.
A moment later, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
A picture from Ben, so shaky that the subject was unrecognizable.
Brown immediately forwarded it to Jacqueline.
An urgent voice came over the radio.
'Please… please be okay.'
Brown was afraid that Ben’s diligent and loyal nature would make him reckless.
He ran towards the construction site, bumping into people without time to apologize.
"Cross the road there and turn right, and you’ll see a large building. It’s the open lot between it and the terminal!"
He was out of breath, but he couldn’t stop.
Finally, the construction site, surrounded by a metal fence, came into view.
He paused to catch his breath and surveyed the area.
'Where…?'
Brown hid in a corner of the building and sent a text to Ben, as if whispering.
'Ben, where are you. I’m at the building too.'
But there was no reply from Ben.
The building under construction was eerily quiet. There wasn’t a single worker in sight.
'Damn it, if I make a sound, I might lose him.'
Brown decided to wait for the other agents to arrive, and at the same time, to carefully move inside.
After climbing a few floors, he heard a rough sound from above.
"Freeze! Move and I’ll shoot!"
It was Ben’s voice.
Brown, dragging his exhausted body, drew his gun and used his remaining strength to run up the stairs.
“Argh!”
At that moment, a man’s sharp scream and a dull thud echoed through the air.
When Brown arrived at the scene, the first thing he saw was Ben, lying on the ground, bleeding.
As soon as Manuel saw Brown, he looked panicked and started to run in the opposite direction.
Bang- Bang-
In a moment where rage and composure intersected, Brown steadied his breath and fired two shots at Manuel.
Marksmanship had always been his specialty, ever since his training as an intelligence agent.
“Ugh…”
Manuel collapsed to the floor with a short groan.
The laptop he was holding fell from his hands, rolled across the cold cement floor, and ended up in a corner.
Brown ran past the fallen Manuel, straight to Ben, and checked his condition.
“gasp… gasp… Ben, are you okay! Snap out of it! You did it!”
Ben, his face contorted in pain, handed his phone to Brown and then lost consciousness.
"Ben! Ben! Wake up!"
Despite Brown’s desperate cries, Ben didn’t move.
The blood flowing from his stomach quickly stained the floor.
Following the sound of frantic footsteps, the agents sent by Jacqueline arrived on the scene.
"We have an injured man here! Call the medical team!"
Brown entrusted Ben’s first aid to them and approached the breathless Manuel.
From his pocket came a single business card with unknown characters on it.
'This is… what country’s writing is this?'
"Arti, translate the characters on this business card."
As he listened to Artistea’s translation, Brown’s mind became a tangled mess.
"Thanks, Arti."
Brown turned Artistea off.
'Is China involved? Come to think of it, Manuel was of Chinese descent, right? I need to look into this.'
Finally, he had to check the phone Ben had given him.
Just then, Jacqueline’s voice came over the radio.
"Agent Brown, Agent Ben is being transported to the hospital. His chance of survival is fifty-fifty."
“Understood.”
After the short communication, Brown collapsed onto the cold construction site floor.
With trembling hands, he played the most recent recording on Ben’s phone.
Through the static, the voices of two familiar men could be heard.
(Recording) "Manuel, this is the end of the line."
It was Ben’s voice.
(Recording) "…What happened? Why are you doing this…"
(Recording) "Money, it’s simple, isn’t it? There’s no other reason."
'A lie.' Brown thought to himself.
(Recording) "Don’t lie! We’re never short on money!"
(Recording) "Well, I am. Even if I get promoted here, do you think I can make as much as Chapman? That’s how it is, just because." Manuel’s voice was tinged with petty jealousy.
(Recording) “How about you let me go?”
(Recording) “Don’t be ridiculous.”
(Recording) "Then I’ll tell you what happened to Chapman’s family. Is that enough to make you let me go?"
At Manuel’s offer, the sound of Ben taking a sharp breath could be heard over the recording.
Brown instinctively knew that it was the sound of Ben’s gun barrel wavering slightly.
(Recording) "I did it. About a month ago, a company offered to pay me to steal Artistea. They gave me 10 million dollars upfront."
When Ben didn’t answer, Manuel continued, even more excited.
(Recording) "All I did was disrupt the security agency’s surveillance network and have a few of the researchers' families kidnapped to create a diversion."
(Recording) “You son of a bitch. Why did you touch the Doctor’s family?”
(Recording) “That’s because it made the surveillance on this side lax, so it was easier for me to move.”
(Recording) "What happened to the video of Dr. Chapman’s family!"
(Recording) "Ah, that. Wait, I have to open the laptop to show you, don’t I? Hold on."
Brown gritted his teeth as he heard the sound of Manuel opening the laptop.
(Recording) (Bang-)
A sudden gunshot.
Brown’s heart sank.
(Recording) "You crazy bastard! What are you doing!"
Manuel’s voice, rough with panic, echoed over the phone.
The sound was so loud that Brown unconsciously pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment.
(Recording) "Show me, now."
Ben’s voice was low and menacing.
(Recording) "No way…"
Behind Manuel’s voice, the sound of Ben breathing heavily could be heard.
In that short silence, Brown guessed that Ben had seen something terrible.
(Recording) "What about Artistea’s blueprints? Have you already handed them over?"
(Recording) "The password for that is too complex. My mission was just to steal the encrypted design file and hand it over."
(Recording) "Thanks for letting me know. But why are you telling me all this?"
(Recording) "Because you’re diligent and kind. You wouldn’t kill me, would you? What do you say, good old Ben. How about you let me go?"
(Recording) (Bang-, Bang-)
It was Ben’s gun again.
Brown could tell it was a final warning.
(Recording) "You crazy bastard! Stop shooting! What if you hit me!"
(Recording) "It’s too late! Chief Brown is on his way! Surrender peacefully! Then I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt!"
(Recording) “What are you doing? Freeze! Move and I’ll shoot!”
(Recording) "I guess I have no choice." With Manuel’s last words, there was a rustling sound, a sharp metallic clang, and…
(Recording) "Arghhhhhhhhh!" Ben’s desperate scream tore through his eardrums.
(Chhhhhhhhhh--------)
The recording ended there.
The phone fell from Brown’s hand.
Silence.
‘I had sent him here. I had trusted his sense of justice.’
The thought that he might have sent him to his death made an animalistic groan escape from his throat.
He prayed that Ben would be okay.
"Mr. Brown-! Agent Brown-!"
How much time had passed?
The agents sent by Jacqueline had found him.
Brown looked up at them with bloodshot eyes.
As he staggered to his feet, his eyes held a resolve colder than grief.
There was still work to be do.
Thank you for reading, and for staying with the world of Artistea.
Part 1 is fully completed (Chapters 0–15 + Asha’s side story).If you prefer not to wait for the scheduled uploads, the entire volume is already available on:
?? Amazon Kindle / Google Books — Search: Artistea: The Indelible Reminiscence(Links aren’t posted here to respect site policy, but the title alone will bring it up instantly.)
The free uploads here will continue on schedule no matter what. Your presence alone means more to me than I can express.
Next upload: ?? 2025-12-24