As they prepared to execute their plan, silence filled the room.
Soon, night fell over the warehouse.
Mark quietly walked to the door and cracked it open just enough to peek outside.
The hallway was dimly lit.
He waited a few seconds, listening for footsteps.
Nothing.
While Mark kept watch, Hans gathered his thoughts, replaying the warehouse's layout in his mind and tracing the route to Rick's office.
After another careful glance down the corridor, Mark whispered, "All clear."
Hans nodded.
"Okay. Stay close, and don't make a sound."
The two slipped out of the room and disappeared into the dark hallway.
As they moved toward the end of the hallway, Hans suddenly stopped.
The exit was locked.
A single guard sat beside the metal gate, a rifle resting against the wall.
Hans immediately signaled Mark to get behind a nearby column.
Once they were hidden, he whispered,
"It's locked. What do we do now?"
Mark carefully peeked around the edge of the column.
His eyes moved from the gate to the guard.
Then they stopped.
The guard's head had slumped forward.
He was asleep.
Mark's gaze dropped to the man's belt.
A ring of keys hung from it.
He leaned closer to Hans and whispered, "Look at his belt."
Mark slowly crept toward the guard.
Every step felt louder than the last.
When he was only an arm's length away, the guard suddenly stirred.
Mark froze.
"Huh... what are you doing?" the guard mumbled, his voice slurred.
Mark's heart nearly stopped.
Then the guard smacked his lips and muttered, "I'm hungry... give me some more..."
His head dropped again.
He was still asleep.
From behind the column, Hans let out the breath he had been holding.
Mark, still standing beside the sleeping guard, waited for the right moment.
When the guard's breathing settled into a steady rhythm, Mark carefully slipped the ring of keys off his belt.
He moved back to the gate and slowly slid one key after another into the lock.
Click.
The lock opened.
Mark glanced at Hans and gave him a subtle nod.
Without making a sound, the two slipped through the gate and quietly closed it behind them.
They had finally escaped the sleeping quarters.
Hans took the lead.
The layout of the warehouse was already etched into his memory from the previous night's surveillance.
Without hesitating, he guided Mark through the dim corridors toward Rick's office.
As they made their way through the warehouse, they avoided every guard on night duty.
Keeping low, Hans led the way between towering stacks of containers. Whenever they encountered a locked door, Mark quietly unlocked it with the stolen keys before locking it again behind them.
After several tense minutes, they finally reached Rick's office.
Instead of rushing in, Hans pulled Mark behind a pile of wooden crates beside the office door.
A voice exploded from inside.
"You bastard! Can't you do one proper job of guarding this place?" Rick shouted.
A frightened voice answered.
"Sorry, sir. We stepped out to get some food. That's when it happened."
Rick slammed something against his desk.
"How can you be that careless?"
"I'm really sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
Rick let out an angry laugh.
"That doesn't change anything."
He paused before saying something that made Hans's blood run cold.
"It already happened. We still don't know who the hell that guy was... or why he was sneaking around our warehouse."
Hans and Mark exchanged a silent glance.
They instantly knew Rick was talking about Hans.
Rick's shouting continued.
"It's already a headache, and all you found was footage from that old CCTV dump."
He slammed his fist against the desk.
"The damn thing can barely record properly."
His voice rose again.
"We can't even see his f***ing face!"
Outside the office, Hans and Mark exchanged another glance.
For the first time that night, both of them let out a silent breath of relief.
For now, Hans's identity was still safe.
As the conversation inside came to an end, the guard opened the office door and stepped outside.
Hans immediately pulled Mark lower behind the stack of crates.
The guard glanced around the hallway before walking away.
A few moments later, Rick came out.
His face was tense, and his jaw remained clenched with frustration.
He slammed the office door shut behind him and muttered something under his breath before disappearing down the corridor.
Hans waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Only after Rick's footsteps faded into the distance did he look at Mark.
They had their chance.
Without making a sound, the two slipped out from behind the crates and hurried toward the office door, staying on the opposite side of the hallway so Rick wouldn't see them if he looked back.
Hans reached for the doorknob.
The real investigation was about to begin.
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