Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1694

Chapter 1694: Just following orders
The commander and his men walked back into the vault, the smoke from the explosion thinning in the air. None of them showed concern as they approached the source of the blast.

One more step—and the commander stopped.

Creak…

Everyone paused, listening to the loud creak as a section of the wall parted, revealing a door.

Since the path ahead was unlit, one of the men switched on a flashlight and pointed it inside.

Sure enough, the beam revealed drawers built into the wall, like safety deposit boxes. As the light moved further ahead, it revealed a path—a long one, so long that the light could barely reach its end.

“Follow the path and send location pings to track where it leads,” the commander ordered coldly.

His men didn’t waste a second. A group of armed operatives immediately entered the passageway. At the same time, another team was instructed to monitor their underground movements from outside and estimate where the tunnel might lead.

That way, they could intercept or block the exit from the outside as well.

As the men split off to complete their tasks, the commander remained in the underground vault. Holding a flashlight of his own, he stepped into the secret passage and stopped just in front of the drawers lining the rough wall.

He reached for one of the drawers and pulled it open.

As expected, it was empty. He moved to the next. Same result—empty.

The commander didn’t say a word as he turned around and walked out of the passage back into the vault. A few armed men remained with him. His eyes drifted back to the pile of ash where barely any information had survived.

“…” He stayed silent for a moment, then raised his chin and turned to one of the men. “Bring that staff member here.”

The soldier nodded silently and walked off to fetch the staff member who had opened the hatch leading down to this vault. The commander had been kind enough not to involve the man earlier, to avoid an unnecessary mess.

But in a place like this—an underground vault barely anyone knew existed—cleaning up messes was no longer a concern.

—

Moments later…

Men dragged a bloodied man into the center of the vault and forced him into a chair. His face was swollen from a series of punches. His uniform was crumpled and stained. It hadn’t been long since he was brought here, but he’d already lost a tooth.

A strand of bloody saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth as he slowly lifted his eyes. One was swollen shut, but the other remained open—just enough to look around.

Standing a few steps from him was a tall, bulky man with a scar that ran from his brow down to the middle of his eyelid. His expression was unreadable—stern, cold, and dangerous. His gaze alone was enough to intimidate most men… but not the staff member.

“I…” The staff coughed, spitting blood to the side. “…don’t know, sir. I just… I just follow orders.”

The commander’s expression darkened. He’d heard the same answer too many times already. The man had been beaten, yet still refused to tell them what they needed to know:

Who was the person who got here before them?

“You’ll die,” the commander said calmly, his voice low and controlled. “The person you’re protecting isn’t worth it.”

The staff member coughed again, watching the commander step forward. The commander paused a step away, waiting for the man to look up.

When he didn’t, the soldier behind him grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to meet the commander’s gaze.

“Telling me now will save your life,” the commander began. “It won’t heal your wounds, but you’ll at least crawl out of here alive. There’s no point in staying silent for someone you don’t even know.”

The man’s shoulders tensed. His bloodied mouth quivered.

“I… I really don’t know,” he muttered.

“I see.” The commander nodded, turning slightly, when the man suddenly spoke again.

“But—” The staff member gulped as the commander turned back toward him. “It’s true. I only follow orders. I don’t know much about the person who comes here. My only role is to hand him the key. We never speak. The only thing he ever says is… ‘Delro.'”

He exhaled sharply. “It’s a sequence we’ve practiced. He gives the order, waits for me to walk past him twice, then tells me the code. After that, he’s guided inside. I never see him again until the next time he comes.”

The commander raised a brow. That matched what they’d found in the secret passage.

“I’m not allowed to question him or make small talk,” the staff continued. “But tonight… that man didn’t come. Someone else did. Someone who knew the process—and the code.”

“And you gave them the key because of that?”

The staff member’s expression twisted. “The rules are clear. But nowhere does it say I can’t give the key to someone else. As long as they follow the procedure and know the right code, I’m supposed to give them what they came for. No questions asked, no delay.”

It might sound careless, but in truth, it was more complicated than that. If Dean hadn’t been obsessively studying Jonathan and mimicking even his smallest habits, the staff would’ve likely ignored him.

But Dean had been flawless. Even the bartender had approved.

“That person…” The commander pulled something from inside his vest and revealed a photo. “Was it this man?”

The staff looked at the photo and shook his head. “He’s not the one who came tonight. There were two of them.”

“Two?” The commander pulled out a second photo. “Do either of these look familiar?”

The staff leaned closer, examining the stolen photos of Zoren and Atlas. His gaze stopped on Zoren—no, it wasn’t him.

Then his eyes shifted to the other man.

That one…

He was sure. That was one of the men who had come in tonight.

But then, he hesitated.

The staff drew a deep breath and looked up, locking eyes with the commander.

“No,” he said. “It’s not them, sir. It was someone else.”