Chapter 26 - THE UPLOAD AND THE WARNING
Knowing that his digital footprint could be tracked the moment he connected to the public network, Daniel worked with frantic, desperate speed. He selected the master archive folder containing the entire database of *The Foundation* and initiated a multi-layered proxy transfer, routing the data simultaneously to three independent investigative journalists, two international human rights watchdogs, and a secured cloud server programmed to release the files globally if his IP address went offline for more than thirty minutes.
As the progress bar crept toward one hundred percent—*78%... 89%... 96%*—the computer monitor suddenly froze.
A stark red warning box popped up over the file transfer window, overriding his proxy settings:
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*“WARNING: Unauthorized data exfiltration detected. Terminal locked by remote administrator. Your current physical location has been logged. Do not move.”*
Before Daniel could reach for the USB drive to rip it from the port, the screen flickered violently and displayed a live, high-definition webcam feed of the exact library basement he was sitting in. On the screen, he watched himself staring in horror at the monitor. And standing just three rows behind him in the dimly lit aisle, half-hidden in the shadows between towering bookshelves, was a tall figure wearing a charcoal-grey suit, calmly raising a gloved hand to wave at the camera.
