The air was thick with tension, the kind that hung over the remnants of a battlefield, even as the players prepared for the next move. The faint hum of static filled their earpieces until Cyrus’s calm yet sharp voice broke through.
“We got company,” he said, his tone flat but urgent. “Looks like they already called for backup. Things aren’t looking good.”
Lucas’s voice crackled to life immediately, buzzing with an unsettling mix of excitement and unease. “Is it the cannibals? _Please_ tell me it’s the cannibals! I beg you.” The anticipation in his voice made it sound like he’d been waiting all day for a proper bloodbath.
From his perch, Cyrus adjusted his scope, his sniper rifle steady despite the distance and chaos. He scanned the approaching convoy. “Nope. Not the cannibals,” he said after a pause. His voice took on a grim tone. “Looks like men in black. Government agents, by the looks of them.”
That made even Lucas pause, his eager grin faltering.
Kai, pacing beside the still-smoking remnants of their last escapade, stopped mid-step. “Government agency?” he repeated, the weight of those words settling in the room like lead. “That’s trouble.”
Blake, leaning against the now-dismantled rocket, perked up. “What, did they catch wind of what was happening here? Decide to ‘investigate’ a little too late?” His voice dripped with sarcasm, but the underlying tension was undeniable.
Kai frowned, running a hand through his hair as he thought. “Whatever their reason, we can’t engage them. Not with the mess we’ve already left behind.”
Axel leaned back on the floor, his fingers still resting lazily on the keyboard. His face bore the same tired expression as always, like he’d just woken up from a nap he didn’t want to end. “Done,” he muttered, his voice as flat as a piece of paper left out in the rain.
Kai turned to him, crossing his arms as his brows furrowed. “Done with what?” he asked, his tone calm but his sharp gaze scanning Axel for any indication of actual effort.
Axel lazily lifted a hand and gestured at the now-frozen timer on the bomb’s display. “The countdown,” he drawled, as though explaining the obvious to a child. He stretched in his chair, the movement slow and deliberate, then let out a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. “Can we go now? I’m starving and my brain feels like I’ve been solving math problems all day.”
Lucas, perched near the dismantled rocket like a hawk eyeing its prey, suddenly burst into laughter. The sound was sharp, erratic, and laced with a kind of twisted amusement. “You made it sound like it was such a big deal!” he exclaimed, his grin widening with every word. “And there’s still…” He tilted his head to look at the bomb’s screen, his lips curling further upward. “...two minutes left on the clock.”
Axel shot him a lazy glare but didn’t bother to say anything.
Lucas crouched, tilting his head to the side as though inspecting a piece of fine art. “Man, I was kinda hoping you wouldn’t pull it off,” he said, his tone a mix of sincerity and morbid excitement. “You know, just to see the beautiful masterpiece of mankind’s destruction. Boom! Fireworks, chaos, screams—poetry, really.” He sighed wistfully, as if mourning a missed opportunity.
Blake, who had been quietly leaning against the wall, pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Lucas, maybe save the pyrotechnic poetry for another day?”
Kai walked over to Axel, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. “Good work,” he said, his tone even. But then he paused, glancing back at the now-frozen timer. “But next time, let’s aim to finish before we’re literally seconds away from disaster, yeah?”
Axel shrugged, his tired eyes half-lidded. “What’s the rush? It’s not like it was going to blow until the last second, anyway.”
Kai stared at him for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
Lucas grinned, still crouched by the bomb. “Unbelievably efficient,” he chimed in. Then, with a low chuckle, he added, “But man, next time, let’s pick a mission with a bit more… drama.” He stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his hands. “This one’s starting to feel too tame.”
Axel gave him a deadpan look. “Says the guy who wanted to see us all explode.”
Lucas spread his arms dramatically. “What can I say? I live for the thrill.”
Kai turned to the group, his voice cutting through the banter. “Alright, we’re moving out. I don’t want to still be here when those men in black show up.”
Just then, Kai stood still, his gaze fixed on the towering weapon. His hand rested on his chin, deep in thought. “We should take it,” he said after a moment, his tone measured but resolute.
Blake, who had been examining a nearby panel, spun around so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet. “Take it?” he exclaimed, his voice pitched with disbelief. He gestured wildly at the behemoth in front of them. “ it’s a freaking missile! What, you planning to carry it on your head?”
Axel, leaning against the wall with his usual half-asleep expression, muttered under his breath, “It’d make a nice hat… if you had a neck of steel and no regard for survival.” He yawned loudly, clearly unimpressed by the discussion.
Kai ignored the commentary, his focus still on the missile. “This thing could cause untold destruction if it ends up in the wrong hands,” he said firmly. “We can’t just leave it here.”
Lucas, crouched by the missile’s base, ran a hand along its surface like it was a prized trophy. His grin was wide, bordering on unsettling. “Untold destruction?” he repeated, his voice tinged with excitement. “Sounds like my kind of party.” He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. “But, uh, are we sure we don’t wanna see how big the boom is first?”
Kai shot him a sharp look. “No. We’re not testing it.”
Just then, Cyrus’s voice cut through their earpieces, his tone sharp and urgent. “You all need to move. Now.”
Kai straightened. “What’s happening?”
“They’ve entered the base,” Cyrus replied, his words clipped. “Looks like a full squad. Not amateurs, either—they’re moving in formation. You don’t have time to argue about that overgrown firecracker. Get out of there before they pin you down.”
Blake glanced at the missile again, then back at Kai. “So... leaving it?” he asked, his voice laced with a mix of hope and apprehension.
Kai sighed, the weight of the decision clear on his face. He glanced at Axel, who had slumped even further against the wall, his arms crossed. “Thoughts?”
Axel opened one eye, barely mustering the energy to respond. “It’s not gonna fit in my backpack, so yeah, leave it,” he deadpanned.
Blake snickered but quickly stifled it when Kai looked at him.
“Cyrus is right,” Kai finally said, his tone firm. “We don’t have the time or the manpower to take it. Let’s go.”
Lucas stood up slowly, brushing imaginary dust off his hands. “Shame,” he muttered, casting a longing glance at the missile. “Would’ve made a hell of a finale.”
“Move,” Kai ordered, his voice cutting through any lingering hesitation.
The group started toward the exit, their movements swift but controlled. As they passed the missile, Blake couldn’t help but glance back at it one last time.
“Goodbye, big shiny disaster-waiting-to-happen,” he murmured under his breath.
From his vantage point on the cliff, Cyrus scanned the base’s exterior, his finger poised on the trigger of his sniper rifle. “You’ve got two teams closing in. If you don’t want this to turn into a shooting gallery, I suggest you pick up the pace.”
“We’re on it,” Kai replied, his voice steady.
Axel let out a long sigh as he adjusted the straps of his backpack. “Why does every mission feel like cardio?” he grumbled.
Lucas laughed, a sharp, eerie sound that echoed down the hallway. “Because running for your life is the best workout,” he said, his grin widening.
“Speak for yourself,” Axel muttered, trudging along with the same lazy gait as always.
Kai led the way, his mind racing as he calculated their next move. Behind him, Blake picked up the pace, his smaller frame weaving effortlessly through the group.
“Kid, stay close,” Kai called back.
“Stop calling me a kid!” Blake snapped, though his tone lacked any real bite.
“Focus,” Cyrus barked through the comms. “You’ve got less than three minutes before they reach your position.”
“Understood,” Kai replied, his eyes narrowing as he quickened his steps.
The group moved swiftly through the dim corridors, their footsteps echoing faintly as Axel pulled out the compact controller for the drone. His face, as usual, carried the same lethargic, unbothered expression, but his hands moved deftly over the buttons.
Blake glanced over his shoulder. “How many of those do you have left, anyway?” he asked, his voice carrying more curiosity than actual concern.
Axel didn’t bother looking up. “Last one,” he muttered, adjusting the camera feed on the small display. “If this gets fried, we’re blind.”
“Comforting,” Lucas said with a grin, trailing at the back of the group like a predator savoring the chase. “Hope it’s not the scenic route. I hate scenery without explosions.”
Axel ignored him, focusing on the screen as the drone zipped ahead, scanning the labyrinthine passages. The live feed showed flickers of movement, but Axel quickly guided the drone toward a less crowded area. “There,” he murmured, zooming in. “Left at the next junction. Looks clear.”
“Let’s move,” Kai ordered, leading the way without hesitation.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
As they navigated the safer path Axel had identified, Cyrus’s voice cut through their earpieces. “I’m heading to the van,” he announced, his tone all business.
“You’re leaving us?” Blake blurted out, clearly indignant.
“Relax,” Cyrus shot back, his voice sharper. “I’m not abandoning you. The van’s our extraction point, and if I don’t position it right, you’ll be hoofing it out on foot.”
Kai nodded, even though Cyrus couldn’t see him. “Do what you need to. Keep us updated.”
Outside, Cyrus moved stealthily along the cliff-side, his sniper rifle slung over his back. He reached the sleek black van parked in a concealed spot, its matte finish blending seamlessly into the shadows. Climbing into the driver’s seat, he activated the silent mode, the engine purring so softly it was barely audible. The dashboard lit up as Cyrus keyed in coordinates, his eyes narrowing in focus.
Back inside the base, the group encountered an unexpected snag—two men in black uniforms patrolling the corridor up ahead. They moved methodically, scanning every corner with military precision.
Kai held up a hand, signaling the others to stop. “Stay here,” he whispered, his voice low and firm.
“What, you’re taking them both on solo?” Blake hissed, his eyes widening.
Kai shot him a look that needed no explanation.
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified,” Blake muttered, stepping back.
Kai approached silently, his movements fluid and controlled. As one of the agents turned, Kai struck like lightning, his hand clamping down on the man’s neck in a precise hold. The agent crumpled soundlessly to the floor. The second man barely had time to react before Kai delivered a swift series of strikes, finishing with a clean blow to the temple that rendered him unconscious.
Kai dragged the bodies into a nearby alcove and rejoined the group, his breathing steady as if he’d just gone for a light jog.
Lucas gave a slow clap, his grin wider than ever. “Efficient. Boring, but efficient.”
“Quiet,” Kai said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
As they approached the final exit, Blake suddenly frowned, glancing around. “Wait, a second. I’ve been here before, and I never knew there was an exit here.”
Axel didn’t even look up. “Shows how observant you are, kid.”
“I told you, stop calling me—”
“Focus,” Kai interrupted, cutting off their bickering. He gestured to the door. “This is it. Move.”
The group burst through the exit into the cool night air, the tension easing slightly as they stepped outside.
“Good,” Kai said, his voice steady. “Cyrus has the van.”
Blake blinked, looking around. “Uh… where? I don’t see any van.”
As if on cue, the van shimmered into view, its camouflage mode deactivating with a faint hum.
Blake’s jaw dropped. “No one told me the van could do that!”
“Maybe if you listened more…” Axel began, trailing off with a shrug.
The doors slid open, and the group piled inside. Cyrus sat at the wheel, his expression unreadable as he glanced back at them. “Everyone accounted for?”
Kai nodded. “Move.”
Cyrus pressed a button, and the van faded from view once more, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. Inside, the hum of the camouflage system filled the silence as they sped away.
Blake leaned back in his seat, exhaling loudly. “That was... something.”
Lucas grinned, his fingers drumming against his knee. “We should’ve taken the missile.”
“Shut up,” the rest of them said in unison.
The air outside the base was heavy with the acrid smell of burnt metal and faint wisps of smoke. Men in black tactical gear moved like shadows through the wreckage, their boots crunching over the debris-strewn ground.
One of the operatives adjusted his dark shades, his lean but solid frame moving with practiced ease. His sharp eyes scanned the aftermath, taking in the scattered bodies and overturned equipment. “So someone came here before us,” he muttered, his voice clipped and professional.
Behind him, a reporter scribbled furiously in a small notepad, their nervous energy palpable. “Yes,” the reporter confirmed, looking up briefly. “Most of the original group stationed here got wiped out, but we still don’t know what exactly they came for. It’s... chaos.”
A voice, smooth and authoritative, broke through the commotion. “What do you think, Raph?”
The woman speaking stepped into view. Dressed in a sleek tactical suit, her posture radiated confidence. Her sharp features were framed by her dark hair, tied neatly into a ponytail. “A secondary group? Or just a clash between factions?”
Raph, standing slightly apart from the others, lit a cigarette with a flick of his lighter. His face, chiseled and shadowed in the dim light, betrayed nothing as he took a slow drag.
“We came here,” he said, exhaling a plume of smoke, “because of intel suggesting a high volume of drugs being stored on-site. Simple bust, clean sweep.” He paused, the glow of his cigarette illuminating his sharp features briefly. “Who knew we’d stumble across a missile big enough to level entire parts of a country?”
He flicked the ash off the cigarette, his expression hardening. “What kind of operation is this?” he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with a mix of disbelief and quiet rage.
The woman beside him, perhaps a personal assistant or close subordinate, caught the edge in his voice. She glanced at him, her brow furrowing slightly. “Raph, what’s the call?”
For a moment, he said nothing, staring at the remnants of the massive missile platform. Then, without looking at her, he spoke. “We confiscate everything. Drugs, weapons, tech—if it’s here, it’s ours now. This place is going to be wiped clean.”
He dropped the cigarette, crushing it under his boot with a deliberate motion. Turning to the team, his voice cut through the din like a blade. “Sweep every room. I don’t want so much as a scrap left behind.”
The operatives moved quickly, their coordinated efficiency a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded here hours earlier.
The woman beside him lingered for a moment, her gaze trailing after Raph as he walked toward the heart of the compound. “You think this was just about drugs?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
Raph didn’t break stride. “No. And that’s what worries me.”
As the black-clad team spread out, the base descended into a cold, mechanical silence, broken only by the distant sound of vehicles rumbling into position. The missile stood ominously in the background, a haunting reminder of what had nearly transpired.
The van hummed softly as Cyrus navigated the winding dirt road, the vehicle gliding with precision as though it were an extension of him.
“Who knew there was more to that base?” Axel muttered, breaking the silence. He sat slouched in his seat, one hand lazily tapping at his laptop keyboard. His expression was as disinterested as ever, but his fingers moved with surprising speed across the keys.
Kai, seated in-front , turned his head. “What do you mean by that?” His tone was calm, but the subtle shift in his posture showed he was already bracing for more complications.
Axel exhaled, leaning back as though explaining anything was the greatest burden of his life. “It’s... complicated,” he began, his voice trailing off. He gestured vaguely at the screen, trying to find a way to condense his findings into something digestible.
Finally, he gave up with a sigh. “Here,” he said, extending the laptop toward Kai without much ceremony. “You figure it out.”
Kai took the laptop, his brows furrowing as he scanned the details Axel had pulled up. Lines of text, schematics, and classified reports filled the screen, glowing faintly in the dim light of the van’s interior. His frown deepened. “How did you even manage to get this?”
Axel shrugged, his lazy drawl unwavering. “I just hacked into the base system before we left. Turns out they weren’t just some random group. They’re government.” He paused, letting that sink in before adding, “To be precise, they’re from The Zenith.
Cyrus, who had been quietly watching the exchange, perked up. “The Zenith sounds like something out of a bad spy movie.”,
“Wish it were,” Axel replied, his tone still flat. “They’re not the fun kind of government agency. These guys don’t just knock—they kick the door down and burn the house while they’re at it. Found their name plastered all over encrypted files in that base.”
Kai’s gaze remained locked on the laptop. “And you just searched them up and hacked into their system?”
Axel gave a small, almost imperceptible smirk. “Yep. Took me all of five minutes. Their encryption isn’t as good as they think it is. Got the basics, but I’ll need time to dig deeper.”
“That’s the gist of it,” Axel said, deadpan, not even looking up.
Kai handed the laptop back to Axel, his expression grim. “If they’re involved, this isn’t over. We’ll need to regroup and figure out our next move.”
Axel sighed, closing the laptop and placing it on the seat beside him. “Great. More work.”
Cyrus’s voice came through from the driver’s seat, cool and measured as ever. “Work or not, you’d better hope we stay ahead of them. If The Zenith is onto us, they’ll bring their full weight down. No loose ends.”
Blake, who had been with this crew for so long, was used to the chaos. But something about hearing more details about the Cannibals, about the atrocities they had committed, was beginning to weigh on him. His mind swirled with thoughts, a knot forming in his stomach as he looked out the window at the passing landscape. It was as if the world outside the van, the world he knew, was starting to lose its sense of safety. Everything had gotten so much darker.
“Well,” Blake finally said, breaking the silence, his voice quieter than usual. “About the Cannibals... how bad are they?”
Kai, who had been staring ahead with a thoughtful expression, shrugged. “Well, who knows. We’ve been hunting them for some time now, but on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give them an 8.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “So, they’re pretty bad, then?”
“Pretty much,” Kai said, keeping his eyes on the road. “They’re not your typical threat. These people are brutal. Worse than you can imagine.”
Blake’s gaze turned down, his hands clenching as if trying to keep his thoughts from spiraling. “How bad were the things they did?”
Kai sighed, the weight of it all settling on him as well. “Well, they’ve been linked to organ trafficking, weapons smuggling, and using civilians as test subjects for biological experiments, Kidnapping, Arson, You name it, they’ve done it. So, yeah, in short we like to call them as a terrorist group—plain and simple.”
For a moment, the van was silent, the weight of that realization sinking in.
lake swallowed hard, the image of the victims flashing in his mind. His stomach churned, and his hands shook slightly. “Oh… I see,” he muttered, his voice small, barely a whisper.
“Hey, you okay?” Kai asked, his eyes flickering over to Blake, noticing his sudden shift in demeanor.
Blake’s face hardened, and he waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… just thinking, that’s all.” He straightened up, trying to shake off the feeling.
Kai nodded, giving him space but keeping a watchful eye on him. “Seatbelt. We’re heading to the base.”
Blake’s mood shifted quickly at the mention of the base. His eyes lit up with excitement as he quickly snapped his seatbelt on, his earlier confusion and downcast expression forgotten for a moment. “Finally,” he muttered under his breath, eager to get out of the van and see what awaited them.
The others followed suit, strapping in, ready for whatever came next.
Axel, who had barely acknowledged anything around him, let out a long, tired sigh, seemingly preparing himself for something he absolutely did not want to experience. “Here comes the sick drive,” he said dryly, as though he were buckling up for a ride he couldn’t avoid.
The van began to pick up speed, the engine roaring as it started to shoot down the road. The tires hummed over the tarmac; the van accelerating faster and faster.
Blake felt the sudden shift in momentum, his heart racing as he glanced out the side window. The scenery blurred, the world around them dissolving into streaks of color, the landscape becoming nothing more than a smear of motion. It was like the van was traveling through time, disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye.
“What the hell?” Blake muttered, his stomach lurching. The van’s speed—315 km/h—was unreal, and the sensation of being propelled through the road without actually feeling like they were moving made his mind reel.
Outside, the world disappeared in a flash. One moment, the road was empty, the next, they were somewhere else entirely—like they had crossed into another dimension. Blake’s breath caught in his throat, his hands gripping the seatbelt, his knuckles white as the van seemed to shimmer before snapping back into the real world, with the Black Mamba Base just ahead.
“Damn,” Blake breathed, his voice both amazed and dizzy from the experience.
The van gradually came to a stop as they reached their destination. The Black Mamba Base loomed ahead, towering above them like a monolith, a dark fortress of metal and stone. The base seemed almost like a thing from another world, its sleek, modern architecture at odds with the barren, war-torn landscape that surrounded it. Razor wire and spotlights lined the perimeter.
Blake’s gaze was locked on the imposing structure, but his excitement was quickly cut short as the sudden motion of the van’s stop combined with the disorienting ride finally caught up to him. Without warning, he leaned out of the side door, throwing up on the ground, not even bothering to admire the beauty of the place. The adrenaline of the high-speed escape, coupled with the disorienting effect of the van’s acceleration, was just too much.
“Not… the best first impression,” Blake muttered weakly, wiping his mouth and glaring at the base through the haze of dizziness.
As he recovered, the others began exiting the van, each of them ready to tackle whatever came next. Cyrus checked his watch, his eyes scanning the base’s defenses.
“Let’s move,” Kai said, his tone firm, taking charge as always. “We’ve got work to do.”