For the sake of the mission, we decided to stay put for the remaining time, making sure not to draw attention. Finally, the moment for the raid arrived.

—Everyone ready? —I asked, looking at each of them.

They nodded silently. There was some fear and hesitation reflected in their eyes. In a way, I couldn’t blame them; we were heading into an op planned so quickly that anyone might think we were amateurs.

We split into two vehicles to head to our positions. The six youngest gunslingers, along with both women, would take position on the outskirts, ready to ambush the cobalt mine quickly. Toshi, as the sniper, had the crucial task of eliminating the foreman with his initial shot. After that, he was to reposition and cover us from an elevated vantage point.

When we reached the vicinity of the fortress, it was just as our scouts had described. The walls were made of metal sheets riveted onto segments of crumbling concrete, haphazardly assembled to reinforce a perimeter that teetered between functional and decrepit. Four watchtowers stood at the cardinal points, though at first glance, they seemed abandoned. Still, something didn’t add up; the calm was far too suspicious.

From our position, we couldn’t see much more and had to rely on our preparation and the reports.

—Let’s move.

We advanced in small groups to avoid drawing attention. We had chosen the southeastern section of the facility as our entry point. From there, Melena and I would descend to the underground while the others moved to their respective positions to cover us.

I volunteered to be the first to cross the stretch to the entry point. The others would follow in groups of two or three. The tension in the air was palpable.

—Mr. Kailen, have you done this kind of work before? —Melena asked, his voice laden with nervousness. His hands trembled slightly, and for a moment, I wondered what someone like him was doing in a place like this.

—Not as a mercenary, but I’ve done worse as a soldier.

—I can’t imagine anything worse than this.

I glanced at him sideways and answered seriously:

—You lack imagination, Melena. There are horrible things out there, things no book will ever teach you.

Melena lowered his gaze, but before I could say anything else, he spoke up in a whisper:

—I’ve never wanted to…

—Silence.

I grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the ground just in time. A pair of guards emerged from a crack in the nearby wall, both carrying improvised weapons and flashlights sweeping the area.

—Stay still —I whispered, as my hand calmly reached for the handle of my knife.

The guards began talking to each other in low voices. One lit a cigarette while the other rummaged through something on his belt. From our position, moving would mean being detected. The wait felt endless, and sweat began to bead on my forehead.

Melena was trembling beside me. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, I conveyed a calmness I didn’t feel myself. He barely nodded, understanding that any mistake now could cost us the mission… or our lives.

Finally, the guards moved to the left, heading toward what appeared to be an improvised storage area.

—Now, quick and silent —I ordered.

We slipped through the crack in the wall, our point of entry. Once inside, the darkness of the underground engulfed us. I could hear Melena’s heavy breathing behind me, but there was no time to stop. The path ahead grew more dangerous with every step.

I saw the guards stop not far from us, their backs turned. Their relaxed posture and muffled laughter made it clear they were shirking their duties. This had to be a blind spot in their patrol.

"If I take them out here, no one will know… unless they’re on radios or have to report in regularly."

There was no time to ponder or wait. Every second increased the risk of being discovered. I drew my knife, its dark, sharp blade gleaming faintly in the dim light. With slow, deliberate steps, I crept closer, feeling the adrenaline begin to heat my body.

When I was close enough, I struck with precision. Twisting my body sharply to the left, I slammed one guard’s head against the wall with a solid thud. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he even realized what hit him.

The second guard barely had time to open his mouth. I lunged at him, covering his mouth with one hand while driving the knife into his neck with the other. The blade slid through the flesh effortlessly, and a hot torrent of blood soaked my gloves. The man kicked and struggled, his eyes wide with terror, but his efforts were futile. Within seconds, his movements ceased, and the only sound left was my ragged breathing.

I crouched over the body, watching the pool of blood slowly spread. I’d done this before, but there was always that strange emptiness after taking a life.

—Melena, come here and help me hide these bodies among that pile of rubble —I ordered in a low voice, pointing to a corner littered with chunks of concrete and metal.

Melena took a few seconds to react. His face was pale, like someone who had never seen death so close. He approached with hesitant steps, swallowing hard.

—W-was all this necessary? —he asked, his voice trembling.

I looked him directly in the eyes as we started dragging the bodies.

—Every second these men stayed alive was a risk to us. This isn’t the place for morality, Melena. This is the place for survival.

Melena didn’t respond. We kept moving the bodies in silence, tucking them behind the rubble with quick but careful movements. Before leaving the corner, I checked the guards’ pockets, finding a small radio and a pack of cigarettes.

"A damn radio... Of course, they have one. Kailen, you absolute idiot."

I couldn’t help but press my palm against my forehead. Frustration burned inside me. "How the hell could I have been so stupid as to assume a base this large wouldn’t have a basic means of communication?"

With a sigh, I decided to turn off the radio and keep it. It might come in handy later.

Once we finished hiding the bodies, I turned to Melena.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

—This is just the beginning. If you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t have come in the first place. There’s no room here for doubt or trembling hands.

Melena looked at me with a mix of resentment and fear. It took him a moment to process my words, but he finally nodded. His face tried to show determination, though his hands were still shaking.

—Let’s go —I ordered, adjusting my knife in its sheath as I headed toward the underground entrance. Time was running out, and the silence we’d managed to secure wouldn’t last long.

At this point, the next group should be halfway to their position. "If there weren’t any issues," I thought, though anxiety began to settle in my chest.

—Let’s move.

—Aren’t we going to wait to report the encounter to the others? —Melena asked, his voice trembling slightly.

—We don’t have time. We need to secure our position. They’ll know what to do.

"Or at least I hope so. If anyone freezes up or panics... if they think that’s our blood spilled on the ground, we’ll be in trouble."

As we advanced, an idea sparked in my mind.

—Melena, is there a code or frequency your guys might be using?

Melena frowned, clearly trying to recall something useful, but the seconds dragged on, and he said nothing.

—Faster, damn it. We don’t have all day.

—Ah! Yes. A while back, we built our own transmitter as a project to hack a rival guild. The frequency should be 134.27 MHz.

—Perfect.

I turned on the radio and adjusted it to the frequency the scavengers used. Two voices came through almost immediately, complaining about the dry weather and laughing faintly. It was noise, but it meant the network was active.

Then, I switched to the frequency Melena had mentioned. Nothing. No traffic. An unsettling void.

"I think this could work," I thought, though I knew it was only a small advantage in the face of enormous risk. It still depended on another tech-savvy ally getting a similar radio and thinking to use this frequency.

—Don’t lose your nerve. This is working in our favor for now, but keep your eyes open —I said as I turned off the radio and carefully tucked it away.

Melena swallowed hard and nodded slowly, though his expression remained tense. His eyes betrayed barely contained panic.

The hatch leading underground was right in the middle of an open courtyard, which meant we couldn’t approach it without raising suspicion. We needed chaos to break out first. We took shelter in a nearby room, dark and dusty, with time ticking against us.

—I’m starting to have doubts about this plan, Sir Kailen —Melena murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

—Only now? —I scoffed, shooting him an incredulous look. My words came out harsher than I intended. —With the shitty intel we have, what did you expect?

—I know it’s not your fault... it’s just that... in this room, we’re too exposed. How much longer will we have to wait?

—The assault on the cobalt mine should start in a few minutes. That’ll force the guards to mobilize. Hold tight.

I had barely finished speaking when the first sounds of chaos began to ripple through the air. Agitated voices, hurried footsteps, sirens breaking the silence of the compound. The commotion grew quickly, like a storm brewing without warning.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed just outside the room. Quick, disorganized, and far too close.

—Hide! —I whispered urgently, pointing to a couple of old trunks piled in a corner.

We dove toward them, barely managing to squeeze into the tight space. I could feel my rapid breathing bouncing off the wooden walls, my heartbeat hammering loudly in my ears.

From inside the trunk, I heard the footsteps stop right in front of the door. Something metallic slid—probably a weapon—and someone muttered something unintelligible.

"Shit. If they open this door..."

I readied myself, knife already in hand, as the seconds stretched into what felt like hours.

The worst part of a half-baked plan was how easily it could fall apart due to an unexpected variable. Though, to be fair, there was no way I could have anticipated this.

—A riot. Get everyone to the lower levels.

"A damn riot right now. Damn it!"

An unprecedented frustration began to overwhelm me.

I tried to contact Toshi and Reyka, but all communications with the outside were cut off.

—Sir Kailen... this base seems to have an electromagnetic barrier.

—Really? —I replied, letting out a distinctly sarcastic tone.

Frustration was creeping in. How could those women have failed to notice the massive antennas decorating every corner of the base? Damn it.

Outside, the noise grew louder. I could hear footsteps and agitated voices, but I decided to stay put for now. At one point, someone opened the door to our room. I held my breath as a shadow peeked in. Fortunately, it was just a brief glance; the intruder shut the door immediately.

—Melena —I said, turning toward him—. The time is coming. When I give you the signal, run to the hatch and get down the stairs as fast as you can. Don’t stop for anything. Don’t hesitate, don’t think, understood?

—Yes... —his voice sounded hollow, as if he hadn’t fully processed the situation.

His eyes were distant, vacant.

—Hey! —I interrupted firmly—. Don’t hesitate or think. I’ll handle everything. I’ll protect you until we reach the VIP’s prison.

Melena began to hyperventilate.

—I don’t know if I can do this, Sir Kailen...

"What am I doing?" That seemed to be the only thing he kept repeating to himself. He was finally realizing the magnitude of the risk we were taking. For the first time, he understood we were standing in the lion’s den.

His despair almost made me doubt, if only for a second. Instinctively, my hand went to the holster on my right hip.

Metal. Cold.

I took a deep breath and ran my fingers over the inscription on the weapon. Freedom.

My mentor had taught me many things—not just how to hold a gun and shoot. She had also spoken to my soul.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

That was his mantra. And now, it was mine. This was my moment. I couldn’t hesitate. I had a friend down there, and I would get him out of that prison.

I took a deep breath. Then another. Finally, I found my calm.

—Stay calm, everything will be fine. —I placed a hand on Melena’s shoulder. Slowly, he began to settle. His breathing evened out until it stabilized.

At last, we climbed out of the trunk where we’d been hiding. I positioned myself beside the door and raised the assault rifle. I checked the magazine, the safety, and the chamber. Everything was in order.

—Let’s go.

I gripped the rifle tightly and shoved the door open, bursting into the hallway illuminated by flickering lights. Three guards by the hatch turned toward me, surprise etched on their faces, their weapons only half-raised.

I didn’t give them time to react.

A clean shot to the first one. The second went down after a burst to the torso, his body crumpling against the wall. The third tried to lift his pistol, but a round to the temple ended things before he could even aim.

—Melena, move! —I shouted, turning to face two more guards charging in from a side corridor.

One raised an automatic rifle, but I ducked behind a rusted metal crate as bullets ricocheted around me. Peeking out, I fired three shots—two to the chest, one to the neck.

The last enemy tried to retreat, firing blindly as he scrambled for cover. I tracked him with the scope and fired just as he peeked out, the bullet finding its mark in his head.

Silence returned, if only for a brief moment.

—Kailen! The computer’s here! —Melena shouted as he rushed to the console by the hatch. His fingers trembled as he struggled to make sense of the controls.

—Hurry, we don’t have much time.

I didn’t have to wait long before I heard the footsteps of reinforcements closing in.

—More are coming! —I warned, aiming toward the hallway where they were advancing.

A wave of scavengers armed with makeshift rifles and battered pistols rounded the corner. Their shouts and gunfire filled the space, forcing me to retreat.

From my position, I fired in controlled bursts, taking down two while the others scrambled for cover. One of them lobbed an improvised explosive, which detonated against the wall to my left, showering sparks and shards of metal everywhere.

—Hurry up, Melena!

—I’m trying, Sir Kailen! It’s encrypted!

I shifted positions to get a better angle, shooting at a scavenger peeking out from behind a barrel. One by one, they fell, but their numbers didn’t seem to dwindle.

—Almost there! —Melena shouted, his fingers racing across the keyboard.

A shot grazed my shoulder, but the armor absorbed the impact. I growled, spinning to return fire and bringing down the one responsible. Adrenaline coursed through me, keeping me moving.

—Doors open! —Melena yelled at last. The massive double doors beside the hatch began to creak open with a metallic groan.

—Run! —I shouted, covering his retreat as one final group of scavengers tried to stop us.

Melena bolted for the hatch and started descending the metal stairs. I fired a final burst before following, making sure to seal the hatch behind us.

The echo of our footsteps reverberated in the stairwell as we descended at full speed. The tension hung heavy in the air, but for now, we were out of immediate danger.

—You okay? —I asked, adjusting the rifle on my shoulder.

—Yes, Sir Kailen... but I can’t stop shaking.

—Stay calm. This is just the beginning.

We continued downward, the scavengers’ angry roars echoing faintly above us.

It felt like an eternity descending, though it was likely less than a minute. When we reached the bottom, Melena quickly hacked into the hatch’s computer and locked it securely, ensuring the scavengers couldn’t follow us.