"That was definitely a direct and clear message..." Upon hearing the voice coming from the radio, Teddy smiled calmly and said, "Everyone get ready, they're about to attack us!"
"Aren't we going to surrender?"
"The active destruction of the world through nuclear devastation is a way to push the world toward rebirth and renewal. The enemy doesn't understand that, Mike. We have to make them see it—once we kill them and obtain the other key, only then can we open the door to devastation."
At that moment, the man named Mike spoke again, "Is it possible they're also about to attack Neil and Caesar's bases?"
As soon as he said this, everyone in the room fell silent and all eyes focused on Mike, making him feel a bit uneasy.
"I'm just speculating based on what that voice on the radio said."
"If you ask me, probably not." Truthfully, Teddy's eyes lit up when he heard this, but after thinking for a while, he still didn't believe they were the same people.
"I recognize that voice—it could belong to a fair, reasonable, and honorable leader who follows a very measured code of justice. Maybe he's the leader of an organization formed from a military branch, so they won't harm the children. Take them to the plaza center. Anyone who doesn't want to fight and defend our beliefs can do what that voice said and pray it's telling the truth."
After hearing that, everyone turned their heads and looked at one another. No one was sure if they were ready to abandon everything they had worked for and entrust their lives to complete strangers. Therefore, most of them didn't want to surrender.
"I'll move the children to a safe place!"
At that moment, Teddy took the radio and said, "You've been here before. You've lived this moment before. We don't want to believe in foreign voices, right? We don't want to accept the circularity. But believe me when I say, my friends, we are in a loop."
A dead silence filled the room, and everyone immediately began moving with weapons in hand and extremely tense expressions.
...
In the lush urban terrain, garbage and dust swirled through the air, but it didn't cause any major movement or sound.
Training time and a lot of experience showed their value especially today. In just a few minutes, an elite group led by Jason crossed through the streets and reached the outskirts of Teddy's base—nothing extraordinary for a group of survivors.
Although the main base was located in a shopping mall, the members of that cult had expanded their presence to a much wider area. Perhaps that's why the area Jason moved through wasn't considered a high-defense zone. Along the way, only two personnel patrolled the sector, which was protected by a metal fence that partially obscured the view from both sides.
This was exactly what they hoped for. Due to the small number of hostiles, this spot was also chosen as a key entry point.
Watching the patrol routes of the two people ahead, Jason looked at the fence with several gaps, observing their paths and their range of vision.
The patrol speed and frequency of these two were very uncoordinated. At least two-thirds of their patrol zones didn't intersect, leaving many undetected areas—but this wasn't a problem for them, as these guards weren't trained in dealing with the unexpected.
When the guards' line of sight moved away from the fence, Jason advanced quickly. As he neared it, his body dropped low, and with Sam's help, he jumped and hid in a nearby spot just before the guard turned his gaze in his direction.
For now, the plan was to eliminate the outer guards so the soldiers could enter more easily and the air team could carry out the main assault.
The whole process was smooth and fluid—in less than ten seconds, Jason and three others were inside.
The guard who turned his attention to one side only looked toward the far outer wall, and after seeing nothing unusual, turned to patrol in another direction.
Jason waited silently, his hand raised in a clenched fist. After confirming they hadn't been spotted, he gave the signal for Sam to help the others enter while he waited, holding a cold weapon in hand.
The guard on the watchtower hadn't looked down past the inner wall, so he didn't realize figures were entering from his left side.
At this moment, many guards were focusing on the main entrance and the mall rooftops, while some cars were being moved aside.
With a look full of murderous intent, Jason picked up a small rock from the ground. He leaned closer to the wall, sneaking beneath the tower where the guard stood. After a few seconds of waiting, he threw the stone with just enough force to trigger an alert.
Crack!
The rock hit the wall with a crisp sound, and the patrolling guard clearly heard it.
"Huh?" Upon hearing the strange noise, the guard immediately grew alert and walked slowly to investigate, but all he found was a small rock on the ground—nothing more.
"Hey, what are you doing just standing there, dumbass?" Just when the guard assumed the sound was due to the tower's deterioration, a sudden shout came from behind him.
Turning his head, he saw his companion high up on a pipe, holding a rifle and waving at him.
The guard responded with a finger on the trigger of his standard weapon and scolded him, "Don't mess with me, don't talk to me, asshole. We could be attacked at any moment—we need to stay alert."
"Hahaha, you think someone's really going to attack us?"
Upon hearing this question, the high guard frowned, pointed his middle thumb at his companion, and walked off to patrol elsewhere.
But just as he turned away, something struck him. He turned his head again and said, "By the way, don't forget tonight..."
But midway through his sentence, the high guard was shocked to find that no one was in the lower area anymore. He leaned out and shouted, "Hey, where are you? Don't tell me you're hiding in that corner jerking off like the other day, you filthy pig!"
But when his voice reached out, there was no response—not even after a while.
"What the hell?"
Seeing this, the high guard frowned slightly. He had just been talking to his partner a moment ago, so why had he suddenly disappeared? Thinking maybe his friend hadn't heard him, he shouted again while descending the stairs, "Hey, someone—!"
Slash!
Just a second after opening his mouth, midway down the stairs, a gust of wind came from below and to the right. A black shadow appeared at the edge of his vision, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
The high guard turned his head almost reflexively, but before he could see what the shadow was, he felt a cold sensation on his neck, followed by sharp pain and dizziness.
He pressed his palm to his neck only to realize a dagger had sliced through a vital point in his jugular, and in the blink of an eye, scarlet blood soaked his hand and clothing.
"Where... did the dagger come from...?"
That question flashed through the guard's mind just before his body fell forward uncontrollably, landing between the watchtower and the inner wall where Jason's team had entered.
A second after the body hit the ground, a pair of large hands grabbed his ankles and dragged him into the shadows, disappearing in an instant.
The remaining bloodstains were quickly covered by a layer of sand and gravel sprayed underneath.
All of this was seen by several snipers in the distance, positioned atop various buildings outside the cult's base.
Only a few minutes had passed since the operation began, and now, without a single shot fired, two cult members had been killed in an instant. Such stealth and killing skills weren't something common survivors possessed.
The sniper's scope shifted unconsciously to another part of the enemy shelter.
The man named Sam had also reached the back of the last guard on that tower, strangled him from the side, and continued advancing into the depths of the post.
Seeing the other man finish the job, a bead of cold sweat slid down the sniper's forehead.
The original plan was clearly a stealth attack as the helicopters approached. He thought it was just about taking out a few perimeter enemies and firing a shot to draw attention and force those inside to surrender.
But now, it was clear that the current objective was to eliminate everyone inside with minimal damage.
The sniper—who had recently joined the S.C.T. community—knew that this force was likely one of the most stable and powerful in the world.
"Our boss is awesome... maybe that's why everyone ends up admiring him..." Thinking about these dangerous people who had lived in the lower camp for several days, the sniper couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
Such a group wasn't just a threat to the cult, but to anyone who would become their enemy in the future.
At that moment, the sniper glanced down at his rifle without realizing it. If he fired a shot now, it would definitely force both the two operatives and the cult to engage directly, triggering a loud battle.
Shaking his head, the sniper focused on the designated area and soon heard a voice in his earpiece:
"Zz... Eye-9, give me visual on what's ahead."
"Zz... Sir, you have two people. If you walk between the walls, there are no clear targets watching that direction. You can proceed once our people are positioned on the watchtower."