"Stop—cars ahead!"
Azalina's sharp voice cut through the air.
In the distance, several SUVs were charging straight toward them at full speed.
But the vehicles showed no sign of slowing down.
Worse—
Through the windshields, they could clearly see the occupants were fully armed.
"Fire!"
Bang!
Azalina fired first.
Aler-Sara, Valentina, and Wylie Shelley immediately squeezed their triggers as well. Even Qi Jie, though visibly nervous, drew her Glock 18 and joined in.
Gunshots rang out in rapid succession.
But—
The bullets sparked harmlessly off the vehicles.
Bulletproof.
Their firepower barely scratched the armor.
Azalina didn't panic.
While retreating toward the cave entrance, she calmly reached into her backpack and pulled out a flat metal disc.
Anyone familiar with modern warfare would recognize it instantly.
A landmine.
In the 21st century, individual weapons had evolved drastically. Although Azalina's team relied mostly on physical skill, they never refused good equipment—and they had more than enough ways to obtain it.
Even after leaving their old organization, they still had access to the black market.
In terms of gear, they were practically on par with a small army.
The disc she held was a tactile anti-tank mine.
Designed specifically to destroy mechanized units.
Trigger pressure only.
Even a tank would suffer heavy damage—
Let alone civilian SUVs.
With one smooth motion, she hurled it forward.
"Not good—!"
The lead driver reacted fast, trying to swerve.
Too late.
The mine landed perfectly beneath the left front wheel.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the ground.
One SUV flipped into the air, spinning twice before crashing down violently.
The shockwave knocked out the two people in the front seats instantly.
The two in the back kicked the doors open and tried to escape—
Bang! Bang!
Two suppressed shots rang out.
Aler-Sara had already lined up her sights.
The weapon in her hands wasn't ordinary.
A Soviet-made VS-94 sniper rifle.
Compact. Silenced. Deadly at close range.
Against armored vehicles, it lacked punch.
But against exposed humans—
It was lethal.
The two men dropped instantly, collapsing before they could even scream.
"Damn it! Ram them!" a commander roared from another vehicle.
The remaining three SUVs accelerated without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They smashed straight into Jiang Hai's vehicles, shattering the defensive formation.
Metal screeched.
The barricade broke open.
A fatal gap appeared.
"Xiao Bai! Xiao Huang! Go find Jiang Hai!" Azalina shouted immediately. "Everyone else, retreat into the cave!"
The two dogs bolted inside without hesitation.
The women fell back quickly.
Enemy gunfire erupted.
Bullets tore through the air.
Qi Jie was half a step too slow—
Thud!
She was hit and knocked flat.
But she was wearing top-tier body armor.
The impact hurt like hell, but it didn't penetrate.
She was dragged into the cave, clutching her chest and gasping.
"I'm okay… just hurts…"
Outside—
"Check the overturned car," someone growled.
Two men ran over.
The two shot by the sniper were already dead—huge wounds in their chests.
The front passengers only had mild concussions from the crash. After resting briefly, they regrouped.
Helmets on.
Weapons ready.
The group advanced toward the cave.
"What now?" a scar-faced young man asked their leader, staring at the dark entrance.
"What else? We go in. Carefully."
The middle-aged man in the cowboy hat chuckled coldly.
Two scouts stepped forward first.
Night-vision goggles on.
They entered cautiously—
Then immediately waved everyone back.
"Hold!"
"What is it?"
"…Those women are ruthless," one scout muttered. "The whole entrance is mined."
Sure enough, under night vision, several anti-personnel mines were hidden along the narrow path.
If they'd rushed in blindly, half the team would've been blown apart.
"Hah… vicious," the burly man sneered. "Any fast way through?"
"Leave it to me."
A man stepped forward grinning and pulled a small remote-controlled car from his backpack.
Moments later—
Boom. Boom. Boom-boom-boom.
A chain of explosions echoed through the cave.
Deep inside the mine—
The blasts thundered through the tunnels.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Rotten wooden beams creaked ominously.
Jiang Hai pressed against the wall, face pale.
It wasn't ghosts or monsters that scared him.
It was collapse.
If this place caved in, they'd be buried alive.
More soil rained down.
The supports looked like they might snap at any second.
"Something happened up there…" Relis said quietly.
The explosions weren't random.
Azalina wouldn't use mines unless things were bad.
After the rumbling finally subsided, Jiang Hai made a decision.
"Forget the mine. We're going back."
Gold could wait.
People couldn't.
Money meant nothing compared to their lives.
Belyak and Relis nodded immediately.
The three crouched low and sprinted back through the tunnel.
Before reaching the entrance—
Two shadows rushed toward them.
Jiang Hai almost fired.
Then he recognized them.
"Xiao Bai? Xiao Huang?"
The dogs skidded to a stop and barked urgently.
"They're behind you?"
The dogs nodded and turned back.
Footsteps soon followed.
Valentina and Qi Jie ran in first.
Seeing Jiang Hai, both let out long breaths of relief.
Then Wylie Shelley, Azalina, and Aler-Sara arrived.
Everyone finally relaxed slightly.
"What happened?" Jiang Hai asked.
Valentina answered first.
"It's Izo-Edith. The one I failed to kill last time. He's back. Looks like he joined some special forces or mercenary group. Fully equipped. About sixteen total—two dead now. Around fourteen left."
Jiang Hai's eyes narrowed.
Revenge.
That was his first thought.
"Anyone else notable?" he asked.
Azalina thought for a moment.
"Same gear across the board… professional. But there's one middle-aged man."
She paused.
"He wears a cowboy hat."
The air instantly grew heavier.
(To be continued.)