"Do they need their freedom?"
All members of the Special Operations Force team from the Recon Division of the US Army laughed at Nick's remark.
Gideon, a 29-year-old man with blond hair and an athletic build—a former Delta Force soldier and now the leader of the SOF team—smirked slightly. He knew exactly what that joke meant.
The SOF team was the best among the recon division, tasked with high-precision sabotage, surveillance, and infiltration. Every operation had to be clean, accurate, and precise.
They had already won countless battles by eliminating high-ranking enemy officers, making them the best of the best.
"Stay focused. Villanesia isn't the Middle East or Afghanistan."
Villanesia was a small country that had gained independence from the US ten years ago. In short, it was born through rebellion.
Its location was roughly 540 kilometers northwest of the Hawaii military base.
Luckily for them, the CH-47 Chinook could carry the entire team directly from Hawaii without needing aircraft carriers. That saved both budget and time.
All team members were onboard, along with logistics like food, ammunition, and cutting-edge tech like UAVs and portable anti-air systems. They had everything they needed for this covert operation.
Lena had just finished checking the medical kit stored in one of the logistics crates. She returned to her seat next to Gideon.
"Gideon?" Lena called out. Gideon turned toward her.
"What's our plan?"
Gideon nodded and motioned for Lyra to activate the holographic globe that projected the terrain and landscape of Villanesia.
Villanesia wasn't as big as Manhattan, but the environment was full of jungle and swamp regions.
Lyra stood up and began explaining Villanesia's topography to the rest of the team. She was an expert in technology, computing, and tracking. She was the brains behind all the SOF operations so far.
"The southern region is mostly jungle. We can land there. From the shoreline to the nearest village is about two to four kilometers on foot."
"Since the people there voted for a new government, we need to proceed carefully."
Gideon nodded again and added that the locals had formed territorial guard units. There was suspicion that weapons were being smuggled in from somewhere in Asia, but the country of origin was still unknown.
"We can't just charge into a village. Too risky."
"Then what do we do, Captain?" asked Luke, the engineer and weapons expert of the team. He was familiar with handling almost every kind of tool to ensure mission success.
"Even if their people support the new government, the disparity still exists."
"According to our intel from Villa City, some of the villages are struggling to get food," Gideon explained.
He pointed at several of his teammates, instructing them to lead small scout teams into the city without engaging in combat, to gather information about what was really going on.
"Convince one or two of the villagers. Show them we're friendly."
"Once we win them over, the whole village will fall under our control," Gideon added.
"Exactly. And with that village secured, our UAV surveillance will be much more effective," Lyra followed up.
"We'll arrive in—"
BLAST!
An explosion rocked the helicopter engine. It startled everyone. Gideon's eyes shot open—so did the others'.
They immediately assumed the helicopter had been spotted, and enemy forces had launched an airstrike.
Gideon rushed toward the cockpit to assess the situation. The two pilots were doing their best to stabilize the aircraft. Gideon's attention snapped forward.
A massive storm cloud had formed in the sky. Thick, black clouds loomed above, and lightning cracked and roared across the heavens. Gideon squinted his eyes.
"What's going on?"
"Weather's turning bad. Should we turn back?" the pilot asked, glancing at him.
He suspected the earlier explosion had been caused by a lightning strike. Flying into this kind of storm was dangerous.
Gideon made the call to return and wait for better weather. The two pilots nodded.
"Report to the tower. SOF drop canceled due to extreme weather. Returning to base!"
BLAST!
Another explosion rocked the second engine, completely disabling both turboshafts. The pilots struggled to keep the helicopter under control as it was caught in the middle of a violent sea storm.
"Shit!"
"Both engines are down!"
"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!"
"I hate to say it—but gear up with float vests and brace for impact!"
Gideon gave a nod. Despite the crisis, he maintained his composure.
He returned to the cabin and briefed his team. Lyra and the others looked shocked, but as trained soldiers, they had already prepared themselves for events like this.
BLAST!
The third explosion, from a lightning strike, ripped the helicopter into two sections that fell in opposite directions. The team was in full panic mode, strapping on their flotation gear as ordered.
They plummeted from the sky, bracing for the impact with the ocean surface. Emergency signals were sent out from the pilots, requesting help from the nearest military base—Hawaii.
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
'Never thought the mission would end like this. Crashing into the Atlantic, failing before even reaching Villanesia.'
The helicopter hit the ocean and shattered on impact. The mission failed.
***
Twelve hours later.
The sound of waves lapping against his hands and feet stirred Gideon awake. The smell of fresh air entered his lungs.
The screeching of seabirds echoed in his ears, snapping him out of unconsciousness after being tossed by the sea for who knows how long.
Slowly, Gideon opened his eyes. He found himself stranded on an island, lying on soft white sand. He looked shocked, confused, and stunned by what had happened.
He remembered the crash. He and his entire team had fallen from the sky and slammed into the sea.
Logically, he should've died. His body should've been torn apart.
But he hadn't.
His military uniform was still intact—helmet and all other gear still on him. He sat up and looked around. His gaze locked onto something.
Lyra, Luke, and Lena had also washed up on the same beach. Unconscious, lying on the sand.
Even more surprising—crates containing ammunition and food supplies had also drifted ashore, ending up in the same spot.
'That's suspicious... but I'll take it.'
What mattered most—his teammates were alive. Just unconscious from the crash. Gideon got up and walked over, checking their pulses.
Weak—but they were still breathing. It looked like they'd been out longer than he had.
"Thank God they made it... but what about the others?" Gideon muttered, worried.
He was still missing eight members of the team. They could've washed up somewhere else—or maybe they were on the other side of this island.
He turned his head and stared into the dense jungle.
'Is this Villanesia? Did the crash land us in southern Villanesia? No idea.'
He pulled out his phone and opened the GPS app. If it worked, he could determine their exact location.
No signal.
The GPS showed no data. No signal, no map. Just blank coordinates. No terrain markers.
"Is this Russian interference?" Gideon asked aloud.
'Speculating won't help now.'
As the only one awake, he needed to take action. When the others woke up, they'd likely be weak from dehydration and the trauma.
He moved to the logistics crate, searching for IV fluids.
There. He found 12 medical-grade IV packs—standard issue in case of heavy casualties.
He grabbed three and carried his teammates near a palm tree, letting them rest with their backs against it.
He hooked up the IV tubes into their veins and tied the fluid bags higher than their wrists, ensuring gravity could do its job.
Medical issue handled. Now—perimeter security.
Gideon opened Lena's laptop and synced it with their UAV units.
Success.
He launched three recon drones and sent them flying toward the forest. Their thermal sensors scanned for signs of life.
On the screen, Gideon saw several animals wandering about, around 1 km out.
'If any of them get too close... I'll deal with it.'
Next priority—inventory.
He opened the crates and checked everything. Ammo and food intact—no water damage.
'Lucky break.'
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
A voice screamed from down the beach, echoing north to south.
Gideon snapped his head toward the source. A girl sprinted along the shoreline, crying, chased by two men.
'What the hell?'
'Are those... swords and spears?'
Gideon raised his M4 and aimed at the two armored men chasing her.
"Stop right there!" Gideon ordered.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of them shouted back.
The girl ran past Gideon, hiding behind his back. He stole a glance at her—and froze.
'Wait. Is she... human?'
No—her face, ears—she had the features of a wolf.
Even stranger—he couldn't understand what the two men were yelling. It sounded like a completely different language.
But their angry expressions—those were universal.
"Back off or I shoot!"
They didn't listen.
BANG!
One round—straight to the chest.
The 5.56×45mm NATO round pierced through the iron armor, hitting the heart. Instant kill.
The men flew back and collapsed, dead. A clean, precise shot—just like he was trained to do in Delta Force.
The girl behind him looked horrified—not just from the instant kill, but from the deafening sound that came from the black metal weapon the man in camouflage had just used.
Gideon walked toward the bodies and pulled off their helmets.
Human.
"Who were they? Why armor and swords?"
He turned to the girl and studied her face.
"And who the hell is she? Why does she look like a wolf?"
"Um… sir? Can you help me?" the wolf-girl asked. Gideon sighed—he still couldn't understand the language.
An alarm went off from Lena's laptop. Gideon rushed to check the UAV feed.
Ten figures entering the forest—headed toward his location.
He grabbed his rifle and took position near his teammates.
Thermal showed more wolf-faced people. Armed. Tall, muscular, human-shaped bodies.
'Something's definitely wrong with this island.'
"Stop!" Gideon shouted.
The wolf-like eyes locked onto him—suspicious, alert. His uniform and weapon were unlike anything they'd seen.
"Wait!" the girl yelled, running toward the group.
Gideon tried to call her back, but she either ignored him—or didn't understand his words.
"He saved me from the soldiers of the Luthe Kingdom! He's a good man!"
"He's human! We can't trust him!"
"Trust me! He killed those soldiers—and he didn't hurt me!"
They were speaking in a language Gideon couldn't understand. He had no idea what was going on—but the situation was tense.
He stayed silent. Calm. Focused. Finger on the trigger—but didn't pull it.
'What the hell is going on?'