The night over Chongming Island was thick as ink. Mist cloaked the Dongtan wetlands, giving the abandoned fishing village a sinister air. Outside the derelict warehouse, Fang Zhiguo led the assault team forward like shadows. Their steps were catlike, their breathing inaudible; every nerve taut, waiting for the signal.
"Action—begin." Fang's voice was a low order, carried crisply through every earpiece.
The team fanned out, approaching the warehouse from multiple sides. But just as they neared the entrance, floodlights blazed to life atop the roof. Harsh beams swept across the ground, exposing their silhouettes instantly.
"Ambush!" Fang roared, diving behind cover.
Gunfire erupted. From the windows and roof, black-clad operatives appeared, machine guns spitting flame. Bullets lashed down like rain. Team members scrambled for cover; several were grazed, crimson blooming across their uniforms.
"They've got heavy firepower!" someone shouted into comms, rifle barking in return.
Fang's eyes cut across the kill zones, calm in chaos. "Qin Xiao — take men left, suppress those guns! The rest, with me — flank right!"
"Got it." Qin shifted with his squad, fluid and decisive. He set up a sniper rifle, zeroed on a gunner atop the warehouse.
Crack! The shot rang, the machine gunner dropped.
But the enemy moved just as fast. From inside came a barked order; grenades arced out of windows, clattering near the team's cover.
"Grenades! Down!" Fang yelled, throwing himself flat.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions rocked the ground, shockwaves battering the air. Fire and smoke swallowed the battlefield. Several operatives were tossed by the blasts — battered but alive — their advance stalled.
"Damn it, they're too well equipped," Qin spat, swapping mags. "Grenades, heavy fire — everything!"
Fang's jaw clenched, eyes flinty. "We can't slug it out. Fall back to the perimeter — regroup!"
The team pulled back under withering fire. Machine gun rounds chased them, spitting dust at their heels.
"Fang, they're pushing out!" a voice warned.
The warehouse doors burst open. A dozen operatives surged out, weapons blazing, tracers scything the air.
"Now's our chance — flank them!" Fang snapped, raising his pistol. His shot dropped the lead man cleanly.
The team scattered, counterfire sharp and precise. Four, five enemies fell. Sensing the tide, Kawashima's men pulled back, firing as they retreated into the warehouse.
"Push!" Fang led the charge inside. They seized cover among crates and broken machinery.
The warehouse was dark, cluttered, a maze of scrap and cargo. The enemy knew the ground well — firing lanes and choke points turned into a deadly crossfire grid.
"They prepared this," Qin muttered, reloading. "Whole place is rigged — cover, traps, everything."
Fang's expression hardened. "They'll try to bleed us with terrain. Stay sharp, don't let them circle you!"
Gunfire ripped the air. Sparks flared off steel, powder stung the lungs. The fight raged from cover to cover, a deadly dance inside the cavernous space.
"Fang, we need to break their line!" a teammate hissed, tension sharp in his voice.
Fang frowned, weighing options. Then a new voice broke over comms.
"Fang, it's Sakurako." Calm, steady. "I know their tactics. This setup mirrors my training scenarios. I can take you through a side route — flank them."
Fang's eyes lit with opportunity. "Good. Lead the way."
Sakurako slipped in, moving like a panther in the shadows. With a few team members, she threaded through a hidden passage inside the warehouse.
"Here," she whispered at a corner. "Their firing nest is just ahead. We can strike from here."
Fang nodded. "Everyone — ready to breach!"
The team surged. Weapons thundered, bullets flooding the enemy's stronghold. Their suppressive fire faltered under Sakurako's guidance, precision tearing through the defenses.
"Go!" Fang charged first, bursting into the enemy line.
Flame, smoke, screams — the battle hit a fever pitch. Under Sakurako's lead, the team cracked the defenses, dismantling firing points one by one.
"We've got them!" Qin's voice came through, taut with adrenaline.
Fang gave a curt nod, eyes still sharp. "Advance. No breathing room for them."
They pushed deeper. Resistance weakened, enemy lines buckling. Finally, they reached a reinforced lab door.
"This is the command center," Sakurako whispered, her gaze shadowed. "My father… he's inside."
Fang drew a long breath, steel in his eyes. "Everyone, prepare breach!"
Weapons roared, shredding the lab door. It crashed inward — revealing the room beyond.
In the center stood Kawashima Fukeirō, a black case in hand. His gaze was cutting, uncompromising. Only a few operatives remained at his side. No retreat left.
"Father." Sakurako stepped forward, her voice trembling but resolute. "It's over."
Kawashima sneered, disdain curling his lips. "Sakurako. You think you can stop me?"
Fang leveled his pistol. "Drop the case. You're cornered."
But Fukeirō only raised the box slowly, a dark smile ghosting his face. "Do you really think… this ends here?"
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