"Don't let me down!"
Long Zhan cast a quick glance around the basement, using his peripheral vision to ensure that everyone was preoccupied with their own tasks.
Sunny, the hot-headed teammate nicknamed "Powder Keg," was still tinkering with the explosive vest disassembled from Samir, seemingly preparing to use it for the upcoming evacuation. Completely engrossed in the bomb, Sunny paid no attention to what Long Zhan was doing.
Feigning a search of Samir's back and waist, Long Zhan carefully slipped his hands under the man's body, gently unscrewing the cap of a small cylindrical pendant. From inside, he extracted a tightly rolled piece of paper.
The paper had been cheaply yet effectively treated, its surface laminated with a layer of transparent tape to significantly extend its durability.
When he unrolled it, what he saw was surprisingly simple: a crude, wavy line drawn across the page with some poorly written Latin letters scribbled at one end.
Although Long Zhan couldn't understand the words, he surmised that they indicated a place name.
A map showing a location and route, carried with such care—it was obvious that this piece of paper held great significance.
"Finally found it. Haha, Samir, you truly live up to your reputation for caution. Even in the 21st century, you're still using the oldest methods. But with the location marked, it shouldn't be hard to track down."
The oldest methods were also the safest. Unlike USB drives, prone to corruption or failure, there was little to criticize. In fact, Long Zhan felt a grudging admiration for Samir's cleverness.
At the same time, pulling off a covert operation like this in front of so many people, and successfully finding the treasure map, left Long Zhan both tense and exhilarated.
The thrill was almost unbearable.
Now that he had the treasure map, the next step was to ensure that only he knew about it—no one else could detect anything unusual.
Long Zhan had always been meticulous in his actions, a reputation well-known during his time with the Green Team.
To avoid raising suspicions later with the CIA, Long Zhan discreetly slid the treasure map into his sock instead of his pockets or clothing, avoiding any conspicuous movements.
He then retrieved the notebook he had found earlier, taking out a small piece of paper filled with numbers, folding it into a tube, and placing it back inside the pendant.
An empty storage pendant would arouse suspicion, but this way, it was flawless.
After completing these steps without drawing attention, Long Zhan sealed all the items he had found into a plastic bag from his backpack, ensuring their safe transport.
He would hand them over to the intelligence department upon returning to base.
Seconds later!
Having finalized the evacuation plan with the operations center and learning that the Lionheart King's forces were less than 200 meters away, Long Zhan shouted to everyone, "Alright, folks, time's up! We have to get out of here now.
Grab your gear and prepare to evacuate. This time, we're taking the surface route, so be ready for combat. Ten seconds—final ammo and equipment check!"
After a prolonged firefight inside the building, checking equipment and ammunition was a mandatory procedure.
It was crucial to know how many bullets remained in the magazine—running out mid-firefight could be a fatal mistake. A gun that jammed after only a few rounds wasn't just embarrassing; it could cost lives.
The status of electronic gear like night-vision goggles and laser pointers was equally critical. A dead battery during a nighttime operation could severely compromise their survival.
"Done!"
"Ready!"
"All set!"
The team members, seasoned veterans, swiftly completed their checks in under ten seconds and reported in.
"Go, go, go! Move!"
Jason, sparing no unnecessary words, issued the command and led the team out through the passage, the others following close behind.
Ray, stationed outside as the team's lookout, acted as the eyes for the entire Bravo Team.
When Long Zhan and the others emerged from the tunnel back to the first floor, Ray quickly provided updated intelligence based on his observations.
"B1, hostile technical truck spotted 30 meters to the left of the main road in front of the building. It will be combat-ready in 5 seconds. Additionally, there are numerous foot soldiers 50 meters out. I recommend retreating via the back door."
The technical truck, armed with a mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun, was not something to be trifled with.
Jason, without hesitation, trusted Ray's judgment and led the team out through the door the second group had originally used, returning to the alley behind the building.
"B2, we're retreating southeast. Leave your observation post and follow us immediately," Jason ordered via PTT.
He then checked his watch, using its illuminated compass to determine the direction, and led the team toward the alley's exit.
Thanks to Clay's earlier rogue action, Jason had saved precious time negotiating with Samir.
Bravo Team's departure was now ahead of schedule by several seconds, allowing them to avoid being cornered inside the building by the Lionheart King's forces. They managed to maintain a 50-meter gap between themselves and the pursuing troops.
If no major unforeseen events occurred...
Bravo Team had a good chance of dealing with the pursuing technical truck and safely escaping the town. They would rendezvous with the support units en route to the city, completing the mission without incident.
Unfortunately, this town was no ordinary one—it was under the Lionheart King's control.
Just as Bravo Team exited the alley, the Lionheart King's forces arrived at the target building. What happened next was entirely unexpected.
One after another, the lights inside and outside the town's buildings flickered on, as if triggered by a coordinated signal. Heads began popping out of windows and doorways, observing the scene.
In mere seconds, the once pitch-black town was dotted with points of light.
Though the dim yellow glow was insufficient to fully illuminate the town, and large areas remained shrouded in darkness, the real danger was not the lights themselves but the awakened townsfolk now observing them en masse.
The Bravo Team, just emerging from the alley, was instantly and unmistakably exposed to the watchful eyes peering from the windows nearby.