At 5:34 in the morning.
Having been on a mission for over two hours, B team, after fighting and retreating their way out, successfully escaped danger and finally returned to their military base within the city as the first gentle light of the Eastern sunrise began to illuminate the sky.
An old, worn-out pickup truck slowly entered the base, and no one would associate it with elite special forces.
There was no welcoming committee to celebrate their successful completion of a counterterrorism mission or the elimination of an international terrorist leader.
The rest of the soldiers at the base, as usual, remained deep in their sweet slumber.
This was DG's daily routine, as it was for all special forces.
They always left without disturbing anyone, quietly completing their mission and returning just as silently, like ghosts, never known by outsiders.
Even if, during the few hours they were out, they accomplished earth-shattering deeds.
Jason, Sonny, and other top-level DG operators, along with veterans like Long Zhan and Clay from the assault team, had experienced this scene countless times and were used to this "world without a spotlight."
After entering the base, there was no need for any arrangements. Everyone quietly and efficiently began to handle their respective duties.
Despite being exhausted and in dire need of a good breakfast followed by some rest, DG's signature trait was independence. Everyone needed to complete their post-mission tasks before they could rest.
That is...
The team members had to unload their weapons and equipment and place them in designated areas for logistics personnel like Diaz to handle the recovery.
The team leader and deputy leader were responsible for conducting a thorough discussion and debriefing about the operation.
They needed to address any issues during the mission and discuss any mistakes made by members so they could reach a consensus through verbal communication.
This would allow the team leader to promptly hand over the report to the commander when they arrived.
As for the team leader and deputy's equipment, they enjoyed a small privilege—directly handing it over to the logistics sergeant for processing.
Though the mission was overall successful and accomplished the two primary objectives, Long Zhan, a newcomer joining for the first time, performed exceptionally well, drawing unanimous praise from B team for his remarkable actions.
However, some flaws arose, preventing the operation from being a flawless success.
The failure to capture Samir alive meant the CIA couldn't obtain critical intelligence and large quantities of gold, reducing the mission's value by half, turning it from a high-value operation into a routine counterterrorism rescue.
The source of these flaws was also a newcomer.
Had things ended here, Long Zhan's excellent performance would have overshadowed the mistakes, and Clay's career in the Green Team would likely have come to an end.
But Clay later made significant contributions, helping B team escape.
He followed the Lionheart King's forces alone and, with the support of two teammates providing remote fire support, successfully seized the enemy's armed pickup truck, allowing B team to evacuate quickly.
For a newcomer, this was already an outstanding performance, showcasing Clay's courage and intelligence.
He had made a mistake earlier but redeemed himself later. But the later actions couldn't fully erase the earlier mistake. How should Clay ultimately be judged?
There was no clear answer, and it all depended on the evaluator's decision.
Team leader Jason had always had a poor impression of Clay. As soon as he got out of the truck, Jason stormed up to Clay, grabbed his collar, and scolded, "Didn't I tell you to stay outside the tunnel? Why are you back inside?"
If Clay hadn't grabbed the pickup truck, allowing the team to withdraw to the base more safely, Jason might have done more than just grab his collar.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Jason!"
Seeing the tension, Lei immediately ran between them and intervened, saying, "Calm down, Jason, let's talk this through."
"OK, OK, I'm calm."
Jason took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He stepped closer to Clay, towering over him at nearly six feet, and interrogated, "Let me go over this again from the beginning. When I left you at the tunnel entrance, I asked you to watch our back. You said you understood. That's right, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right," Clay answered, looking defiantly at Jason.
"Then what happened? What did you do?" Jason asked, his tone filled with anger.
"I saw someone trying to attack you, and I thought, if he has accomplices, we need to secure the tunnel. So…" Clay began.
"So you killed him?"
Jason interrupted angrily, "After we've run halfway across the globe to capture a high-value target alive, you just shot him?"
"Good shot, if I hadn't killed him, how else would I get my treasure map?" Long Zhan, who was unloading his gear nearby, smirked slightly, secretly enjoying the moment.
He secretly touched the treasure map hidden in his socks, his urgency growing as he became more eager to find the relevant information and decode the map.
While Long Zhan quietly celebrated inside, Jason and Clay continued their confrontation.
"I reached the house, saw he was wearing a bomb vest, and thought we were in great danger, so I had to act quickly," Clay defended himself.
"Did you ever stop to think about why we didn't shoot him?"
"I figured you didn't have a clear shot, but I had the perfect opportunity to take him down immediately."
"Do you think we're all rookies like you? Didn't you see his right hand?"
Clay's stubbornness and overconfidence only fueled Jason's anger further. It was clear that Jason's temper was about to boil over.
Lei, who knew Jason well, understood that if this continued, with Clay stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his mistake, it would end badly. Perhaps Clay's DG journey would end right there.
Lei had always wanted Clay to join B team, and now, faced with this situation, he felt he had to intervene.
"Clay, you go handle your business. Jason, let's talk over here," Lei said, moving to pull Jason aside.