Men are moving everywhere. Fast. Controlled chaos.
Shouts overlap—orders, warnings, confirmations.
“South wall—hold that line!”
“Sniper ready—target moving!”
“Get cover!”
I hurry down the stairs. One of the armored vehicles near the entrance is angled sideways, blocking part of the drive. Its surface is already marked with impact dents. The front gates, still standing but scorched. Tested.
Anton didn’t come quietly.
He came to break through.
I step fully into the courtyard, my senses sharpening instantly, locking into place. Every movement, every sound, every shadow gets processed and filed in seconds.
A man breaks through the smoke on my right, weapon already raised.
I don’t think.
I fire first.
The recoil snaps through my arm as the shot lands clean. He drops instantly, his body hitting the ground before the echo fades. I’m already moving.
“Push the east flank!” I bark into the comms, advancing through the haze. “Don’t let them regroup!”
“Copy!” Misha’s voice cuts back through the noise.
Gunfire erupts again—this time from the left. Two of Anton’s men try to advance behind a half-destroyed vehicle. I pivot, firing twice in quick succession. One goes down. The other stumbles back, wounded.
I close the distance.
Before he can recover, I grab him, slam him hard against the metal frame, and wrench the weapon from his grip. He gasps, disoriented—
“Where is he?” I demand.
He hesitates. Wrong move.
I drive my elbow into his throat. His body folds instantly. Useless.
I drop him and keep moving.
This isn’t a search anymore. It’s a hunt.
Smoke thickens toward the courtyard entrance. Something must have detonated near the outer wall. Flames lick along one of the side structures, casting everything in a violent orange glow. Shadows move through it—enemy silhouettes trying to reposition.
I move straight into them.
One lunges out, knife in hand this time. Too close for a clean shot. I catch his wrist mid-strike, twist hard, and feel the snap before he can even react. The knife drops. I drive it back into him without hesitation.
Another comes from behind.
I spin, firing once.
Silence follows for half a second.
Then more gunfire. Louder now. Closer.
