Before Jack arrived, the conversation between Mandy Ellis and Rita Alfaro had already hit a dead end. Mandy appeared heartbroken by Rita's betrayal, while Rita herself seemed utterly indifferent, as if she had already accepted the consequences of her choices.
After a long silence, Mandy finally broke the tension.
"You know, you could've told us everything. We could've protected your family, just like Colonel Martinez did. We could've gotten them out of the country."
"And then what?" Rita countered with a bitter chuckle. "I'd spend the rest of my life never seeing them again, always fearing that someone would sell them out. Don't look at me like that—you know as well as I do that your CIA's reputation for trustworthiness is less than zero."
Her response left Mandy momentarily speechless.
"They told me what they would do to my sister and her two daughters. They'd rape them. Torture them to death. All of it would be because of me—because I'm fighting in a war we can't win. Even if we could win… is that kind of sacrifice worth it?"
"That's a question only you can answer," Mandy replied after a pause, her voice heavy. "We're outsiders, but this is your country. The reality is, Doza is finished. Even if he doesn't die, he'll rot in an American prison. I can't understand why you'd do this. Do you really believe he's some kind of hero for Mexico?"
Jack leaned against the table between them, towering over the conversation as he addressed Rita with a cutting stare.
"You Americans don't understand anything," Rita said, her voice trembling slightly. "Here, Doza is everywhere. Every person in this country is Doza. If he dies, there will just be another one to take his place."
Tears glistened in Rita Alfaro's eyes. The confident Mexican intelligence agent she had once been was nowhere to be found.
"Right. If you can't beat them, join them," Jack retorted coldly. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason your country is like this is because there are too many people like you?"
Jack didn't see himself as an American and felt no guilt over Mexico's current state. That detachment allowed him to look down on people like Rita without hesitation or reservation. His disdain wasn't rooted in a moral high ground but in the fact that, across the Pacific, his homeland had long proven that drug cartels and criminal syndicates were not invincible monsters.
In that country, there was no mythical Hydra where cutting off one head caused two more to grow. If such a beast appeared, it was only because the people's will hadn't been fully mobilized—or because the firepower used against it wasn't sufficient to reduce it to ashes.
"The truth is, Mexico isn't short on heroes like Colonel Martinez—people who are willing to sacrifice themselves rather than give up hope of bringing down Doza," Jack continued. "But heroes like him are too few. People like you, on the other hand..."
He let the sentence trail off, shaking his head. Rita had already made her choice, undoubtedly weighing the costs of every option. For her, betrayal carried a lower price than the cost of heroism. That, Jack thought, might be the root of why this entire country seemed to be sinking into a bottomless abyss.
Rita's defection hadn't yet been reported to CISEN (Mexico's Center for Investigation and National Security). She was being held in secret at the military base. With Doza still at large and some members of CISEN's leadership compromised by cartel bribes, handing Rita over now would likely result in her immediate release.
The pre-dawn raid was a no-nonsense operation. There were no reinforcements left behind because every available hand was on deck.
Colonel Martinez had been moved to a secure military hospital, leaving his Mexican Marines temporarily under the command of Lieutenant Lopez. They were tasked with sealing off all roads around the target building and interrogating any suspicious individuals. The SEALs, meanwhile, took on the breaching and assault tasks, splitting into two teams, each leading a squad of Mexico's Marine elites.
The target was a sprawling, three-story concrete warehouse with a large basement, according to blueprints. Given the size of the building, the mission prioritized speed and precision over stealth. They rolled toward the site in four Humvees, with supporting units already deployed around the perimeter.
"Bravo 1, target is 800 meters north of your position," Major Blackburn's voice came through the comms. He sounded hoarse—it had been a long and grueling night for him as well.
Although Colonel Martinez had previously instructed his convoy to make unpredictable movements to avoid tipping off their plans, tonight's emergency deployment had still been anticipated by the enemy. An IED planted in a parked car had been detonated, and dozens of armed men had attacked the military base in an attempt to delay reinforcements.
Fortunately, Martinez's Marines were exceptionally skilled and experienced, fending off the attackers with only a handful of minor injuries. Without that swift response, Bravo Team might have been stuck in the church far longer.
"Can we confirm the HVT is inside the target building?" Jason asked over comms.
"Negative," came Lisa Davis's response. She had been monitoring drone footage since receiving Jack's intel. "But the area is heavily guarded, and there hasn't been any vehicle movement in or out since surveillance began."
"Understood. Jam all surrounding radio signals. I don't want any surprises," Jason ordered before cutting the connection.
Since this was a close-quarters raid, Jack—like the rest of the SEALs—switched out his HK417 battle rifle for the smaller HK416. He replenished his smoke grenade supply with a single one, opting to carry more flashbangs instead.
"Let's hope this isn't another trap," Clay muttered, finally tearing his gaze away from the Humvee window.
"According to our predecessors, the SEALs only ever fall into an ambush once," Sonny quipped, his tone mock-serious. He'd been telling tall tales to the "new guy," despite Clay having fought alongside them for over two years.
"There's no such saying," Jason cut in dryly, not letting Sonny's nonsense gain any traction.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sonny replied, adjusting the fresh bandages on his arm. "Still, a guy can dream."
The raid went almost too smoothly.
Jason's team breached from the rooftop, sweeping downward. Apart from killing five armed guards who offered brief resistance, they found nothing of value.
Meanwhile, Ray Perry's team cleared the first floor and basement, encountering similarly light opposition.
"Every room's been searched." Both teams eventually converged in the basement's deepest storage room, where the only person they found was a terrified cleaning lady.
"Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" she pleaded in Spanish, babbling incoherently as Clay's limited grasp of the language failed to keep up.
"I've got this," Jack said, securing the woman's hands with plastic cuffs. Based on the guards' presence and the warehouse's layout, it was clear this place had ties to Doza. However, the sheer size of the building made it easy to hide people—or even entire rooms.
Cleaners often went unnoticed, but that very invisibility made them the ones who knew every nook and cranny of a facility.
"Where's Doza?" Jack demanded, shoving the woman into a corner. His tone was sharp, commanding, as he signaled the team to stay alert.
"I don't know what you're talking about! I swear! Please, let me go!" she cried, but her darting eyes betrayed her. She kept glancing toward a specific wall behind the SEALs.
Jason caught on immediately. He approached the wall and tapped it lightly. The hollow echo confirmed his suspicions. "Blow it," he ordered Brock.
Brock quickly rigged a ring of plastic explosives along the wall. With the press of a button, a controlled explosion revealed a large circular hole, leading into a hidden room.
The safe room was well-stocked: cases of bottled water, neatly arranged food supplies, a clean bed, surveillance monitors, and even a private bathroom. It had everything needed for a long-term hideout—except for one thing.
It was completely empty.
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Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
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American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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