The corrugated iron of the abandoned factory creaked in the cold wind, the air still thick with the scent of gunpowder and a lingering sense of impending violence. Li Chuan stood in the shadows, his gaze locked onto Li Feng in the distance. In his earpiece, Shen Qiu's voice continued in a tense whisper:
"I can't identify that new force, but their movement pattern suggests one thing—they're coming for you."
Su Man tightened her grip on her gun and murmured, "Looks like things are even more complicated than we thought."
Cheng Mo frowned slightly, his eyes scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance. "How many exit routes are there in this industrial zone?"
Shen Qiu quickly pulled up the map on his screen. "The south and west sides are already sealed by Li Feng's men. The east… that's where the unknown force is approaching from. Your only option—north. There's an underground passage leading to the old city."
Li Chuan made a swift decision. "We move north. But before that, we need to find out who these new players are."
Li Feng seemed to sense the unusual shift as well. His eyes narrowed slightly, and with a subtle hand gesture, the black-clad operatives beside him fanned out into a combat stance.
Then—
A sharp whistling sound tore through the night air.
BOOM—!
An unidentified projectile struck the side of the abandoned factory, exploding on impact. The powerful shockwave flipped over several rusting vehicles, shredding metal and sending debris flying in every direction.
Li Feng's squad reacted instantly, diving for cover and beginning to return fire. Li Chuan and his team seized the chaos as an opportunity, slipping into the shadows to retreat.
"It's a grenade launcher!" Su Man's voice was low but urgent. "Their firepower is stronger than we expected."
"Shen Qiu!" Li Chuan barked as he sprinted. "I need real-time tracking on this new force!"
Fingers flying over the keyboard, Shen Qiu's tone carried an edge of tension. "There aren't many of them—seven or eight at most—but their tactics are… too refined. They're advancing fast. Wait… I found their comms frequency!"
Li Chuan's voice darkened. "Can you tap in?"
"I'm working on it…" Shen Qiu's words cut off abruptly. A second later, his headset crackled, and a cold, steady male voice came through—
"Target confirmed. Execute protocol 'Nether.' Eliminate Li Feng's squad. Capture Li Chuan alive."
Li Chuan's pupils contracted.
"'Nether?'" Su Man's face paled the moment she heard the name. "That's… impossible. The 'Nether' strike team was supposed to have been wiped out years ago."
Cheng Mo's expression turned grim. "If it's really them, then we're dealing with something far more dangerous than Li Feng."
Li Chuan's voice dropped. "Who are they?"
Su Man inhaled sharply. "'Nether' is an elite covert unit, trained to eliminate 'anomalous threats' worldwide. They aren't mercenaries or assassins. They're cleaners—silent, precise, leaving no trace. If they've resurfaced, someone powerful has pulled them back into the game."
Cheng Mo added, "And the worst part? They answer only to forces buried deep in the shadows. No one knows who truly controls them."
A chilling realization settled in Li Chuan's mind. If 'Nether' had been sent for him… who was behind the order?
Li Feng, too, had recognized the anomaly in his opponents. Calmly, he continued issuing orders, but the way 'Nether' operated was entirely different from anything they had faced before.
"They're not trying to overpower us with raw firepower," his second-in-command murmured, "they're cutting through our formation—piece by piece."
Li Feng's eyes narrowed. "These aren't mercenaries. This is something else."
Then—his earpiece crackled. The communication line had been breached.
A voice—mechanically distorted, yet unsettlingly composed—spoke:
"Mr. Li Feng, your mission ends here."
Li Feng's grip on his weapon tightened. "Who are you?"
"You don't need to know." The voice remained emotionless. "But here's some advice—leave now. We'd rather not waste bullets on you."
Li Feng scoffed. "Arrogant."
"No. Just a fact."
A second later, gunfire erupted once more. 'Nether' began their full-scale assault.
Meanwhile, under the cover of the escalating chaos, Li Chuan's team pushed toward the north.
"Move faster!" Shen Qiu urged. "They're locking onto your location!"
Li Chuan's eyes sharpened. "They're not trying to kill me… which means they need me alive for something bigger." He exhaled. "Shen Qiu, I need to know—who is giving them orders?"
Shen Qiu's voice turned razor-sharp. "I'm tracking their signal… Wait. There's an encrypted data stream. Its source—"
A pause. Then, an answer that sent a chill down their spines.
"It's coming from a private research lab."
Li Chuan's breath caught. "A lab?"
"Yes." Shen Qiu's fingers danced over the keys. "I managed to crack part of the encryption. It's linked to an organization called the Taylor Foundation."
Su Man's face went deathly pale. "The Taylor Foundation… that organization was officially shut down ten years ago."
Cheng Mo's voice was low. "Looks like they never truly disappeared."
Li Chuan clenched his fists, his expression ice-cold. "'Nether' is their pawn. And the Taylor Foundation… might just be the true mastermind behind everything."
Shen Qiu's voice wavered slightly. "Li Chuan, this enemy… might be worse than anything you've ever faced."
Li Chuan's gaze hardened.
"No matter who they are… I'll find them."
In the distance, beneath the sleeping city's eerie glow, unseen predators prowled in the darkness. And somewhere in the shadows, the real hunt was about to begin.