A month later, Rafael was at a private firing range Ruby had bought and converted into a training area. She'd been training for four hours and was now on a thirty-minute break. Michael was teaching her, while Sylvia, who had free time, was training in close combat.
"Remember to look around smoothly and quickly, but not too fast," Michael advised Ruby, who was clearing a room. She both enjoyed and hated it.
"Got it," she said, reloading her gun. The bullets were modified paintball rounds, and her "enemies" were her bodyguards, who had strict orders from Michael not to show her mercy.
Meanwhile, Sylvia was learning a revised version of her combat style. She also began intense physical training, which was somewhat brutal as she had to break down her own techniques in favor of new ones.
"Remember, Sylvia, the aristocratic way is useless in a modern world where they can shoot you down before you even face them," Rafael said, demonstrating various tactics, some of which she considered dirty and cowardly.
"But…" she tried to argue, hoping to change some of his points, but Rafael shot down every argument. She surrendered and began fighting Rafael's personal guards, who wielded steel batons, while she held a blunt rapier.
Meanwhile, Hector was in a secluded location, a place Atlas agents had been trying to find without success. It was so well-hidden it wasn't even considered.
"So, my son was able to eliminate every influence your branch had?" Hector said to the man, the godfather of Japan, who was clearly unhappy about his losses.
"Yes, but he left the remaining forces outside untouched. I consider this a final test for your son. This time, I've sent one of my skilled fixers to test him, but don't worry, he won't be killed," the man said, and Hector sighed.
"Fine, but I'll send my people to check the damages. So, when will they strike?" he asked. The godfather glanced at his wristwatch and replied,
"In a few minutes. They've already departed with a few heavy guns." He forgot to mention that these weapons came from the Dragunova family, as their intricate web of alliances meant the Russian family provided small arms, while a family in China supplied ammunition and vehicles.
Right after their conversation, a field agent, assigned to manage networks, overheard a call. He noticed massive movements in Leyte and immediately alerted the station chief in Tokyo, and the information was transmitted to the manager within ten minutes.
As for the agent, he planted a bomb in his home and stole files that pertained to the engagement ritual. After that, he left his house clean, took a backup car, and headed back to the station HQ in Tokyo after several turns.
By the time the other members noticed his disappearance, they tried to inspect his house. The moment the door opened, it exploded into debris.
Back in the Philippines, Rafael and Michael were riding inside a smaller version of "The Beast," on their way to visit the north where a shipyard was being constructed for both civilian and military use.
"Rafael, we received info from Japan. The station chief reported that the godfather of Japan wants to test you. He sent the remaining forces he has in Leyte to attack us. They're currently looking for us, but it's only a matter of time. So, what do you suggest?" Michael said.
"Since we brought our equipment, put the men on high alert. It's time for war. Form a box formation and alert the military base. Deploy aerial teams to follow our location; they might reinforce us in time. We'll hold them off," Rafael said. Soon, Michael began ordering the box formation.
"Guys, equip yourselves! We got info that enemies are going to ambush us!" one of the guards shouted, handing out body armor stored in the back. Military-grade rifles were cocked and ready.
Other soldiers had RPG-28s, and the lead vehicle had a deployable minigun, ready and loaded. The convoy continued to travel down the road, drivers maintaining pace while soldiers acted as spotters, noticing some cars passing by.
But as the minutes went by, the passing cars grew in number. Looking closer, there were more, from small to almost non-existent. Rafael had a UAV flying above them, which detected no one until they saw, a few hundred meters away, a 10-wheeler truck with a large container, and on the road, at least 50-60 men armed with small arms. The road was sandwiched by two small mountains.
An observant soldier could see silhouettes of armed men on top of the mountains. Their weapons included an array of M14s, AK-74s, MP7s, and Stoner 82s. Defenses were made of concrete barriers set up early, with vehicles placed near them and machine gun posts in makeshift sandbag bunkers.
When the convoy entered the mountain pass, they stopped instantly. One of the soldiers on the flanks saw the silhouettes hidden on top of the mountains. After ten seconds, another 10-wheeler truck blocked their only escape route. From its container, a few guns poked out, aimed at the convoy.
"It seems we're truly trapped here," Michael commented as he sent the alert to the military base, codenamed "Irene."
"Signal has been sent, so all soldiers present here, show them what you're made of!" Michael said, unlocking a black briefcase leaning on the chair. Rafael had his M4A1 with a sniper scope, a side bipod with a foregrip, and wore a Kevlar coat with chest armor, magazines around it, and a chest holster.
Within five seconds, soldiers dismounted the vehicles and formed a circle of defense. Without delay, the enemy began firing, hitting the vehicles' armor, some striking the soldiers' armor.
The bodyguards' response was rockets. Rocket launchers fired, hitting open spots and causing disorientation. This pause allowed the rear soldiers to rush in with a team that lobbed grenades into the gaps, causing enemies inside to panic before screaming and dying. After that elimination, they returned and began firing back.
After ten minutes, the enemy in the front was whittled down to fifteen. They tried to surrender but were killed by point-blank fire from Rafael, who eliminated them. Since the QRF hadn't arrived, the two decided to continue heading to the city limits.
"Let's get out of here!" Rafael shouted. Two soldiers pulled out the very last rocket launcher, and after firing, the semi-truck split in half. Soon, the convoy left. Rafael didn't have the drone but ordered Michael to tell the QRF to follow them, even if they were still heading there.
Soon the convoy drove down the highway, but after Rafael activated the drone again, it was shot down. A few meters later, they were being pelted by higher-caliber weapons. Rafael gritted his teeth and pointed to the dirt road.
"Go there, we can cut them off there," Rafael said. Soon the convoy turned and headed down the dirt road, followed by two Land Cruisers. Two vehicles from Rafael's convoy slowed down and pulled up next to the Land Cruisers.
BANG BANG BANG BANG
Soon, the windows rolled down. The guards inside fired burst shots at the driver's side, killing the driver before lobbing two grenades inside. Then they sped off to catch up to the convoy.
BOOM!
After the two vehicles rejoined, the cars that had followed them exploded, killing everyone inside. The convoy was nearing a town that looked like a simulated urban battlefield; it looked desolate.
"What do you think, Rafael, should we storm it?" Michael asked.
"Yeah, I've had enough of running. Have the QRF team regroup, and we will storm it," Rafael said, wanting to blow off some steam.
"All forces, including the QRF, Administrator orders codename Silent Fury – repeat, Silent Fury – regroup at our location!" Michael announced, and the bodyguards smiled. Luckily, their ammunition was still enough. They loaded their empty magazines, cleaned off excess gunpowder, and gathered the remaining grenades.
In one of the four helicopters carrying the QRF team, operators of the Red Right Hand and the 1st Battalion smiled, bloodthirsty, as they had been on the defensive almost the entire time.
"You hear that?! It's Silent Fury! It's been years since we last heard it!" one of the operators shouted to his buddy, slapping his thigh. The helicopter pilots turned and sped up to the location. As Rafael and the team got out, they did a quick scan using a smaller drone. The town was filled with men armed with all kinds of weapons, some Japanese-American, Korean-Japanese, Russian-Japanese, and most weapons were from Chinese, Russian, and US black markets.
Soon, the four helicopters landed and dropped off the operators. As they took off, they would act as gunships while they called up Little Birds armed with rocket launchers and miniguns.
"All operators, your job is not to protect me but to clear this place out and gather all kinds of information. So act fast and swift. Any hostages, just leave them for a while and clear out remaining enemies," Rafael said, addressing the two platoons, which were obviously not enough, but they could still push through.
Rafael led half of the bodyguards and Michael the other half. Their mission was to storm the believed HQ of the enemy, while the rest would clear the buildings. And so it began. As they went through the buildings, the structures were made out of containers, which, judging by their age, had existed a few years ago, before Rafael had even come here.
"Go, go, go, go!" Rafael shouted as he fired his rifle at enemies armed with AK-74s who were firing at his group. He managed to kill three out of five, and the survivors retreated. As they plowed through each door – since going out in the open was inviting to snipers, going through buildings was the only way – within ten minutes, they arrived near the vicinity, and it became more chaotic.
Enemies came out of every window or corner and fired quite well, but Michael and Rafael, along with the operators who were hardened mercs in their past and now professional soldiers, were able to silence them.
"Keep the pace up, men!" Rafael shouted. Soon, both he and Michael ran on the open ground while the operators and guards began firing to cover the two. As the two jumped into an open window, they swiftly took down a squad that was inside the room.
Like professionals, the soldiers dived into the open window. Rafael took the vanguard position. As he entered a room, he shouted,
"Don't f***ing enter! I see the two fixers! Michael, find their commander by all means!" Rafael shouted as he removed his long coat and drew two Spanish navaja knives. They were custom-made, with longer blades and a switch to unfold and fold back.
Rafael moved slowly as he maintained eye contact, but one of them, armed with a katana, charged while screaming. Rafael sighed and parried each blow, returning with a few cuts to the chest. When Rafael folded the weapon back, he grabbed the man's throat, disarming him by breaking his wrist and then punching his chest, cracking a few ribs. The other fixer charged fast, but Rafael turned around and kicked her in the chest, using the momentum to throw the fixer in his hands against the wall, making an imprint on the steel wall.
"You think you can challenge me?" Rafael sneered, walking to the other fixer he had kicked and punching her in the face a few times. Each strike was controlled, not killing her. After that, he ordered the soldiers outside to tie them up. Michael, who had found their command room, was able to subjugate them.
Outside, survivors were tied up and lined up, kneeling on the ground. Rafael stood not far away, with an emotionless face.
"To think you can test me… yes, you had me in the first half, but the rest was easy to decipher. So I will leave her alive to send a message, while the rest…" Rafael said, pointing to the female fixer, while the other, her partner, was broken, Rafael having broken his left arm to the point it almost needed amputation.
With that signal, the soldiers fired into their backs, except for the man Michael had captured, who witnessed the death of his men and teared up a bit. Michael then offered a suggestion:
"Let's wipe out this man's clan and send a message to the godfather." Michael suggested, and Rafael nodded. So the guards took him away to the helicopter.
The female fixer was also taken away but heard it and hoped to prevent it when she arrived back at the godfather's estate.
"Have the agency activate the Wrath of God. I want their clan's extermination so the godfather must be educated not to mess with us," Rafael said, since he doesn't play by their rules; he goes his own way, consequences be damned.
Michael, who heard the order, nodded, and the convoy continued to head towards the north, stopping by McDonald's to eat lunch. Rafael was still covered in a bit of blood but didn't care. After arriving, he had the inspection rescheduled for tomorrow.
The next day, Rafael was clean and his body was properly rested. He headed towards the dockyard. The first order of business was the construction of the Philippines' first aircraft carrier. The government spent $3 billion pesos on it. While it might be quite small compared to its US counterpart, it was quite big, with two decks – one facing north and the other facing south – and powered by four new-generation nuclear engines. It could carry over 80 aircraft and was going to be named BRP Kalayaan, the first carrier of its kind.
During the inspection, Rafael took a detour to the wartime shipyards, which were hidden from satellite view and could produce ships. Currently, they were focused on producing the first of five submarines for the navy in secret, which could turn over to Atlas control if needed. After the inspection, Rafael left the city and headed to Tacloban, where the ASIB branch in Japan was assisted by the Wardens to begin their operations.