Could someone wake her from this bad dream?
The thought echoed faintly in Ahce's mind as armored vehicles rolled through the fog like beasts of judgment. The Black Cross task force, an S-rank division so secretive that even Zeiren's highest operatives whispered their name with unease, descended on the forest before she could draw a steady breath. Their arrival was soundless and absolute, like the closing of a cell door.
One moment, she was hunched over her flickering tablet, tracking the last pulse of Richard Jing's signal amid the static of burned frequencies. The next, men in obsidian armor emerged from the smoke, faces masked, insignias gleaming faintly under the dying light. Their leader's voice was smooth, precise, and terrifying in its calmness.
"Operation terminated. You are to stand down. Extraction protocol: immediate."
No explanations. No negotiation.
