That night in the northern part of the Stairl district. The three captain squad who had been conferring in a building were coordinating their forces. Each of them led a squad of fifteen people.
The squad led by the man with the scar on his lip was called 'Alpha'.
The squad led by the woman was called 'Delta'.
The squad led by the white-haired man was called 'Zeta'.
They were spread out at various points around the area. Some were hiding inside buildings, observing from windows. Snipers from each squad were spread out on top of tall buildings, monitoring the situation below. Everyone was ready to receive orders.
"Damn! Why does there have to be a black gate here?" A woman with short hair, Renetta Ersen, spoke in an annoyed tone.
[Snipers, don't lose sight of the black gate.] The man with the scar on his lip, Anser Edward, spoke into the walkie-talkie.
[Zeta Squad will move closer to the black gate.] The white-haired man, Luke Morran, led his squad.
[This is Delta. What about the civilians you saw?]
[This is Alpha. According to the sniper, not many residents have been spotted. However, it's also uncertain whether they've entered their homes or fled.]
[Understood.]
[Everyone be alert! Our targets are a witch and a power wielder, just like us soldiers.]
[Although they both possess powers, their goals are different from ours. Let's protect those who must be protected!] Anser Edward spoke authoritatively.
[Yes!] The troops responded in unison.
A woman with long, tied-up brown hair and a man looked off into the distance.
"So they intend to surround us." The man chuckled.
"Shall we finish them off?" The woman asked.
"I don't think we need to finish them off. That black gate will surely overwhelm them." The man pointed toward the gate.
"So? If you intend to wait for the gate to open, forget it. We don't know when it will open." The woman crossed her arms.
"Well, you're right... so what?" As the man looked thoughtful, one of the snipers spotted them.
[Reporting! Two individuals spotted beside the building, at ten o'clock.] A Delta squad sniper reported.
[This is Zeta. Our position is closer. We'll ambush first.] The Zeta squad soldiers immediately moved.
[Okay! We'll follow soon.] Alpha and Delta squads replied.
[Snipers! Can you target them?] Luke Morran asked.
[This is Alpha sniper. We can target them.] A sniper replied.
[Good. As soon as I give the signal, target them.] Luke Morran ordered.
[Ready!]
Once Zeta squad had nearly reached the two individuals, they hid themselves in a crevice in the building. After a few moments, Luke gave the order.
[Shoot!]
The sniper who had been aiming at the two individuals fired several shots. They all hoped they would hit them.
"Wow, so we've been spotted." A chuckle came from the man.
"That's because you've been thinking too long." The woman replied slightly annoyed.
The bullets that were supposed to pierce their bodies burned up in midair just before they reached them.
"Well, it can't be helped. I don't feel like fighting." The man said.
"Well, then let's just wipe them out." The man jumped into the middle of the street and was surrounded by Zeta troops.
"Everyone, direct your attacks towards Ethan Reiss!" Luke Morran ordered.
"Ready!" The troops immediately fired their bullets at Ethan Reiss, who was in the middle of the siege.
"Captain! Reiss threw something!" Shouted a member who was attacking Ethan.
Luke, who heard this, was shocked.
"Everyone back!!" Luke ordered.
White smoke enveloped the area. The troops' eyes turned red and stinging.
"Shit, it's tear gas!" Anser Edward shouted as soon as he reached Luke.
[Renetta, stay where you are and call the medics!] Anser contacted Renetta, who was almost at the scene of the attack.
Renetta immediately contacted the medics, following Anser's orders.
"Hahaha, why are you all in such a hurry?" A peal of laughter rang out.
"That's why you all suck." The laughter came from a man, Ethan Reiss.
"But thanks to that, I was able to test the durability of this suit and shield." After all the gunfire, not a single scratch remained on Ethan Reiss's body.
"Wow, that mad scientist is truly insane." He laughed mockingly.
He held a bulletproof suit made to resemble a regular suit as closely as possible, and two high-powered ultrasonic shields the size of a human body in both hands.
The bullets shattered upon hitting the shields due to the distortion of the ultrasonic waves.
"That's why I said you guys are bad." Ethan grinned.
The sniper immediately fired again. The hail of bullets was again easily deflected by the shield.
Anser Edward enraged threw a grenade at Ethan and charged toward him.
He immediately used his specially modified army sword, supposed to be used only in times of crisis.
Anser's martial arts skills were above average. Anser was more skilled at close-quarters combat than with a rifle.
Anser swung his sword at Ethan. Ethan dodged it nimbly. After a few swings, Anser's sword finally struck and knocked Ethan's shield back.
"Looks like that only works with bullets." Anser grinned.
Ethan was a little surprised by the revelation, but he still managed to smile.
The fight between Anser and Ethan continued.
Meanwhile, Luke, who was observing the situation, looked at the woman standing some distance from Ethan.
[Snipers, can any of you get a clear shot at Zoya Bryan?!] Luke called over the walkie-talkie.
[Sir, I'm at three o'clock from the battle area. I can aim at Bryan from here.] A member of Alpha Squad replied.
[Good. The others remain where you are!]
[Yes, sir!]
While observing the situation, Luke prepared to give orders to the sniper.
[The medics have arrived. How's the situation there?] Renetta contacted Luke.
[The gas fumes have almost subsided, so the medics can enter here.]
[Understood.]
"Everyone put on your gas masks and follow me." Renetta ordered.
Renetta led her squad along with the medics who had arrived.