rescue
The evening breeze in the desert was clean, but also cold. In a secluded corner of the garden at Laman Manor, two dark figures stood upright.
"Have you figured out all the details of tomorrow's mission?" Chen Jiu's tone was not as cold and harsh as when he gave the order; instead, it revealed a hint of tender concern.
“Understood.” Z0007’s back was tense. He looked at Chen Jiu, a hint of doubt in his mind. They had already confirmed all the details at the briefing just now, so why did Chen Jiu single him out and ask him again?
"Steve was your classmate?"
"yes."
Chen Jiu nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "How many cleanup missions have you carried out?"
"Seven times." Z0007 answered in a flat voice, but a bad feeling was already rising in his heart.
"Were there any concurrent cleanup tasks carried out?"
Z0007's expression changed.
Even special agents wouldn't allow their own agents to carry out mutual purges; that would be too cruel.
"Don't worry, I don't mean for you to clean up Steve. Otherwise, I would have replaced you in that position. But I want to warn you, the most disgusting scene you've ever seen during a cleanup mission might be what you see tomorrow. Be prepared."
“…Understood.” A hint of pain flashed in Z0007’s eyes, and his voice was no longer as steady as before.
Chen Jiu looked at Z0007 with a soft gaze, his voice even carrying a hint of comfort: "I checked the training camp files, and you and him have a very good relationship."
"Yes, he gets along well with most people."
Chen Jiu smiled. He remembered Steve had once reminded him that people like them shouldn't fall in love easily. He hadn't expected Steve himself to be so good at making friends.
"So, if he asked you to kill him tomorrow, what would you do? You know, for us, death is often a relief."
Z0007 lowered his gaze and clenched his hands at his sides.
“Although Tean often shows mercy to his comrades by eliminating them, I require you to do everything possible to bring him out alive tomorrow, regardless of his wishes. I will personally oversee Xinlan's situation. Our two lines of action are separate, so your situation will not affect the success or failure of the mission. Do you understand what I mean?”
Z0007 understands.
Chen Jiu meant that he would guarantee the mission's success, and in return, he needed to ensure Steve was rescued alive. Chen Jiu was completely entrusting Steve to him.
"Understood!" Z0007's reply was louder than ever before.
Chen Jiu nodded in satisfaction: "At the operational level, only he and I know the complete details of this operation. His capture was intentional; he voluntarily became bait. Remember, whatever you see tomorrow will only prove the greatness of his sacrifice, understand?"
"yes!"
"Okay, go back and get some rest, and prepare for tomorrow."
"yes."
Z0007 left the garden, and Chen Jiu looked up at the bright moonlight alone, recalling the scene where Steve came to rescue him here before.
You may advise others to be ruthless, but the one who is most unable to let go of emotions is yourself, Steve.
Chen Jiu made the most thorough preparations for the rescue operation, but it turned out that a security system full of loopholes would not become an impregnable fortress in two days.
The infiltration by the special agents went very smoothly.
Everyone was in position at the designated location within ten minutes. All they had to do now was wait. Once the agreed time arrived, Chen Jiu would shut down all security systems and retract all isolation doors in the control room, opening a passage for Raman's assault.
At that moment, the two staff members on duty in the control room lay on the ground. A poisoned silver needle was inserted into each of their temples. The instant Chen Jiu stepped into the control room, these two had already bid farewell to this world forever.
Chen Jiu observed the monitoring screen in the control room and saw that Xin Lan was still in the same place without any change.
Xinlan sat at her desk, blankly drawing something on the surface with a pen. Her eyes were empty, but not completely lifeless, a fact that brought Chen Jiu some comfort.
Then, Chen Jiu quickly found Karim on the surveillance footage.
Karim was walking into Steve's room.
Upon seeing this scene, Chen Jiu's heart tightened, and he couldn't look away.
In the footage, Steve visibly flinched the moment he saw Karim. He involuntarily shrank back, showing absolutely no restraint.
Karim looked at Steve with an elegant smile on his face. He seemed to say something, but Chen Jiu didn't hear it.
Chen Jiu turned on the audio from the monitor and heard Steve's voice: "...No...no..."
The painful, trembling rejection, every word brimming with despair.
This is by no means what a top-tier agent should look like, but Chen Jiu understood perfectly, because he had been there too. When pain surpasses the body's limits, and everything is on the verge of collapse, the support that willpower can provide is far too meager. In dire straits, there is only one thing they can protect, and that is not their own dignity.
"No? After these past few days of games, I think you should already understand. It's useless to say it. You only have a choice: sell out information or follow orders. You're a tough nut to crack, never willing to compromise easily, but what's the use? You're just asking for trouble."
Karim, being Raman's brother, truly enjoys this kind of elegant cruelty. Chen Jiu recalled the threats he had heard from Raman.
Steve's eyes were filled with vulnerability and struggle. He seemed to know he would eventually succumb, yet he couldn't easily fulfill Karim's demands. He saw no way out in his desperate struggle.
Time and again, Karim's commands became increasingly outrageous, from licking shoes to barking like a dog, and then to crawling like a dog... Karim seemed very interested in exploring just how much he could tolerate before he completely broke down.
Karim seems to enjoy the process of gradually taming people into objects; he is a complete pervert.
"No, I really can't do it, I can't..." Instinct murmured in pain, but reason knew clearly that he had no choice and could not escape.
He cannot escape; he will eventually kill himself completely.
"If you can't do it, just tell me the information. It's very simple," Karim tempted him again.
Karim began to stroke him again. Another wave of excruciating pain washed over him, and Steve collapsed to his knees, slumping to the ground. He clutched his chest, his body hunched over in fear.
Karim, however, did not want to do as he wished. He kicked him in the back, forcing him to stretch out his body, and then stomped hard on his wrist.
"Still hoping Chen Chao will come to save you? I advise you to give up on that idea. Since I built this place, not a single mosquito has flown out."
The pain of the electric shock made Steve tremble uncontrollably. He looked at Karim, struggling to maintain the last shred of clarity in his eyes.
He cannot break down, he absolutely cannot.
"If you don't want to share intelligence, then show it to me. Or do you still think you're human and can uphold your dignity as a human being?"
Steve closed his eyes in despair.
Even Chen Jiu couldn't bear to watch any longer. He checked the time: two minutes left, two minutes before their agreed-upon attack time with Raman.
Chen Jiu silently cheered Steve on, hoping he would hold on. Two minutes, just two minutes until Karim would be silenced forever. Until then, please endure this hellish ordeal.
Tears welled in Steve's eyes, his mind blank in extreme pain. He struggled unconsciously, constantly shrinking back, but he couldn't escape the overwhelming agony.
"Please, let me go, please..." He was driven to the brink, all his dignity was washed away, and he begged for mercy without reservation, just to get a little pity from the other party.
“I gave you a choice,” Karim repeated coldly.
His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, and the mark on his chest felt like it was burning. He really couldn't do this command, really... if he really did, he would break down, he definitely would.
Boss...
His weakened physique made his consciousness begin to waver, and instinctive desire replaced reason, taking control of his body. He unconsciously uttered, "The...the contact point is..."
Suddenly, the last vestige of clarity in his mind gripped his throat, jolting him from his daze. He realized what he had just been about to do, and he clutched his chest, beginning to weep silently.
He knew he couldn't hold on to it in the end.
In order not to betray him, he had no choice but to completely abandon himself.
He trembled as he tried to untie his clothes. His fingers, which could normally disassemble and assemble a gun in 30 seconds, were now unable to untie the knots in his clothes.
Karim stood to the side, watching silently, without urging him on.
He enjoys watching people slowly break down.
Chen Jiu's tactical watch hands moved toward the last 5 ticks.
5, 4, 3...
Steve finally untied the first knot.
2.1. Action!
The security system shut down, the isolation door retracted, blood splattered on the monitor screen, and Karim collapsed from the screen with an incredulous expression. There was a clean, sharp bloodstain between his eyebrows.
Chen Jiu locked the security system, ensuring no one could unlock it, before disappearing to Xinlan's location. Xinlan was the highest priority; he had to ensure her safe return to Nutag. Therefore, he couldn't go to Steve's side.
Z0007, Steve is in your hands now.
The sudden turn of events left Steve's mind blank for a moment. When he finally realized what had happened, the sudden release of emotional pressure made him completely lose control of himself.
He gasped for breath, his vision blurring. His hands and feet were icy cold, and a wave of fear mixed with shame washed over him. He lay on the ground, his limbs utterly powerless.
Z0007 emerged from his hiding place and used a specially made alloy blade to cut open the chains binding Steve. He crouched down beside Steve, attempting to help him up. But the moment he touched Steve, Steve instinctively attacked him.
Steve's stamina was too low, and his attacks were weak and ineffective. Z0007 easily dodged them and said softly to Steve, "It's me. I've come to take you back."
Steve recognized who it was and felt much more at ease, but he still couldn't control his breathing.
"Don't touch me... let me catch my breath..."
Steve closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. He knew he was in a state of deep stress; he couldn't stand being touched, as it reminded him of electric shocks. But he also had no strength left; his body felt drained, and he didn't even have the strength to stand up.
"I'm not in a good enough position to get out." After resting for a while, Steve calmly assessed his situation.
“My orders are that, regardless of your own wishes, I need to get you out of here alive.” Z0007 interrupted Steve, not letting him continue.
Steve looked at Z0007 in surprise: "Mission..."
“Z0001 said I don’t need to worry about it, he will take care of it. I just need to get you out of here.”
Really? Chen Jiu, he…
Steve suddenly felt his heart ache less. He took a few deep breaths, and his hands and feet began to warm up. At the same time, it became noisy outside their door; Raman's men had stormed in.
"Did you bring a calming agent?" Steve propped himself up against the wall.
Z0007 paused for a moment, then replied, "I brought it."
"Give me."
Z0007 pulled out a calming agent from his first-aid kit and handed it to Steve. He was on a rescue mission, so he carried a particularly comprehensive supply of first-aid items.
“Listen, I can’t walk right now, but I can’t control my stress response either. If you touch me, I will resist involuntarily, so you can’t help me out. I’m calming myself down now. After I pass out, you carry me out and complete your mission.”
Sedation means complete unconsciousness. Steve has completely surrendered himself to Z0007.
Z0007 looked at Steve and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry."
He understood the weight of Steve's trust.
Steve smiled easily: "I have nothing to worry about, and you don't need to feel burdened either." After saying that, he skillfully injected the medicine into his vein.
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