Return
Twenty nautical miles east of Akrotiri Island, the night was as dark as ink, and the waves gently lapped against the hull of a ship disguised as an oceanographic research vessel. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was like that of a combat command center. Elaine sat in front of a control console covered with screens, her face pale but her eyes resolute, her fingers flying across multiple virtual keyboards.
The brace on her left leg was a stark reminder of her injury, but at that moment, all her attention was focused on the screen. "Group A, underwater thruster signal stable, has reached the designated entry point." Elaine's voice came through the encrypted channel, calm and clear.
"Roger that. Team A initiating infiltration," Merrick replied in a deep voice.
"Team B in position, having secured the western evacuation point. Awaiting further instructions." Ghost's voice was cold and concise, devoid of any emotion. Two stealth assault boats had already deployed their vehicles in the deep sea.
The screen in front of Elaine displayed a series of images: a thermal image of the island transmitted by a high-altitude stealth drone, vital signs and real-time location cursors of two squads, a structural diagram of the "Ark" base inferred from fragments transmitted by Keegan, and a terminal interface that was constantly trying to infiltrate the base's internal network.
Led by Merrick, who had just returned to base after completing training, Team A secretly infiltrated the island using an underwater cave. Konig, with his astonishing strength, silently took down the sensors camouflaged at the cave entrance and a sentry. Elaine remotely guided them as they climbed up the relatively weakly defended cliff crevice area mentioned in Keegan's intelligence.
“Turn left 15 meters to avoid moving heat sources. There is a fixed camera on the platform above; the blind spot is on the right edge. Patrols are spaced 90 seconds apart.” Elaine’s voice was as precise as the most accurate navigation.
The squad moved like shadows; Konig's massive frame moved with surprising agility in the shadows, while Logan was ready to deal with electronic locks and traps. Merrick remained constantly alert, his eyes scanning every corner.
Meanwhile, Elaine was engaged in a silent but fierce battle with the Ark's central AI guardian system. Instead of forcibly breaching the firewall, she adopted a more subtle strategy. "Activate the 'Mirror Image' protocol," she whispered to her AI model.
Instantly, a large number of fake data streams and information packets disguised as system maintenance signals were injected into the base's internal network. These data streams created several brief "logical confusions" and "device false alarms" in the system. For example, sensors in one area would briefly display abnormal temperatures, access control in another area would inexplicably record an invalid card swipe, and surveillance footage would occasionally show almost imperceptible frame skipping.
This is like releasing a thick electronic smoke bomb into the AI's "perception," keeping it busy processing these "internal noises" and thus creating more time and space for the Ghost team's physical infiltration.
“The AI is very alert, but my ‘Mirror Image’ is playing hide-and-seek with it. You have about five minutes of relatively safe window left,” Elaine reported, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. This kind of high-intensity electronic warfare is extremely mentally taxing.
The team successfully infiltrated deep into the base, arriving at a heavy alloy door. There were no markings on the door, but the access control system was exceptionally complex, requiring advanced biometric identification. This was the entrance to the "Garden of Eden" mentioned in Keegan's intelligence.
“This is it. We need a biometric key,” Merrick whispered.
“Attempting to crack it…” Elaine quickly accessed the system logs, searching for vulnerabilities. Suddenly, she discovered a permissions conflict record marked as “resolved,” involving Makarov and Kruger! The conflict stemmed from the door's identification system!
“I’ve got it!” Elaine’s eyes lit up. “The permission conflict might have left a backdoor. Try simulating Kruger’s biometrics!” Logan immediately took out a portable biometric simulator, which stored Kruger’s fingerprint and iris data obtained in previous operations, and pointed it at the scanner. The scanning beam swept across. After a brief silence, a cold electronic voice sounded: “Authentication successful. Access level: Temporary access.”
The doors slid open silently to both sides! Kruger once again provided "help" in this unexpected way at a crucial moment!
However, just as the door opened, a heavily armed security patrol team of four people was walking towards them from the other end of the passageway! The two sides suddenly met in the narrow passage, less than thirty meters apart!
"Contact!" Merrick roared, and almost at the same time the other man raised his gun, his submachine gun was already spitting fire! The battle erupted instantly! Gunfire filled the corridor, deafeningly loud! Bullets struck the alloy walls, sending up blinding sparks.
Konig reacted with lightning speed, his massive body pressing forward like a fortress. The light machine gun in his hand roared, and the powerful firepower instantly suppressed the enemy's front line, buying his teammates precious reaction time.
Logan swiftly dodged to cover on one side, using precise bursts of fire to eliminate enemies attempting to flank him. Merrick, using the cover provided by Konig, tried to advance towards the cells. The well-trained security personnel returned fire, utilizing corners and compartment doors with fierce force. Smoke filled the corridor, and alarms blared piercingly!
Elaine, on the command ship, heard the intense gunfire and explosions coming through the channel, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
"The cell is the third door on the right!" Elaine said, barely suppressing her tension, following the floor plan. Merrick and Logan, under Konig's cover fire, advanced in shifts, rushing to the cell door. Logan blew open the lock with a dart! Merrick kicked the door open and rushed inside.
Inside the cell, Keegan was firmly restrained on a metal bed, his face somewhat ashen and his body covered in wounds, but his grey-blue eyes flashed with an astonishing light the moment he saw Merrick.
"Keegan, hold on!" Merrick rushed to the bedside and roughly cut the shackles with hydraulic shears. Just then, a security guard burst into the cell from the flank! Konig roared, not having time to turn his gun, he lunged at the guard, slamming him against the wall with incredible force! Logan followed up with a finishing shot to finish him off.
Merrick and Logan helped the weakened Keegan up: "Let's go!"
While Team A was embroiled in fierce combat, Team B lay in ambush at high ground and key points on the outskirts of the base. Ghost calmly observed the entire base and the distant helicopter landing pad through a high-powered sniper scope. His finger rested lightly on the trigger.
"Group A, report your situation." Ghost's cold voice rang out in the channel.
"Target acquired! Evacuation underway! Encountering fierce resistance!" Merrick's voice was punctuated by gunfire and panting. Hesh's voice followed: "A surge in internal base communications detected; defense level is being raised."
Makarov's helicopter signal was already 50 kilometers away, expected to land in fifteen minutes. Ajax checked the heavy machine gun: "The welcoming ceremony is ready."
Ghost's scope crosshairs were firmly locked on the empty center of the landing pad. "Team A, evacuate to the designated rendezvous point immediately. Team B, remain silent and await my instructions." His voice was flat, but the pressure was palpable.
Team A, with the nearly immobile Keegan, was engaged in a desperate retreat through the narrow and complex base corridors. Konig's massive body became a mobile bulwark, his light machine gun emitting a muffled and continuous roar, its powerful firepower pinning down the pursuers behind the corner, spent cartridges raining down.
Logan, like a phantom, created chaos with smoke grenades and precisely thrown explosives, each explosion precisely slowing down the enemy's encirclement. Merrick, driving the Keegan, struggled forward through the thick smoke and flashing red alarm lights.
Keegan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. Every step he took aggravated the wounds all over his body, but he kept up with his teammates' rhythm with amazing willpower. He would even occasionally use his still-functioning right hand to raise his gun and fire blindly behind him as a deterrent.
"The left passage is flanked by enemies!" Elaine's voice rang out urgently in the channel, trembling with barely suppressed emotion. She was providing the squad with crucial real-time intelligence through the hacked surveillance system.
"Logan!" Merrick roared. "Roger!" Logan quickly threw a stun grenade into the left passage, the intense flash and roar temporarily halting the enemy.
"At the crossroads ahead, turn right! Go straight for fifty meters to find an emergency exit!" Elaine pointed out the route, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she engaged in another silent battle with the base's AI, trying to disable access control and traps along the way as much as possible.
Just as the team rushed out of the emergency exit, Elaine suddenly saw a fatal countdown on the main control interface—"Harvest Day Protocol – System Self-Check Complete – Ready for Launch – 10:00!" Makarov had arrived and was initiating the final procedures!
“Ghost! The ‘Harvest Day’ protocol is in final standby mode! Ten-minute countdown!” Elaine’s voice was shrill with extreme fear.
"Is Group A safe?" Ghost's voice was icy cold. Almost simultaneously, Ghost's sniper scope showed Makarov's helicopter slowly landing on the central landing pad of the island. Surrounded by a group of elite guards, Makarov strode towards the command center.
"Team A has evacuated from the exit and is heading to the safe point." Elaine's voice trembled with relief.
“Roger.” Ghost applied slight pressure to the trigger with his index finger, the crosshairs firmly positioned around Makarov’s head. This was a golden opportunity for a kill. However, just as he was about to pull the trigger, Merrick’s urgent voice rang out in the headset: “Wait! Hesh’s emergency communication intercepted! He has ordered the activation of the ‘Harvest Day’ final protocol! The trigger command is… biometric binding! Once he dies, the system will consider it final authorization, and the plan will execute automatically immediately!”
Ghost's fingers froze instantly. Makarov had used his own life to set up the final safety net! "Change plans. Execute 'Meltdown,' target: the base's core server cluster and communications array." Ghost gave the order immediately, his voice without the slightest hesitation. Using the precise coordinates provided by Elaine, he aimed his sniper rifle at the main external cooling duct of the backup cooling system deep within the base's main server array!
A muffled sniper rifle shot was swallowed by the sea breeze. A specially designed armor-piercing explosive round had precisely pierced the pipe! A few seconds later, a series of muffled explosions and a sharp overheat alarm rang out from inside the base! The main server room overheated instantly due to cooling failure, triggering a chain reaction of malfunctions, resulting in the loss of a large amount of data, and the system was forced to enter an emergency shutdown and restart procedure.
"The 'Harvest Day' protocol activation sequence has been forcibly interrupted. The core server is severely damaged; restarting and restoring it to a launch-ready state will take at least 48 hours." Elaine let out a long sigh of relief, almost collapsing, but immediately tensed up again. "Team A, armed personnel spotted ahead!"
"Konig! Clear the way!" Merrick commanded. Konig roared, his machine gun firing, instantly taking down two guards who had rushed to the scene. The squad charged toward the reef, where a speedboat awaiting them shone with faint beacon lights in the darkness amidst the surging waves.
"Quick! Get on board!" Logan shouted. The team members dragged and pulled Keegan onto the violently rocking speedboat. Konig was the last to board, using heavy firepower to give the beachhead a final push. The speedboat's engine roared, it quickly turned, and sailed into the dark open sea.
Just as the speedboat sped away, in Ghost's sniper scope, Makarov, surrounded by Kruger and several bodyguards, did not attempt to enter the command center, which was now engulfed in chaos and fire. Instead, he quickly boarded a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that was already operational and ready for deployment on the other side of the tarmac. He suddenly turned around, seemingly meeting Ghost's gaze across the vast darkness; his eyes were cold and crazed.
Kruger suddenly appeared, approached Markarov, said something, and then escorted him onto the helicopter.
"Target boarding. Kruger is with him," Ghost calmly reported, simultaneously firing continuously at the aircraft's engines. However, the plane had already accelerated into the air, and the bullets only left a few streaks in the night, failing to cause fatal damage. The plane quickly disappeared into the distant night sky.
"Team B, mission accomplished, evacuate immediately," Ghost ordered.
The speedboat met up with the mother ship, which was disguised as a research vessel, at the designated coordinates. As the speedboat approached and the cabin door opened, Elaine, disregarding her leg injury, staggered to the edge of the deck.
When Elaine saw Konig and Logan carefully carrying Keegan, covered in blood and wounds but still with his eyes open, into the cabin door, tears streamed down her face. Forgetting the excruciating pain in her legs, forgetting everything around her, she rushed forward with all her might, tightly grasping Keegan's cold hand, her voice broken and shaky: "You're alive...you're still alive...!"
Despite being extremely weak, Keegan's grey-blue eyes blazed with an indescribable light the moment he saw Elaine. He broke free from his teammates' support and, with his last ounce of strength, pulled her trembling body into his arms tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very bones.
He lowered his head, buried his face in her neck, and whispered in her ear in a low, hoarse Spanish, tinged with the scent of blood yet brimming with deep affection, a language only she could hear: "Volví, mi amor." (I am back, my love.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
