Bound by Shadows .jc

CHAPTER 34

Mission's Edge

The rain poured relentlessly over the city, soaking the narrow streets and casting shimmering reflections of neon lights onto the wet pavement. S.Coups stood with his team in the shadows outside the Dragon base, the tension between them palpable. The warehouse was a fortress of steel and brick, its windows dim but occasionally illuminated by the passing headlights of trucks making their rounds. Inside, their enemies were stationed, ready for any attack. but not for this one.

"Positions," S.Coups ordered, his voice a low growl through the earpiece. His hand rested on the weapon at his side, his knuckles tightening against the chill that had seeped through his gloves.

Hoshi, Hansol, and Dino nodded in acknowledgment. Dino, tucked away with his tablet a block from the site, murmured over the comms, "Security cameras are on a loop. You're clear to enter."

"Move in. Quietly," S.Coups commanded.

The team split into pairs, Wonwoo and Hansol heading to secure the perimeter while S.Coups and Hoshi advanced toward the main entrance. Rain trickled down their faces, and the sound of their boots against the wet asphalt was barely audible. Every step was deliberate, calculated.

Inside the base, the first wave of guards was caught off-guard. Wonwoo disarmed one with a precise motion, the man crumpling to the ground without a sound. Hansol quickly followed, taking down another with a swift kick to the chest, silencing him with one clean strike. But there was no time to linger; they pressed forward.

S.Coups and Hoshi encountered resistance as they moved deeper into the base. A Dragon member lunged at Hoshi, knife glinting under the dim emergency lights. But Hoshi spun just in time, slamming the man into the wall and disarming him with a sharp elbow to the ribs. The thug crumpled to the floor, and Hoshi pressed forward, unbothered by the scuffle.

"Stay focused," S.Coups barked, his voice sharp as he fired a shot that clipped another guard in the leg. The man went down with a scream, his weapon clattering to the floor. S.Coups quickly moved in, his eyes scanning for more targets.

The deeper they moved into the base, the fiercer the resistance became. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, sparks flying as S.Coups ducked behind a steel crate. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his left hand as a bullet grazed him, blood soaking through his glove. He gritted his teeth, pushing the pain aside, focusing on the task at hand.

"Coups, you good?" Hoshi called out, his voice strained as he grappled with a Dragon fighter trying to shove him into a corner.

"I'm fine," S.Coups growled, wiping blood from his forehead where a fragment of shrapnel had nicked him. He grabbed the nearest Dragon operative by the collar and slammed him into a table, the wood splintering under the force. The man crumpled, unconscious.

Meanwhile, Hoshi winced as a shallow gash across his stomach burned from a knife swipe. He retaliated with a swift kick to his attacker's chest, knocking him out cold. The fight was becoming more frantic, more violent with every passing second, and neither S.Coups nor Hoshi were willing to back down.

"Dino, status," S.Coups barked into the comm.

"Reinforcements are on their way to the north exit," Dino reported. "Wonwoo and Hansol are handling the outer perimeter, but you've got five more heading your way inside."

"Understood," S.Coups said, signaling to Hoshi to move further in.

They reached the heart of the base, where Dragon's operations were centered, and that's when they were ambushed by three more Dragon members. The combat was brutal, unrelenting. S.Coups ducked under a swing, retaliating with a punch that sent his attacker sprawling. Another came at him with a crowbar, and he deflected it with his forearm, wincing as the impact sent pain shooting up his arm. He grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him into a wall before moving to the next.