Captain Anderson had no other choice and he could merely watch as the striker team disappeared into the dark.
“Captain Anderson, this mission is much more difficult than the others. I heard that there are a few hundred men guarding the place, so the chances of us succeeding in rescuing Professor Tesla are quite slim.”
“Professor Tesla must not end up in their hands.” There was a determined look in Captain Anderson’s eyes as he looked toward the darkened area in front. “Even if we end up with his dead body, we have to bring him back regardless.”
The stars in the sky were shrouded by thick clouds and the ground was rocky and uneven. There was a blanket of snow and the temperature on the ground was near zero. At that moment, several dark figures marched through the snow and their eyes were set on a cave with a slight glow not too far away from them.
The spot where the hostage was kept captive was a strategic cave that could be easily defended but hard to attack.
“Captain Lloyd, this is the furthest we can get. There are a few people standing guard, so we can only launch the drones.”
“Alright.” Richard nodded.
It was then that they launched the drone and it darted ahead like a black-feathered bird cruising silently in the dark. It arrived at the upper part of the cave and observed the terrain of the surroundings.
The drone hovered in the air and suddenly… Crack! The drone broke into pieces and disappeared down the bottom of the ridge.
“We’re exposed. We have to leave,” someone spoke in a low voice.
In the meantime, there were gunshots near the cave with a hail of bullets fired in their direction. The men on the snow covered ground quickly scrambled for cover.
“We’ve been exposed. Retreat.” The team leader gestured a retreat sign.
Instantly, every member heeded the instruction and retreated, but one of them remained in position.
“Captain Lloyd.”
“You leave.”
“Captain Lloyd, what are you trying to do? Retreat!”
However, Richard’s figure had disappeared in the snowy darkness despite the team leader’s instruction.
“He’s such a daredevil!” the team leader retorted in a huff as he led the team away temporarily.
The team leader then returned to the hiding spot of their main group. Inside the car, he had just taken a sip of warm water when Captain Anderson interrogated him, “Why isn’t Richard back? I told you to make sure you bring him back! Are you going against my order?”
“Captain Anderson, he is of the same rank as you and I’m just a little team leader. I wouldn’t be able to make him follow my instructions.” The team leader felt quite aggrieved.
“I’ve heard of this guy, Richard Lloyd, here. He has never followed any instructions,” one of the older team members piped up.
“If he had heeded instructions, then it would be virtually impossible for him to get to my rank at the age of twenty-six. Captain Anderson heaved a sigh. “Maintain constant contact with him. Perhaps he would be the key to this mission.”
“He must not get into any danger. Otherwise, it would be quite tough to explain things to the vice-president.”
“We’ve got to work seamlessly to support him. This brat is always causing trouble for me!” After Captain Anderson finished saying that, he instructed his subordinates to keep the communication system on the whole time and they were told not to miss out on any piece of information from Richard.
Amidst the flurry of gunshots, there was a figure bare-handedly climbing up the middle part of the cliff and he looked like a feral wolf as he inched closer silently.
