MasukFor all his temper, Cola kept it under control and didn't react, letting the man finish peeing.When the tattooed lookout was done, he gave himself a satisfied shake and walked off.Cola stayed low and waited until the lookout's attention shifted, then slipped under the truck and crawled forward. He placed the charge against the inner side of the fuel tank exactly as he had been ordered.Perfect.He didn't pull back right away. He checked it over several times until he was sure, then turned to leave.Even with the job done, Cola stayed cautious, slipping into the grass and finding a shallow dirt hollow farther away to hide.Watching through his scope, Zeph followed every move and couldn't help thinking Cola was the best dog in the world.After a tense exchange, Drakehold Base finally gave way. The door of one SUV opened as a tall man stepped out.From her angle, Nicole could only make out the helmet and body armor, not enough to confirm if he was the leader of Drakehold Base.
With Poppy still at Ironvale Base, Nicole had no real choice but to agree.Zeph secured the two packs, then rubbed Cola's head. "Don't push your luck. If you're spotted, pull out right away."Cola held their gaze, steady and unflinching.Nicole's eyes burned as she stroked his head, unwilling to let go. "Listen to me. No matter what happens, you come first."She didn't want Cola to be stupid and get himself killed, like he did in her past life. It wasn't worth it.Right then, vehicles from Drakehold Base rolled in and stopped one by one about 50 yards away. Armed thugs jumped down from the trucks first, spreading out beside them with a hard, aggressive presence.Both sides cared about saving face, so neither rushed to get out first.The Drakehold vehicles were parked at an angle. It looked messy at a glance, but anyone experienced could read the setup.The two trucks formed a V, boxing the SUV in the middle. Parked like that, they could use the vehicles as cover if things went
Nicole finally relented. "There is. Tell me your plan. Once this is over, I'll let you walk."The man hesitated. "You're with Ironvale Base?"That didn't make sense. If Ironvale had people like this, they wouldn't be losing ground."Maybe. Maybe not." Nicole racked the slide. "You wanna live or not?"Of course he did. He had no intention of dying here. If Drakehold didn't work out, he could always move to another base. No reason to throw his life away.So he told them everything. Personnel, layout, the full plan. He held nothing back, just hoping they would keep their word.Nicole did. She decided to keep him alive until tomorrow.To be safe, Zeph found a hidden cave and stashed him there, stripping his clothes off in the process.The man trembled. "Hey, come on. At least leave me my underwear."Underwear? Not a chance.They took everything, tied him up, and shoved two tablets into his mouth, enough to keep him out cold for the next 24 hours.He struggled, but one look at Co
Poppy didn't want Zeph and Nicole to go, but in the end, she nodded."I'll take care of myself."Nicole packed their things while Zeph handed Poppy a suppressed handgun, signaling for her to hide it somewhere safe.She hid it well enough that no one would ever find it.They stayed with her for a while. Around midnight, the two of them and Cola got ready to leave.Cola lingered, rubbing against Poppy again and again before finally stepping back. They left her with enough food. Zeph reminded her to lock the door before turning to go.Nicole found Anthony. "You know what Zeph and I are like. We're all on the same side now. Leaving Poppy here should be more than enough to show we're serious. If we come back and anything's happened to her, you know exactly what that means."Anthony raised a hand. "Relax. I'll treat her like my own kid. If anyone touches her, I'll take their head off myself."Zeph started the engine, but before pulling away, he glanced up at the window. The room wa
The plan was set, and Zeph went back to rest.The next day, Felix sent word to Drakehold Base to arrange a meeting, while Nicole asked him for explosives and gasoline."What do you need those for?" Felix asked.Nicole didn't bother sugarcoating it. "If Cola doesn't train first, what happens if he gets tired halfway or drops it in the wrong place?"Felix smacked his forehead. "Right, my mistake." He gave the order right away, then added, "But that stuff's dangerous. If he runs around the base with a live charge and someone panics and fires, we've got a problem. How about this? Train with dirt first. Use the real thing when it counts."Nicole nodded. "Fine, but don't forget the sniper rifle. We're not providing manpower and weapons. We can't get one ourselves anyway.""No problem. I'll take care of it."What a slippery guy. He wasn't letting anything slip.That evening, Felix stood on the villa balcony with binoculars, watching Cola run drills with a heavy dummy charge, sprinti
Felix nodded, seeing the logic. If both sides fought to the end, there would be nothing left for him to control. A title meant nothing without people behind it.Nicole added, "Cut off the head, and the rest fall apart."Felix shook his head. "I've thought about it. Their boss is careful. He doesn't show himself."Nicole gave a faint smile. "What if you invited him to talk?"Felix paused.She went on, "You've been going back and forth for days. Neither side gained anything. Keep it up, and you both lose. If you can get him to show up, everything else gets easier."Felix still hesitated. "Just get him to show up?""Don't forget what Zeph used to do," Nicole said, her tone steady. "He's dealt with dangerous people his whole career. Ambush is what he's best at. With the right rifle, 3,000 yards isn't an issue. Take out their leader, and the rest won't hold."That was exactly why Felix had been treating Zeph so well.Still, he frowned. "Even if the shot lands, what about the scene?
Nicole forgot to close the door behind her on the way out, and the rabbits barreled straight into Zeph's apartment. They piled over one another in pursuit of the cockroaches, filling the place with loud crunching sounds as they tore into them.Even Zeph was stunned.After clearing out the apartmen
Instead of agreeing with Nicole, Zeph actually looked a little guilty. "No."He wasn't into sweets, so he held a cup of coffee instead. "Honestly, I feel like I haven't been helping you enough."He was talking about the farming inside the storage space. Planting crops was exhausting physical wor
When it came to love, Hughie considered himself an expert."Babe, I was hooked the second I saw you."Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Hooked? You were obviously just..."She wasn't stupid. Hughie hadn't fallen in love at first sight. He had simply been stunned by how fierce she was.And a
Nicole couldn't be bothered explaining all the reasons behind it. She grabbed the walkie-talkie instead. "Hang on. I've got something for you guys."She carried the clothes over to Hughie's apartment, making no effort to hide her generosity. "Made these myself. Hurry up and try them on."Jeremy







