Hollywood Zenith

Chapter 476 Rescue-5

Arthur and Steve knew how dangerous this mission was, but somehow, their boss gathered the intel about the threats, which meant he was already prepared or asked Zero for help beforehand. Elise might be an unexpected victim, so he was rushing his plan.

" Are you sure it's the right place?" Steve asked Jane over the radio.

" I checked; Adrian also identified several more digital footprints that looked normal on the surface, but by digging deeper, most of the businesses hadn't been doing any transactions for the past few days."

" They must have taken over temporarily. I don't know what they are planning, but their capabilities are evident to suppress the news of casualties." Arthur added. He knew that such large movements were bound to be discovered by locals; the best way to shut them up was to make it look like an accident.

" But how are we going to proceed without anyone noticing? There are still a lot of people here. With our numbers, we are bound to be discovered sooner or later." Cho said seriously. It was one thing to fight on the battlefield, but this type of urban warfare on foreign soil was tricky.

If they did get discovered, all sorts of inquiries would lead them straight to Samuel. It was an unexpected outcome!

" Sir, we can act as decoy-" one of the ghost soldiers was about to say something, but Arthur shut him up.

" Didn't you hear what young master said? There should be no casualties! We already know their location; don't tell me you couldn't execute such a simple mission?"

Those who were having second thoughts and those who were thinking about sacrificing immediately shut their mouth. It was one thing to value their life, but with how warmly Samuel had treated everyone, it was a shame they were doubting themselves under pressure.

Who here hasn't gone through countless life-and-death situations? Who hasn't enjoyed extremely preferential treatment under Samuel's umbrella? When that person said they could do it, how dare they doubt him?

" We can!" Everyone resolved themselves. Seeing their proud faces, Arthur could only sigh with admiration toward Samuel. Their doubt vanished into thin air with the simple mention of his name.

" Now that you are thinking clearly, let me tell you the plan." Jane, who was hearing over the radio, started talking. Even if she wanted to comfort them, she didn't have that luxury!

" Split into three teams first. Three bases near your vicinity house, two individuals each. The boss had relayed some of the information while scouting; they have high-tech gear, but their guard seems to be down because of their flawless victory."

" Good, I will take one base; Steve and Cho lead one team each and have a few people from your team to act as support. We have a few suppressed subsonic .308; use those only in case of emergency. Just perched up in the tallest building here and act as our eyes and ears." Arthur fleshed out their plan.

" Why are you going alone?"

" I work best alone. Don't worry about me, and right when we enter their attack zone, kill all the cameras. Do as much as possible because we have no evidence left behind."

" Alright, we will wait for your signal." Jane agreed. She talked to Adrian, and by the mention of it, he was unsure if he could block it entirely, but he could do it for crucial locations.

Fortunately, he was staying in the same hotel that Emma was staying in; without a proper warrant, it would be impossible for law enforcement to raid his room even if he was discovered. He relied on Jane's promise to get him out of the country, whatever happens!

" Check the equipment one more time and head out! We will meet at the designated location!" Arthur gave the command as they all separated three different ways. They didn't head straight ahead; instead, they took more obscure routes, which were longer but would be undetected until they reached their target.

Excluding Arthur, both other teams employed the help of ghost soldiers to navigate through the public. They were most adaptable in hiding, so it was only suitable for them to act as guides.

Arthur was sprinting in the back alley while shielding his body under the cast shadows; he was going for the enemy in a three-story residential house at the highest point. Preliminary reports indicated that the building was half empty, making it a prime location for unlawful activities.

His movements were agile as he jumped onto a ledge and accessed the first floor, seeing the empty flat. There were only a few junks on the balcony, which he skillfully maneuvered through to reach the front door.

He looked outside through the pinhole and saw no activities; quietly opening the door and peeking out, the place looked deserted. Seeing the perfect window of opportunities, he moved up through the stairs on his nimble feet. Even in old age, his assassination skills were not rusty.

Even Samuel didn't know the story behind Arthur's arrival in the Rothschild family. Still, he did know about his superior skill and several open files in most intelligence agencies worldwide. It spoke volumes about his notoriety across the globe!

" I am in position." He whispered and entered the suspected room with a kick. As he expected, he had caught them red-handed; one was in the kitchen making a meal while the other one was cleaning his gun. Both were shocked to see an old man entering their room.

The first thought that came to their mind was that he must be lost, but when they saw him pull out a pistol, they knew they had! Two shots and they were dead; their lifeless eyes didn't even have time to reflect what they did wrong!

" Clear."

Meanwhile, Steve was in a bookstore, slowly entering through the backdoor. He had just heard that the old man had cleared his target and was in a hurry, but the ghost soldier immediately stopped him and pointed at a wire at his foot.

" Booby trap?" He exclaimed, to which the soldier nodded. He didn't know what would have happened if he entered the door mindlessly like before. It made him focus again as he carefully inspected the triggering device.

There was no room for them to enter directly, so one person had to climb up the safe window and disable the detonation device.

" I will go. It's a crude device; I had seen many of them in my deployment." Someone said from the back while Steve nodded. They were inside the store within a few minutes, listening for movements. The ghost soldier took the lead, scouted for the team, and returned after a few seconds to inform them.

" Two like we expected, one upstairs looking out the window and another on at the counter. The store sign says closed, so we don't have to worry about civilians."

" Okay, we will split and take them out simultaneously. Say 'go' when you have them in sight. And stay alert for any more unexpected situations." Steve said, but he was a little embarrassed, reminding others when he was the one that messed up earlier.

He sent the ghost soldier upstairs with two other men and took the other two with him. They crawled on the floor for a few meters and hid behind the heavy bookshelf for cover. The lower target was at the farthest corner, so they made their way while minimizing their footprint.

Slowly creeping toward the entrance, Steve saw the enemy for the first time. The man looked normal, but looking at his build, Steve could tell about his special training. The man was constantly looking outside like he was trying to find something. Unbeknownst to him, the perpetrators had already set him in their crosshairs.

" Go." Steve heard over the radio and took the shot. It landed dead center into his right temple, and his head exploded into a million pieces. They were using a different gun from Samuel, so the firepower caused more destruction upon impact!

" Clear."

Just then, they heard a few distressed messages from their last team. Cho was screaming, scolding one of his men at the top of his lungs. It looked like something went wrong with his mission.

" I told you to put the safety off! No matter how nervous you are, it didn't make you trigger happy!"

" What's going on?" Before Steve could ask, Arthur asked him on their shared channel.

" That's one of the idiots who alerted the enemies right before we went inside. We hurriedly took care of one person, but the other went inside the storage room."

" You let him escape?" Steve was baffled; it was a mistake that they couldn't incur on such a precious mission!

" NO! He is down, but I don't know what he said over the radio. It took us ten seconds to pry open the door. He was unarmed, but the radio was still with him!"

" Fuck! If he alerted the others-" Right when Steve was feeling bitter, Samuel's voice flowed through everyone's headpiece.

" It's alright. I have heard his transmission; he alerted the home base, but I am already inside. I have yet to find Elise, but there would be no reinforcements, so proceed as usual."

Usual? Main base? Inside? Everyone was shocked to hear Samuel's revelation!