The snow in the castle had yet to melt.
The path leading to the prison, a vast expanse of white, instantly transformed into a blood-red corridor.
Sanren, alongside the 141 special forces team, charged at the forefront, skillfully clearing out every guard who emerged from the blind spots.
Despite sustaining injuries, he rarely faced death when fighting alongside his powerful teammates.
Concentrated attacks and coordinated pushes, under Old Mai's leadership, ensured clear division of labor.
Sanren was responsible for clearing the path of common grunts, Old Mai covered the flanks, while Ghost infiltrated the control room to locate the prisoner.
Bug and the others were tasked with covering their rear.
Soon, Ghost's clear voice echoed through their earpieces, "The control room is just ahead! I can find the prisoner there!"
"I'll hack into their system to find the prisoner! This will take a moment!"
Old Mai: "Roger that, Xiaojiang. Let's go check the cells."
"Roger!"
Sanren's hearty laughter filled the air: "Hahaha, I'm wondering, what *can't* Ghost do?"
Reconnaissance, interrogation, and today, he showcased his hacking skills. A truly all-around soldier!
After picking up an AK47 from a fallen enemy, Sanren, like a war god, wreaked havoc in the prison corridors!
Less than three minutes later, Ghost delivered good news: "I'm in!"
"I can now see your movements through the surveillance cameras."
Old Mai: "Roger. Can you confirm 627's location?"
"Negative."
Ghost replied, "But I've activated your spotlights. Any enemies pursuing you will be completely exposed!"
"Roger!"
Old Mai glanced at Sanren, then nodded, "Stay alert. The target might be in one of these rooms."
Sanren followed Old Mai deeper into the complex, stopping before the main hub's iron door.
The heavily reinforced door stood shut, barring their progress.
"Ghost, we're blocked by a security door. Hurry and find a way to open it!"
When in doubt, find Ghost. It was always the right move.
"Working on it..."
A rare hint of fluster entered Ghost's voice through the earpiece, "These systems are ancient!"
Upon hearing Ghost's response, Sanren couldn't help but chuckle. He could already picture the furrowed brow beneath the skull mask as he stared blankly at a pile of antique equipment.
*Creak—*
The iron door about three meters ahead slowly creaked open, while the door before them remained immobile.
The situation turned awkward.
"Ghost, you opened the wrong door!" Old Mai stated coldly after a moment of stunned silence.
'Old Mai: Ghost, you damn fool, you opened the wrong door!'
'Ghost's lifelong reputation might be ruined before this security door.'
'Hahahaha, opened the wrong door. Just how old *is* this equipment?'
'Ghost, looking at the electronic relics of the last century, cursed and quit the game.'
......
"Roger, wait...."
Ghost scratched his head, then confidently returned, "Got it!"
The security door swung open with a resounding click.
"Now that's more like it. Let's go! Let's go!"
Old Mai kicked open the iron door, teasingly.
The moment the security door opened, Sanren burst through, swiftly eliminating the enemies in the prison corridor and meticulously checking every room.
None of the rooms triggered a mission objective, clearly indicating the target wasn't held here.
As expected, after their fruitless search, Old Mai contacted Ghost, "Ghost, do you copy? The target prisoner isn't in these cells!"
"Copy that! Prisoner 627 has been moved to the East Wing. Go directly through the armory in the center; that's the fastest route."
Upon hearing Ghost's update, Sanren charged towards the armory without hesitation. He quickly restocked his ammunition, grabbed a ballistic shield, and rapidly moved east.
The ballistic shield was incredibly useful in these narrow corridors, especially when a squad of guards armed with infrared assault rifles emerged from the opposite hallway.
As red targeting dots flooded Sanren's chest, he knew the ballistic shield was now responsible for his very life.
*Thump-thump-thump!*
Bullets struck the ballistic shield. Though it developed cracks, it perfectly deflected all incoming fire.
"Shields are invincible!"
Sanren charged forward with the shield raised, his fearless silhouette resembling a war god!
"If only I could bring this out of the castle. It would make future missions so much easier."
His wish was simple, yet so far away.
*BANG!!*
With a deafening explosion, the wall to the left of the lower level, less than three meters from Sanren, was blasted open. The shockwave from the blast sent him flying and crashing to the ground.
If he hadn't instinctively raised his shield, the blast wave might have spelled his doom.
However, the shield shattered, having sacrificed itself for him.
"Damn it! What the hell was that?"
Sanren roared in fury. The angle and power of the strike clearly indicated it wasn't from the castle guards.
There was only one possibility.
"Sheffield, what the hell are you doing? Tell the Navy to stand down!" Old Mai bellowed through the earpiece.
Sheffield: "Those Navy guys are being difficult right now. Stand by."
"So it *was* friendly fire?"
Sanren was enraged. The Navy's actions clearly showed they didn't value the lives of their team.
Such a move would surely break the morale of these special forces members who risked their lives for them!
And what about Sheffield?
How could a Lieutenant General not have this much authority? Could the Navy bypass him and launch heavy ordnance?
And he didn't even seem angry?
Was this the reaction a Lieutenant General should have when his subordinates were being shelled?
Or perhaps...
Sanren entertained a fleeting conspiracy theory, but quickly dismissed it. He had absolute trust in Task Force 141.
Sheffield: "Old Mai, the Navy has agreed to stand down. Maintain contact."
"Roger." Old Mai raised his arm. "Xiaojiang, keep up!"
Ghost: "The cameras in the detention area aren't responding. The power to that sector must have been cut."
Old Mai, panting, replied, "Roger, Xiaojiang, switch to night vision goggles."
Night vision goggles were a godsend, an absolute artifact for these dimly lit underground areas.
Following Old Mai's instructions, Sanren activated the night vision scope mounted on his AK47 and aimed.
Instantly, his vision turned a verdant green.
Enemies lurking in the shadows were quickly revealed.
Sanren didn't hesitate. His advantage was greater in night combat, and the narrow underground passages offered few obstructions.
The moment an enemy's head appeared, it became fodder for his gun.
Soon, they passed through the dark passage and entered a brightly lit area. At this point, Ghost's voice alerted them:
"The washroom is thirty feet ahead on your left. You'll need to blast through the wall to get in."
Without a second thought, Sanren produced a pre-prepared breaching charge and affixed it to the wall.
*BOOM!*
The instant the breaching charge blew open the wall, Sanren charged in, transforming into a washroom warrior and leaving the guards there utterly annihilated.
Though he accidentally hit Old Mai a few times during the commotion, judging by his current energetic state, he seemed to be fine.
Sanren crawled through the large hole in the washroom wall, following Old Mai to the two heat signatures Ghost had detected.
He surmised that one of them was the mission target, 627. They were now separated by only a single wall.
Sanren and Old Mai each produced a breaching charge and stuck it to the wall.
*RUMBLE—*
As the explosion echoed, Sanren instantly flashed inside.
Something was moving in his field of vision.
Two people... no, one living person dragging a dead one, relentlessly approaching.
Sanren instinctively raised his gun, but the person was faster, delivering a punch that sent Sanren crashing to the ground.
As his vision cleared, a black gun barrel was pointed directly at his head. A middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper beard, breathing heavily and wearing a navy-blue beret, held the firearm steady.
Old Mai instantly appeared behind the man, raising his pistol to his head, and warned, "Drop your weapon."
"Soap?"
The man turned his head with a look of confusion. Old Mai, recognizing the man's face, took half a step back and holstered his pistol. "Price?"
He handed his pistol to Price: "Sir, it's yours."
The unspoken understanding in their eyes, their movements, and their dialogue all revealed a deep bond forged in the past.
This scene, brimming with camaraderie, left the audience like excited onlookers at a festival, scrambling for more.
......