Chapter 1873 - 1550: Anomaly
At midnight, two nearly silent speedboats bypassed the Russian warship in the sea, rushing onto the beach south of Mariupol...
The leader of the Iron Wall Mercenary Group, 'One-Eye', adjusted the second-generation P.B exoskeleton patch on his body, which was a bit tight due to his weight gain...
After the speedboat landed, he drew a cross on his chest, turned around, embraced, and kissed his comrade and lover 'Little Bee', then was the first to jump off the boat.
'Little Bee' looked sympathetically at TC, who emanated a gloomy aura, patted him gently, and said in a low voice, "Follow orders after disembarking. We all want revenge, so don't act impulsively..."
TC, with a full face of stubble, nodded heavily. He glanced at Boss Joe and the others on the other boat and said, "I know..."
'Little Bee' didn't continue comforting TC but instead called over a nearby comrade, strapped on a heavy backpack, and jumped into the sea. Using a rope, they towed the speedboat towards the rocks, intending to hide it in case it was needed later.
While the Iron Wall Mercenary Group was in action, Boss Joe and the others already disappeared into the darkness...
Nis, who was in charge of leading them, came over...
She took a glance at the expressionless TC, nodded slightly, and said, "We'll take another route..."
TC listened and said hoarsely, "We're not acting with the boss?"
Nis shook her head and said, "We're responsible for outer cover, pinning down the enemy's main forces.
There are too many buildings in Mariupol, so aerial reconnaissance isn't very effective, but what we can confirm is that there are more enemies on the outskirts, and they can always call for support from within the city.
Our task is to hold off the dangers until the boss and the others complete their mission."
Not being much of a talker, Nis looked into TC's eyes and said seriously, "Jemma is also my friend. I understand your worry, but you need to trust the boss!"
TC's mouth trembled slightly, and he nodded and said, "Thank you!"
Nis waved her hand, turned around, and advanced in another direction, saying, "No need to thank among ourselves!
Our task is heavy; you must stay sharp!"
'One-Eye' covered the two speedboats with camouflage cloth, called his mates, and followed Nis.
As he passed by TC, 'One-Eye' hesitated for a moment and said, "Jemma is important to those people, so she must be safe.
We're all angry, but professionals must do professional things!
Don't hold us back..."
After TC silently followed, a middle-aged soldier from the Iron Wall Mercenary Group caught up with 'Little Bee' and asked in a low voice, "Was that the Devil Bird?"
'Little Bee' looked at Nis's back with reverence and nodded, "That's right, she's the Queen Devil Bird of Tubruq!
Consider yourselves lucky that you didn't encounter her during that mission in Liberia back then!"
The middle-aged soldier was a bit stunned and shook his head, "I meant why would the boss and lady boss of P.B take such risks?
What if..."
'Little Bee' sneered and said, "Because that couple is like lions...
Do you know why so many people gather around them?
Because those people know, whenever needed, they would fight for their own people!"
The middle-aged man shook his head slightly and said, "As a bodyguard, I'll never understand..."
'Little Bee' laughed and said, "That's why you're just a bodyguard!
If you step out of the bodyguard mindset and think as an ordinary person, who do you think is more worthy of following compared to those big shots inside Mariupol?
The subordinates of those big shots have a limit to their willpower and stress resistance, but P.B's soldiers are willing to fight to the death for their boss!"
Looking at the silent 'One-Eye' walking ahead, 'Little Bee' slightly shook her head and said, "'One-Eye', would you still find him trustworthy if he gave up on revenge like a normal person?"
The middle-aged man said with a wry smile, "I'm just not used to fighting alongside big shots; it's hard for me to concentrate then..."
'Little Bee' sneered and said, "First, you must keep up with their pace to be qualified to say that.
Buddy, we've been slackers these two years. Otherwise, Jemma wouldn't have been kidnapped!
This is our shame!
If we can't prove ourselves reliable, the Iron Wall Mercenary Group has no future!"
The middle-aged man said no more after hearing this. He nodded silently, seemingly having resolved something, adjusted his heavy backpack, dimmed the transmitter on him, and took long strides to catch up with the team...
...............
Joe Ga and their actions were swift…
The Ferryman was an old comrade, and both parties found a tacit understanding with little need for communication.
In the dark suburbs, two teams spread 50 meters apart, skirting the main roads, swiftly approaching the target location by treading on the rubble in the suburbs.
The four old monsters replaced the others from Team A. Initially, Joe Ga felt slightly unaccustomed to it.
However, after a short distance, Joe Ga found traits similar to Karman in them, and the slight unfamiliarity in his heart quickly vanished...
Spider and Leech, holding RPK light machine guns, were in charge of scouting, while Vine and Crocodile, one armed with a VSS silent rifle and the other equipped with a PKM similar to Ayu's with a Scorpion Backpack, positioned themselves about 10 meters around Boss Joe...
The mechanical big cat had already vanished into the night, marking all possible danger spots along the route for the advancing teams, keeping the teams' pace brisk.
After advancing for about 50 minutes in the dark, Joe Ga and the others bypassed several Russian roadblocks and finally reached the fringe of Mariupol's downtown area.
The surroundings were a dilapidated factory and warehouse area, most buildings collapsed, and the crater-riddled surroundings indicated fierce skirmishes had occurred there...
Joe Ga, through night vision, noticed several broken corpses lying around the corner of a building and activated the communicator, saying, "We stop here; going further leads into the combat zone..."
Seeing the Ferryman quickly enter a building for cover on the flank, Joe Ga signaled Team A to crouch by an abandoned armored vehicle. He then again activated the communicator, saying, "This is Team A; we have arrived at the rendezvous point..."
Soon, the communicator crackled with the hoarse voice of 'Crow'...
"Boss, head 500 meters north across the factory; we're waiting for you by the roadside. There's something here you should see..."
Joe Ga, frowning, replied, "10 minutes, wait for me..."
...............
Nis led the team, bypassing the Russian forces from another direction under Antar's guidance and entering Mariupol...
Once they reached the first chosen footing, Antar launched a drone...
The footage obtained by the drone soon appeared on the tactical computer...
Antar, leaning against a hidden corner, carefully looked at the computer in her hand. A few minutes later, she marked the nearest route and noticed some unusual circumstances...
"This is Owl; everyone, pay attention, the Ukranian forces inside Mariupol are on the move..."
After issuing the warning, Antar frowned and continued to maneuver the drone to broaden the reconnaissance range, muttering under her breath, "What are they up to? What are they up to?"
Soon Antar's eyes widened in surprise, "122 howitzers, their target is those Russian Tulip mortar positions; they're planning a counterattack..."
Antar then pressed the communicator, saying, "Boss, the Ukrainian forces are moving east in Mariupol, their target likely being the Russian Tulip mortar positions...
This doesn't make sense; without outer coordination, they can't break through!"
............
Having received the information, Joe Ga decisively said, "Forget everything else and keep an eye on the maternity hospital...
That's our real target!"