Chapter 19
7:00 PM
The northern skies over Ursus had long since darkened, shrouded in thick, unnatural black clouds—the lingering remnants of a past natural disaster. With the moonlight completely obscured, Mandel City was drowned in pitch-black silence.
The Death mercenary team, consisting of nine operatives led by ACE, moved cautiously through the ruined streets. Alongside them were Vina and her Glasgow Gang members, bringing their total to twenty. Each step was measured, careful, as they pressed forward into the unknown.
A sharp crack broke the silence.
"Oof!" Yoren stumbled over loose rubble, nearly pitching forward.
A firm grip caught his arm from behind, steadying him before he could fall.
"Careful, you idiot," Kate murmured.
Yoren sighed in frustration. That was the fifth time he'd tripped tonight.
Indra led the group up front, guiding the way alongside other Glasgow members. ACE's Death squad secured the rear. Even though Yoren was positioned in the safest part of the formation, he kept finding ways to get himself bruised.
He shot Kate an apologetic smile, but in the pitch-black surroundings, he could barely make out his friend's face.
This was a major problem.