With a creased map in hand, Percival trekked alongside Soren to a nearby abandoned mine.

At the mine's entrance, they stumbled upon a covert mark of White Tiger etched into the rock face, its meaning unclear yet undeniably significant. And there, scattered nearby, lay a cache of critical documents belonging to CK.

"Base, this is Soren. We've found the mark," Soren hollered into his headset.

A different voice crackled back, not Micah's as expected, but that of the HQ commander. "Copy that. Proceed underground."

Exchanging a glance, Percival and Soren strapped on their oxygen masks and descended into the bowels of the earth.

Markers bearing White Tiger's emblem appeared sporadically along the mine's tunnels-faded, but a trail they could follow nonetheless.

As they ventured deeper, the air grew thin, and a faint, metallic scent of blood wafted from the depths.

Suddenly, a clod of earth tumbled from directly above Percival.

"Run!" Percival barked, his eyes dark with urgency.

With lightning reflexes, Soren signaled to the team behind them, and the third squad retreated in a disciplined dash toward the exit.

Then, a thunderous collapse echoed from behind Soren.

"Captain!" He yelled.

"Get out of here. That's an order!" Percival's voice crackled through the headset as Soren could only glimpse his silhouette through the narrowing gaps in the debris.

"Captain, I'll get you out!" Soren halted along with a few others.

Percival's voice was icy. "Get lost. After you're out, find Vivienne!"

Leopold and Thomas, sensing the gravity of the situation, called out, "Captain, report your status!"

"Mine... Collapse... Get out..."

faded

close, a helicopter buzzed overhead, raining down bullets like a hailstorm. Leopold and Thomas fought back while retreating

their firepower

into the mic, "Wolf, unidentified forces

useless headset, shouting to Soren, "Comms are jammed. There's

above, Soren knew staying meant

only chance was to escape and return with reinforcements for

vowed, "Captain, wait

though not without injuries-broken limbs and, for Soren, a

headset crackled back to life with Micah's voice urging

Wolf's comms are down. Send me the coordinates of

no time to consider the consequences. They had to down the helicopters to cut off

cursed and relayed the

the fight, downing two helicopters, while

the rendezvous point, with casualties among them,

head hastily bandaged, relayed Percival's location

mix of anger and resolve. "First squad, anyone who can still move, on me." Thomas echoed the sentiment. "Second squad, with

Soren turned to follow, dizziness from blood

report and heal. Or

stormed over, nearly

there!"

his dear friend who grew up with him. There was no way he would let Percival be buried down there without doing

heavily wounded, and their lives matter, too.

him treated, then document everything

operator approached with urgent news. "Deputy director, it's the

the handset. "This is

operation? I told you to wait for satellite confirmation before

mine. When were we told to

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