Showdown.

"So he hijacked my mission?"

Aglaya shrugged her shoulders.

"I couldn't do anything about it. My dumb elder brother informed him of your mission beforehand."

Dima

"Out of jealousy or to show me my place?"

"To show you your place. The Curran family has suffered a lot of humiliation at your and Madam Sylvia's hands."

It's logical.

"Should I make preparations?"

A three-day time limit, as well as a competitor

"He is going to use those two days to prepare, right?"

"Yes. We might finish our preparations in less than 2 in comparison."

"All he wants is a victory over me."

Alex clenched his fist.

"I'll give him one."

This was his time to silence the opposing camp.

"I have a plan, but I need your input and support."

"Anything within my capacity."

An hour of back and forth followed. Right at the end, Alex let out a devilish smile.

"...And that will be the finishing blow."

The look in his eyes said it all. She was convinced.

"Absolutely crazy, but well within the range of possibility."

a graceful slap in Liam's face.

"Exactly."

He was excited about this.

------------------------------------------------------

2 days later.

The Finnish Embassy, located outside the main city of Baghdad.

"Bodysuit."

A voice in Liam's ear. It was Lucas, working as his mission handler.

"Check."

A tight fitting, hybrid black-and-orange bodysuit. The cost is $23,000.00.

"Suitcase?"

"Check."

A dismantled Barrett M82 with a custom scope and cartridge mods installed. The cost is $29,000 USD.

Custom Rockstone Liger 7 tactical pistol, 7000 dollars.

7 magazines of 22LR CCI mini mag ammunition.

2 magazines of.338 Norma Magnum.

"Have you memorized the map?"

"I have."

He took out a cylindrical vial filled with blue liquid.

"Are you going to waste it on this?"

Lucas wouldn't expect his brother to be so cautious on a one-off mission.

"Yes."

Liam popped off the lid with his finger and immediately brought the opening to his mouth. With every gulp, the newly formed burning sensation in his throat became more prominent. His pupils widened shortly after the vial was finished, indicating the onset effect of the drug.

"That's more like it."

His body felt lighter.

Feeling better than ever, he picked up his suitcase and walked out of the room.

-------------------------------

Two hours later,

'2: 28. Time to begin.'

According to the activity data from the satellite images, this was the time that the suspect's surrounding area displayed the least activity.

He tapped at the screen of his watch.

'00:00'

"Lucas, make the count."

'3...2...1..."

He lightly tapped the screen once again. The clock started to move.

He appeared in front of the first two guards.

"6'2, 6'0. dressed in the standard issue Iraqi military uniform, equipped with a vz 58."

The guards were alerted immediately, only to hear the muffled sounds of two shots that came at them without any warning. The bullets pierced through their skulls, killing them instantly.

"Two down. Disable all the cameras."

Lucas pressed enter on his keyboard from the command center. The people responsible for surveillance were only able to see the two guards getting taken out before a blackout ensued. Alerted, they contacted the other guards and directed them towards the scene.

Liam pointed his pistol in the air. There was no one in sight.

"Incoming. 4 armed guards."

The first one appeared,

"Bang!"

Headshot

Unable to slow down due to momentum, the next guard appeared.

"Bang!"

Another one.

The other two were able to raise their guns in time. They sprayed their ammo without hesitation towards the enemy. Twenty rounds later, their ammo had depleted.

'Slit.'

One single strike from behind, cutting open both of their necks simultaneously with his fingernail. The guards dropped to the ground.

"Anyone else?"

"They are waiting for confirmation."

Green light. He was cleared to enter the mansion.

"Going in."

He made his way towards the back entrance in around 40 seconds. People were sure to come and try to escape from here.

A woman and a small boy were rushing towards his direction. The woman was repeating a verse in Arabic. The sound of bullets had clearly left them in distress.

He raised his pistol and took aim. His composure didn't waver.

Two more shots went through the skull, splattering blood from the other end.

He walked slowly, avoiding the puddle of blood that was increasing in size as time went by.

"How many more?"

"Four."

"Is there any sign of the opposition?"

"No."

A satellite feed on a different monitor was constantly broadcasting the heat map of two locations.

After climbing up to the first floor, he stopped.

Right behind the corner, of the stairs, there was a man that was hiding with a gun in his hand. The sound of his breathing was audible to some extent.

"Is this him?"

He whispered into the speaker.

"Positive."

Affirmation

Liam crouched towards the ground.

'Now.'

A safety roll from the corner. One bullet in the leg, distracting the target, and one bullet in the head, finishing him off.

He got up from the ground. The next stop was the surveillance room, where he was able to eliminate all the people without any issues.

He tapped the screen to stop the timer.

"12 minutes. Well below the allotted time."

The first target was the minister of foreign affairs, Abbas Bashir.

"The distraction is in place. Time to go for Target B."