The Final Test – Phase Three Begins
Academy Briefing Room – Pre-Mission Directive
The cadets who remained after the brutal simulations stood in perfect formation inside the academy's secured operations room. The once-crowded competition had been whittled down to just four teams. The strongest, the smartest, the ones who had survived both the combat trials and the tactical simulations.
Bao and his team stood near the front, still feeling the weight of their near-defeat against Team Grayson. This was it. The final test. The last hurdle before selection.
Colonel Duvall's presence filled the room as he stepped forward, accompanied by two high-ranking officers—both wearing the insignia of special operations command. They weren't just academy personnel. They were from the classified program itself.
The tension in the room thickened.
"Cadets," Duvall's voice was sharp, authoritative. "Phase Three is not a game. It is not a simulation. This is a live operation."
A ripple of shock passed through the room. Live? That meant real-world variables, real dangers, real consequences.
"Your objective is simple," Duvall continued, unmoved by their reactions. "Each team will be deployed into a separate hostile zone. Your mission is to secure, extract, or eliminate—depending on your assigned directive. You will be given minimal intel. You will operate under mission conditions identical to what you will face in the field. And make no mistake—failure here will mean the end of your selection process."
Vivian's eyes flickered with excitement. "So, we're really doing this, huh?"
Jiro exhaled. "A live mission huh..."
Aiden smirked. "This just got interesting."
Desmond, ever the realist, muttered, "Or we just got thrown into something we're not ready for."
Bao, however, remained silent.
Duvall gestured to the officer beside him. "Commander Wren will provide mission details."
The woman who stepped forward had the look of someone who had seen real war. Short-cropped hair, piercing eyes, and a no-nonsense demeanor. She spoke without preamble.
"Each team will be deployed into an undisclosed location. Your objective will be given upon arrival. The conditions will be unpredictable, and the risks are real. You will be equipped with live ammunition, limited supplies, and no backup. Your success will determine whether you are fit to operate under real-world special forces conditions."
The room was silent. This wasn't just another test. This was war, on a small scale, but with real stakes.
Duvall's voice cut through the air once more. "Team assignments and deployment locations will be distributed now. You deploy at 0600. Dismissed."
The moment he finished speaking, the cadets turned to each other, murmuring as they absorbed what they had just been told. This was it.
Bao turned to his team. "We should prepare. We have less than twelve hours."
Vivian cracked her knuckles. "Time to prove we belong here."
Jiro nodded. "This will test everything we've learned. We need to be at our best."
Desmond sighed. "I hope none of us die."
Aiden grinned. "If we do, at least we'll go out with style."
Bao didn't smile. He had come too far to fail now.
0600 Hours – Deployment Zone Bravo
The transport aircraft roared as it cut through the pre-dawn sky, the interior dimly lit by red emergency lighting. The hum of the engines filled the cabin, underscored by the rhythmic clatter of weapons being checked and rechecked. Bao sat with his team, strapped into their seats, watching the countdown display as it ticked toward deployment.
Mission parameters had been vague. Their only directive so far: secure an asset inside an active war zone.
No intel on enemy numbers. No satellite recon. No backup. Just them and the unknown.
Vivian tightened her gloves, grinning despite the tension. "Gotta love when they just drop us into hell and expect results."
Jiro adjusted his gear, eyes scanning their rifles and limited supply packs. "They're testing our ability to adapt. We won't have support, so whatever we do, we need to be efficient."
Aiden rolled his shoulders. "We just need to move fast and hit hard. I bet whoever we're up against isn't expecting us."
Desmond let out a slow breath. "Or they're waiting for us. Either way, we don't have a choice now."
Bao remained silent, watching as the countdown hit its final minute. His mind was already working through possibilities.
They would be landing blind. That meant reconnaissance had to be their first priority. If they rushed in, they'd be cut down before they knew what hit them.
Commander Wren's voice crackled through their earpieces. "One minute to drop. LZ is hot. Stay low, move fast. Expect enemy presence. No confirmation on friendly assets yet."
The back hatch of the aircraft yawned open, revealing a dark landscape below. Flames flickered in the distance—buildings, vehicles, the remains of an active battlefield. Gunfire echoed across the valley as tracer rounds arced through the air.
This wasn't a training simulation.
"Go, go, go!"
They jumped.
The moment Bao's boots hit the dirt, he rolled into cover behind a wrecked vehicle, rifle raised. The others landed nearby, quickly moving into defensive positions.
First assessment:
Visibility low. Smoke from burning wreckage obscured long-range sightlines.Enemy presence confirmed. Multiple gunfire exchanges happening within a few hundred meters.No immediate friendly signals. Their asset was somewhere in the chaos.
Jiro checked his heat-visor. "Thermal signatures ahead. At least two squads engaged in combat—unknown factions."
Bao signaled for the team to stay low. "We move toward the objective, avoid engagements unless necessary. We don't know who's fighting."
Vivian peeked over cover. "That means they don't know who we are, either."
Aiden grinned. "Perfect. Let's keep it that way."
They weaved through the wreckage, hugging the shadows of collapsed structures. Distant explosions sent shockwaves through the ground, but Bao kept them moving with precise hand signals.
"Two hostiles—left flank, patrol pattern predictable," Jiro whispered, pointing toward a narrow alley.
Desmond nodded. "We bypass or take them?"
Bao considered. They couldn't risk noise, but leaving enemies behind meant potential exposure.
"Vivian, on me. Desmond, cover rear."
Like ghosts, they moved. Vivian slipped behind the first soldier in a blur, her knife finding his neck. Before the second guard could react, Bao had already neutralized him with a silenced Pistol shot.
"Clear," he murmured.
They moved deeper into the ruins.
As they neared the mission coordinates, Bao suddenly froze. He raised a fist.
Silence.
Then, through the static in their earpieces—a voice.
"...Asset located. Moving to extraction."
Someone else was already here.
Jiro's eyes widened. "Another team?"
Desmond whispered, "Or someone who wants the asset just as badly."
Vivian checked her scanner. "We need to move now. If someone else gets to them first—"
A sudden burst of gunfire.
"Go!"
They sprinted forward, weapons raised. Shadows moved in the ruined corridor ahead—figures clad in dark, unmarked armor. Not academy. Not local militia. Something else.
"Engaging!" Aiden called, firing the first shot.
The battle had begun.
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