Chapter 56 – The First Strike

The frozen wind howled through the night, biting at my exposed skin as I peered down at the Syndicate's outpost through my binoculars. The place was more fortified than I'd anticipated—barricades, guard towers, and reinforced steel plating over key entry points.

Ray crouched beside me, gripping his rifle. "They're prepared."

"Yeah," I muttered, lowering the binoculars. "Carter gave them everything he knew about us."

Silence hung between us for a moment. We both knew what that meant—this wouldn't be an easy fight.

But it was a fight we had to win.

I tapped my earpiece. "Phase one, go."

Sabotage in the Shadows

Lena and her team moved first, slipping through the darkness toward the outpost's perimeter. Their job was simple—disable communications and plant charges on key structures.

I watched as they crept between shadows, careful not to alert the guards. Within minutes, the outpost's main comms tower powered down. The guards on duty tapped their earpieces, confused.

"Now," I whispered.

Daniel fired. A suppressed shot barely made a sound, but a Syndicate guard collapsed instantly. His partner barely had time to react before Ray was on him, blade flashing in the moonlight.

One by one, we silently cleared the outer patrols.

Then the first explosion ripped through the compound.

The Fight Begins

The fireball erupted from a fuel depot, sending metal debris flying. Alarms blared as Syndicate fighters scrambled for weapons.

The second explosion blew apart their outer barricades.

By the time they realized what was happening, we were already moving in.

Ray led the first assault team, pushing through the smoke and debris, cutting down anyone in their way. Lena's team had infiltrated the main structure, moving to seize control of the command center. Daniel stayed back, sniping high-value targets.

I moved with the second wave, rifle raised. I wasn't here just to lead—I was here to win.

Gunfire erupted around us.

The Syndicate was recovering faster than expected.

They weren't just disorganized thugs anymore.

Carter had prepared them.

Unexpected Resistance

Bullets tore through the air as I dived behind a concrete barrier. The Syndicate wasn't panicking like before.

They were coordinated.

A machine gun nest roared to life, cutting down one of our men before we could react. I gritted my teeth. "They set up kill zones."

"Yeah, and they know exactly where we'd enter," Ray muttered. He peeked out, fired off a few rounds, then ducked back behind cover. "Carter didn't just tell them about our base—he told them about our tactics."

Damn it.

I accessed my system interface.

[Tactical Response Activated]

Information flooded my vision—enemy positions, angles, weaknesses.

I rerouted our teams, sending Lena's group through an unexpected entry point while Daniel took a detour to flank the machine gun nest.

A few tense moments passed. Then—

BOOM.

An explosion rocked the structure as Lena's team breached through the side wall. At the same time, Daniel's sniper round silenced the machine gunner.

The tide was shifting.

We pushed forward, tearing through the remaining defenders. The Syndicate had reinforcements, but they weren't as trained as our fighters. One by one, their forces collapsed.

Victory… But Not Without Consequences

Fifteen minutes later, the compound was ours. Fires burned across the battlefield as we secured the last of the Syndicate stragglers.

I stood in the command center, scanning the terminals. The data was wiped.

Carter had been smart enough to keep their real operations hidden.

Ray entered, blood smeared on his arm. "We did it."

"Yeah," I muttered. But something felt… off.

This wasn't their main base. This was just an outpost.

Carter had fed us a distraction while the real Syndicate forces regrouped.

I exhaled. "This war isn't over."

Ray nodded. "Then we'd better get ready for the next fight."

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James and his team successfully attacked the Syndicate's outpost, but Carter had already prepared them!

Do you think attacking first was the right move?

What do you think Carter and the Syndicate will do next?

Drop your thoughts in the comments!