Team Leader

John's POV:

I was busy chatting with my friends when I heard a woman's voice calling me.

"Hi! Excuse me, is this the Scavengers' car?" She pointed towards the car.

"Yes, this car belongs to the Scavengers. May I know who you both are?" I asked, noticing the beauty of the woman who approached me. She had an alluring presence, and the other woman seemed more serious. I didn't recall seeing them before in the Scavengers, so they must be new.

"I'm Agatha, and this is Sel-" Agatha began introducing herself, but the other woman cut her off abruptly.

"How old are you?" the intimidating woman asked, giving me a thorough examination from head to foot. I was taken aback by her direct question.

"Hahaha! Sorry about that. She's quite funny. This is my friend Selena, we're guests," Agatha explained, smiling at me. Ah, they were guests. That explained why I didn't recognize them.

"Hahaha!, it's fine. I'm 25 years old. By the way, I'm John. Can you wait here for a moment? I'll just call the person in charge of this mission," I said, excusing myself from them.

After a short walk, I arrived at the small tent where the camp leaders gathered for tactical information regarding the raid.

I spotted Hunter talking to someone who appeared to be the leader of Phoenix. Hunter was the right-hand man of the Scavengers, known for being reliable, trustworthy, and wise. That's why he was chosen for this mission.

The raid on Daza posed significant risks, particularly due to the nature of its execution. Our sources had informed us that the raid would take place underground, specifically within one of the tunnels connecting Daza to Paneli. Paneli was a small town located near the Safe Zone in the black market. Interestingly, rumors circulated about this particular tunnel, suggesting that it had served as an underground base for steel production in the distant past. However, these were mere rumors, as the tunnel's existence and layout remained shrouded in mystery. It was said to have been constructed over a hundred years ago, and no maps or reliable information had been discovered. Furthermore, there was nobody in the present who possessed detailed knowledge of the area.

The lack of concrete information added an additional layer of uncertainty and intrigue to the upcoming raid. The organization that are present now would need to rely on their and their leaders' skills, experience, and resourcefulness to navigate the underground labyrinth and accomplish their mission successfully. There's also a source that tip use that they saw human survivors inside which is highly doubtable cause the tunnel is too old and there are a lot of infected in there.

When I saw Hunter finish his conversation with the Phoenix leader, I seized the opportunity and called him over.

"Hey, Hunter! Can I talk to you for a moment? The guests are here," I said, catching his attention. He excused himself from everyone at the table.

"Where were they?" he asked, adjusting his red handband. Each person wore a handband indicating their position red for leaders, blue for guests, and black for everyone else, representing their organization with a logo on it.

"Wait, you didn't mention that the guests are girls!" I exclaimed, playfully teasing him. "Wow, you've become quite secretive now."

Hunter abruptly stopped and looked at me with a confused expression. "What?" he asked, clearly taken aback.

"Seriously, Hunt, do I need to repeat myself? THE GUESTS ARE WOMEN!" I emphasized, raising an eyebrow. "Yikes! They didn't mention who the guests would be, did they?"

I couldn't fathom why Hunter seemed so surprised. I had assumed that the guests were there to help us with the raid for safety purposes, and I didn't underestimate women in any way, but still, it caught me off guard.

"They only mentioned that they would assist us during the raid," Hunter clarified, continuing to walk ahead.

"Well, they're beautiful, if you ask me," I remarked, wiggling my eyebrows mischievously and wearing a teasing smile. I wanted to see his reaction.

"Cut it out, Jhone," Hunter warned, his tone serious. "They are our guests."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, I just given him a heads up so that he could mentally prepare for what he was about to encounter.

Hunter POV

As I arrived at the spot where Jhone had left the guests, I realized he wasn't joking about them being women. I couldn't help but admit that they were indeed beautiful. Jhone, being his usual mischievous self, couldn't resist making a small laugh at my reaction. What a punk.

"Hi! You must be the team leader. I'm Agatha, and this is Selena," one of the women introduced herself, extending her hand for a handshake.

"Yes, Jhone mentioned both of you, including your names. Thank you for joining us," I replied, finding Agatha to be quite easy-going.

"This truck in front will be the one we'll be using to reach Daza. We'll be leaving in about an hour," I informed them.

Selena spoke up, her arms resting on her hips. "So we won't be leaving right away? It'll be dark by the time we reach Daza, and you know how difficult it is to set up camp in the dark not to mention the infected on the road, especially with this number of people."

"Yes, you're right. It will be dark, but don't worry, the camps are already set up at Daza," I assured her. However, she didn't seem satisfied with my response. Unfortunately, there wasn't much we could do about it. It was a decision agreed upon by all the team leaders. Besides, the other team from the capital had already arrived at Daza, and they would ensure everything was safe on the other end.

"Let it be, Agatha. They seem prepared for their death," Selena remarked, her words not sitting well with me. Without further ado, She proceeded to climb into the back of the truck, followed by Agatha.

And Jhone whispered "looks like our guest are not pleased." Then pat my shoulder and started to walk towards the others and stated to get the equipment's in the truck.

"owwgh!, god I forgot to give their equipment seriously hunter hayyys!" me while having my stupid time I forgot to give the guest their equipment.

Agatha POV

"You don't have to say it like that, Selena. You know that everyone, including us, is scared. Can't you be a little more considerate with your words? Not everyone will understand your bluntness," I reprimanded Selena gently. I understood her worries, but her approach lacked tact.

"What do you want me to say then? That everything will be fine?" Selena retorted, taking a seat on the floor of the truck and leaning against the back with her eyes closed.

"No, but...but you can at least be nicer about it," I insisted, still standing and facing her. She had always been a bit short-tempered, and it frustrated me at times.

I sigh "okay let's just forget about it and wait for the others." Then I added "By the way, did you notice the team leader was quite attractive?" I changed the subject, hoping to lighten the mood.

"You're too old for him, and you fine every guys attractive Agatha" Selena replied matter-of-factly, causing me to playfully kick her foot. She didn't have to say that.

"I'm not that old, excuse you, granny!" I retorted, pretending to be offended and laugh. But then I couldn't help myself and added, "But seriously, he's hot." I saw Selena shaking her head, clearly amused by my comment.

"You never change, Agatha," she said, chuckling softly. "Always finding someone attractive in the most unexpected situations."

I shrugged playfully. "What can I say? I appreciate beauty when I see it."

As we sat there, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, the tension from earlier seemed to dissipate. Selena and I shared a bond built through countless missions and experiences together. Despite her occasional bluntness, we understood each other well.

Its noon when, I noticed everyone starting to gather near their respective trucks, preparing to head to Daza. I glanced at Selena, who still seemed disinterested on what's happening.

Men were carrying large cases, all though I wasn't sure of their exact contents, the smell of gunpowder gave me a clue. As they caught sight of us, their expressions turned to confusion. However, upon spotting the blue handbands we wore, they seemed to understand. There were around twenty of them outside, they are all men are there no women in this raid at scavengers? I smiled at them in acknowledgement as they made their way into the trucks.

When there seated one seem not comfortable "Um, you can take my seat if you'd like," then offered, trying to be courteous his cute.

"No, thank you. We're fine here, don't worry," I replied politely. It was our habit to sit on the floor during operations, both for safety and ease of movement. It's going to dark soon we can't be comfortable Daza is Daza a dangerous place so we have to be vigilant.