Chapter 74: Invasion
Late at night, in a villa on the outskirts of Paris.
Two strike teams were hidden in the shadows of the bushes.
"Attention all personnel, the target is extremely dangerous. We are authorized to use lethal force if there's any resistance!" a burly operative with a thick beard ordered in a low voice.
"Alpha Team, on my mark, infiltrate the villa according to the operation plan. Bravo Team, secure all entrances and exits!"
"Yes, sir!"
The team leader waved his hand, crouched low, and darted toward the villa first. He moved silently and carefully through the darkness. He quickly crossed the courtyard and, with help from his teammates, scaled to the second-floor balcony.
He activated his night vision goggles and scanned the darkness. Soon, through the French windows of the second-floor balcony, he spotted a figure lying on the bed in the bedroom.
The moment he saw the figure, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Pfft! Pfft!
Two suppressed shots rang out. The figure on the bed jerked and then lay still. The team leader's face lit up with satisfaction. He gestured for the others to enter the villa.
Meanwhile, atop a hillside a kilometer away from the villa, Mason was observing the events below through binoculars. When he saw them fire without hesitation, a chill ran through him.
Only after everyone had entered the villa did he coldly press the detonator in his hand.
BOOM!
A burst of fire shot into the sky, obliterating the villa below. The powerful shockwave tore through trees and earth, creating a deep crater.
Even solid steel placed at the epicenter would have been melted into slag.
Mason had suspected that Ana's exposed identity might implicate him, but he hadn't expected such ruthlessness. They clearly weren't planning to give him a chance to surrender—they'd simply shoot him on sight!
He turned and climbed onto the suspended ladder, coldly ordering, "Go—to Egypt!" The aircraft, like an arrow released from a bowstring, pierced the darkness and disappeared into the night.
Standing on either side of the cabin were several heavily armored, imposing warriors—bio-engineered soldiers injected with nanomites, known as Neo-Vipers.
These soldiers had their pain receptors disabled, possessed immense strength, and were fearless in combat. Though somewhat clumsy in movement, they were the perfect shock troops for frontal assaults.
Furthermore, due to the nanomites' regenerative properties, they were extremely resilient. Even if shot, they could quickly expel the bullet and heal their wounds.
Mason had sparred with them and found their strength to be terrifying—approaching twice the peak human limit—though speed was their weakness.
Unlike the Super Soldier Serum, the Neo-Vipers' strength came from brutal overexertion of their bodies. In other words, every time they used excessive force, it damaged their muscles, bones, and connective tissue—damage only temporarily masked by the nanomites' powerful regenerative abilities.
Even so, the lifespan of these Neo-Vipers was extremely limited. They would die from complete bodily collapse within a year or two at most.
Furthermore, the nanomites suppressed cerebral cortex activity, making them extremely slow to react and unable to adapt to changing circumstances.
"Truly terrifying technology."
If the COBRA Commander were given more time, he would likely develop an even more perfect war machine.
With these soldiers combined with powered armor, just twenty of them could probably level a city!
The aircraft stopped ten kilometers from the G.I. Joe base.
This distance was within the base's alert perimeter—no metal object or living thing could escape the base's radar scans.
Six drilling vehicles were deployed on the ground. These machines were spindle-shaped, with both ends made of a special alloy material covered with spiral drill patterns.
The Baroness, wearing a tight leather tactical suit, had just climbed into the driver's seat when she heard Mason whisper, "Get out. I want us in the same vehicle."
A flash of anger crossed Ana's face. The driver's seat of this drilling vehicle was extremely cramped, basically only big enough for one person. If Mason also climbed in, their bodies would inevitably be pressed tightly together—and it was obvious where she'd end up sitting.
Ana glanced at Storm Shadow standing to the side. "Didn't McCullen tell you to kill any man you saw getting close to me?"
Storm Shadow pulled down his mask, quickly slipped into another drilling vehicle, and then casually looked away.
"I didn't see anything!" he said, starting the vehicle and disappearing into the depths of the earth.
Ana gritted her teeth, glaring at Mason. "Do you have to humiliate me like this?"
Mason smiled. "When you sent people to kill me, didn't you think this day would come?"
Ana was speechless.
Mason wasn't just tormenting Ana for no reason.
He understood that Ana had tried to kill him first, and he had retaliated. Naturally, Ana would hate him, but she would hate McCullen—who had abandoned her and pushed her into this situation—even more.
When these emotions reached their limit, all it would take was the right trigger for them to explode. He had limited leverage and had to exploit every opportunity. Sometimes, small catalysts could completely change the course of events.
"Let's go."
He pulled Ana into his arms, started the drilling rig, and whispered in her ear as they burrowed deeper toward the base.
"I heard Duke's at this base too. Should I kill him while we're here?"
Ana stiffened for a moment, then coldly replied, "What does that have to do with me!"
VRRRR!
With several loud crashes, the drilling rig's tip pierced through rock, breaking into the base's interior. Ana scrambled out of the vehicle. She pulled a small device from her gear and scanned the entire area.
The base's structure appeared on the display, followed by a flashing red marker. "The warheads are here!"
"Leave two guards with the vehicles. The rest of you, follow me!" Storm Shadow took point, leading the group deeper into the base.
"Get to the control room, open the external hatches, and lock down all sector gates!" Ana shot a patrolling soldier without hesitation, then barked orders at two Neo-Vipers beside her.
Mason's team was limited in manpower, and facing such a large base, they needed to move fast. Once they controlled the command center and cut off reinforcements from other combat personnel, they could safely escape after securing the nanotech warheads.
With Storm Shadow leading, obtaining the warheads shouldn't be a problem. Mason's eyes narrowed slightly—he hadn't come here solely for the warheads.
"Heavy Duty, we should have been on the same side. What a shame!" A murderous glint flashed in Mason's eyes as he sprinted deeper into the base.
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