"Yes," the intelligence officer wiped cold sweat from his forehead and continued. "We've also discovered that Geese has recently kidnapped a large number of skilled fighters from around the world, all imprisoned in that underground prison."
"No one knows exactly what he's doing with them. All we know is that no one who goes in there ever comes out."
"This is too much!"
Andy was shaking with rage. He slammed his fist on the stone table, cracking the hard surface!
"That bastard Geese! Not only does he want to kill us, but he also wants to... use Joe for experiments?!"
"I'm going tonight. Even if I die, I'm getting Joe out of there!" Terry's eyes blazed with fury.
"Don't be rash." Cloud raised his hand, stopping the emotional brothers.
"Geese Tower right now is a dragon's lair and tiger's den. Charging in head-on is just suicide."
He pondered for a moment, then slowly rose, his eyes gleaming with the cold, sharp light of a hunter.
"But... now that we know the location, it would be rude not to pay our old friend a visit."
"Tonight, midnight."
His gaze swept over Andy and Mai.
"The three of us will make a... friendly visit to Geese Tower."
"Why the three of us?" Andy was puzzled.
"Because..." A confident curve formed at Cloud's lips. "You two know ninjutsu. And I... know how to physically exorcise things."
"The three of us together make a one-stop service of stealth, assassination, and escape—the Dream Team!"
Andy: ...
Mai: ...
...
Midnight. South Town.
Three black figures, like phantoms melting into the night, silently appeared beneath that tower that loomed over everything like a dark monarch—Geese Tower.
"Let me go over the action plan one more time." Cloud lowered his voice, making final confirmations with his two companions.
"Mai, you'll use ninjutsu to create a diversion and draw the perimeter guards' attention. Andy, you'll use your familiarity with Geese Tower's internal layout to lead us in. And I..."
"What's your job?" Mai and Andy asked simultaneously.
"I'm responsible for... eliminating any problems we can't handle." Cloud flashed a grin, showing his white teeth. "In simple terms, when in doubt, brute force—the final solution."
Andy and Mai: "..."
Why did this action plan sound so unreliable?
However, plans never survive first contact.
The moment the three infiltrated to the base of Geese Tower's outer wall, they discovered the situation was far more severe than anticipated.
The entire tower was shrouded in an invisible barrier of fighting spirit filled with evil energy!
Countless cameras and infrared sensors covered every corner like a viper's eyes!
"Damn, this is Geese's handiwork! The moment we touch that barrier, we'll be discovered instantly!" Andy's face turned grim.
"Leave it to me."
Cloud walked up to the barrier and lightly touched it with his hand.
Sizzle—
A stream of corrosive purple fighting spirit immediately tried to drill into his body through his fingertips!
"Hmph, showing off in front of an expert."
Cloud snorted coldly. A flash of pure golden Battle God Golden Flame burst from within him!
That evil purple fighting spirit, as if meeting its natural nemesis, let out a shrill wail before being instantly purified to nothing!
Then Cloud traced his finger across the solid barrier.
Hiss—
Like a hot knife through butter, the fighting spirit barrier—strong enough to withstand artillery fire—was sliced open, leaving a gap large enough for a person to pass through!
Andy and Mai watched with their jaws on the floor.
"You... you can do that?!"
"Stop standing there. Get in." Cloud waved them over. "Remember, we're here for a friendly visit. Keep it quiet—don't disturb our host."
With that, he was the first to slip through.
Andy and Mai exchanged glances, both seeing the speechlessness in each other's eyes.
Bro, you're out here setting fires and breaking walls—and you call that keeping it quiet?!
...
Inside Geese Tower, security was tight—a guard every three steps, a patrol every five.
But led by Andy, the "former insider," and with Mai's ghost-like ninjutsu support, the trio managed to infiltrate without incident all the way to the elevator leading to the underground prison.
However, just as they were about to enter the elevator—something went wrong.
A patrolling guard captain happened to round the corner right at that moment, coming face-to-face with all three of them!
"Who's there?!"
The guard captain shouted and reached for the alarm!
"Not good!" Andy and Mai's hearts clenched simultaneously!
But it was too late.
In that hair's-breadth moment, Cloud and Mai displayed remarkable synergy!
"Ninja Art: Butterfly Fan!"
Mai flicked her wrist, and a flame-wreathed fan flew like a boomerang, knocking the alarm from the guard's hand with pinpoint precision!
Meanwhile, Cloud's figure flickered like a specter, arriving behind the guard captain in an instant despite starting later!
He didn't kill the man—just reached out and knocked him unconscious.
Then, in that narrow corridor, he caught Mai's body as she stumbled forward from her own momentum, steadying her firmly in his embrace.
The warm male presence and the soft, fragrant female form pressed tightly together in that moment.
"Nice teamwork... wouldn't you say?"
Cloud lowered his head, whispering by Mai's ear, which had flushed pink from the tension.
His warm breath tickled her earlobe.
"Y-you! Let go of me!"
Mai's cheeks instantly turned crimson, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She struggled, trying to break free from Cloud's iron-like embrace.
...
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