Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1173 The Vanished Target

These five simple words are like pressing the start switch of a precision instrument.

Almost at the same microsecond after the last Russian letter fell—

"call out--"

A faint gunshot, almost drowned out by the wind, like the sound of tearing silk, came from the eastern highlands.

That's the unique sound of the "Cold Blade" VSS silenced sniper rifle firing its special subsonic rifle rounds.

Through the telescope, the sentry leaning against the railing on the rooftop suddenly jerked his head back, a fine cloud of blood bursting from his temple. He collapsed without a sound, like a puppet with its strings cut, and disappeared behind the railing of the rooftop platform.

"'Cold Blade' report: Rooftop target cleared."

In the channel, "Cold Blade's" voice was calm and composed, as if he had just completed a routine practice session.

The moment the sentry on the rooftop fell, Petrovsky's assault team, like a spring compressed to its limit, was released with a roar!
"Assault team, move out!"

Petrovsky leaped out of the ditch.

Like a leopard spotting its prey, he charged towards the south wall of the courtyard with astonishing speed.

The five teammates behind him maintained perfect tactical spacing, their movements swift as lightning, pouncing on the building like tigers.

Inside the courtyard, the three armed men who had been dozing against the wall seemed to be startled by a barely perceptible noise from the rooftop, and groggily raised their heads—

They were met with precise and deadly short bursts of fire from different directions.

"Puff puff!"

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The V-AR rifle, equipped with a high-efficiency silencer, produces a dull and faint sound when firing, like the forceful beating of a thick quilt.

The bullets pierced the heads and chests of the three militants with pinpoint accuracy. Before they could even fully process their shock, they shuddered and collapsed to the ground, their AK rifles slipping from their hands with a few soft clanging sounds.

"The premises are safe."

The muzzles of six V-AR rifles, like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, swept swiftly and methodically across every corner of the yard, leaving no area untouched—under cars, piles of firewood, shadows of doors and windows.

"Obey my orders!"

Petrovsky spoke at breakneck speed: "Group one, clean the rooms on the left side of the first floor! Group two, the rooms on the right side! Group three, control the stairwell, and then go up to the second floor! Be quick!"

The team members, like gears in a precision machine, meshed instantly and then dispersed.

"Iron Hammer" and Petrovsky positioned themselves in a pincer movement, one kicking open the left door while the other instantly slipped inside; "Thor" and "Angel" moved in perfect unison to the right; "Shadow" and "Frost" quickly occupied the stairwell, pointing their guns toward the second-floor stairs, securing advantageous positions and controlling the passageway upstairs.

Several suppressed shots, along with the dull thud of a body falling to the ground, immediately came from downstairs.

"Clear the left side of the first floor. One person killed."

"Clear the right side of the first layer. Both are resolved."

The report was brief, calm, and devoid of any emotional coloring.

"The stairs are safe! Go up to the second floor!"

Petrovsky gestured forward and was the first to step onto the wooden staircase leading to the second floor.

The old staircase creaked under the weight of his heavy combat boots, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silent interior of the building.

The second floor is a short and somewhat dimly lit corridor with wooden doors to several rooms on both sides.

At the end of the corridor was the east-facing room with its thick curtains drawn.

Just as "Shadow" and "Frost" unfolded at the stairwell entrance, their guns pointed deep into the corridor—

"crunch-"

A wooden door next to the room on the east side was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

A drowsy-eyed armed man, wearing only a dirty white short-sleeved shirt and holding up his waistband, rubbed his eyes and walked out, seemingly wanting to go to the toilet or check on the commotion downstairs.

His gaze met that of "Shadow" and Petrovsky, who had just raised their guns and pointed them down the corridor!

Time seemed to freeze for half a second.

The militant's eyes widened instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and a gasp of surprise was already rising from his throat—

"Pfft!"

The "Shadow" barely aimed the V-AR rifle, relying entirely on muscle memory and honed shooting instincts to fire a precise two-round burst.

The bullet, accompanied by a faint hiss, pierced the militant's chest.

His body trembled violently, he made a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat, staggered back two steps, crashed heavily into the door frame, and then slid limply to the ground, where he fell silent.

"Damn! We've been exposed!"

Petrovsky cursed inwardly, knowing that the worst-case scenario had still occurred.

Sure enough, the moment the armed man fell to the ground, a panicked scream came from the room on the east side at the end of the corridor, followed by the sounds of tables and chairs being overturned and items falling to the ground!

"The people inside have been alerted! Charge! Charge!"

Petrovsky held nothing back, letting out a low growl into the microphone to signal "Shadow" and "Frost" to follow. The three formed a tight assault arrowhead, rushing swiftly along the side wall of the corridor towards the room at the end!
“Da da da da—!”

A burst of scorching bullets fired from inside the room, striking the walls and floor of the corridor and kicking up a cloud of brick fragments and dust. "Enemy fire suppression! At least two automatic weapons are inside the target room!"

The "shadow" quickly turned sideways and pressed itself against the wall to avoid the scanning beam, while simultaneously reporting the situation.

"Hunter reports: A figure can be seen moving in the window of the target room. Precise sniping is not possible. Repeat, precise sniping is not possible."

On the high ground to the east.

The hunter's helpless voice came through the air; the angle limited his ability to maneuver.

"Command post received. Assault teams, assess the situation independently and resolve the battle as quickly as possible! Firepower teams, maintain vigilance and, if necessary, seal off the courtyard exits and upstairs corridors!"

Song Heping's voice remained steady, but his speaking speed noticeably increased.

The situation has changed.

Everyone's nerves were on edge.

Inside the building, Petrovsky's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he immediately shouted, "'Thor'! Use explosives! Blow the wall open for me! We won't go through the corridor, we'll go through the wall!"

"Roger! Prepare for demolition!"

"Thor" has already rushed from the first floor to the second floor.

"Shadow, Frost, provide cover fire! Draw fire!"

"Silver" and "Frost" immediately took cover from both sides of the corridor, poking out their gun barrels and firing suppressive bursts toward the door, prioritizing momentum over accuracy.

The bullets from the V-AR rifle struck the wooden door and door frame, making "bang bang pu pu" sounds, successfully drawing the firepower from inside the room.

"Iron Hammer" pressed himself against the wall on the stairs, found the right spot, took the C4 explosive from his tactical vest, and quickly and accurately attached it to the door lock and the two main hinges. He then pulled out the miniature detonator and swung his hand sharply backward: "Detonate! Everyone back off!"

All team members immediately retreated to the corner of the stairs, lowered their heads, covered their ears, and opened their mouths.

"boom--!!"

A not particularly loud but unusually muffled explosion rang out, accompanied by a strong shockwave and flying wood chips and dust.

The already flimsy wall was blasted open with a huge hole by the force of the directional blast!
"Break in! Breach in!"

Despite the lingering smoke, Petrovsky, with his body bent low, rushed into the cave entrance like lightning!
Inside the cave entrance is the room.

His V-AR rifle muzzle swept rapidly across the room with his sharp gaze—

The room was a mess, with documents and papers scattered everywhere, and a laptop screen still glowing with a ghostly blue light.

One of the militants was clearly stunned by the explosion; he slumped against the wall, his eyes glazed over.

The other one was more daring, hiding behind a sturdy wooden bed, and was wildly firing his AK-47 towards the door!

"Pfft!"

Petrovsky and the "Shadow" who followed him opened fire almost simultaneously. Two 5.56mm bullets accurately pierced through the gap between the bed boards and hit the head and neck of the valiant gunman. The gunfire stopped abruptly.

The man in the corner had just instinctively reached for the rifle that had fallen beside him when "Frost" bullets flew in as if they had eyes, hitting his right arm and left shoulder joint with two "thuds".

The man screamed in agony and completely lost the ability to resist.

"Clear!"

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the smoke and dust still slowly falling.

However, Petrovsky quickly scanned the room, and his heart sank – apart from the two armed men, the room was empty! There was no sign of Orwell at all!

"The target is not in the main room!"

Petrovsky growled into the microphone, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger and a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

"Check the bathroom! And that big wardrobe!"

"Shadow" reminded him that the gun was always pointed at a corner in the room where someone might be hiding.

Thor kicked open the door to the private bathroom, only to find it empty.

"Wardrobe!"

"Frost" pointed the gun at the rather heavy-looking wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room.

Petrovsky gestured, and "Hammer" and "Angel" approached the wardrobe from the left and right, respectively, and simultaneously pulled the two wardrobe doors open—

Inside the closet were only a few robes hanging haphazardly and some miscellaneous items.

"Damn it! Where did they go?!"

Petrovsky's mind was filled with countless questions, and his anger was almost bursting out of his chest.

Gone! ?

The target has disappeared?!

Was it an intelligence error or...?

　Asking for a monthly ticket! Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)