Chapter 58: Crosshair Placement is Everything

The commander of this operation was Vance Deluja, a veteran operative within Babylon and a dishonorably discharged soldier of the Starfall Federation. An absolute expert in both hand-to-hand combat and lethal marksmanship, Vance had never failed a single contract assigned to him.

Target clear. Target dead. Failure is not an option.

That was the unbreakable rule he lived by.

"Leader, isn’t hitting them now suicide?!" one of the operatives questioned, adjusting his gear. "The perimeter around the Baek family is going to be locked down tight!"

"Exactly. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since the venue assault."

"Fools! That is precisely why this is our best window!" barked Scovic Maria, a tall, slender woman with a sharp, predatory gaze. "People like you put all their faith in the idea that no one would dare strike when security is at its peak."

"Because they expect a lockdown, their guards are bound to slack off under the false assumption that we wouldn’t be insane enough to push again so soon," added Hwang Dong-So, a burly, mountain of a man whose tactical vest barely contained his massive frame.

"Tsk. Those aristocrats only think in comfortable, peaceful terms. That’s why they won’t be able to respond—" Fang Jiuling wanted to scoff at the Baek family’s lack of readiness. But his words died in his throat as he remembered how the previous night’s operation had collapsed, leaving over thirty of their fellow operatives detained in police custody.

The sudden silence made Vance Deluja frown.

"Do not underestimate them, lest we suffer another ’unfortunate’ failure like last night," Vance said, his stern voice instantly cutting through the basement air. "Furthermore, we cannot afford to delay this contract any longer. For an elite squad like ours, failing a low-tier assignment like this means demotion to mere administrative staff within Babylon. Is that what any of you want? To be looked down upon by the very peers you used to order around? No? Then lock in and execute this task flawlessly."

The remaining seven operatives offered no complaints. Their expressions hardened with cold resolve, bracing themselves to put everything on the line for Plan B.

Their preparations were complete—tactical armor, reinforced combat daggers, semi-automatic sidearms, high-caliber Vandal rifles, and lightweight combat exoskeletons.

Two heavily armored, bulletproof SUVs equipped with top-mounted heavy machine guns sat idling in the darkness.

They were ready.

The afternoon sun washed over the sprawling, traditional courtyard of the Baek Family Estate. Built like an ancient fortress nestled against the mountain slopes near S City, the estate boasted ten-meter-high stone perimeter walls, heavy oak gates, and dozens of trained guards posted along the inner walkways.

Patriarch Baek had been safely transported here before dawn under heavy escort, resting in the main pavilion while medical staff stabilized his condition.

Inside the central courtyard, Mareum stood with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning the peaceful compound, confident that the estate’s layered defenses were impenetrable.

Suddenly, the handheld radios carried by the duty guards burst into frantic, static-filled chatter.

"G-Great... unauthorized vehicles approaching... i-it has mounted machine guns... prepare fo... breach.... ack! G-Guardian—"

Mareum frowned, exchanging sharp glances with the nearby bodyguards who had overheard the panicked transmission.

Before anyone could react, the world went dead quiet.

BOOM—!

A pair of matte-black, heavily armored SUVs smashed straight through the estate’s heavy reinforced wooden gates, sending splintered oak and iron fittings flying across the stone courtyard.

Before the courtyard guards could even process the breach, a remote-activated EMP device mounted on the lead SUV detonated; the estate’s security cameras, automated turret systems, and guard comms flickered and died instantly.

"Prepare the guns for defense! Protect the Patriarch!" Mareum’s thunderous shout echoed across the courtyard as he vaulted behind a stone pillar, unholstering his rifle.

Top hatches on both SUVs flipped open. Mounted heavy machine guns spat a relentless hail of armor-piercing rounds, tearing through the wooden pillars of the pavilion and pinning the courtyard bodyguards behind cover.

"Four of you, suppress the courtyard! The rest follow me—push into the main pavilion!" Deluja’s cold voice cut through the gunfire via tactical comlinks as he vaulted over his vehicle’s hood.

Side doors burst open.

Equipped with lightweight combat exoskeletons, six elite operatives deployed under the crushing suppressive fire of the mounted guns. Maria and Jiuling provided rifle support, while Dong-So and another operative manned the vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns to keep the Baek Family’s bodyguards pinned down.

Meanwhile, Deluja and three operatives leveraged their powered servo-motors to leap across the stone pavement like predators, ignoring the heavy recoil of their Vandal rifles as they laid down a brutal, overlapping field of fire.

Two guards scrambling down the pavilion steps were cut down instantly before their boots even hit the stone floor.

"Breach!" Deluja barked, pulling a thermite canister from his tactical vest and slapping it onto the reinforced double doors leading straight into the building. The chemical compound ignited into a blinding, white-hot blaze, eating through the metal fittings in seconds.

BANG!

Refusing to let them enter, Mareum charged out from cover alongside four bodyguards, unleashing a furious barrage of heavy rifle fire directly at Deluja’s assault team.

The sudden wall of lead forced the four mercenaries to halt their advance. Even with their combat exoskeletons, they were still flesh and blood—they couldn’t simply walk through concentrated rifle fire.

Unable to push directly through the doorway, Deluja and his men dove to the sides, taking cover along the outer walls near the breached entrance.

A tense, violent stalemate erupted as both sides traded fierce gunfire across the courtyard—dozens of trained bodyguards pinning eight elite mercenaries in a deadly standoff.

Inside the inner pavilion corridor, Butler Lee stayed crouched low beside Young Master Ji-Hong behind a thick marble pillar, eyes sharp yet showing clear concern amidst the deafening roar of gunfire and dust raining from the ceiling.

"Young Master," Butler Lee spoke, his voice laced with anxiety. "It is far too dangerous here. If the others find out you are not inside the main room with Patriarch Baek, I will get scolded severely."

"I know, Butler Lee. But if we don’t help them using our experience from Counter-Injustice, we will die. All of us here," Ji-Hong replied.

When the chaotic radio transmissions had first broken out, Patriarch Baek’s medical room was immediately locked down and tightly guarded by senior family members heavily armed with weapons. The rest of the family had been secured in secondary safe rooms designed with similar high-grade defense systems.

Only a handful of bodyguards had been left inside the inner pavilion, as the majority were out in the courtyard risking their lives to hold off the invaders.

Ji-Hong had managed to slip away to the front line, his heart pounding in his chest. Despite his fear—having never come close to death or experienced real, blood-soaked combat like his servants—he forced himself to stay grounded.

Controlling his trembling hands, Ji-Hong peered past the pillar, his eyes analyzing the hallway through the lens of the FPS game he and Butler Lee had spent countless hours mastering.

Soon, A-Ji and Ji-Ga, along with the seven other personal bodyguards, arrived, carrying four surplus rifles in their hands.

"Good. Give two to Butler Lee and me," Ji-Hong said, extending his hand.

A-Ji and Ji-Ga felt utterly helpless at their young master’s request and glanced awkwardly at Butler Lee.

Butler Lee couldn’t help but shrug his shoulders, indicating he was equally resigned to Ji-Hong’s stubborn determination.

Taking the rifles, both Ji-Hong and Butler Lee assumed their positions, creeping closer toward the breached entrance.

Meanwhile, A-Ji, Ji-Ga, and the seven other bodyguards formed a tight defensive perimeter around them, protecting their young master as Ji-Hong and Butler Lee prepared to execute their plan.

"A-Ji and Ji-Ga, follow us to the window overlooking the courtyard. The seven of you will guard this hallway," Ji-Hong commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If anyone tries to force their way through the breached door, hold them off. Don’t overextend—you only have two rifles left between you. If it gets too difficult to hold, wait for us."

Once again, the guards exchanged surprised glances. They were used to Butler Lee giving the orders, not the Young Master.

Butler Lee simply gave a quiet nod, signaling them to follow Ji-Hong’s instructions without question. In a life-or-death crisis like this, taking decisive action was the only way to turn the tide.

Reaching the designated window overlooking the chaotic stone courtyard, Ji-Hong took a swift, calculated glance past the stone frame.

"Phew..." Ji-Hong let out a quiet breath, adjusting his grip on the rifle stock. "On my signal, we fire simultaneously at the heavy machine gun on the right SUV. Our target is the operating mechanism—we disable the gun."

Butler Lee leaned in beside him, lining up his sight. "Understood, Young Master."

Attempting to kill the gunners directly was impractical; their full combat exoskeletons included ballistic helmets that could absorb multiple rifle rounds. Direct shots would only force them behind cover and waste precious ammunition. Destroying the weapon’s firing assembly was the far more effective choice.

Ji-Hong controlled his breathing, steadying his heart rate so his hands wouldn’t shake.

"Now!" he barked.

Ratatatatatata!

Ratatatatata!

Two precise, rapid bursts tore from their rifle barrels, striking the exact linkage points of the vehicle-mounted turret.

Trrrrt—Trrrrt—

The heavy machine gun’s thunderous roar on the right SUV fell dead silent as the feeding mechanism crumpled under the concentrated impact, jamming the ammunition belt completely.

One heavy weapon down.