Chapter 308


    The main entrance was rtivelyrge, making it convenient for both entry andbat. Directly


    attacking proved disadvantageous. Instead, Ste and Jasper nned to start at the smaller


    entrance, drawing some of the people inside towards them.


    What mattered most at that moment was to gain a clear understanding of the situation inside the


    cave.


    After a tense hour of waiting, the entrance suddenly lit up. A group of ten men, cradling their


    weapons like beloved children, sauntered out into the night. The beams of their shlights danced


    erratically, and their voices drew nearer.


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    "Yo, dude, the Porras family called the cops and promised a fat ransom. You think it''s a setup?"


    "The Porras family is all high and mighty, thinking the police can save their boy. What a joke. Cops


    can barely save themselves these days. They''re just going through the motions with the Porras, not


    really digging into anything. Don''t sweat it. The boss has already tipped off Scarface. He''ll keep the


    heat off us in town, making sure the cops are chasing their tails. Even if the Porras are ying us,


    what can they really do?"


    "You got it. Let''s give the Porras a merry chase, make sure they''ve brought the goods before we


    show."


    "Ha, the Porras fortune is easy pickings. They''ll cough up anything we ask for. That kid ain''t worth a


    dime to me, but they''re still willing to blow their cash for him. Once we get those 50 guns, we''ll rally


    some more guys, storm the mansions, and make a real mess. Heads will roll, literally."


    "That punk had the nerve to kick me - once we get the loot, he''s dead meat."


    Their voices, brimming with arrogance and cruelty, faded into the distance, oblivious to the lurking


    shadows of Ste and Jasper.


    Once the men were out of earshot, the pair crept closer to the sentry post.


    The chill was bone-deep, and a biting wind didn''t help matters. The guard, wrapped in his coat,


    stamped his feet to keep warm. "I''d kill for a warm bed right about now."


    "Got women on your mind again, huh?"


    "Who doesn''t? We snagged a few lookers recently. After my shift, I''ll have some fun."


    The three men exchanged lewd jokes and took swigs of whiskey to fight off the cold. Half an hour


    passed before one of them shivered and said, "You guys keep watch. I gotta take a leak."


    The remaining two paid him no mind, confident in their perimeter security.


    That guy was probably just another excuse to catch some shut-eye. But what could they say? He


    was the boss, after all.


    The man shouldered his rifle and headed for a wind-sheltered spot, eager for a quick break before a


    good snooze. As he fumbled with his zipper, a vice-like grip mped around his neck, and a sharp


    blow to his waist sent waves of pain through his body.


    Jasper took him down, and Ste held a de to his heart. "Don''t move, or it''s curtains for you,


    buddy."


    Terrified, the man nodded vigorously.


    "How many of you are there?"


    "Sixty-eight."


    "And your weapons? What''s in the arsenal?"


    "Thirty guns, explosives, grenades..."


    Ste interrogated him about the cave''syout and the hostages.


    The cave, a rarity on the coast, was mostly man-made, with just two entrances. The second was the


    one Ste had found.


    The man was cooperative, revealing everything, even the markers near the entrance, in hopes of


    being spared.


    There were still six wealthy hostages who were captured. They would lose their usefulness and be


    disposed of once their families paid the ransom. The women, kept for ''entertainment'', fared even


    worse. Thirty-something were still alive. All told, there were over a hundred souls in the cave.


    With the information they needed, Jasper snapped the man''s neck and hid his body among the


    underbrush.


    The pair regrouped to n their next move.


    Ste handed Kitty a ss bottle. "This is ether. Tie it to the Molotovs. The heat will speed up the


    evaporation and knock them out. But watch yourselves."


    The ether, found in Director''s study before, was scarce—just fifty liters.


    With limited space for gas masks, Ste could only provide the others with filter masks.


    They timed their attack with precision—15 minutes apart.


    The duo and the dog returned to their lookout on the back hill.


    When the time came, Ste, armed with a submachine gun, tossed stones toward the cave


    entrance. The drowsy guards, startled awake, charged out, weapons ready. "Who''s there?"


    Jasper''s aim was perfect, and each guard dropped to a silent, precise shot. The gunfire echoed


    through the dark woods.


    In under three minutes, more footsteps thundered, and several men emerged from the cave.


    Jasper held his fire, letting Ste take the lead. Through her night vision goggles, she dispatched


    them with rapid shots. Two who didn''t drop to the first bullet were quickly finished off by Jasper''s


    arrows.


    Then, a group armed with torches and machetes spilled out, scouring the surroundings for the


    intruders.


    To conserve ammunition, Ste and Jasper switched to crossbow bolts, eliminating the threat within


    a few minutes.


    Sensing the overwhelming disparity in strength, no one else dared to rush out, opting instead to wait


    and listen.


    When the time was right, gunfire erupted from the other side of the mountain. Panic ensued within


    the cave—their stronghold had be a death trap.


    Seizing the moment, Ste lobbed a grenade inside. The explosion was followed by screams of


    agony.


    With Cooper standing guard, they stormed the entrance, finishing off the wounded, donned their


    masks, and threw a burning bottle mixed with ether deep into the cave, then copsed the entrance


    to give those inside a taste of hell.


    The entrance sealed, they collected the fallen weapons and slipped away with Cooper.


    Circling back, they found Kitty had not only dealt with the sentries but also the reinforcements, and


    was already tossing incendiaries and tear gas inside.


    The group didn''t rush in. Anyone who came out was taken down. The rest were left to stew in their


    trap. In total, twelve tried to escape, and none seeded.


    After twenty minutes, the team, fully armed, walked in. Caution was their creed. They advanced


    without lights, guided only by night vision.


    Anyone ovee by the ether was swiftly taken care of.


    They walked a couple of hundred meters when suddenly there was amotion in the darkness.


    Leveraging their equipment advantage, Ste swiftly and deftly took care of them. They proceeded


    cautiously and soon prated deep into the heart of the area.


    Deeper within, they discovered several rooms carved out of the rock—a living area, an


    entertainment space, and storerooms brimming with liquor, cigarettes, sealed food, medicines, and


    a variety of dry goods.


    Lukas and the others were tempted but remained vignt.


    In avishly decorated room, reeking of tobo and alcohol, the bed was still warm.


    The cave had been cleared. Jasper had finally tracked down the kidnapped rich kids, and in the


    dim, squalid room, his gaze immediatelynded on Bran.


    The poor guy looked like he''d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champ, beaten to a bruised and


    bloody pulp. His face was so swollen he could have been mistaken for a prize-winning hog at the


    county fair. Jasper mused that even Bran''s own mother would have a hard time recognizing him.


    They all crouched on the ground, all rendered unconscious by ether.


    He counted them quickly—nine in total.


    Something didn''t sit right with Jasper. This felt like a setup.