Night gradually covered the ruins.
Most of the fires burning in the distance had already gone out.
The air still carried the smell of gunpowder and burning.
But compared to several hours ago, this place had become much quieter.
After the second wave of bombardment was intercepted, the Escort Unit immediately took over the entire rescue operation.
Numerous vehicles moved back and forth.
Medical personnel constantly entered and exited the area.
The evacuation zone, which had been on the verge of collapse, finally regained order.
A temporary camp was quickly established.
Lighting equipment was set up.
The wounded were transferred in groups.
Those who could still move began assisting with the rescue.
Those trapped bChapter 242-The Empty Cobra Baseeneath the ruins were gradually pulled out.
Some survived.
Some did not.
When the final death toll was calculated, no one spoke.
Because everyone knew that if the second wave had successfully landed, that number would have been several times higher.
At the center of the camp.
Medical area.
A young team member sat quietly beside a stretcher.
His arm was covered in bandages.
There was still blood on his face that had not been completely cleaned away.
He lowered his head.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Another team member beside him handed him a bottle of water.
He took it.
But he did not drink immediately.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke.
"Tell me."
"Why did the leader do this?"
No one answered.
Because there was no answer.
Or rather.
Everyone had already guessed the answer.
They simply did not want to admit it.
The team member gave a bitter smile.
"We fight with everything we have."
"We carry out every mission."
"And in the end, we almost died at the hands of our own people."
After saying that, he finally twisted open the cap.
He took a long drink.
Then fell silent.
Several team members nearby remained silent as well.
They no longer knew how to explain any of this.
Elsewhere.
A logistics member was sitting on a supply crate.
He held a destroyed weapon in his hand.
The gun body was twisted.
Its internal structure was completely ruined.
He stared at it for a long time.
Finally, he threw it directly into the scrap pile beside him.
The sound of metal colliding rang out.
Like something had finally come to an end.
Not far away.
The Escort Unit was distributing food.
The wounded came first.
The seriously wounded were given priority.
Only afterward did the others receive theirs.
There were no arguments throughout the process.
No one cut in line.
No one urged anyone to hurry.
Dawolf's subordinates watched silently.
Their expressions were complicated.
Not long ago.
They had been enemies.
And now.
The people giving them food.
The people who had saved them.
Were these very same people.
The feeling was strange.
So strange that many of them could not adapt to it.
At the edge of the camp.
Alma had already fallen asleep.
She hugged a blanket.
Her body curled up inside a temporary tent.
Traces of tears could still be seen on her face.
Dawolf stood outside the tent.
Watching quietly.
The wind gently passed by.
The tent fabric swayed slightly.
The girl was sleeping deeply.
This was the first time in many days.
That she was truly safe.
Dawolf slowly shifted his gaze.
He looked toward the distant camp.
Large numbers of people were still busy.
Some were patrolling.
Some were carrying supplies.
Some were counting the casualties.
There was no chaos.
No shouting.
No fear.
They had just gone through a battle.
Yet the entire camp continued to operate steadily.
This suddenly reminded Dawolf of something from a long time ago.
Back then.
He had just joined the organization.
He had once believed that the future would become better.
Later.
He witnessed more and more deaths.
More and more sacrifices.
More and more orders that could never be explained.
And today.
Viper had personally torn away the last layer of disguise.
Thinking of this.
Dawolf slowly closed his eyes.
A moment later.
He opened them again.
His eyes had become completely calm.
Late that night.
A temporary meeting began.
Inside the tent.
Lucian sat at the table.
A map was spread across the surface.
Several Escort Unit officers stood on both sides.
Dawolf was there as well.
The air was completely silent.
Lucian spoke.
"Tell me about the ones who remain."
Dawolf nodded.
After several seconds of silence, he slowly spoke.
"Cobra originally had four executives."
"Me."
"Viper."
"Crow."
"And Grave Hound."
When they heard the last name.
Several Escort Unit members' expressions changed slightly.
Dawolf continued.
"Grave Hound is dead."
"Killed by Bear."
The tent fell silent again.
Dawolf offered no further comment.
There was no point discussing the dead.
What truly mattered.
Were those still alive.
He raised his head.
Then continued.
"Now, only Viper and Crow remain."
"Viper is responsible for the armed forces."
"Most direct operations are managed by him."
"Mercenaries."
"Transportation."
"Equipment."
"Special weapons."
"Almost everything passes through his hands."
Lucian said nothing.
Dawolf continued.
"Those dissolving bombs today."
"They were related to his ability."
One of the Escort Unit members frowned.
"His ability itself?"
"Yes."
Dawolf nodded.
"I don't know the exact principle."
"But I've seen similar situations several times."
"Metal affected by it gradually loses its structural integrity."
"Complex equipment deteriorates the fastest."
"Weapons."
"Vehicles."
"Armor."
"Communication equipment."
"All of them can be affected."
"The longer the exposure."
"The worse the damage becomes."
He paused.
"So in many situations."
"Viper doesn't need to fight directly."
"He only needs to make the battlefield lose its equipment."
"The enemy will collapse on its own."
Everyone frowned slightly.
That ability was indeed troublesome.
Especially on a modern battlefield.
Its value was extremely high.
Lucian calmly asked.
"What about Crow?"
Hearing that name.
Dawolf fell silent for a rare moment.
Several seconds later.
He slowly spoke.
"I've never seen him."
The tent became silent.
"Never seen him?"
Someone asked instinctively.
"Yes."
Dawolf nodded.
"Not that I've only failed to see him once."
"I have never seen him at all."
"All these years."
"I knew he existed."
"I knew his codename."
"I knew he was responsible for intelligence."
"But I have never seen him in person."
The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
Executives who had never even met each other.
Such a situation was extremely rare.
Dawolf continued.
"Before many operations began."
"The intelligence had already been prepared."
"When many targets suddenly changed."
"The intelligence was updated at the same time."
"Sometimes."
"We had only just decided on an operation."
"The revised plan had already been delivered to us."
Someone nearby asked.
"Precognition?"
Dawolf shook his head.
"I don't think so."
"It feels more like perception."
"Some kind of extremely wide-range perception."
"And the range is enormous."
"Otherwise, too many things would be impossible to explain."
He looked at the map.
"If I had to say."
"Crow is more dangerous than Viper."
The tent fell silent again.
No one disagreed.
Because an intelligence ability user hiding in the shadows.
Was indeed more troublesome than one who specialized in direct combat.
The meeting continued for a long time.
Until deep into the night.
Everyone gradually left.
The camp returned to silence.
That night.
There were no attacks.
No explosions.
No alarms.
As if the entire world had finally paused.
The next morning.
Just after dawn.
The convoy began assembling.
Everyone who was capable of moving boarded the vehicles.
The search operation officially began.
Target.
Cobra's base.
The road was unusually quiet.
There was no resistance along the way.
They did not even find any observers.
Such silence only made everyone more cautious.
Because everyone knew.
Viper was not the type to sit back and wait for death.
Several hours later.
The convoy arrived at the target area.
An abandoned industrial district came into view.
Numerous buildings stood silently.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Dawolf was the first to step out of the vehicle.
He looked toward the distant cluster of buildings.
Then slowly spoke.
"We're here."
The search teams quickly spread out.
Checking the perimeter.
Confirming the entrance.
Establishing security.
The entire process was extremely cautious.
Soon.
A hidden entrance was discovered.
The heavy metal door was still there.
The verification system had already been shut down.
The door opened easily.
A passage extending underground appeared before them.
The team began entering.
The underground base gradually revealed itself.
The corridor lights could still be activated.
Which meant the power system had not been shut down.
First search area.
Dormitories.
The doors were opened one by one.
The beds were still there.
The cabinets were still there.
But all personal belongings were gone.
Someone had taken everything with them.
And they had left calmly.
It did not look like an emergency evacuation.
It looked more like a departure prepared in advance.
Second search area.
Training grounds.
Large amounts of equipment remained in place.
But all core equipment was gone.
The storage cabinets had been completely emptied.
The database had been formatted.
Nothing valuable had been left behind.
Third search area.
Medical area.
The medicine storage room was almost completely emptied.
Very little remained.
Clearly.
Someone had sorted through everything in advance.
Fourth search area.
Armory.
When the doors opened.
Everyone fell silent.
Empty.
The entire armory was completely empty.
All weapons.
All ammunition.
Everything had been transferred.
Only rows of empty racks remained.
Fifth search area.
Command center.
This had once been the heart of the entire base.
It was also where Viper frequently appeared.
Yet now.
The hall was completely empty.
Most of the terminals had already been removed.
All data storage devices were gone.
There was not even a single sheet of paper left on the desks.
It was as if the entire place had been thoroughly cleaned.
The search continued.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Yet the result remained unchanged.
No one.
Nothing.
The entire base.
Had been completely abandoned.
Eventually.
Everyone returned to the command center.
The air fell silent.
All search results were compiled.
There was only one conclusion.
Viper had evacuated in advance.
Crow had disappeared with him.
Every core member of the organization had left.
They had not even left behind a single trace to follow.
Dawolf stood in the center of the hall.
His fists slowly tightened.
This had once been the place where he had lived for many years.
And now.
Only an empty shell remained.
Lucian stood at the far end of the hall.
His gaze swept across the entire command center.
Then he calmly spoke.
"What is Viper planning to do next?"
The hall fell silent once again.
And everyone understood.
Cobra was not over.
The real pursuit.
Had only just begun.