CHAPTER 426: DON’T WAIT FOR ME.

Just like any other type of weapon, power suits weren’t impossible to procure. It was just a question of money, and depending on the budget, one could get anything from the simple ones used by infantry to high-end armors meant for special ops.

The ones Rose’s crew wore were on the cheaper side—simpler models that provide a boost in strength and shielding. They allowed soldiers to walk longer distances, carry heavier weapons, and survive several shots and explosions. Most of those suits were used in the last war, refurbished, then sold through backstreet markets.

Rose had obtained some at one point, and this was the first time she was putting them to use.

"I will go scout ahead. Wait for my signal."

The only one who didn’t get a suit of his own was the red-haired youth. Though Rose had insisted on giving him one, he insisted on not making use of it, saying it would slow him down.

Dante left the basement room, and a few minutes later, the 3D model of the mansion was updated. Now it had the positions of Rose and her crew, as well a every person on the west wing of the building. Dante had previously explained what each color the dots take represents: green means an ally, yellow means a bystander, and red means an enemy. In one of the rooms on the second floor, there was one dot unlike the others. A purple dot. The color that represents the target.

Going by the placement of the red dots, it was easy to guess which ones were the guards. There weren’t that many inside the mansion itself. After all, it wasn’t a place you would want a lot of witnesses inside, which was the exact same reason why it didn’t have a lot of security cam, instead relying on other types of sensors.

With how things were, the path to the target seemed open and clear, but the more she looked at it, the more Rose felt that something was off. Her eyes settled on the two dots positioned at the door to the room where the purple dot was located. She then looked at the four bystanders. One of them was positioned far too close to the target.

[

Dante: The path is clear. You can come out now.

Rose: The target only has two guards?

Dante: Yeah, that’s what it looks like.

The other four are little girls.

Rose: Got it.

]

Just as she was about to give the order to move, another message arrived.

[

Dante: Rose.

You have five minutes.

Get to the second floor and wait.

When you see the chance, grab your guy and get out of here.

Rose: What?

What are you talking about?

Dante: Don’t wait for me.

]

Rose didn’t know how to react. Even when she turned to give the order to the others, she still didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind the message, leading to her moving in accordance with the plans they had previously devised.

Now was not the time. Dante said it himself: they had a mission, and finishing it was more important than anything else. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Coming out of the basement room, the crew proceeded to the southern staircase, which they used to reach the ground floor. From there, Bruno and two others went to guard the end of the corridor while the rest proceeded toward the stairs to the second floor.

The place was both dark and eerily quiet, with the ever-present city noise completely gone. The interior of the mansion didn’t help at all. Most of it was created in the image of an ancient style that relied on marble and synthetic wood to create something of an antique image. The stairs were covered in a long red carpet, and the walls were adorned with various paintings. Every corner had a vase full of flowers or other plants.

Rose reached the last of the steps first and pressed her back against the wall, signaling for the others to stop. They practically made no noise as they climbed. She peeked into the corridor, checking if it was as the 3D model suggested.

The rooms on the left were empty, and only one on the right had two dots inside, one yellow, one red. Rose couldn’t help but grit her teeth seeing the nonexistent distance between them and had to tear her mind away from the door to the room they were occupying, especially as she passed right beside it.

Apologizing in her heart, she continued toward the corner, stopping right at it and pressing her back against the wall. She couldn’t help being a little relieved when she peeked her head to check on the corridor and saw that the two guards represented on the 3D model hadn’t moved at all. They were standing on either side of a double door, and Rose knew right away that their target was behind it.

Turning around, she instructed the others to ready themselves. Dante had told her to wait for the right chance, but that chance didn’t seem to have arrived yet. Peeking behind the corner once more, she contemplated rushing the two guards. Just then, the silence shrouding the building was suddenly shattered.

It was a single bang, the sound of something heavy slamming into a wall. Things seemed to return to normal right after, but Rose and the crew could feel a change in the air. It wasn’t long before they heard the same impact sound once more, and a few seconds later, a single gunshot echoed through the hallways.

The two guards had their heads up, looking at the floor above. A moment later, the door they were guarding slammed open, and someone rushed out. Hearing him shout instructions, Rose instantly realized that sound was the signal she was waiting for.

[GO!]

She was the first to move out of cover, and the others followed right after. There, at the center of the corridor, a lanky man walked to the other end of the corridor, flanked by the two large guards. By the time they noticed the disturbance coming from behind them, Rose had already raised her rifle and taken aim, but it wasn’t she who pulled the trigger first.