The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne was on the perimeter, her gaze locked to the thermal imager as she monitored Anna's progress through the darkened alley.

Percival was at her side, fingers dancing across the laptop keyboard. Three seconds later, he declared, “Vivienne, we're in.” Pressing her earpiece, Vivienne called out, “Strike team, come in. Do you copy?” The entire team, including Anna, was momentarily startled.

Through the earpiece, Anna tapped back in Morse code—Ms. Vivienne? “That's right. Follow my lead. There are more bombs than your initial infrared scan detected. Tread carefully.” Everyone at the Vanguard Agency knew that Vivienne was Percival’s fiancée, and they would heed her commands without question. And, of course, Percival would obviously be right by her side.

This brought an unspoken comfort to the strike team as they navigated the treacherous terrain.

“Alpha and Bravo, move left. Charlie and Delta, keep a 3-feet distance behind. Anna, take the others and advance from the nine o'clock position. Watch the walls—electrified nets are set up to alert the hostiles inside.” The strike team executed Vivienne’s orders flawlessly, avoiding numerous triggers and drawing ever closer to the bomb-laden stronghold.

Back in the command vehicle, Thomas watched the heat signatures move and immediately understood.

Percival and Vivienne were undoubtedly nearby. This meticulous, calculated approach was Vivienne's signature— Careful and deadly.

Thomas, who had spent years working alongside Percival and Vivienne, knew this all too well.

Moreover, the equipment in Vivienne’s possession was far more advanced than that of the Vanguard Agency, revealing traps that had previously gone undetected.

With her guidance, Anna would be able to complete the mission much faster.

The National Intelligence Bureau, led by Astrid, was also in position, ready to provide support. Although they were not bomb disposal experts, they were more than capable of backing up the team.

Under Vivienne’'s direction, Anna swiftly defused the first bomb site.

A few taps on her earpiece signaled — Alpha point clear.

Vivienne nodded in satisfaction. Astrid’s team received the signal and moved in.

Gillian, dutifully recording everything from the command vehicle, couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss with this operation.

The combined forces of the National Intelligence Bureau and the Vanguard Agency suggested a significant threat. Could it be the GTO they were up against? If GTO was compromised, she knew the punishments she would receive would be severe. She could not afford to gamble.

Thomas, Micah, and Vance were deep in tactical discussion, oblivious to Gillian’s movements.

Gillian stealthily approached the command console and, without a sound, activated the external speakers.

When Thomas returned, he didn’t notice the speakers were on—a device typically untouched unless they were ready to encircle and intimidate criminals. For a covert mission like this, flipping that switch was unthinkable.

Thomas picked up the microphone and began to speak, “Second squad, prepare to flank from the rear...” His words sent shock waves through the ranks.

Everyone was stunned, including Vivienne and Percival on watch outside, as well as Anna and Astrid in the midst of their delicate task.

Suddenly, an enormous explosion tore through the serene Holiday Resort. Starting from a hidden passage, in just two seconds, the entire resort was reduced to rubble.

Even the command vehicle shook violently, its special bulletproof glass shattering under the force of the blast.

Glass shards flew everywhere, embedding themselves into the members of Vanguard Agency's special squad.

Leopold and Soren sustained various injuries, their bodies peppered with countless fragments.

Vivienne and Percival, positioned on the outermost edge, felt a ringing in their ears, momentarily deafened.

Inside the vehicle, bodies were strewn across the floor, with Gillian knocked unconscious against the machinery.

The events unfolded in milliseconds.

Percival, steadying Vivienne, was the first to snap into action. He quickly established a connection with the command vehicle and bellowed, “Thomas, apprehend them!” Thomas's ears were still ringing, Percival’s voice echoing like a distant thunder in his mind.

“Thomas, apprehend them!” Percival shouted again. The urgency was clear; the enemy base had been alerted, and in the event of such destruction, there would undoubtedly be escape routes planned.

In this dire situation, they had to capture whoever they could—they could not allow every enemy to escape.

Thomas finally regained focus, grabbing his weapon as he descended from the command vehicle.

“Leopold, Soren, are you alive?” Leopold rose from the debris, his legs, abdomen, and shoulders ravaged by glass. Blood seeped from his wounds.

“I'm alive, damn it! I'm going after them!” Soren stood up, more severely injured than Leopold, with a pierced abdomen, yet he still managed to get to his feet.

“Not dead yet.” With that, Soren headed toward the secret passage.

His team was still in there.

“Captain, you go after them; I'll search for our people,” Thomas commanded.

“Move out and make sure we get all of our people out,” he added.

The ten-person strike team couldn't afford a single loss.

Vivienne had regained her composure by then. She holstered her pistol, donned a bulletproof vest, and said, “Mr.

Wolf, take the Nine Mystics Society to pursue them. I'll find Anna and Astrid.” “Be safe,” Percival replied, planting a kiss on her forehead before they split up to carry out their respective tasks.

Soren had already reached the secret passage, now a collapsed maze with sections vaporized by the bombs.

Struggling through the pain, Soren heaved pieces of debris aside, inching his way down the narrow path. “Anna, where are you?”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

In the shadowed corridor, Anna lay unconscious, her body buried under a mound of bricks and shattered crockery, and her head bore a gash, oozing crimson.

By the time Soren found her, she was deeply unconscious, her breathing faint and labored.

“Anna, Anna!” Soren tapped Anna's cheek, hoping for a sign of life, but she was unresponsive. Without hesitation, he hoisted her onto his back.

The others had been located as well, but survivors were in the minority, and those unscathed were even fewer.

Soren swept a glance over the scene, his eyes brimming with scalding tears. “Gather their remains carefully. We need to get back before any secondary explosions!” Vivienne was on the perimeter, having found Astrid, who was also out cold, her leg grotesquely fractured.

Even worse, a shard of timber was impaled in her chest, perilously close to her heart—just 0.1 inch away! Vivienne administered a life-saving pill to Astrid, but the timber lodged in her chest couldn't be removed; doing so would surely endanger her life.

At that moment, Soren emerged with Anna on his back, his face lighting up at the sight of Vivienne.

Vivienne caught sight of him, too, and started distributing her supply of life-saving pills. “I don’t have many, so the critical cases first. We need to get the rest to the hospital fast. Mr. Wolf has already alerted the medical staff on standby. The severely injured go first; my mom'’s already waiting at the hospital.” “Understood,” Soren said as he took the life-saving pill, handing it around until only one remained.