On the eastern side of the hospital, Squad C, led by their unit commander, had just reached the area where Ray was staying.
Suddenly, one of the operatives reported in a tense voice,
— "Boss, Squad B has gone completely dark! No contact at all!"
— "Lost contact?" The commander's face darkened.
He knew full well what that implied — it likely meant that all five members of Squad B had been taken out.
But what kind of situation could neutralise five fully armed soldiers so quickly that they didn't even have time to call for help?
As the thought crossed his mind, the commander felt a chill run down his spine.
Things were clearly veering out of control. He had assumed that, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. had placed secret protection around Dr Raymond, it would only be standard agents.
His own team numbered over twenty battle-hardened operatives. In a direct confrontation, they should have stood a good chance, even against S.H.I.E.L.D.
But now, Squad B's complete silence had caught him completely off guard.
Still, there was no turning back.
If he retreated without even identifying the threat, he'd face severe punishment — if not death — upon his return.
— "We're not backing down," he decided grimly.
— "Get Squad D to check on Squad B's position immediately. Find out what the hell's going on. And rescind the no-kill order," he barked.
Rescinding the no-kill order meant they were now free to shoot at will.
Clearly, the commander understood how serious this had become. If they continued as before, they might all end up dead — and not even know why.
— "Squad D might not make it. They're under attack too," the operative added hastily.
— "Do we know who's attacking them?" the commander demanded.
— "No. They're currently engaged, that's all we know."
— "Tell them to hold the line. We're moving in — now!"
Clenching his jaw, the commander resolved to complete the mission at any cost.
Squad B was likely gone. Squad D might survive, but not without casualties. If they failed to capture the target now, he'd face more than just a reprimand.
Retreat was no longer an option — only pushing forward.
— "What the hell is that?"
A low exclamation from one of the team members snapped the commander's focus.
Following the operative's gaze, he saw someone standing in the courtyard about ten metres away — someone they hadn't seen before.
Bathed in the dim glow of the moon and streetlamps stood a man in a black suit, round spectacles perched neatly on his nose, and a square plaster stuck to his left cheek.
But the most striking detail was the pair of gloves he wore — each fingertip mounted with a blade nearly half a metre long, like the claws of some mechanical beast.
— "Who are you? Don't move!" the commander shouted, levelling his weapon.
— "Tsk, tsk… You lot came to capture me, didn't you? So why the nerves now that I've come to you?" the man replied, pushing up his glasses with a flick of the wrist, smiling.
— "You're Ray?" the commander said, sounding uncertain.
At first glance, the man looked completely different from the Dr Raymond he had seen in the briefing photos. But the face — it was unmistakable.
Unless Dr Raymond had a twin, this was their target.
But why the strange getup?
The commander's unease deepened.
As a mid-level officer in the Centipede Project, he knew full well that the supernatural existed. The Avengers were living proof.
Could Ray be one of them?
The possibility made his skin crawl.
Seeing the hesitation in the group, "Ray" — currently under the control of the secondary personality, Kuro — seemed visibly disappointed.
— "Why the delay? I've been waiting for you..."
— "If you don't make a move, I will."
He took a step forward.
— "Stay where you are! One more step and I'll shoot!" the commander barked.
— "Come on now. You're the ones trying to kidnap me. Don't make it sound like I'm the bad guy — it's honestly a little insulting," Ray said with a lazy smile.
Bang!
A muffled gunshot rang out.
The commander had really fired — but not to kill. The shot was aimed at Ray's leg.
Thanks to the silencer, the sound was soft, but it still startled the rest of the squad. None of them had expected the commander to open fire without warning.
They didn't know anything about the world of superhumans. To them, Ray simply looked… odd. But considering he was a patient in a psychiatric hospital, they chalked it up to another episode.
It was the commander's reaction that seemed out of place.
— "Look — he's gone!"
Another operative suddenly shouted.
Everyone looked up.
Ray — who had been standing right in front of them — had vanished without a trace.
— "Where did he go?!"
— "He was right there — where did he disappear to?!"
— "Don't tell me this place is haunted… I've heard hospitals are full of bad energy…"
One by one, the squad members felt a chill seep up from the soles of their boots. The cold dread of the unknown gripped them.
But the commander knew better — this was no ghost story.
Their target was a superhuman.
— "Get it together! He's like one of those super-soldiers!" he barked, snapping them back to reality, and giving them the only explanation they would understand.