Chapter 306: The Unconventional Way of Retreat

After declaring his intention to retreat, Graves activated his thrusters, propelling himself upward and away from the battlefield.

Lin Feng refused to accept this tactical withdrawal as the end of their confrontation. As he was about to launch himself off the sky, Graves’s suit miniature missile weapon system shot out from its compartment, targeting Lin Feng.

The missiles exploded in front of Lin Feng, creating a temporary barrier of fire and debris. This unexpected move bought Graves some critical time.

Lin Feng, momentarily stalled by the explosions, quickly regained his composure but as he looked out to the skies, Graves was nowhere to be seen. But he had an idea of where he might come.

"They are retreating!" Lin Feng announced through his telepathic channel, reaching out to his harem. "Do not let them get away! Hello? Hello?!"

There was no response from his harem until—.

"This is Su Xue, master, they have already escaped. Those Blackwatch forces carried those soldiers who had no armor. We are trying our best to intercept but—they are too far up in the sky."

Hearing that, Lin Feng roared in anger, the Blackwatch got away from him. He wasn’t satisfied yet even though he had killed one.

"Well—no matter, I need you here right now, I’m going to show you something," Lin Feng said, his monstrous form starting to return to its original form.

Su Xue acknowledged his command and began to mobilize towards his location. Moments later, she arrived, along with the other associates.

"I need reports," Lin Feng ordered.

"We have suffered one casualty, Seo-Jun. Her skills were valuable and losing her is a significant blow," Su Xue reported. "We have sustained injuries but they’ll regenerate quickly."

"Good, don’t worry about Seo-Jun, I can be more kind like her," Lin Feng said, getting over the situation. "Now, I’m going to need you to scan this man’s suit."

Lin Feng pointed to the corpse of a Blackwatch personnel, wearing the advanced suit that had been giving him trouble.

"Ohh—we killed one," Su Xue said as she lowered to her knees, scanning the corpse

"Yeah but it was significant, it was one of Blackwatch’s summons. I’m going to need you to analyze the component of the suit so we can figure out how to deal with it effectively"

Su Xue brushed her hand across the sleek surface of the suit and then spoke. "The material is mostly composite, made out of nanotechnology and advanced polymers. These are my initial observations."

"Hmm...I assume Blackwatch can summon futuristic technology, like how I can buy more monstrous summons," Lin Feng mused. "Well, we better understand how it works by the end of the week because they are going to return again. And when they return, it won’t be a small group or detachment, it’s going to be their whole forces."

When Lin Feng said that, Su Xue’s eyes flickered at him. "What do you mean?"

"It means they are coming at us with everything they have got," Lin Feng clarified.

***

Meanwhile, Blackwatch forces landed on one of the skyscraper rooftops in Beijing.

"Our extraction will be kind of unique and probably haven’t been encountered before," Graves began, addressing the Navy Seals. "We are going to fly at 15,000 feet where we will meet up with the A400M Airbus. We’ll enter through the back and get back to the Philippines. Of course, the air at that altitude will be thin so the equipment and gears that you brought in with you that you are carrying behind your back, it’s time for you to use it. Once you are all set, we are going to carry you there."

"You are going to carry us there? Like you did just now?" Reynolds exclaimed, surprised to hear Graves’s extraction plan. This was the part they weren’t briefed on, about the extraction.

"Yes, don’t worry, the suit can handle your weight. So gear up because, at any moment, Lin Feng may come out of nowhere and fuck our well-thought-out plan to get out of this country safely," Graves replied urgently.

With that, the Navy Seals began to prepare. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

As the team began to prepare, checking their equipment and securing their gear, Graves communicated with the A400M’s crew, confirming their ETA.

The Blackwatch operatives paired up with the Navy Seals. But since one of them was killed in action, one of them had to carry an additional person, and that work was relegated to Graves. He grabbed tightly on the handles of Reynolds and the other Navy Seals while looking them in the eye.

"Are you ready?" Graves asked.

Reynolds gave a determined nod, and with that, they began to lift off through the night sky. As they climbed higher, the air grew colder and thinner. The Navy Seals’ breath became visible, fogging inside their helmets, but their gear’s life support systems kept them stable, providing necessary oxygen and warmth against the biting cold of the upper atmosphere.

The Airbus A400M appeared as a silhouette against the moonlit sky, a behemoth cruising steadily at 15,000 feet. Its presence was a comforting sight to Graves and his team.

"Catch up to it," Graves said as he boosted his thrusters, accelerating at a speed that was slightly faster than the aircraft. The cargo ramp of the aircraft slowly opened, and Graves waited until it was fully open.

When that moment arrived, Graves sped forward. The cold air rushed past them, a roaring sound in their ears as they approached the gaping maw of the Airbus A400M’s cargo ramp. The interior of the aircraft, illuminated by harsh white lights, grew larger and more defined as they drew closer.

The operatives and Navy Seals behind him followed in a tight formation, their own suits’ lights blinking softly in the darkness, marking their positions as they all moved as one cohesive unit toward the safety of the aircraft.

As they entered the cargo hold, the change in air pressure was immediate, a welcome relief from the thin atmosphere they had just been flying through. One by one, they touched down on the metal floor of the aircraft, their thrusters powering down with a series of soft hisses and clicks. The cargo ramp began its slow ascent, closing off the night sky and the world below them, sealing the team inside.

The crew of the Airbus, dressed in military fatigues and equipped with headsets, moved in to assist, guiding the team to secure their gear and directing them toward the seating area. Graves, still carrying the additional burden of leadership and the physical weight of his companions, felt a momentary weight lift from his shoulders as they were safely aboard. Yet, his mind was already racing ahead to the debriefing and the planning that lay before them, particularly the one where they’ll invade Lin Feng’s base of operations.