Nine o’clock in the morning, December 29th, 2023.

Inside the A400M Airbus cargo bay. Reynolds approached Graves who was having a somber expression on his face.

"I’m sorry for your loss," Reynolds said. "I know it’s tough when your comrades are killed in action." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Graves looked up to him and spoke. "You experienced this?"

"During my tour in Afghanistan, in the town of Marjah, we were ambushed. Lost a good friend of mine. It never gets easier, you just learn to carry it with you," Reynolds shared.

Graves nodded, understanding the shared bond of loss that soldiers often carried. "It’s part of the job, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult. We train together, fight together, and sometimes... we lose people together. It’s the harsh reality of being in the field."

"It sounded like this isn’t the first time you experienced such a loss."

"Well, I have been in the field all the time, a lot of soldiers following my lead. There was an operation where we went to Korea and confronted Lin Feng. He was too powerful at that time and our weapons were no match. I saw them getting instantly killed before we ever realized he made an attack."

"I see...so this isn’t the first time you fought Lin Feng huh? No wonder your organization is knowledgeable about them. But today’s fight seems that both of you fought on equal terms."

"It may look that way but I sense that Lin Feng is hiding more power than what we’ve seen. He’s cautious, probably assessing our capabilities as much as we are his. This war... it’s going to escalate," Graves explained, his tone reflecting both resolve and concern. "He’s a formidable opponent, one that requires us to be at our best and beyond. We can’t afford to underestimate him."

Reynolds nodded, absorbing Graves’s insight. He leaned against the side of the cargo bay, looking around at the rest of the team who were trying to catch some rest or checking their equipment.

"What’s the next step for Blackwatch? After we land, I mean."

Graves sighed his mind already on the tasks ahead. "First, we debrief. Standard procedure, and then ask the Blackwatch leadership about the plan to invade Lin Feng’s base of operations. I’m sure the United States would get involved."

"I see...invading Lin Feng huh? It’s going to be a logistical challenge," Reynolds chuckled. "I wonder how the Blackwatch is going to solve those issues."

"The good thing about Blackwatch is that we always come up with a solution, this one would be no different," Graves replied, smiling.

As they were having a casual chat, the P. A system of the aircraft sounded.

"This is your pilot speaking, we are on a final approach to the Clark International Airport. Please take your seat as we are going to land in a few minutes. Welcome back home."

Graves and Reynolds, along with the rest of the team, began to secure their gear and took their seats for the landing. The aircraft descended smoothly towards Clark International Airport.

As the Airbus touched down on the runway, a sense of anticipation filled the cargo bay. The team was eager to step off the plane and proceed with their next set of orders. Despite the exhaustion from their recent operation, there was a shared understanding of the importance of their mission and the need for swift action.

Once the aircraft came to a complete stop and the cargo ramp was lowered, Graves led the team out of the Airbus. The warm morning air of the Philippines greeted them. Outside, they saw Mark, Sara, and Richard standing there.

"Welcome back," Richard said, stepping forward. He patted Graves on the shoulder while flashing a warm smile to Reynolds. "As much as I want to celebrate your return, one of our comrades died in action. So...get yourselves some rest, and meet me in the command center for debriefing."

Graves and Reynolds stood in attention and performed a salute. "Yes sir!"

Two hours later, in the command center of Blackwatch. Graves handed a bowl of ginataang bilo-bilo to Reynolds.

"Try this one, it’s creamy, sweet, and delicious," Graves offered.

Reynolds looked a bit weary from the events of the day but intrigued by the offering.

"Thanks," he said, taking the bowl. He tasted the traditional Filipino dessert, a mixture of coconut milk, rice balls, and various fruits and tubers. "This is really good. Never had anything like it."

Graves nodded, managing a small smile. "It’s comfort food here. Helps on days like these."

After a short break to eat and refresh, Graves and Reynolds, along with the rest of the team, gathered in the command center for the debriefing.

Richard initiated the debriefing. "Let’s begin. Graves, report on the operation and any intel on Lin Feng."

Graves stood up, clicking on the remote to bring up images and data collected from their encounter. "The operation confirmed Lin Feng’s status. He is alive and well. I don’t know what our nuclear missile struck but when we saw him, it seemed that he had never been hit by a missile. We fought toe-to-toe and then Lin Feng transformed into a new version of himself, stronger, and more monstrous, but still retains his consciousness. I believe that he may be hiding his true and demonic power, we’ll find out soon."

"How about the associates?"

"They are magic-based," Reynolds said. "We couldn’t take them down as their defenses were strong but we believed that a high-caliber and high ordnance can take them down without a problem. Which means the main threat is Lin Feng."

Hearing their debrief, Richard nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now let’s move on to the next topic at hand. Invading China or Lin Feng’s base of operations. I have the United States President with us, live from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. I have told him about our intention of invading Lin Feng, and he agreed, is that correct, Mr. President?"

"That’s correct," President William confirmed. "We are going to take down this son of a bitch. For the sake of humanity, we cannot prolong this, we must end them now."

"We are going to be here all day, considering and factoring variables should we go forward with the plan. So I need you all in your fresh minds as once we start the planning, there’s no turning back."

Richard waited for some protest but there was none. Seeing that, Richard proceeded. "Now, for the plan of invading China starts with..."