Derek's POV
"Alpha Derek, Alvin sent me a message, telling me to go in. Let's go! Just wait for me to catch this stinky rat."
Rolf, as excited as could be, rushed inside with his team.
Today's events were clearly calculated and cautious on my part. Yet, I had this uneasy feeling for no reason.
Watching Rolf eagerly rushing forward, there was a hint of regret deep inside.
I reached out my hand, instinctively wanting to stop Rolf.
Spike injured his leg a few months ago, and although he was better now, he hadn't fully recovered. He was currently unable to participate in this kind of operation right now.
Noticing the odd look on my face, he asked worriedly, "Alpha Derek, what's wrong?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Ease up, Alpha Derek, Alvin's always on top of things. Today, we're playing their own game, so it should be foolproof. We're just up against one guy."
I frowned, "Previously, wasn't he wandering around the downtown area with Alvin for most of the day, and only then did he come here? What if he was preparing for an ambush?"
"Are you saying that the person caught in the trap... is us?"
I glanced around and felt that it was a bit too eerie.
"There's a chance. Let Alvin pull back first."
My sixth sense had saved me countless times since I was a child, and this time was no exception. I instinctively felt the danger.
Spike never questioned my judgment, and without hesitation, he told Alvin and Rolf to lead the people out.
Just as the text message was sent, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the abandoned warehouse ahead.
Rolf, who hadn't made it over yet, was suddenly engulfed by the fire wave. He lay on the ground and shouted toward the raging inferno, "Alvin!"
Nobody knew what had suddenly happened inside, but it was clear that I wasn't wrong. We had fallen into a trap!
The fire spread rapidly, triggering a chain reaction that led to explosions in the vicinity.
"Alpha Derek, there's an ambush, run!" Spike shouted while running toward Rolf.
Rolf had always been an impulsive person, and the sudden explosion completely drove him to madness.
His first reaction was not to take cover but to run toward the direction where Alvin had an accident.
Spike acted swiftly, grabbing him. "We need to get out of here quickly. This place is an abandoned factory. Besides the explosions, it could release a lot of toxic substances."
Rolf's eyes were filled with tears as he bellowed, "Alvin! Alvin is still inside!"
"Idiot, Alvin was right at the epicenter of the explosion. If he didn't get out in time, he'd have been blown to bits! Even if he somehow survived the blast, there's no way he could've lasted with the fire burning so fiercely. In our line of work, don't we always know that we're one step away from sacrifice?"
"I was not afraid of death, but I was afraid of Alvin's death."
"Alvin's worried about you too. Listen to me. Get out of here now. It's not safe!"
Spike dragged and pulled Rolf away, the explosions around us growing more intense. A dark grey mushroom cloud rose into the sky, carrying a fierce blaze, toxic gases, and waves of fire that began to spread toward the nearby areas.
I finally found out what the other person was doing during those few hours!
What a ruthless person! I played along with his plan, but he was probably doing the same. His counter-surveillance skills were too formidable. It was likely he had already spotted Alvin.
It was too late for regrets now. I needed to calmly analyze the situation. Since he had set up such a trap, his target was clearly me.
So this was definitely just the beginning.
Just as I finished that thought, a beam of infrared light pierced through the smoke, aiming straight for my forehead.