Chapter 238: Hostage Rescue
When Kaida heard the score, her typically stoic eyebrow raised just barely—an almost imperceptible movement.
Ninety-five points? Higher than she'd expected. She turned her head toward Emily, and for the first time, her gaze held obvious competitive interest. This Emily was indeed qualified to be her opponent.
After the brief shock subsided, the examiner cleared his throat and announced the end of the first event. After a short break, they would proceed to the second assessment. All eyes focused once again, because the second event would test even more comprehensive abilities—stealth infiltration and hostage rescue from kidnappers.
This wasn't just a test of marksmanship, but a complete evaluation of strategy, psychological fortitude, and combat skills. Could Emily deliver another surprise? The question arose simultaneously in everyone's minds.
The break passed in a flash. The examiner approached the formation holding a lottery box, his face unusually serious: "We'll now proceed to the second assessment—stealth rescue. This event requires teamwork in pairs. We'll now draw lots to determine partnerships."
The box passed from hand to hand among the trainees, each person nervously drawing their slip, praying for a reliable partner. Emily casually pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and saw a number—7.
"Number seven, step forward!" the examiner called out loudly.
Emily responded and stepped forward. At the same time, another figure emerged from the formation—it was Kaida. In her hand was a slip that also bore the number 7.
The entire field fell dead silent, then erupted in even louder discussion.
"Oh my God! Emily and Kaida are teamed up? This has to be the most unbeatable combination!"
"This should be good! Two top performers working together—it'll be spectacular!"
"But didn't they have issues before? I remember during the combat assessment, they were opponents, and in that final operation, when everyone chose sides, they were on different teams. Can they work together well?"
Kismet stood at the back of the crowd, her face dark with anger.
She had never imagined Emily would pass the first shooting event, and now, for the second event, she'd actually been paired with Kaida!
Before, she might have been able to manipulate Kaida's relationship with Emily, turning Kaida against her, but now Kaida was clearly on Emily's side.
Kaida would only be a major asset to Emily. This was like divine intervention helping Emily!
Damn it!
Meanwhile, Kaida walked up to Emily and patted her shoulder. "Looking forward to working together."
Emily raised an eyebrow and smiled back: "Likewise."
There were no unnecessary pleasantries between them, only the understanding of soldiers about to fight side by side.
The examiner briefly outlined the mission rules: "In the simulated district ahead, two terrorists have taken a hostage and are hiding in an unknown building. Your mission is to infiltrate the district within thirty minutes, locate the hostage, neutralize or eliminate the terrorists, and successfully rescue the hostage. Note: the terrorists are armed with simulation weapons—being hit means mission failure. If the hostage dies, the mission also fails. Now, the clock starts!"
The examiner pressed the timer, and Emily and Kaida exchanged a glance before immediately sprinting forward.
The simulated district was built to real city street proportions—abandoned cars, collapsed street signs, bullet-riddled walls... creating the atmosphere of a post-war wasteland that provided natural cover for infiltration.
The two quickly reached an abandoned SUV and crouched behind it to observe their surroundings.
"Grocery store on the left, apartment building on the right, bank straight ahead. Where do you think the terrorists are hiding?" Kaida asked quietly. This was the first time she'd actively sought someone else's opinion during a mission.
Emily didn't answer immediately. She carefully observed the structure and window positions of all three buildings, her mind racing.
After a moment, Emily spoke, keeping her voice extremely low. "The bank's most likely. The grocery store has too many shelves blocking sight lines—bad for the terrorists to maintain surveillance. The apartment building has too many rooms, scattered targets, hard to control a hostage. The bank has a vault, a relatively enclosed structure, easy to defend, and the front steps provide clear sight lines—it's the ideal hiding spot."
A flash of admiration crossed Kaida's eyes: "Agreed. You circle left, I'll flank right. We'll rendezvous at the bank's rear entrance."
"Copy that." Emily agreed without hesitation.
The two quickly divided roles. Kaida rolled behind a roadside dumpster for cover and slipped toward a side alley on the right. Emily low-crawled, using car undercarriages and shrubbery for concealment as she silently moved left.
The street was so quiet you could only hear the wind and their soft breathing.
Emily heightened all her senses, her ears catching any abnormal sounds around them, her eyes vigilantly scanning every corner that might hide danger.
Suddenly, she heard a slight noise from the second floor of the grocery store ahead—like someone shifting their position. Emily immediately stopped moving, pressed her body against the wall, and carefully peered around the corner.
She saw a terrorist in a black jacket standing by a second-floor window, scanning the area with binoculars—clearly a lookout.
Emily's heart tightened. Of course, it wouldn't be that simple! If they charged straight for the bank, this lookout would likely spot them and blow their cover.
She quickly pulled a simulation pistol and silencer from her pack and expertly assembled them. Then, aiming for the terrorist's leg, she gently squeezed the trigger.
The silencer effectively muffled the gunshot. The bullet hit the terrorist's calf precisely. He groaned and collapsed, incapacitated.
Having eliminated the lookout, Emily didn't dare delay. She immediately picked up the pace, stealthily advancing toward the bank's rear entrance.
Meanwhile, Kaida encountered a small problem of her own. While moving through an alley, she was spotted by another patrolling terrorist. The terrorist reacted quickly, raising his weapon to fire.
Kaida remained calm under pressure, executing a perfect side roll behind a pile of debris to avoid the bullets. Immediately after, she quickly emerged and fired three shots in rapid succession, hitting the terrorist's arm, leg, and gun hand. The terrorist screamed and fell, his weapon flying from his grip.
Having dealt with the threat, Kaida didn't linger. She immediately retreated toward the bank's rear entrance. When she arrived at the back door, Emily was already waiting.
"All clear?" Emily asked.
Kaida nodded: "Took out a patrol. Your end?"
"Lookout on the grocery store's second floor. Already neutralized."
The two shared a confident smile, each seeing trust and synchronization in the other's eyes. Without wasting words, Emily gently pushed open the bank's back door, which stood slightly ajar. The two slipped inside one after the other like ghosts.