Chapter 176 Lights. Cameras. Action
Benjamin’s POV
Dawn hadn’t fully broken yet when we reached Clarence’s compound.
The sky was still that dull gray color that comes just before the sun finally pushes over the horizon. Perfect timing. Enough light to see what we were doing, but still dark enough that shadows covered our movements.
Exactly the kind of morning I liked.
Sixty warriors crouched in the tree line with me, all dressed in dark gear. Not a single piece of metal clinked. Not a single unnecessary word spoken.
We looked less like soldiers and more like ghosts waiting for permission to haunt someone.
In my ear, the comm device crackled softly.
Coban’s voice came through. "Everyone in position?”
I pressed the small mic near my collar. “Team one ready.”
Mark answered next. “Team two ready.”
Kevan followed. “Team three set.”
Then Elliott. "Team four ready and bored. Damn, you should of warned a fella, I would of brought me a book."
A few quiet chuckles rippled through the warriors near me.
Coban sighed through the comm. "You’ve been there four minutes.”
“Longest four minutes of my life,” Elliott muttered.
I shook my head. "Focus, children.”
Coban’s voice returned, calm but firm.
“Begin phase one.” That was our cue. I lifted two fingers in the air.
My fifteen warriors moved immediately. No hesitation. No wasted motion. They spread out like ink bleeding across paper, disappearing into the forest and the outer perimeter surrounding Clarence’s compound.
The place looked quiet from the outside. Too quiet. Tall black iron fencing surrounded the property, with thick woods forming a natural barrier on three sides. The compound itself sat in the center like a smug little fortress.
Large stone building. Multiple floors. Too many windows. And soon every single one of them would be watched.
I crouched beside one of my men as he began digging into the dirt near the tree line.
“Careful with that,” I murmured.
He smirked. “Relax Alpha. I only blew my eyebrows off once.”
“That’s not comforting.”
He lifted a flat circular plate from his pack.
The explosive plate. It looked harmless enough. About the size of a dinner plate. Thin metal casing. Pressure sensitive core. Deadly little bastard. He slid it carefully into the shallow hole and covered it with dirt and leaves.
“Plate one armed,” he whispered. Into my comm I said, “Outer ring starting.”
Coban answered immediately. “Copy.”
Around the compound my warriors began repeating the same process. Dig. Place. Cover.
Within minutes the ground surrounding Clarence’s compound began turning into the worst welcome mat imaginable.
But Coban hadn’t wanted just explosives.
Oh no. He’d gotten creative.
“Remember the color codes,” I reminded quietly.
One of my men snorted. “Yeah yeah.”
He pulled out another plate. This one had a small light indicator on the side.
“Yellow smoke,” he said. “Non-lethal.”
“Unless they panic and run into the red ones,” another warrior added. A few quiet laughs followed.
I smirked. “Exactly.”
The plates had three different functions. Some triggered lights, instantly lighting up anyone stepping on them like a spotlight on a stage.
Some released thick smoke, choking clouds that would confuse and disorient anyone trying to run.
And some, well, would blow you straight to hell. Those were the red markers.
We spread them evenly. Controlled chaos.
By the time we were done, Clarence’s compound would be the most dangerous lawn in the kingdom.
A voice crackled in my ear. Mark.
“Team two starting cameras.”
I glanced toward the western ridge. Mark and his crew were already climbing trees and nearby rock faces. Tiny black cameras appeared in their hands. Small. Silent. High resolution. And a ridiculous amount of them.
“Coban wants every angle,” Mark muttered through the comm.
Kevan laughed. “You’re basically filming a reality show.”
“Yeah,” Mark replied dryly. “Keeping Up with the Psychopaths.”
Elliott chimed in. “Ten dollars says Clarence throws something within the first hour.”
“Twenty says it’s a person,” Kevan added.
I couldn’t help chuckling quietly.
The cameras went everywhere. High branches overlooking the compound. Tree trunks facing the front gates. Rooftop angles. Rock ledges. Hidden under brush. By the time they finished, you could probably count Clarence’s eyelashes if he stepped outside.
Mark’s voice came again. “Window cameras going up.”
Now that part had taken creativity. Two warriors scaled a tall pine near the eastern wall. One carefully attached a camera angled directly toward the compound’s second-floor windows.
Another warrior crawled through thick brush until he had a clear view of the back side of the building. Click. Camera mounted.
Kevan whistled softly through the comm. "Benjamin, you can literally see into their dining room.”
“Good,” I replied.
Coban spoke again. “I want to know when they eat. When they sleep. When they scratch their damn asses.”
One of my men whispered beside me, “Should we install bathroom cams too?”
I gave him a flat look. “Let’s not traumatize ourselves.” We all laughed quietly some more.
Team four under Elliott moved next. They ran cable relays and signal boosters so the cameras could transmit directly back to the palace. Efficient. Silent. Precise. Within forty minutes the entire perimeter was finished. Explosive plates hidden. Cameras active. Angles covered.
Clarence’s compound now looked exactly the same as before, but it had quietly become the most heavily monitored prison in the kingdom.
I pressed my comm. “Phase one complete.”
Coban answered. “Good.”
But we weren’t done. I turned toward the final group standing a little deeper in the forest.
Five warriors. They hadn’t said a word the entire time. Didn’t joke. Didn’t laugh. Didn’t move unless absolutely necessary.
They were dressed differently from the rest of us. They wore dark cloaks. Long rifles strapped across their backs. And eyes that scanned the forest like predators waiting for prey. Assassins.
The quiet kind. The terrifying kind.
I walked over to them. Their leader gave a small respectful nod. "Alpha.”
I nodded back. "You know your orders.”
His expression didn’t change. "Anyone who exits the compound is a target.”
“Correct.”
He looked toward the compound through the trees. "We’ll rotate positions. High ground and shadow lines.”
Another assassin added calmly, "They won’t see us.”
I believed him. These five had operated undercover for years. Spies. Ghosts. Killers. If they didn’t want to be found then you weren’t finding them. Ever.
“Stay hidden,” I told them.
“Only fire if they leave the compound.”
The leader gave a small nod. “Understood.”
I stepped back. They vanished almost immediately. One climbed silently into a high pine. Another disappeared behind a rock ridge. The others melted into the shadows like they had never been there. Even I lost sight of them within seconds.
I returned to my team.One of my warriors stretched his back. “Man, that’s a lot of bombs.”
I glanced toward Clarence’s compound through the trees.
“Not enough. There could never be enough." I gasped and sounded offended.
Mark’s voice crackled through the comm again.
“All cameras live. Alright boys, we bring out the popcorn and watch the show."
I shake my head and round up my team. Everything went perfect.
“Now we wait"