Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Kilo 7 was the next to encounter trouble. They approached a narrow alleyway, their vehicle moving slowly to avoid detection. Suddenly, a burst of gunfire erupted from a nearby building, the sound of automatic rounds tearing through the rain and slicing into the armored vehicle. Sparks flew as the bullets pinged off the steel.

"Ambush!" one of the operators shouted, her heart pounding. The turret gunner reacted immediately, swiveling the mounted PKM weapon toward the source of fire.

"Hold fire!" the Kilo 7 leader ordered, spotting movement in the corner of her eye. There, in the building across from the ambushers, a family cowered in their living room, children pressed against the window, watching in horror. One wrong move, and the crossfire could kill them.

"Kilo 7, this is Kilo 0," Tang Ziyi's voice crackled over the comms. "Check your shots. Multiple civilians in the adjacent building. Suppress only with burst mode. Control your aim."

The turret gunner gritted her teeth, wanting to unleash a barrage of fire, but she knew the rules of engagement were clear. Instead, she fired short, controlled bursts into the building's upper windows, keeping the enemy pinned down without risking the lives of the innocent family across the street.

"Kilo 7, shifting position," the driver announced, backing the vehicle into a more defensible spot behind a low wall. The gunfire from the enemy stopped as the ambushers retreated deeper into the building, unwilling to risk open combat against armored opposition. But the tension remained thick—there would be more, and the ambushers had home-field advantage.

By now, those curious civilians, attracted by the noise, had retreated inward, staying away from the windows. A few daring ones picked up phones to capture the rare sight. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

However, the utter darkness would disappoint their interest. Lighting up a torch was a big no-no. Weighing the risks and the gains, most chose to retreat.

In all likelihood, the enemy had begun to react properly, utilizing buildings as cover and concealment to stage an ambush. Fortunately, there were mini drones to search nearby buildings, although some rooms blocked the tiny machines from flying in.

Kilo teams still needed their operators to check inside. Of course, the urgency of time forced the operators to march in a convoy—to engage when engaged.

Fortunately, most of the time, their mini drones were able to stealthily enter and identify targets, and two previous thunder runs disoriented the enemies so much that most were already on their way to fall back, believing that the attackers had breached from multiple fronts.

Burning transformers, generators, vehicles, and other signs showed that the enemy believed they were encircled.

Challenges in radio communication and the loss of collective leadership left groups leaderless, each defending their post or running away. Plus, with lights cut off except in the central area, it gave the illusion that they had lost control of a vast part of the city.

In fact, the opponents believed Kilo teams had achieved far more than they actually had. The quick progress by Kilo inflicted false beliefs, which benefited Spirit Fox.

In a way, the double thunder runs had poised a successful initial stage of storming the city. Still, while many enemies were eliminated or fleeing, a few had the guts to garrison inside buildings.

Kilo 8, positioned nearby, moved to provide support. They swung their vehicle wide, taking an alternate route to flank the enemy. "Kilo 8, preparing to breach. Mechanical only," their leader called out. With civilians still nearby, they couldn't risk explosives or heavy firepower.

Kilo 5, meanwhile, had their own trouble. As they advanced deeper into the urban zone, they were forced to slow down even more. The streets were littered with abandoned vehicles, and the narrow alleys created choke points perfect for ambushes. Their NVGs picked up movement inside a nearby shop. Through the dusty glass windows, they saw figures crouched low, trying to stay out of sight.

"Possible hostiles inside. Could be civilians," one of the operators whispered.

"Can't take the chance. We need to confirm," the Kilo 5 leader said. She signaled for two of her team members to approach on foot. The operators moved cautiously, keeping their weapons trained on the windows. One approached the door and pressed her back against the wall, glancing inside. Her heart raced, every second feeling like a lifetime.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and two men ran out, guns drawn. The operators had no choice. They fired, two quick shots to the chest, dropping the first man instantly. The second man hesitated, fear flashing in his eyes, before tossing his weapon aside and surrendering.

"Hostile down. One in custody," the operator reported. "No civilians inside. Area cleared! Request permission to continue clearing."

"Negative, send in the drones and scout around. Continue to roll on the road."

"Roger."

The terror of urban warfare was clear now. Every corner was a risk, every shadow a potential threat. And with civilians scattered throughout the war zone, the rules of engagement were tight. The teams had to balance the need for speed and aggression with the necessity of protecting innocent lives. One wrong move, and the mission could spiral out of control.

Above them, Tang Ziyi continued to monitor the situation, her drones giving her a clear view of the battlefield. She spotted another group of armed men moving toward Kilo 8's position. "Kilo 8, heads up. You've got tangos moving on your 9 o'clock. I count four, armed."

"Kilo 8, copy. Engaging."

The operators in Kilo 8 quickly repositioned, their vehicle sliding into an ambush point. They waited until the armed men were fully exposed before opening fire—precise, short bursts to avoid collateral damage. The firefight was brief, brutal, and efficient. The armed men never had a chance to react.

The enemy worked against the odds—no light, no vision, lack of preparedness, no leadership, and lack of supplies. Except for the sound of the engine growl that might convey Spirit Fox's position and minute starlight to assist.

Although cries, arguments, and scoldings erupted after the early successive explosions, people quieted down as tension drowned the city in disbelief. A battle had occurred.

...

"Ziyi, I bet we'll need more sniper support than just us to gain an advantage," Ling Qingyu said.

"Nah, you're enough. Of course, I know you're right, but the mission is to search for our missing undercover," said Tang Ziyi. "We don't have enough manpower to fill every gap. We'll make ends meet, and besides, please trust your girls."

"Alright," Ling Qingyu shrugged. "And here we are, where we can shoot targets but have to hold our breath."

"If you'd like to experience whiplashes above our ears, you're welcome to do so," Tang Ziyi rolled her eyes. "Do not engage unless you have sight on important tangos."

What she said was right! They couldn't hide the muzzle flash of a .50 caliber sniper rifle, much less the sound, even if groans of thunderclaps continued rattling.

Exposing the sniper's location, just for the sake of small help, wouldn't do much. And the enemies also had snipers, who might cause additional havoc to the teams below if the duo lost their eyes for a while.

The duo dared not bet that the enemies didn't have their own snipers equipped well and modernized.

Even if they had a thermal imagery advantage, there were too many gaps for opposing snipers to suppress them. So, Ling Qingyu's shots must be calculated and meaningful.

At the same time, Tang Ziyi was waiting for the intelligence report from Kilo 1. This team had taken over the role of logistics and was investigating the missing agents' whereabouts—interviewing victims, interrogating gang members, and so on. Additionally, Athena was hacking and listening to the enemies' electronic devices to pinpoint their position.

Even though the current assault was to completely eliminate the syndicate gang, rescue was a priority here.

All hands would be loose only after the two missing agents were found and rescued. For now, they needed to keep up the pressure.

From Kilo 4's perspective, the accompanying Kilo 9 and 10 had huge questions about the firepower of the syndicate gang here.

The technicals driven by Spirit Fox raised alarms. The enemies were so well-equipped that the Toyota Hilux had been modified into armored fighting vehicles, nearly resembling or even surpassing the ones used by anti-cartel military and police forces in Country M.

Heck, "armed to the teeth" was an understatement. Big wheels, heavy armor linings, huge beam lights above for off-road navigation.

Luckily, the turret machine guns were the good old reliable PKMs. If these were replaced by .50 caliber machine guns or miniguns, they might pee their pants here.

The strong iron frames behind, on the trunks, provided comfortable and useful railings for support and loading stuff.

Because no Spirit Fox operators confessed that the technicals belonged to them or spoke anything about it, Kilo 9 and 10 from the military assumed the girls had snatched them from the gangs.

No one was dumb enough to expose everything and attract unwanted attention that might endanger their rare and kind boss. They reckoned, in this world, no one could provide the kind of support Ling Qingyu gave to them—dreams, honor, and a supportive team to survive a dangerous life and turn them into pros.