Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Supervisor Chen, report our remaining defensive forces."

"Yes!" Chen Feng immediately pulled up the data. "We have 320 permanent security personnel, but over 40 have already been injured in the firefight at the harbor..."

"What about the armored vehicles?"

"All three are intact and already activated, ready for combat at any moment."

"We still have 162 operational drones, with 50 already airborne."

Wen Yanxu nodded, his gaze returning to the main screen.

The enemy still had three ships, but their firepower was no longer as intense as at the start—as if they were waiting for something.

"They're preparing to land," he said suddenly.

Chen Feng was taken aback: "But the underwater detectors haven't found anything unusual."

"The detectors are being jammed, or they have a more covert way of infiltrating." Wen Yanxu's fingers tapped on the console, pulling up a detailed map of the island's eastern side. "Look here,"

Before he could finish, the zone surveillance screen on the eastern wall of the command center suddenly flashed red, and a piercing alarm blared through the entire command center.

Someone reported loudly: "Near the southwest of Zone 2, unknown heat signatures detected—at least twenty!"

The feed switched over: surveillance footage in night-vision mode showed over twenty blurry figures moving quickly through the dark, coming ashore.

Wen Yanxu tracked their direction of movement.

Their target was, as expected, the core research zone.

Wen Yanxu calmly gave orders: "Supervisor Chen, send people in that direction immediately and establish a defensive line at the outer perimeter of Zone 2. Remember, do not enter Zone 2. Keep the military shield up at all times—let them fight outside."

"Deploy one armored vehicle to intercept any further enemy landings."

"Yes!"

"Also," Wen Yanxu added, "tell the team leader the enemy are professional mercenaries. Don't engage them head-on. Staying alive is what matters most—I don't need anyone dying for this. Use our knowledge of the terrain, set up ambushes, and buy time. Our goal is to hold out until backup arrives."

The orders were issued.

Wen Yanxu sat back down in the command chair, his gaze sweeping over all the screens like a hawk.

Qiao Yuexun stood quietly behind him, at a distance neither too close nor too far, steadily releasing his pheromones.

In the time that followed, Wen Yanxu displayed astonishing tactical command ability.

He seemed completely unaffected by his heat—every order was clear and decisive, executed precisely and swiftly.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

Rustfire's landing forces were intercepted again and again, never managing to break through the outer line. But they clearly had no intention of backing down. The ships offshore kept firing relentlessly, trying to blast a hole through with sheer firepower.

Wen Yanxu knew the enemy was trying to wear them down, and with limited ammo and limited manpower, they couldn't hold out forever.

They had to reach the outside world ASAP.

He suddenly spoke: "Chen Feng, is the engineer team ready?"

Chen Feng: "Ready. Two teams of three, each carrying two emergency signal transmitters."

"Send them out." Wen Yanxu's voice was calm and methodical: "One team circles around to the eastern high point, the other climbs up from the west. Rustfire's drones have been scanning nonstop—have them bring jammers."

"Yes!"

The two engineer teams headed out immediately. Wen Yanxu pulled up the surveillance feed and watched their real-time positions.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Three minutes later, the eastern team was spotted by a drone. Rustfire reacted instantly, sending out a helicopter for an armed strike.

"Tell them to abort and evacuate immediately!" Wen Yanxu's order had barely left his lips when the attack chopper opened fire again.

Just then, an Aegis gunship burst out from behind the ridge, slamming straight into the attack chopper.

"No—" Chen Feng's cry of shock hadn't even died down before the two aircraft collided mid-air, turning into a fireball.

The blaze lit up half the sky.

Wen Yanxu's fingers gripped the armrest, knuckles white.

Just then, a drone feed showed a figure falling near the fireball. A moment later, a parachute deployed.

Someone's eyes welled up at the sight.

Wen Yanxu's orders kept coming: "Keep moving."

No one spoke. The only sounds in the command center were the clatter of keyboards and muffled breathing.

The three-man eastern team finally reached the summit.

The signal transmitter was set up in a hurry, and the second the transmit button was pressed, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

The connection went through.

The command center erupted in cheers.

Wen Yanxu grabbed the communicator and explained the situation.

Aegis HQ confirmed that reinforcements would depart immediately, arriving in about two hours. They'd also contacted the Federal Maritime Police, whose patrol ships were in the area and promised to arrive within ninety minutes.

If they could just hold out, the tide would turn.

The news spread quickly to every defensive line. The exhausted security personnel had a new fire in their eyes.

Soon, Rustfire realized that dragging things out would cost them their edge, and their attacks grew even more frantic.

But Shadowless Island's defenses held firm.

Wen Yanxu was like a master chess player, with Shadowless Island as his board. Every order was perfectly placed, every piece used to its fullest.

Casualties were mounting on both sides, but the line never broke.

And Rustfire's firepower was already starting to fade compared to the beginning.

They were getting worn down too.

Wen Yanxu stared at the battle on the screens, silently counting the time in his head.

Just hold on a little longer.

Wen Yanxu slowly leaned back into his chair.

Cold sweat had already soaked through his shirt and clung to his back, and his vision was going dark at the edges.

Qiao Yuexun's pheromones had helped calm him, sure, but he still had to fight off the pull of a high-compatibility omega's pheromones and the alpha instinct to claim and mark.

Just then, the door to the command center was pushed open.

Dr. Li Weimin hurried in, carrying a climate-controlled case. The white lab coat from the meeting was smudged with grime, his hair slightly disheveled, but he was still steady as ever.

He walked over to Wen Yanxu, cracking open the case as he gave his report. "The airborne inducer in the meeting room's ventilation system has been fully flushed out, and the raw sample has been sent to the clinical observation wing for analysis. I got the medical-grade universal 7th-Gen Inhibitor and already dosed the alphas who went into rut during the meeting—it's a better fit than what you took earlier."

He pulled out a pale blue syringe, its needle long and thin, the liquid catching the light.

Li Weimin took in Wen Yanxu's condition. "It'll stabilize you for now, but I can't guarantee how long it'll hold. Since this rut was triggered by an unknown inducer, it could flare back up."

Wen Yanxu tilted his head, signaling for Li Weimin to inject it into the gland at the base of his neck.

The cool liquid slid in, and he closed his eyes, leaning back against the chair.

As he waited for the inhibitor to kick in, Wen Yanxu said to Chen Feng, "Give me a tally of the battle results and casualties."

Chen Feng pulled up the numbers right away.

The fight was still deadlocked.

Ten minutes later, the wild, barely-contained restlessness in Wen Yanxu seemed to ease off a bit. He was still drained, but his sanity no longer felt like it was about to snap.

He pressed a hand to his forehead, using the other to pull up the tracking interface on the holo-screen.

The green dot was still pulsing in Zone One.

But it had moved. It was drifting toward the edge of Zone One.

Wen Yanxu's whole body went cold.

Wen Jueqian's position had changed. Either they were moving on to the next phase, or something had gone wrong with their plan.

Either way, this wasn't good.

To have snatched Wen Jueqian right from under his nose, they had to be moles on Jueying Island—and Jin Wang was the prime suspect.

Wen Yanxu knew he couldn't wait any longer.

He had to get to Wen Jueqian's side, right now.

Having made up his mind, Wen Yanxu said, "Chen Feng, get me Rustfire's comms."

Chen Feng blinked. "Boss Wen?"

"They've gotta have an internal channel." Wen Yanxu looked at him. "Break into their channel, use the prisoners, or just broadcast—whatever it takes, get me their leader on the line."

Chen Feng hesitated, then did it anyway.

Two minutes later, a grainy image flickered onto the main screen—a face straight off a wanted poster, eyes cold and predatory.

"Wen Yanxu, the Wen family's Young Master." The man's voice was rough, laced with amusement. "Heard a lot about you."

Wen Yanxu cut the small talk and got straight to the point: "The Federal Coast Guard patrol ship gets here in twenty minutes. Aegis backup lands in sixty."

The man's eyes narrowed sharply.

Wen Yanxu gave a taunting smile. "Twenty minutes—enough time for you to run?"

The line went quiet for a few seconds.

"So what?" the man asked.

Wen Yanxu's voice was flat, like he was reading a done deal: "In twenty minutes, you'll be boxed in, your ships sunk, and every one of your people taken."

The man's eyes narrowed. "You threatening me?"

Wen Yanxu said, "No, I'm just telling you how this ends."

With that, he killed the line.

Chen Feng looked at him, confused. "Boss Wen, you're giving them an out? The Coast Guard won't be here for another forty minutes. If they pull back now, our people died for nothing?"

Wen Yanxu just said, "No time." No further explanation.

He stood up and spoke into the intercom: "Wang Xin, grab a squad and roll with me to Zone One."

Wang Xin was the security center's deputy director, ex-special forces, and the best solo fighter on the island.

A sharp "Copy that" crackled back through the intercom.

Once his people were set, Wen Yanxu got ready to move.

He stopped mid-stride, like he'd just remembered something.

Wen Yanxu turned, and for the first time since stepping into the command center, really looked at Qiao Yuexun.

The omega's face was pale too—pumping out pheromones this whole time had clearly drained him.

"Thanks for your help," Wen Yanxu said, pausing as if choosing his next words carefully.

"I'm heading to Zone One now to get my fiancé back." A flicker of soft exhaustion crossed his eyes as he mentioned his fiancé.

"It could get dangerous. You're not Aegis, not my man. You don't have to come. You can stay here or hit the shelter—your call."

Qiao Yuexun stepped up and spoke first. "My pheromones can still help steady you. The 7th-Gen Inhibitor is in, but like Dr. Li said, this rut could still flare back up."

Wen Yanxu met Qiao Yuexun's eyes.

He knew Qiao Yuexun was right—he'd been thinking the same thing—but he also knew Wen Jueqian was touchy about this omega.

Wen Yanxu refused to do anything that might hurt the man he loved.

Qiao Yuexun held his gaze, eyes steady, and said, "Boss Wen, isn't your fiancé's safety the priority right now?"

"I swear I won't cross any lines."

In the end, Wen Yanxu gave in.

He silently let the omega fall in step behind him.

==========Author's Note:==========

I was really conflicted writing this part. With my kindergarten-level grasp of military tactics, I can't write anything too epic, but skipping it entirely wouldn't do justice to the Tianlong crew's skills. So I did my best to write Wen Yanxu's command sequence—hope it's not too rough.