C489 War Realities

The coaches who had come to greet us laughed as they approached. Cipher asked "Where are the Enemies?" Sniper shook his head with a smile. “If they were visible, wouldn't we be fighting them nonstop, day and night, until we decided who the winner was?” Beast laughed. “So the Lions are back.” He looked at us and shook his head. “Sniper is confusing you all. The enemies don't come here. They are far away, and we told you before that it is not just one enemy. We cannot simply decide to attack them because they are not all in the same place. We are also afraid of leaving this border and going after them because other enemies might sneak in while we are gone.” Cipher nodded slowly. “So where are your defenses?” Hammer looked at her with a confused expression. “Madam, what defenses?” Cipher turned toward the coaches. “Hammer, you and your team taught us everything. We can't possibly be smarter than all of you. You know what I mean when I say your defenses.” Hammer looked at Viper. Then he looked at Ghost. The two men exchanged confused glances. Cipher sighed. “I mean, isn't war the same as hunting your prey? You have to set traps for them, right? Or do you simply wait for them to approach and then fight back?”

Hammer suddenly laughed. “Oh, Madam. No. This is different.” He pointed around us. “As you can see, there is no electricity here. We use candles. That means fighting is mainly done during the day. And when two armies collide, there is no guarantee that the traps we set will only trap the enemy. We could end up hurting our own people.” He paused. “That is why we don't use traps like you are imagining.” Hammer's expression became more serious. “However, I think everyone is aware that there are conflicts inside our camp. Lately, more enemies have been coming out and testing us.” Pixel looked confused. “Then what is Sniper's role in all of this? Isn't he good at shooting from long range?” Sniper laughed. “Pixel, right?” Pixel nodded. “Yes.” Sniper smiled. “Then listen carefully. Snipers are less effective here than they would normally be. But that doesn't mean we have no use for them.” He pointed toward the darkness beyond the camp. “Snipers stand watch throughout the night. While everyone else is resting, they watch for any attempt by the enemy to approach the camp. They are also used as scouts when we need to track enemy movements. When scouts go out to locate the enemy, snipers are sometimes sent with them.” Pixel nodded slowly. “I understand.”

Bighead looked around the camp. “What about the injured men? Where do you treat them?” Chipmunk also looked confused. “I'm sure you have had injured soldiers before.” Bulldog laughed. “Are you guys still thinking everything is fair?” His laughter disappeared. “This is war.” He looked around at all of us..“In war, you save your emergency supplies for something useful. Injuries that can be treated are treated. But if we are certain that someone's injuries are too severe, then no emergency services will be provided.” I frowned. “What exactly does that mean?” Wolf looked directly at me. “Cracker, In a war if you are injured, let's say badly injured, we don't treat you. We wish you well in meeting our God.” He paused. “And then we finish you off.” For a moment, nobody spoke. I stared at him. “You finish them?” Wolf nodded. “You kill them?” “Yes.” Silver swallowed. “How do you know whether the person you killed would have survived or not?” Reaper laughed. “We don't.” He shrugged as though the answer were simple. “That is war.” Cipher looked at Hammer. “So what if I get injured? Will you finish me off?” Hammer nodded. “Yes.” The answer came so quickly that even Cipher seemed surprised. “There are no hospitals here. If you are badly injured, we will be forced to relieve you of all your pain and suffering by finishing you off.”

The Lions looked at one another. Nobody spoke. The reality of what we had just heard settled heavily over us. Bighead leaned toward me and whispered, “Cracker, what if they finish me? Will you allow that?” I smiled at him, trying to make the situation lighter. “Don't worry, brother. I won't let them do that.” Hammer shook his head. “You are just saying that now.” I looked at him. “What do you mean?” “If that really happens, you will beg us to finish him.” I immediately shook my head. “Never. I wouldn't do that.” Hunter looked at me. “So tell me something.” His voice was calm, but there was nothing comforting about his question. “If your brother gets injured and his right arm is cut off by the enemy, I will assume he is right-handed.” I slowly stopped smiling. Hunter continued. “Will you let him suffer all that pain, knowing that he may never be able to fight again?” I said nothing. “Imagine the pain he would feel without an arm. Imagine waking up every morning knowing that something you once used without thinking is gone forever.” He paused. “And imagine everyone who sees him afterward only seeing him as a handicapped man without an arm.”

I swallowed hard. The thought was difficult to process. Beside me, Bighead stared silently at the ground. Nobody interrupted Hunter. The camp suddenly felt much colder. Kiddo turned toward Survivor. “My Survivor will survive everything. I'm sure of that.” Survivor nodded. “We must be careful, guys.” she looked around at all of us. “This is worse than Hanna.” His words made several of us look at him. Cipher looked at us too. “No wonder Hanna is being ruthless toward us.” Pixel added quietly, “But you still want us to treat her fairly.” Cipher shook her head. “Pixel, I know what you mean.” She paused. “And the answer is no. Let's wait a little longer.” Pixel nodded. Soon afterward, we arrived at our tent. The conditions around us were harsh, but we were already used to living under difficult circumstances. The Gupta military base had taught us how to sleep in uncomfortable places, eat whatever was available, and remain alert even when our bodies desperately wanted rest. Compared to that, this place was not completely unfamiliar. Still, something about this border felt different. At Gupta's military base, we knew where we stood. Here, we were surrounded by soldiers who were already divided among themselves.

The moment we entered the tent, Cipher turned toward Hammer. “Hammer, your grandpa once told me that Gold and Diamond can be traced.” Hammer nodded. “Yes. It can be tracked." “How do you get its live location?” Hammer thought for a moment before answering. “Boss has it. But he once sent it to me on the day we arrived at the warehouse.” He reached for his phone. “I'll send it to you.” Cipher nodded. “Good. That will help.” The coaches remained with us for a few more moments before standing up. Hammer looked at us seriously. “Madam, you and your team must be careful right now.” Cipher looked at him. “Why?” “Because both sides don't see eye to eye.” He glanced toward the entrance of the tent. “Everyone knows there is tension inside this camp. You need to stay alert. If someone is sent to execute you, you may not receive any warning.” The atmosphere immediately changed again. Cipher nodded. “I understand.” She looked at the rest of us. “We'll be on the lookout.” The coaches eventually left the tent. We watched them disappear into the darkness before Cipher turned back toward us. “Now we must plan for the final time.”

She sat down and looked around the group. “Let's start with the undercover operation. Who will fetch those guys?” Pixel answered first. “Silver and I can go.” Cipher nodded. “Okay. No problem.” She thought for a moment. “I'll contact Leon now and tell him about the eight people we need.” I looked around at everyone. “So what next?” Bighead nodded. “Yes. What do we do next?” Cipher smiled. “We sleep.” A few of us laughed quietly. “We'll start working on the plan properly once the Lucia Goods employees arrive.” Pixel looked at Cipher. “So, Cipher, when we fetch them, do we debrief them?” she paused. “Or will you let them come here and debrief them yourself?”