Back at Samson’s underground base, after the successful prison attack and the mission completed- though not without the loss of one team member, Delilah - Samson and his people kept to the shadows. The assault on the government building was considered one of the most severe crimes, so to avoid drawing attention or running into new problems, the “Garbage” group decided to lay low for the time being.

  Arthur, a member of the group and a close friend of Delilah, sat alone in a cell beneath the base. Nearby, Rul kept watch - baring her fangs, idly sharpening a knife, killing time while holding back the anger that both she and Arthur shared.

  Samson walked down the corridor and stopped by Arthur’s cell, standing beside the watchful Rul.

  “So, how are you, Arthur? Still not reconsidered?”

  Arthur rose from the cot and looked at him.

  “No, boss. I’ll go for her anyway. With you or without you, even alone. I don’t care.”

  Samson glanced wearily at Rul. She nodded silently, holding back her sadness.

  “We’ll get her back. I promise you. Just… not right now,” Samson began, but Arthur cut him off sharply.

  “When ‘later’?! She got caught because of me! If it weren’t for me, she’d be here, with us. She reached out for me, could’ve taken my hand… but because of her powers, she pulled away. If it weren’t for my emotions, I could’ve held her!”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” Samson said calmly. “The only one responsible here is me, as the leader. I understand you. I want to go for her immediately myself. But it’s not just my life or yours at stake—it’s the whole group. You’re family to me. Just like Dalila. I swear to you: we’ll save her.”

  “She’s probably being tortured there…” Arthur muttered.

  “No,” Samson shook his head. “According to my sources, she signed a contract with the government.”

  “She’s working for them? Why…?”

  “Well, that’s a twist… The girl doesn’t waste any time,” Rul smirked.

  “I don’t know,” Samson said. “Only she knows. But one thing is certain: she’ll be fine. After all, it’s Delilah.”

  “Understood… so she’s okay…” Relief flickered in Arthur’s eyes.

  “For now,” Samson replied. “But even with all her strength, we can’t delay her rescue.”

  “Got it!”

  “So, Arthur, get it together. I need you now, and you too, Rul.”

  Arthur and Rul looked at him with interest.

  “We’ll have a new partner soon, and the mission is going to blow the roof off!”

  _____

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  Meanwhile, across the city, Namkhai, Delilah, and 1991 stepped out of their usual truck for a new mission. Trees and swamps stretched around them - this place was uninhabited due to the terrible soil.

  “What a stinking, filthy place,” 1991 grumbled.

  “What are you talking about? This place is amazing life and nature here are incredible,” the monk countered.

  Delilah just waved her hand, shooing away mosquitoes.

  “By the way, weren’t we always three? Shouldn’t there be one more?” 1991 asked.

  “Yeah, that guy with the long hair and sword. Guess Andok realized after the first mission that he was useless and kicked him out. Makes sense…”

  At that moment, a voice suddenly rang in all three of their ears - Andok’s:

  “As for Phobos. Squad Thirteen, attention please…”

  Phobos stepped out of the truck. He was clad in dark clothing and high-tech, reinforced armor.

  “…your squad leader is Phobos. From now on, you are required to follow his orders and obey him without question.”

  “What?!” Namkhai was shocked. He pointed at him. “I’m not going to listen to this idiot!”

  “Hmph. Shut up. Nobody asked you whether you want to or not you’ve been presented with a fact,” Phobos replied coldly.

  “Yeah, right. My contract didn’t say I have to obey the orders of some assassin.”

  “Do whatever you want, big guy. An order is an order. We need to track down and capture a mysterious and extremely dangerous creature that inhabits this area. The assignment came from Andok.”

  “So what, now you give orders instead of Andok?” 1991 asked.

  “For now- yes. The creature must be taken alive. It’s extremely durable and strong, so if you listen, we....” Phobos didn’t get to finish.

  All three vanished in the same instant, scattering in different directions.

  Andok’s voice immediately sounded through the communicator, ordering them to return and listen to Phobos’s plan. The killer merely replied:

  “It’s fine. They’re being stubborn now, but they’ll get used to it and start listening later. Let them blow off steam.”

  But his thoughts were different: let the three of them split up and die one by one. Even if not all of them died on a single mission, they could be eliminated gradually. The chance that any of them would encounter the monster alone and survive was extremely low.

  The objective was the same for everyone: locate a massive mutated creature living in the swamp.

  1991 decided to act his own way - he planned to lure the beast out using explosions and started blowing up everything in sight.

  Delilah moved swiftly along the treetops, trying to sense the mutant’s aura.

  Phobos sat on a tree branch, calmly observing the swamp.

  “Hold your positions. We need to understand where it’s heading before attacking.”

  Meanwhile, Namkhai lay on the grass at the edge of the swamp.

  “Namkhai, why aren’t you doing anything?!” came through the communicator.

  “I’m just meditating,” he replied without getting up. “Among monks, this is called conscious passivity. Sometimes there’s no need to actively ‘chase’ solutions. You need to create space for the mind so answers can come on their own.”

  “Hm… like back in the mountains, in the snow, when you were teleported?”

  “Yes, exactly like that,” Namkhai nodded.

  Hearing this explanation, Andok said with satisfaction:

  “Alright. Seems like you’re acting in your own way.”

  Pleased, Namkhai simply closed his eyes and lay there but suddenly the ground trembled beneath him. A massive mutant, a half-crocodile, half-crayfish monstrosity, burst out of the swamp прямо onto him.

  “What the... ?!” Namkhai shouted, jumping up and leaping backward.

  “Well done, Namkhai!” Andok’s voice rang out through the communicator.

  “I didn’t do anything!” Namkhai yelled.

  “That’s exactly what you said you would do,” Andok replied calmly.

  Andok issued an order to the others:

  “Attention! Namkhai has located the target!”

  Namkhai ran along the shoreline, stopping abruptly and taking a fighting stance.

  “Take this, you freak!” he shouted, swinging his fist and striking the creature’s head—but the mutant wasn’t even scratched and continued advancing slowly toward him.

  “I can’t stop it alone!” he shouted. “I need time to concentrate”

  At that moment, an explosion detonated directly into the mutant’s body - 1991’s doing. Now the massive crocodile-crustacean found itself between two opponents.

  “Well, now this is gonna be fun!” 1991 yelled, flailing his arms and creating more explosions.