The streets were filled with windblown sand. In the pale red fog, only the barking of dogs remained, while the distant clamor of gunfire had already died down.
Hiding inside an abandoned storefront, Malik nervously watched the street beyond the display window, his heart pounding violently.
He was at least five hundred meters away from where he had been ambushed by the sniper.
If nothing unexpected happened, that sniper should not have followed him. Perhaps the sniper had not even noticed that he had quietly changed positions.
Even so, Malik did not dare let his guard down and continued carefully observing the situation outside.
At that moment, an icon indicating restored communications suddenly flashed across his helmet visor, startling him.
"Fuck..."
Staring at the belated signal, Malik cursed under his breath and swiftly shut down the signal interface, entering radio silence.
The signal, which had returned for less than two seconds, disappeared.
Looking at the gray icon, Malik finally let out a breath of relief, and the weight in his chest eased.
That way, even if The Alliance captured his teammates, they would not be able to pinpoint his approximate location.
Thinking of Varen's gruesome death, Malik's heart began pounding uncontrollably.
It could not be helped.
The sight of brains splattered all over the train car had been too horrifying. Even now, his stomach still churned at the memory.
Convinced that he had escaped danger, Malik took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
Honestly, he had not expected The Alliance to send fighter jets. That signal-jamming shell had been even more unexpected.
There was only one explanation—
From the moment they entered this area, every one of them had already been watched.
Perhaps even before they began their operation, the other side had already planned every step