"Red alert!!"
"I repeat, red alert! All personnel in every sector, proceed to the nearest safe room immediately!"
"Red al—"
Russell pulled open the elevator doors with both hands, and the first thing he heard was the jarring alarm. He looked around and found a simple layout map of the base at the end of the row of elevators.
"Let's see. According to the current red dot display, I'm in Sector Twelve. The nearest exit is the north gate..."
Russell studied the map and committed the base's general layout to memory. What he did not know was that his actions were being relayed to the safe room through the surveillance cameras, throwing everyone inside into another panic.
They were doomed. The Wizard was looking for someone—most likely them!
Sharp, rapid footsteps echoed from the far end of the empty corridor. Following command transmissions, heavily armed troops swiftly surrounded Sector Twelve. The nearest special operations team arrived at the elevator entrance with assault rifles in hand.
The captain wore a grave expression, his face beneath the mask soaked with sweat. He raised a hand to signal the seven team members behind him to slow down. The moment he spotted Russell in front of the map, he abruptly swung his hand, and then...
The entire team froze in place!
"Get lost!"
Russell did not even turn around before using telepathy to control the eight men. With a casual wave of his hand, the special operations team collectively threw themselves to the floor and rolled back the way they had come.
The electronic surveillance footage displayed the scene exactly as it happened. The safe room fell dead silent, and the person in charge of the base immediately contacted the other special operations teams. They were not to engage the Wizard at close range.