Chapter 141*
Third Person POV
13%
Felix had been watching Aria’s camera feed the entire time. From the moment the team entered the building until she extracted the hostages.
His expression had shifted gradually. From skeptical at the start to completely focused by the end.
Martinez was replaying the breach sequence. “Look at her positioning here. Every single angle she takes gives her maximum cover and clear sightlines.”
The hostage rescue finished. Felix leaned back in his chair. Crossed his arms. His expression was a mix of impressed and thoughtful.
He didn’t say anything. Just hit replay on several key moments. Watched Aia’s tactical decisions again.
حالا
“Her movements are too smooth,” Martinez said quietly. “Too practiced. She moves like someone with years of combat experience.”
“She’s fifteen,” another instructor said.
“I know how old she is.” Martinez gestured at the screen. “But that’s not how a fifteen-year-old moves. That’s professional level.”
Felix still didn’t comment. Just watched the footage again.
“Should we flag this for review?” an instructor asked.
“No.” Felix’s voice was flat. “She passed all the preliminary screenings. Her background check was clean. Whatever training she has, it’s legitimate.”
He stood up. “Time for the debriefing.”
The assembly area was crowded. All seven teams gathered on the main field. Most people looked exhausted. Some teams were celebrating successful missions. Others looked defeated.
Team Seven stood together near the left side. Saffron’s face showed a confident smile.
She leaned close to Vanessa. Her voice was quiet. “Sterling’s going to get destroyed in the evaluation. Solo action without team coordination? That’s a cardinal sin in military exercises.”
Jason nodded. “Yeah. The instructors value teamwork above everything else.”
Ethan added, “Plus we can argue that her refusing to follow orders caused he team to split up. That’s on her.”
Vanessa smiled slightly. “This is going to tank her overall score. There’s no way she stays in the top thirty after this.”
All four of them looked satisfied. They’d set up the perfect trap and Sterling had walked right into it.
Aria stood at the edge of the group. Her tactical vest had dust and marks from paint rounds. A few smudges on her face from the building’s grime.
Riley’s team was about fifty feet away. They kept glancing over at Aria. Chen adjusted his glasses nervously. Sofia looked concerned.
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Chapter 141 *
Jake whispered something to Riley. She shook her head. Pointed toward Fex on the platform.
They couldn’t approach yet. Regulations required everyone to stay in formation until the evaluation briefing was complete.
Chen made brief eye contact with Aria. Raised his eyebrows slightly. A silent question. Are you okay?
Aria gave a small nod. Barely noticeable.
Chen relaxed slightly. Turned back to face forward.
Felix walked onto the platform. He held a tablet. Behind him, the large screen displayed performance data for all teams.
“Listen up.” His voice carried across the field. “I’m going to review each team’s performance. Pay attention. There are lessons here for everyone.”
He started with Team One. Pointed out good coordination but criticized their entry timing. Their score appeared on the screen. Seventy-eight out of one hundred.
Team Two did better. Eighty-two points. Good tactical decisions but poor communication.
Team Three failed completely. Ran out of time. Forty-nine points.
Felix worked through Teams Four, Five, and Six. Standard evaluations. Some praise. Some criticism.
Then he reached Team Seven.
“Team Seven.” Felix’s voice made Saffron straighten up. “This team’s performance was very interesting.” Felix’s tone was subtle. Not clearly positive or negative.
The field went quiet. Everyone was listening now.
Saffron raised her hand. “Sir, as team leader I’d like to explain the situation.”
Felix gestured. “Go ahead.”
Saffron’s voice was professional. Measured. “We attempted the mission as coordinated unit. However, Sterling chose to ignore direct orders and operate solo. This disrupted our entire team strategy and made coordinated rescue impossible.”
She paused. Let that sink in. “I take full responsibility as team leader for not maintaining better control of my team member.”
Vanessa spoke up. “We tried to maintain communication with Sterling throughout the exercise. But she switched off her radio and refused to respond to team commands.”
Jason added, “As a team, we made the tactical decision that strategic retreat was the better option given the overwhelming enemy force. Sterling disagreed and chose to proceed alone despite direct orders to fall back.”
All four of them looked sincere. Concerned. Like they genuinely believed their version of events.
Saffron’s POV
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10:46 Tue, Feb 24 MB
Chapter 141 *
I waited for Felix to respond. He had to see how Sterling screwed up the entire mission. How she abandoned her team and went rogue.
The evidence was clear. Four witnesses against one fifteen-year-old girl.
Felix looked at me. Then at Vanessa. Jason. Ethan.
His expression didn’t change. Just neutral. ‘Is that your complete account of what happened?” he asked.
“Yes sir,” I said. “Sterling’s refusal to follow orders compromised the entire operation.”
Vanessa nodded. “We did everything we could to work with her. But she made it impossible.”
Felix turned to his tablet. Tapped something on the screen.
“Interesting,” he said. His voice was flat. “Before I provide my evaluation, want to share the mission results with everyone.”
My chest felt tight. This was it. Sterling’s scores were about to tank. Everyone would see she didn’t belong here.
Felix looked up from his tablet. His eyes swept across the entire assembly
“Team Seven’s mission objective was hostage extraction within forty-five minutes. Three hostages located on the fifth floor of a heavily defended building.”
He paused.
“The mission was completed successfully. All three hostages extracted. Total time: thirty-two minutes and eighteen seconds.”
Wait. What?
My brain couldn’t process what he just said.
Completed? Successfully?
That was impossible.
“Excuse me sir,” I said. My voice came out too loud. “That can’t be right. The team retreated. We failed the mission.*
Felix looked directly at me. “You’re correct that four members of Team Seven retreated. However, one team member proceeded with the mission solo and successfully completed all objectives.”
The field erupted. Everyone started talking at once.
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach.
Sterling? Sterling completed the mission? Alone?
“That’s impossible, Vanessa said. She wasn’t even trying to hide her shock “There were at least twelve enemies in that building!”
“Fourteen enemies total, Felix corrected. “Sterling eliminated all of them and extracted all three hostages within the time limit.”
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10:46 Tue, Feb 24 MB
Chapter 141 *
No. No no no.
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