"Old timer, permission to eliminate them now?" Within the dense forest fog, a faint voice reported via communicator.
"Have they witnessed the power they are about to confront?"
"We nearly dispatched them. Such a fragile cohort. Truly perplexing why you insist on forming Team Seven with them?" The voice dripped with sarcasm.
"That is not your concern. In essence, this constitutes a graduation examination for both parties. Survival dictates who becomes genuine Special Operations personnel."
"We have anticipated this opportunity for a year. Ensure your word is binding, or I shall seek you out for termination." A trace of exhilaration tinged the voice.
"Prioritize your own survival first. Do not assume invincibility merely because you don the 'Four Sacred Beasts' gear. 13 is currently in an 'awakened' state, you..." The communicator clicked off before the sentence concluded.
Touching the still-bleeding wound on his left cheek, "Brothers, it is time to commence 'work'. However, their sniper must be reserved for me!"
"Such an arrogant brood of children." Nie Yun terminated the call. "13 is dissimilar to the refuse you previously eliminated. Our objective is not to ascertain China's finest individual soldier."
Gazing out the window, Nie Yun lamented, "We merely seek to fathom the depths of his prowess."
"Located!" 36 cautiously parted a swathe of shoulder-high verdant foliage.
"Now, we can commence the wait," 13 retracted his AWP, observing the frigid pool before them.
"Let us hope this proves effective, else I shall personally terminate you!" 36 shivered involuntarily from the penetrating cold.
"Cease the chatter; let us begin," 1 was the first to remove his upper garment.
"Forget what you witness today," 24, blushing, also shed her top, clad only in a camouflage brassiere.
"Execute the plan! Move!" 1 stated resolutely.
"Affirmative!" came the unified response.
Dusk gradually descended; the dense fog showed no signs of dissipating. The eight-degree Celsius temperature deterred even animals from activity. Yet, certain individuals could not rest; vital "work" awaited, precluding respite.
"Boss, their movement vector identified," reported "Guang Tou" (Baldy). He knelt, examining footprints.
(Guang Tou: Special Operations Team Six, Cover operative, equipped with "Xuanwu" combat suit. Trait: Robust. Two meters tall with bodybuilder-like musculature. Most memorable feature: his reflective bald head, hence the moniker Guang Tou.)
"Likely heading towards Tianlong Tan (Heavenly Dragon Pool)," "Ren Yao" (Transvestite) consulted the GPS system on his arm guard.
(Ren Yao: Special Operations Team Six, Reconnaissance operative, equipped with "Zhuque" combat suit. Trait: Androgynously beautiful. Moniker Ren Yao.)
"Boss, should any of us encounter their sniper coincidentally, is elimination permissible?" "Nue Dai Kuang" (Sadist) inquired excitedly.
(Nue Dai Kuang: Special Operations Team Six, Assault operative, equipped with "Qinglong" combat suit. Trait: An ordinary-looking seventeen-year-old boy whose sole "hobby" is brutal homicide. Moniker Nue Dai Kuang.)
"Negative!" "Lao Da" (Boss) asserted sternly. "He belongs to me!"
(Lao Da: Special Operations Team Six, Sniper, equipped with "Bai Hu" combat suit. Trait: Extremely competitive! Never placed second in any competition. Moniker Lao Da.)
"Looks like that sniper is destined for a gruesome end," Nue Dai Kuang whispered to Ren Yao.
"Even you concur. It seems he has genuinely infuriated Lao Da. Let us hope our paths do not cross," Ren Yao clasped his hands skyward in mock prayer.
"Do you fear him?" Nue Dai Kuang asked curiously.
"Still fail to comprehend?" Guang Tou clapped Nue Dai Kuang's shoulder. "Ren Yao fears accidentally killing him; Lao Da would show us no mercy then."
"Move out! Let us terminate their existence!" With that, Lao Da, four crimson light trails emanating from above his head, plunged into the dense fog ahead.
The trio swiftly vanished into the mist as well.
The forest seemingly regained its tranquility, yet the true "commotion" was merely commencing.
Tall shrubs near the frigid pool offered excellent ambush positions. Visibility limited to five meters heavily favored those lying in wait. However, their adversaries possessed superior equipment. The holographic helmets integrated into the Bai Hu suits were their most formidable "foe."
Lao Da abruptly halted his advance. Through four crimson optical sensors, he observed 13 and the others, ensconced in what they believed were secure ambush points.
"Boss, have you located them?" Guang Tou was the first to arrive.
"Four individuals, widely dispersed," Lao Da indicated four directions with his right hand.
"What is their objective? Knowing we possess thermal imaging, yet daring such dispersal?" Ren Yao pondered.
"Presumably, they believe we are a lone operative, hence the scattered ambush, intending to sacrifice one to expose the enemy's position? It appears they possess some modicum of competence," Nue Dai Kuang smirked sardonically.
"It is not that elementary..." Observing the display, where a red marker atop a large tree held a rifle steady, Lao Da clenched his fists.
"He is highly skilled; he would not engage in such an ignorant gamble. Proceed and eliminate the remaining three. I shall serve as your 'eyes' from here. Keep communicators active; I will provide precise positional updates," Lao Da retrieved the black COOL-FIRE rifle from his back and took aim. "Execute!"
The three operatives once more charged swiftly into the fog.
"They approach!" 13, lying in ambush with eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open, finger poised on the trigger.
"Guang Tou, shift left. One target in the grass ten meters ahead; physique resembles a child."
"Ren Yao, maintain vector. Target approximately twelve meters ahead. Approach stealthily; likely an adult, exhibiting considerable alertness based on posture. Circle behind him discreetly."
"Nue Dai Kuang, you have drawn the prize: a female. Do not dispatch her too swiftly!"
"Very well, time for retribution," Lao Da murmured, lightly tapping the trigger, aiming at 13's rifle-holding right hand.
"Engage!" Deep within the forest, 13's roar startled nesting birds from nearby trees.
A universal sense of unease pervaded. Ren Yao, Guang Tou, and Nue Dai Kuang surged towards their targets with maximum velocity.
Lao Da, poised to fire, froze. 13's thermal signature had vanished from the display. Glancing towards the other positions, all targets had disappeared.
"Hold positions! They have vanished!" Lao Da barked coldly into the communicator.
"They utilized water to lower their body temperature!" Guang Tou reported, retrieving a drenched military uniform from the ground.
"Exercise caution! They should remain nearby!" Ren Yao discovered a similar garment.
"Boss, I suspect they anticipated our presence as a quartet," Nue Dai Kuang sniffed 24's uniform, the feminine scent inciting his primal instincts.
"Everyone maintain position; do not move erratically. Water provides only temporary thermal masking. Its effect will soon dissipate. Their reappearance signifies their demise!" Lao Da reacquired his aim.
"Eliminate them!" 13 roared once more.
Lao Da instantly fired two shots towards the sound's origin. The others reflexively moved towards the source as well.
"Hold!" Lao Da discerned 13's ruse, attempting to halt their foolish advance, but it was too late...
"Ah!" Nue Dai Kuang triggered a ground trap, hoisted skyward by an arm-thick vine.
"Report status! Nue Dai Kuang?" Lao Da demanded.
"What is this substance!" Ren Yao plummeted into a three-meter pit filled with viscous fluid.
"Ambush!" Guang Tou found himself thoroughly ensnared by a large net.
Instantly, the combined cacophony of a squad machine gun, M4s, and MP5s erupted. Meeting no resistance, they expended entire magazines, reloaded, fired again, switched to pistols once machine guns were empty, and ceased fire only when all ammunition was spent.
"Surely deceased now?" 36 shivered, his bare torso trembling.
"Imbeciles," Lao Da sighed, shaking his head. "You have merely revealed your positions, awaiting execution."
Guang Tou suddenly "revived," tearing apart the sturdy net with his bare hands.
"I refer to you, pitiable 'examinees'..." Lao Da chuckled.
Ren Yao, submerged in slime, also stirred. His right arm guard fired a thin filament towards a large tree overhead, effortlessly pulling him onto solid ground.
Nue Dai Kuang severed the rope binding his feet with a knife, landing gracefully with an aerial flip.
"Bring them forth," Lao Da commanded frigidly.
"That was genuinely painful," Guang Tou massaged his abdominal muscles, facing the bewildered 36.
"What manner of monstrosities are you?" Staring at the target, riddled by over one hundred fifty bullets, 36 managed to utter the question.
"Against others, perhaps your 7.62mm rounds prove fatal. Unluckily for you, my musculature is the most formidable amongst us. Combined with the ZX6 combat suit, I am virtually invincible!" Guang Tou stood tall. "As a gesture of respect for your ingenuity, I shall engage you in unarmed combat!"
36 understood the intent of his giant-like adversary, smiling faintly. "Do not assume my smaller stature permits bullying. You shall regret this decision!"
"You truly possessed the audacity to pull the trigger?" Ren Yao cleansed the slime from his lower body. "I was unarmed, yet you dared unleash a barrage?"
"Heh heh, is it not because you are all monstrosities..." 1 laughed awkwardly, gripping his combat knife tightly with one hand.
"Intend to persist with resistance?" Ren Yao stared directly at the unclothed 1.
"Without resistance, should I simply permit effortless elimination?" 1 charged towards Ren Yao.
"Consider this a commendation for your courage," Ren Yao abandoned the notion of using his firearm. "Come!" He drew his own combat knife.
"My dear beauty, your shots inflicted considerable pain..." Nue Dai Kuang continuously rubbed the chest plate of his armor.
"Indeed? Remove that contraption, and I shall ensure your pain ceases," 24 gripped her combat knife in a reverse hold. From his earlier actions of shielding his head during the firefight, she deduced the traps were ineffective.
"How exhilarating! My first engagement with a brassiere-clad beauty. Pray, be gentle; I fear..." Nue Dai Kuang licked his sharp dagger, "...I fear inadvertently slaying you."
"Worry not; your demise shall precede mine!" 24 assumed a combat stance.
"Three have revealed themselves," Lao Da observed the three steadily brightening red glows on his display. "Now, merely awaiting your appearance, Sniper Number Thirteen..."