Chapter 259: Is he really?!

By the time they reached the designated spot, the sky had begun to brighten.

He landed a considerable distance from the port, his boots scraping against the rough concrete as the propulsion system on his back powered down. A faint hiss escaped the metal suit, followed by a brief flicker of light before the mechanisms went dormant.

He straightened and looked toward the distant harbor.

From here, the port was barely visible through the industrial buildings and stacks of shipping containers. They’d chosen this location deliberately. It was far enough away to keep them out of immediate danger, but close enough that they could observe the operation without difficulty.

At least, that was the plan.

Blake adjusted his visor.

One of the more useful features of their equipment was its ability to connect to the other members of the team. Each person’s icon appeared along the edge of his vision, and by selecting one, he could access what that person was seeing through their own visor.

It was rather convenient, really.

They didn’t even need to speak to communicate. Instead, they could exchange short messages directly through the system, almost like texting on a phone, except without the need to look down at a screen.

Blake scanned the available icons.

He’d promised not to worry too much, but really, he couldn’t help but feel his heart getting further up his throat.

’Let’s check on Alexis...’

Blake selected the icon with a brief eye movement, his vision shifting.

Suddenly, he was looking at the port from Alexis’s perspective. The image was slightly different from his own, showing a narrow stretch of concrete beside one of the terminal buildings. Large pillars stood along the entrance, casting long shadows across the ground.

Alexis and Zlatan were positioned behind them, concealed from the main approach.

They appeared to be waiting.

Blake watched for a few seconds.

Then a message appeared in the corner of his vision.

Alexis: What do you want?

Blake’s eyebrow twitched.

’Excuse me?’

He hadn’t even said anything yet! He tapped out a reply with a brief thought.

Blake: Nothing.

A moment passed.

Alexis: Then why are you looking?

Blake stared at the message.

What was wrong with this guy? He was merely checking how they were doing! Was that such a terrible thing?

Blake: Just checking if you’re ready.

Alexis: We’re ready.

Well, wasn’t that reassuringly enthusiastic? Blake sighed and switched his attention back to the port.

It was 5:10 a.m.

According to their schedule, things were supposed to begin sometime between 5:15 and 5:20. They had a fairly narrow window to work with, and every person involved had been briefed on the sequence of events.

The cargo would arrive first.

Then the containers would be unloaded and transported into the designated area. That would be the signal they were waiting for: evidence that the operation was proceeding as expected and that Alfred Hicth would soon make an appearance.

Alexis and Zlatan were stationed near the entrance for that very reason.

They weren’t supposed to make a scene immediately. Their job was to wait, observe, and confirm that Alfred was present before taking action.

Blake: Did you get a glimpse of the port?

The reply came almost immediately.

Alexis: It’s empty. There are some wimps around, guarding.

Blake blinked.

Then he sighed lightly.

’Wimps? What is that supposed to mean? That the guards don’t even count as a threat?’

Well, honestly, that wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The people stationed around the port weren’t necessarily elite soldiers, considering even he could beat them, more or less.

To be fair, they were hardly the sort of people who could stop a coordinated operation involving advanced equipment and several highly capable half human individuals.

Still, Blake hoped Alexis wouldn’t underestimate them too much.

He’d seen enough things go wrong because someone had assumed the opposition was incompetent...

He glanced toward Tania, who was standing a short distance away, looking toward the harbor.

"Um, Alexis says the port is quiet."

"I see."

Blake looked at her for another moment, then returned his attention to the port.

The first few minutes passed without incident.

At 5:15, nothing happened.

At 5:16, he spotted movement near the far end of the harbor.

A transport truck had entered through the main access road, followed by another vehicle carrying what appeared to be a shipping container. More vehicles soon emerged behind them, moving slowly toward the unloading area.

"There they are," Blake murmured.

Tania tilted her head slightly.

"Mm."

The trucks proceeded toward the terminal, where several workers were already waiting. The vehicles stopped one by one, and the workers began coordinating the unloading process.

Blake watched as a container was secured and lifted by a large container-handling machine. The equipment moved with practiced precision, raising the heavy steel box from the trailer and lowering it onto a waiting chassis.

Once the container was secured, the truck moved forward, clearing the way for the next vehicle.

Nearby, workers in reflective jackets directed traffic and checked the accompanying paperwork. A few security personnel stood around the perimeter, watching the process while another group monitored the terminal gates.

It all looked remarkably ordinary.

That was perhaps the strangest part.

There was no announcement, no sudden change in the atmosphere. The operation began just like any other early-morning shipment, with workers doing their jobs and machinery grinding steadily in the background.

’I guess, this is normal...’

If Blake hadn’t known what was about to happen, he might have mistaken it for an entirely routine day at the port.

’Estelle already explained it, this is all masked as a normal, ordinary exportation.’

More trucks arrived.

More containers were unloaded.

The cargo was being moved toward the designated storage area, just as they’d expected.

Blake switched back to Alexis’s perspective.

Alexis and Zlatan remained behind the pillars.

Neither appeared particularly concerned. Zlatan stood with his hands loosely at his sides, watching the activity through the narrow gap between the concrete structures. Alexis was positioned beside him, his attention fixed on the vehicles entering the terminal.

’All right, for now, everything is good enough...’

Everything was proceeding according to plan. Now they just had to wait for Alfred Hicth to show himself.

Blake checked the time.

5:18.

He glanced at the approaching trucks again.

Perhaps Alfred would arrive once the cargo was fully unloaded. Maybe he was waiting somewhere inside the terminal, or perhaps he wouldn’t appear until the shipment had been transferred to the next stage of its journey.

There were plenty of plausible explanations.

Blake returned to Alexis’s perspective. But still, there was nothing.

He switched back to the port.

Another container was being unloaded.

Then another.

The workers continued their routine, moving between vehicles and equipment while the security personnel maintained their positions around the terminal.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Too normal, perhaps.

Blake swallowed.

It was only a minute or two.

’A slight delay isn’t unusual, is it?’

Schedules changed. People ran late. Someone might have been held up by a security check, a last-minute phone call, or any number of minor inconveniences.

There was no reason to panic.

He knew that.

And yet, he found himself checking the time again.

5:21.

His gaze flickered toward Tania.

She was still watching the harbor.

"Do you think he’s really going to be late?"

"Possibly."

That was all she said.

Blake pressed his lips together.

He really wished she would elaborate occasionally.

He returned to Alexis’s perspective.

The two men were still waiting.

Blake’s fingers curled slightly.

’Come on!’

He wasn’t expecting Alfred to arrive at precisely 5:20, down to the second. He wasn’t that unreasonable.

But there was a difference between being a few minutes late and not showing up at all.

He glanced at the time again.

5:23.

A strange uneasiness began to creep into his chest.

Perhaps something had gone wrong elsewhere.

Perhaps Alfred had changed his plans.

Perhaps—

Movement.

Blake straightened.

Through Alexis’s visor, he saw Alexis shift his position. Zlatan, who had been standing almost motionless until then, suddenly turned his head toward the other side of the terminal.

The change was subtle, but immediate.

Something had caught their attention.

Blake leaned forward slightly, staring at the image.

’What are you two crazy bastards doing? Don’t get impatient!’

Alexis stepped away from the pillar.

Zlatan followed.

They were moving away from their hiding place, walking with a purpose that hadn’t been there a moment earlier.

Blake’s eyes widened.

Alfred hadn’t appeared. At least, Blake hadn’t seen him. There had been no signal, no message, and no indication that the plan had reached the point where Alexis and Zlatan were supposed to act.

Had they spotted something he hadn’t?

He switched back to his own perspective, scanning the area around the terminal.

Nothing seemed out of place.

The trucks were still moving. Workers were still unloading containers. The guards were still positioned around the perimeter.

And Alfred Hicth was nowhere to be seen.

Blake’s heart began to beat faster.

He looked at Tania.

"Hey."

She turned toward him.

"What are they doing?"

Tania glanced at the port, her expression unchanged.

"To Alfred Hicth."

Tania lifted her chin slightly, directing his attention toward a section of the terminal completely covered by the buildings.

"I sense he’s planning to get away from this place, so I just informed them about that."