Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Forest of No Return

A Losing Fight

The night was filled with chaos—gunfire cracking through the air, smoke thick like a suffocating blanket, and the acrid scent of burning metal.

Dew’s team had taken cover behind a row of crumbling concrete barriers, pinned down under relentless enemy fire. Every time someone so much as moved, bullets rained down, forcing them back into cover.

They were outgunned. Outnumbered. And running out of time.

Benz was barely conscious, his face pale as blood seeped from his side. One of Dew’s men had ripped his own vest off, pressing it against the wound to slow the bleeding. But it wasn’t enough.

"Stay with me," the officer muttered urgently. "Come on, Benz. Stay awake."

Benz let out a weak chuckle, but it was strained, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell… Santa he owes me a drink."

Santa, crouched nearby, let out a shaky breath. "You’re not dying, dumbass. You’re not getting out of buying me drinks that easy."

But there was fear in his voice.

A lot of it.

Ohm, his jaw clenched tight, was scanning their surroundings. Looking for an opening. A weakness. Anything.

But Jason’s men weren’t giving them one.

A sniper round shattered a streetlamp just meters from them, sparks raining down.

Santa flinched. "Fuck, that was close—"

More shots.

Closer this time.

The enemy was advancing.

"Shit," Dew cursed, ducking lower. His earpiece crackled, but the signal was barely holding. "Perth, tell me you’ve got something!"

Perth’s voice came through, filled with static. "Still locked out of their system. I need more time—"

"We don’t have time!" Dew snapped.

Santa reloaded his rifle, pressing against the cover. His breathing was heavy. "So what, we just sit here and wait to die?"

Ohm’s voice was eerily calm. "No. We make them bleed first."

He turned to Dew. "We need to break their line. If we can push through, we have a shot at regrouping inside the compound."

Dew exhaled sharply. It was a long shot.

But it was their only shot.

"On my signal," Ohm ordered. "We move fast. We move hard. And we don’t stop."

Santa let out a dry laugh. "Yeah? And if we don’t make it?"

Ohm’s eyes were cold. "Then at least we don’t go down easy."

Santa smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Now that? That I can work with."

The moment stretched—one breath, two—

And then—

BOOM.

An explosion rocked the battlefield, fire and smoke erupting as a convoy of black tactical vehicles tore through the enemy’s ranks.

Gunfire followed. Precise. Devastating. Unrelenting.

Jason’s men scattered—shouting, panicked, unprepared.

And then—

A voice thundered through the comms.

"HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!"

Dew’s breath caught.

Because he knew that voice.

Through the haze, Thanawat emerged from the armored convoy, rifle in hand, his eyes burning with fury.

And he didn’t come alone.

Behind him, a full strike team—SWAT, elite officers, reinforcements armed to the teeth—spilled into the battlefield like a tidal wave.

The tables had turned.

And now?

Now they were the storm.

-----

Taking Back Control

"Push forward!" Thanawat barked, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Secure the perimeter!"

Ohm wasted no time. "Move! NOW!"

Dew’s team surged forward, using the moment of confusion to retake ground.

Santa, grinning like a maniac, popped up from cover and unloaded hell.

"PAYBACK, BITCHES!"

Gunfire erupted as the combined forces of Ohm’s unit and Thanawat’s strike team tore through Jason’s men.

One by one, the enemy fell—caught in the crossfire, forced into retreat.

Santa took out a shooter trying to reload. "That’s for Benz, asshole."

Dew grabbed his fallen comrade’s vest strap, dragging him toward the convoy. "Get Benz in the truck!"

Two officers helped lift Benz inside, where medics were already waiting.

Ohm turned to Thanawat. "We need to breach the compound—Sky’s team is still inside!"

Thanawat nodded. "We’re going in. NOW."

The war wasn’t over.

Not until Jason Blackwood was dead.

------

Smoke curled through the ruins of Jason’s compound, thick with the stench of blood, gunpowder, and death.

Bodies littered the ground. The echoes of distant gunfire ricocheted like ghosts.

But for Sky—

Nothing else existed.

Sky’s hands were covered in Nani’s blood.

His breath was shallow. His chest tight.

Nani wasn’t moving.

And Thupa was dead.

Jason was gone.

And Laurent—still breathing.

His fingers curled so tightly around his gun that his knuckles turned white.

His vision was blurring with rage.

One shot.

That was all it would take.

Laurent wouldn’t get back up.

A clean execution. A simple end.

And yet—

"Sky!"

Joong’s voice cut through the haze.

"Thanawat’s here! We have reinforcements!"

Sky’s grip twitched.

Thanawat.

They weren’t alone anymore.

The rage, the grief—it didn’t disappear.

But it shifted.

Because now?

Now, Jason had nowhere left to run.

---

Sky inhaled deeply. Controlled. Measured.

His eyes lifted—catching Joong and Dunk, both bloodied but standing.

They were watching him.

Watching what he would do next.

His gaze flickered back to Laurent.

Sky could still end it here.

No trials. No waiting. No second chances.

Laurent deserved worse than a bullet.

Sky’s finger hovered over the trigger—

Then, with an exhale sharper than a knife—

He lowered his gun.

"Secure him."

His voice was deadly cold.

Joong hesitated. "Sky—"

"Secure him."

This wasn’t mercy.

This was control.

Laurent wasn’t dying yet.

But Sky would make sure he paid for everything.

---

Then—

A sharp inhale.

A faint sound.

Sky’s head snapped down.

Nani.

Dunk had pressed two fingers against Nani’s neck—searching, desperate.

For a terrifying moment—

Nothing.

Then—

A pulse.

Weak.

Unsteady.

But there.

Dunk let out a shaky breath. His jaw tightened. "We need to get him out of here."

Sky’s own breath came out ragged.

His fingers—still stained with Nani’s blood—tightened for a moment.

Then he moved.

"Now." His voice was firm, but hoarse.

Dunk nodded. “Joong, help me—”

But when Sky tried to stand—

Nani’s fingers twitched.

Just barely.

Then—a whisper.

So soft, so broken—

But Sky heard it.

"Sky..."

Sky froze.

Nani’s fingers curled weakly around his sleeve.

His breath stuttered, barely there.

Sky grabbed his hand immediately, gripping it tightly—solidly—like an anchor.

"Nani—"

Nani’s lips parted.

His eyes, barely open, flickered toward Sky.

The ghost of a smile.

Or maybe—just relief.

Sky swallowed hard.

"You're okay," he murmured. "I’ve got you."

But the second Nani’s body went limp again—

Sky’s heart lurched violently.

Dunk was already moving. “We need a medic, NOW!. You, pretty boy not going to die." Dunk whispered.

---

Laurent stirred.

Slow. Calculated.

The squad was distracted—focused on Nani, on the chaos outside.

Joong had stepped away for barely a second.

Dunk was helping Nani stay upright.

Gemini was securing their perimeter.

And that was all Laurent needed.

In a single, fluid motion—he moved.

Wrist twisted. Restraints loosened.

A hidden blade.

The gleam of steel—

A sharp grunt of pain—

Then—Gemini collapsed.

Blood bloomed from his side, dark and spreading.

Joong spun, too late.

Laurent was already gone—vanishing into the smoke and shadows.

"FUCK!" Dunk roared, gun raised.

But Laurent had disappeared.

Joong rushed to Gemini, pressing down on the wound.

"Stay with me," he ordered, voice tight.

Gemini coughed, eyes sharp despite the pain.

"That bastard." His jaw clenched. "I'm going to kill him."

But there was no time.

Everything got worse.

----

Laurent knew he was being watched.

And yet—he managed to escape.

Sky’s blood boiled.

"Joong. Dunk." His voice was like steel. "Get Nani and Gemini out of here. Now."

Joong’s head snapped up. “Sky—”

"Now."

Sky’s body moved before his mind caught up.

Before he could think—he was in motion.

But—

A weak tug at his wrist.

Sky froze.

He turned.

Nani.

His fingers barely gripping Sky’s sleeve.

His entire body trembled from pain and exhaustion.

His lips parted, a desperate whisper—

"Don’t—"

Sky inhaled sharply.

His free hand covered Nani’s.

Tight. Firm.

For a moment—just a moment—Sky hesitated.

Because Nani was asking him to stay.

Because Nani’s eyes were pleading.

But then—gunfire in the distance.

Jason and Laurent were escaping.

And Sky—

Sky couldn’t let that happen.

Joong’s voice snapped through the chaos.

"Sky! Wait! We need to regroup!"

Dunk grabbed his arm. "Sky, THINK! We’ll get him together! You don’t have to do this alone!"

But Sky couldn’t hear them anymore.

His pulse was a war drum.

His veins burned with pure adrenaline.

His jaw clenched.

His grip on Nani tightened for just a second.

A silent promise.

Then—

He let go.

And ran.

-----

"FUCK!" Dunk roared, "Dammit Sky, that suicide."

But Sky already disappeared.

Joong’s comm crackled.

A voice. Thanawat.

"Joong, status?"

Joong exhaled sharply. "We’ve got two down. Gemini’s bleeding is bad. Jason and laurent escaped."

Silence.

Then—Thanawat’s voice, cold and final.

"Secure the injured and regroup outside. Now."

Joong nodded, gritting his teeth. "Understood."

He turned to Dunk. “We move. Now.”

Dunk hesitated. “What about Sky?”

Joong’s jaw clenched.

Because Sky was already moving.

-----

By the time an injured Gemini, Joong, and Dunk dragged Nani outside, the battlefield was still burning.

Gunfire still echoed.

But Thanawat was there.

Thanawat, with reinforcements, medics—

With rage burning in his eyes.

Joong called out. "MEDIC!"

Dew turned, his face pale, sweat-streaked, but alive.

His eyes widened when he saw Nani.

"Shit—get him to the truck!" Dew barked, moving fast.

Then—his gaze snapped up.

"Where’s Sky?"

Joong hesitated—just for a second.

And that was all the answer Dew needed.

A muscle ticked in Dew’s jaw. "Where. The fuck. Is Sky?"

Dunk, exhausted and still gripping his gun, let out a breath.

"He chased after Jason."

Silence.

Thanawat’s voice was lethal.

"Perth. Track him. Now."

Perth’s fingers flew across the keyboard.

The second his screen lit up—his heart plummeted.

"Shit." Perth whispered.

"Sky’s in the forest."

Silence.

Thanawat’s voice was ice.

"Get a team ready. We’re bringing him back. Alive."

Because if they didn’t find him soon—

Sky Wongravee might not come back.