Chapter 5

CLOSE CALL

The night hadn’t ended.

It had only paused.

TERRACE:-

The wind grew colder.

Too still.

Too quiet.

Pond turned slightly, sensing it.

Instinct.

Phuwin noticed.

“What is it?”

Pond didn’t answer.

His eyes scanned the shadows.

Across the rooftop—

A faint glint.

Metal.

Pond’s voice dropped sharply—

“DOWN!”

A SHOT FIRED

Phuwin barely had time to react—

Pond pulled him hard—

They crashed to the ground

The bullet shattered the glass railing behind them.

Silence—then chaos...

Dunk (intercom): “Gunshot! What happened?!”

Pond rolled, shielding Phuwin with his body.

“Sniper. Opposite building.”

Phuwin, breath unsteady, pushed himself up slightly.

“I saw the angle—third floor, left side.”

Pond glanced at him—briefly impressed, even now.

Joong’s voice came in, sharp and controlled—

“Stay down. Backup is on the way.”

Pond’s jaw tightened.

“No time.”

Phuwin grabbed his arm.

“Don’t rush.”

Pond looked at him.

Eyes intense.

“Someone just tried to kill you.”

Phuwin’s reply was calm—

“They tried to kill us.”

A second shot

Closer.

Pond reacted instantly—

Pulling Phuwin behind a concrete wall.

“Stay here.”

Phuwin frowned.

“You’re not going alone.”

Pond’s tone hardened.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Phuwin stepped closer.

Lower voice.

Steady.

“If you go alone, you’ll walk into a trap.”

Pond didn’t move.

Phuwin continued—

“You’re not thinking. You’re reacting.”

Pond exhaled sharply.

Controlled himself.

“…Fine.”

They moved together.

STAIRWELL – MOMENTS LATER:-

Dark. Narrow. Echoing footsteps.

Pond led.

Phuwin right behind him.

Dunk: “Thermal scan shows movement—one target, armed.”

Joong: “Be careful. This feels staged.”

Pond muttered,

“Everything feels staged.”

They reached the third floor

Door slightly open.

Pond signaled.

3… 2… 1—

They burst in

ABANDONED ROOM:-

Empty.

Too empty.

Phuwin’s eyes narrowed.

“No…”

Click.

Both froze.

A device.

Hidden near the door.

Phuwin whispered—

“Trap.”

Pond grabbed him—

Pulled him back—

EXPLOSION

The blast threw them across the hallway.

Smoke. Dust. Ringing silence.

Pond groaned, pushing himself up.

First instinct—

“Phuwin!”

No response.

Pond’s heart pounded harder.

“Phuwin!”

A hand grabbed his sleeve.

Weak—but firm.

“I’m here…”

Relief hit harder than the explosion.

Pond moved closer.

Too close.

Phuwin had a cut on his forehead.

Blood.

Pond’s voice dropped—

“Are you hurt?”

Phuwin gave a faint, breathless smile.

“I’ve had worse.”

Pond didn’t smile back.

His hand hovered—

Then gently wiped the blood.

Unexpected.

Soft.

“Don’t say that,” Pond muttered.

Phuwin stilled.

For a second—

The world outside disappeared.

Then—footsteps.

Pond snapped back instantly.

“Stay behind me.”

A figure appeared through the smoke

Masked.

Gun raised.

Before Pond could react—

Phuwin moved

He grabbed a broken metal rod—

Struck the attacker’s arm—

Gun fell—

Pond finished it.

Fast. Precise.

The attacker collapsed.

Silence returned

Dunk: “Status?!”

Pond replied, breathing heavy—

“Target down. We’re okay.”

Joong: “Get out. Now.”

BUILDING – LATER:-

Ambulances. Police. Chaos again.

Pond and Phuwin stood side by side.

Neither speaking at first.

Then—

“You didn’t listen,” Phuwin said quietly.

Pond glanced at him.

“You came anyway.”

Phuwin met his gaze.

“I wasn’t going to let you walk into that alone.”

A pause.

Pond stepped closer.

Lower voice.

“You shouldn’t have risked that.”

Phuwin’s reply—

“I’d do it again.”

Something shifted. Deep. Real.

Not just partnership.

Not just trust.

Something stronger.

Across the street

A car engine started.

Inside—

A man watched them through tinted glass.

Phone in hand.

“Phase one complete,” he said.

A pause.

Then—

“They’re exactly where we want them.”

Pond and Phuwin—

Standing together.

Unaware—

They had just stepped deeper into the enemy’s game.

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