Jason quickly climbed to the top of the slope—yes, it could only be called the top of a slope, not a mountain at all.
Once at the top, he found an open space that wasn't too small, with no fences around it and only a few wooden houses. They looked exactly like the wooden houses in the camp below, likely built by the same person.
At that moment, the entrances and exits on both sides of the slope's summit were indeed guarded.
A tall, thin man sat at the entrance facing Stevens' camp, while two others were stationed at the entrance and exit on the opposite side.
Looking around, Jason realized that no one had maintained the place for a long time—it was overgrown with weeds. That worked to his advantage, making it easier for him to hide. Without wasting any time, he moved into the tall grass.
From what he had gathered, a group from Oceanside had joined Vicenzo's people. Since the group had split into factions to ensure they had enough food, both sides' motives were clear. Many decided to follow Vicenzo, eliminating their worries about going hungry.
A man who had just eaten sat in a chair by the back door. Life was fairly comfortable for him—yet clearly boring, so boring that all he could do day after day was eat and sleep.
Generally, there were no other leisure activities except chatting, but after living here for more than a year with only a handful of people to talk to, the topics had been exhausted. People spoke less and less, coming up with their own ways to pass the time.
The man simply lay down, wearing an expression of comfort. Sleeping every day was the most comfortable thing in the world for him. But this time, he felt his body wasn't in a comfortable position. He got up to shift, but suddenly sensed a presence and caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye—something seemed to dart into the grass. Confused, the man looked up and peered around, but saw nothing at all.
"Damn, I'm starting to hallucinate!"
Closing his eyes again, the man stretched out on a rock in front of the door, like a lounging seal. It wasn't too hot, the sun was pleasant, and it would have been a shame not to enjoy the natural warmth.
Crunch!
"What was that sound?"
The thought barely crossed his mind before a sharp pain struck his head and he blacked out.
Moments later, a figure slipped quickly around the corner. No one noticed what had just happened, and the man lay motionless on the rock as if simply asleep.
The black-clad figure moving unnoticed through the camp was Jason. Right after knocking the man out, he hid behind a house and silently observed the surroundings. He had expected the task to be time-consuming and difficult, but it seemed the few people here had been idle for a long time—or perhaps there simply weren't many of them—so security was minimal.
Jason shook his head. Probably these people thought that as long as the Oceanside folk behaved and followed orders, there would be no trouble.
Kill. Silence. Hostages.
At that moment, a strange sensation crept into him, as if he were on a mission of utmost importance. The faint thrill made him feel truly alive.
Moving again, Jason reached the back of the central house in the camp and peered through a gap. This was a slightly larger house, with some hay scattered on the floor. Inside was a group of children—both boys and girls. These were the hostages Stevens had mentioned.
Not rushing to rescue them yet, Jason kept moving until he reached the entrance on the other side. Two people were talking there, completely unaware of someone approaching from behind.
Jason picked up a small stone and tossed it against the wall to their left.
Thud!
The unusual noise didn't alarm them much—they just turned their heads curiously. Jason didn't waste a second. Power surged through his muscles as he struck the first man in front of him with a heavy blow.
Hit with tremendous force, the man's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. His companion realized something was wrong and turned to see Jason. He was about to shout, but Jason turned his fist into an open palm and struck him directly in the throat.
A burst of pain exploded through the man, and when he opened his mouth to cry out, he was horrified to find no sound came out. A moment later, the butt of a gun slammed into him, knocking him out cold.
Dragging both men to the wall, Jason silently tallied the numbers: ten people total—two in the center of the island and three at each of the two entrances.
Abandoning the idea of freeing the children first, Jason decided to take care of the four men who could cause trouble.
Checking his watch, he saw ten minutes had passed. He moved toward the door of the room where the last four were housed, waiting for his team to arrive.
Several of the enemy had already been knocked out and dragged into the grass. This time, Jon led the group, leaving Merle in the rear guard. Before long, they reached Jason, who was crouched behind a house. The two sides exchanged hand signals.
Four people inside the room, armed!
Seeing the captain's signal, Jon indicated it was no problem, then pulled a flashbang from his belt, ready to throw it.
Jason motioned for him to wait. He took a few people to the front door of the cabin, and as soon as they took position, a sharp sound rang out.
"Now!" Jason whispered, opening a hole in the door just as the flashbang sailed inside.
Boom!
"Ah! My eyes!"
"What's going on?!"
Screams filled the room. Jason charged in, kicking the door open, and saw the four clutching their heads in agony, rolling on the floor.
Glenn entered alongside the others.
They quickly kicked the weapons away and aimed their guns at the men. In no time, the situation was under control. Within ten minutes, eight people had been tied up and dumped in the open space at the top of the slope.
A burly man shut his eyes and shouted loudly: "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
The strong man was likely the leader—this must be the one called Vicenzo. But no one paid him any attention, letting him shout as much as he liked.
Stevens finally breathed a sigh of relief, immediately freeing all the children from the house and leading them to Jason.
Bang! Bang!
Just as he was about to speak, two gunshots rang out from the nearby camp. Stevens' expression changed drastically—he turned and ran toward the sound.
With a few quick instructions from Jason, the others followed.
There was no chaos in the camp when they arrived. Only when Stevens got there did he realize the shots had come from one of Vicenzo's remaining men, who had sensed something was wrong.
As Stevens entered the camp, a man named Ramón spotted him and barked sharply:
"Hey, you! What's going on out there?"
Stevens instantly realized Ramón didn't yet know what had happened. Putting on a look of panic, he said:
"Wen—Vincenzo's been captured by a group of strangers!"
"What?"
Ramón's angry expression faltered. He glanced toward the top of the slope, deciding to check with the boss and bring some more men along.
But just as he turned to leave, the butt of a gun appeared suddenly in front of his face.
Thud!
Ramón's eyes rolled back as he hit the ground. From both sides, a large group advanced, carrying cold steel weapons.
"Everyone, don't do anything stupid—this man's our friend!"
"Stevens, what's going on here?"
A middle-aged man stepped up, looking at Jason warily—obviously concerned about this stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Everyone, hear me out—these people aren't bad. They just helped us capture Vicenzo and his gang!"
"Vicenzo's been captured?"