Now that Sergei had clearance from the President of Valheim himself, he didn’t think twice before making the call to Alex.“Mr. Verlaine, your propositions have been accepted by His Excellency. You will get what you want once all this is over.”“I am happy to hear it. Although you did take your time, Mr. Zharkov.”“Some matters shouldn’t be rushed,” Sergei whispered in a heavy, ominous voice. “You are getting what you wanted. You should be thankful for it.”“Oh, I truly am.”“Then it’s time for you to keep your end of the bargain. I want the nuclear tech and all the weapons you have already designed. And after the transfer is complete, you will lead us to Commander Payne.”“There is a little problem which must be handled first.”Sergei flared up at this.“Are you trying to waste my time? We had a deal, and I hate those who cannot honor their word!”“We did, but in case you haven’t noticed, things just became a lot more complicated down here. You should have believed me when I told you

The next day at 1700 hours, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Sergei Zharkov’s private jet landed in Santini, followed by ten armed choppers carrying elite members of the Red Jackets.Samantha Atkins was the one who received them this time, accompanied by a team of nuclear scientists and engineers.“Welcome to Santini, Mr. Zharkov. I am Samantha Atkins, the acting CEO of Kronos Tech. And this is the team behind our nuclear success. I hope we can conclude the deal today.”“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Atkins,” Sergei replied, looking around distractedly. “I don’t see your boss around. Is Mr. Verlaine not here yet?”“He will be joining us shortly. In the meantime, he has asked me to give you a tour.”Samantha showed Sergei around, offering him a chance to view the Stealth Bomber they had used to test the first nuke, and after that, she showed him their crowning jewel—the 15 Megaton nuclear warhead, which was attached to an advanced long-range ICBM.“Very impressive, Ms. Atkins. Y

The next day, complete chaos broke out in Valheim as President Igor received distressing news from his Minister of Defense, Yosef Kuroshev.“Sergei hasn’t been answering any of our texts, and I can’t get him or any of our commandos on the comms. They have all gone off the grid. And their last known location was Santini.”“It’s a part of Alexandria!” The President muttered, gnashing his teeth. “Sergei was supposed to make a nuclear deal with Kronos Tech and hunt down Commander Xander Payne.”“I think it’s safe to assume the deal didn’t go well. Commander Payne isn’t some fox we can hunt with bait. If it really is him, we all know what he is capable of.”“What are you trying to say?” Igor thundered. “Stop talking in riddles and spit it out!”“I think Sergei and his team are dead. I think they walked right into a trap,” Yosef replied, bowing his head. “After what happened with President Sebastian and his ministers, we never should have trusted another Alexandrian. They set us up!”Presid

The sparks of rebellion had died with the impeachment of the corrupt President, but the embers of vengeance were still alive in the people’s hearts.All these years, Valheim had been siphoning off Alexandria’s resources and corrupting every institution in the country to destroy the nation from within.But now the God of War had returned from his grave, the people were ready to reclaim their freedom.Alexandria had lost 3 major islands after the last major conflict and was forced to cede 15% of their territory to the enemy.Valheim’s troops had captured the military bases in Nusca, Lemora, and Rovenia.And the two Generals whom Xander Payne had trusted with his life had joined hands with the enemy.Even though the air force and the navy were now under the new President’s control, the army still remained out of reach.And Alex knew he needed loyal soldiers if they were to push Valheim back and defend their territory.The first thing Alex did after getting down from the podium was to app

Xander traversed the whole island on foot, making his presence felt with every footstep and soaking in glimpses of the distant past.Rovenia had once belonged to Alexandria, and back then, the island had only one military base from where Xander would plan his incursions into enemy territory and plan forward offensives.But now, every inch of the island bore marks of the enemy, either in the form of flags or emblems carved into the trees like hellish inscriptions.The night was dark and chilly, and the dark storm clouds rumbled with flashes of lightning, but there were no signs of rain.Xander walked down the forest path like a forgotten ghost, trying to find his way back home.A gentle breeze blew from the east, kissing the sweat on his warm neck.The leaves rustled above, and from the corner of his eyes, Xander spotted a faint glimmer in the branches.A sniper had just locked onto him, ready to pull the trigger.“I see you!”With a sudden flick of his wrist, Xander jerked his arm up