Fourteen black shadows glided into the forest clearing like phantoms, their dark tactical gear sweeping over the grass without a whisper. As the lead ninja’s boots crunched over the tattered remains of the parachute Leitao had discarded, the fourteen men instantly fanned out. The barrels of their MP35 submachine guns pointed with precision in every direction, while the metal handguards of the Ninja Swords on their backs gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
The ninja holding a Murata rifle dropped to one knee, his eyes fixed intently behind a tengu mask on the jagged tear in the parachute cord. His gloved fingers brushed lightly over the cut, and he suddenly looked up—at that very instant, a silver arc cut through the air.
"Take cover!" Leitao whispered, his voice low, as a stun grenade slipped from his hand. The device traced a parabola through the air, landing precisely beside the parachute. The ninjas’ pupils constricted; before they could react, a deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a blinding flash of light. The sniper was blown backward by the blast wave, his Murata rifle skittering two meters away.
Chapter 457