Time flew by, and after a day of preparation, on the third day, Operation "Rescue the Goddess" officially began.
Owen had come up with the name—while Monica wasn't the most outgoing person, her looks certainly earned her the title of "goddess."
Sam and his team had spent the previous day renting a house at a high price. Based on the tunnel map provided by Alex, the tunnel passed directly beneath this house.
After some digging, they successfully opened a passage into the tunnel.
Alex had mentioned that alarms were only installed at the entrance and exit of the tunnel, so Sam and the others had chosen a point in the middle. This way, they could avoid the alarms and enter directly.
That morning, the team had already set out, each heading to their designated positions, waiting for Silly White Sweet's signal.
There was no other choice—Silly White Sweet was just a hacker with zero combat ability, and in Colombia, there wasn't much she could do. So, she was best suited as the operation's observer.
Sam's temporary base was carefully chosen—it was on a hillside directly opposite Montel's villa, at a higher elevation.
This was a middle-class neighborhood with a great vantage point. Standing on the second floor, Silly White Sweet had a clear view of most of Montel's estate.
At this moment, she was standing behind a window, watching the villa through binoculars.
Only she and Alex were left in the house now.
Alex was in terrible shape—after being tortured by Bryan, he was still tied up. However, he had been moved out of the dark room and was now sitting across from Silly White Sweet.
Brancato Montel would never have imagined that the son he had been so desperate to find was now sitting less than a kilometer away from him.
Alex sat obediently in his chair, not daring to move.
Though his head wasn't covered with a hood, he had a bomb strapped to his chest—a special gift Hotshot had made with leftover materials.
The bomb wasn't powerful, but it was enough to reduce a person to dust. The remote detonator was in Silly White Sweet's hands, and if Alex dared to try anything, she could send him straight to God.
"The women and children have left. The convoy is departing. Action begins in 60 seconds."
Silly White Sweet excitedly reported the moment she saw the women and children get into the car and drive off, just as expected.
"Team 1 received. Action starts in 60 seconds."
As the car left the estate, it also took away some of the guards. However, more of Montel's men were arriving with money for the collection day, so the number of guards wasn't actually decreasing—it was increasing.
A few blocks away, inside the rented house, Sam removed a black cushion that had been used as a cover, revealing the tunnel entrance. Without hesitation, he jumped in first, followed by the rest of the team.
About ten minutes later, Sam's voice came through the earpieces:
"Team 1 has reached the designated position. Everything is ready. Team 2, proceed."
"Team 2, understood."
A short while later, a beat-up car appeared, swaying along the road before slowly coming to a stop at Montel's estate gate.
The gate guards were immediately on alert. They had never seen this car or the person inside before—and today was collection day.
"Who are you looking for?"
One of the guards rested his hand on his gun. The car didn't seem particularly threatening—its lightly tinted windows made it easy to see inside. There was only one man inside, who looked Middle Eastern.
The man rolled down the window and spoke in English with a thick accent:
"Tell your boss that Salim Abu Aziz of the Red Dawn has come to visit."
Of course, this "Salim" was actually Owen in disguise—a key part of their plan.
Since they couldn't pinpoint Monica's location, they decided to let Owen walk in openly disguised as Salim.
This way, Brancato Montel would personally bring Monica to him. Once they confirmed her location, they could decide whether to launch an all-out assault.
As for Salim's appearance, Owen used a mask from CTU.
During the Qizhou Island incident, Owen had impersonated Salim to infiltrate Cruel Angel, and afterward, CTU kept the mask. When Owen left CTU, he took it with him—who would have thought it would actually come in handy now?
The guard looked at Owen suspiciously but, intimidated by his aura, turned back toward the security booth to report.
Inside the villa's grand hall, Brancato Montel was sitting across from a European man, the two engaged in what seemed to be a pleasant conversation.
"You have our full consideration. Rest assured, we will give you a satisfactory answer. I'm sure you're aware of our capabilities—our attack on CTU a while ago was our handiwork. This time, we'll make sure the FBI understands the consequences of harming your loved ones…"
Brancato nodded with satisfaction and poured two glasses of red wine, handing one to his guest.
"I've heard of White Mask's reputation. I have only one request—I want the FBI on the front pages of every paper in America."
"As you wish."
The two men clinked glasses and downed their wine.
At that moment, inside the security control room, Montel's chief security officer received a report that left him in disbelief.
"Who? Say that again?"
"He says he's Salim Abu Aziz from the Red Dawn…"
The security chief walked over to the surveillance monitor and looked at the front gate's camera feed.
Indeed, a Middle Eastern-looking man was sitting alone in a car, waiting.
"Just him?"
"Yes."
"Did he say why he's here?"
"No, only that he wants to meet our boss."
The security chief frowned and immediately began searching his personal database.
Like many Mexican counter-narcotics agents who later joined cartel militias, his career path wasn't too different.
He had been a member of Germany's GSG9 but, after retiring, took a high-paying job as Montel's security advisor.
This was how the world worked.
Once, he had fought against drug cartels and terrorists, risking his life daily for a pitiful salary.
Now, he worked for his former enemies, enjoying a luxurious paycheck—though he still had his limits, handling only security and staying out of the drug business.
It was cold reality—and also a bit ironic.
Finding Red Dawn's information was easy.
For professionals like him, there were many sources of intelligence.
Soon, Salim Abu Aziz's profile appeared on the screen—and it matched the man at the gate exactly.
Name and face—both correct.
The security chief was puzzled.
Had his employer contacted both White Mask and Red Dawn?
Either way, he had to inform his boss.
Knocking on the door, he leaned close to Brancato and whispered the situation in his ear.
But he immediately realized his employer was just as shocked as he was.
"Are you sure about his identity?"
"Yes, I just verified—it's definitely Salim Abu Aziz."
The security chief glanced at the European man before whispering, "If you'd rather not deal with him, I can send him away or direct him to another room…"
"No, invite him in—here."
Brancato thought for a moment before making his decision.
"Understood. I'll notify the gate."
Outside the villa gates, after a long wait, the guards finally received the order to let Owen in.
Driving slowly along the estate's driveway, he soon spotted a man waiting at the entrance.
"Team 2 has entered the estate—preparing to enter the villa…"
Owen whispered into his comms before parking the car.
Stepping out, he was greeted by the man, who looked like a butler but introduced himself otherwise.
"Welcome, Mr. Salim. I am the chief of security here. Mr. Montel is waiting for you in the grand hall. Please follow me."
_________________________________________
From May 26 to June 3, I'm offering a 33% discount on all Patreon tiers.
Just use this code when you sign up: 83AA7
If you'd like to support the project and get early access to chapters, now's the perfect time to join or upgrade.
This limited-time offer lasts only for these 9 days!
Thank you for your support ❤️
[w w w . p @ t r e o n . c o m / M u t t e r]