CH41: ARRIVING FIELD OF OPERATION

This is a passion work. So, I would really appreciate it if you leave behind a review when you're done reading.

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Onitsha is a city located on the eastern bank of the River Niger in Nigeria's Anambra state. A metropolitan city known for its river port as well as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. It hosts the Onitsha Main Market, the largest market in Africa by geographic size and the volume of goods.

Onitsha is located on the major East-West crossing point of the River Niger and occupies the northernmost point of the river regularly navigable by large vessels. These factors have historically made Onitsha a major center of trade between the coastal regions and the North as well as Western and Eastern Nigeria.

If not for the dominance of Lagos, perhaps this city of commerce and trade could be a strong contender to be the economic capital of the country. This was also why it was able to be the homebase of the 'merchants' of the Nigerian underworld, the NDz.

A helicopter approached the city from the west. As it got close to the city, its occupants were able to see the city and its environs in their splendour.

"Approaching destination, Sergeant Balogun." The Pilot said.

Korede Balogun nodded his head. He looked at the massive trade city in view. Even from the high vantage point, one could already tell it was a city rich in history and culture. Alas no matter how beautiful and appealing the city looked, it couldn't hide its ugliness. Due to the efforts of the Duke and his NDz, the city was not only a hub of legitimate trade and commerce but also the venue for one of the biggest black markets in Africa. A thriving underbelly of the city hidden from public eyes. This city would be Korede's field of operation for the next few days.

The helicopter didn't fly into the city limits but landed in a bush clearing just outside of the city. As the vehicle descended, Korede could already spot a car there.

'What's with the NDI and secluded clearings? Can't we land on a normal helipad for once?' Korede thought.

Once the helicopter landed, Korede got out and approached the car with his luggage in tow. As soon as he got close enough, two men got out of the car. To Korede's surprise, he knew one of them. It was NDI Special Agent Muritala Danjuma who had given the briefing for the last mission, Operation CatchingFire.

Special Agent Danjuma and his partner walked towards Korede. The partner waved towards the Helicopter and it took off soon after.

"I wasn't expecting you to be my NDI contact, Special Agent Danjuma." Korede said while offering the man a handshake.

"I'm the coordinator of the entire Op against the NDz. This man here is your contact." Special Agent Danjuma said.

His partner stepped forward to introduce himself. "I'm Special Agent Chidubem Ndike."

"Korede Balogun." Korede said as they shook hands.

Korede turned back to Special Agent Danjuma, "Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't the Op co-ordinator be in Abuja?"

"What? You don't want me here?" The man asked with a smile.

"Of course. Having a big shot here is putting pressure on me." Korede replied with a chuckle.

Special Agent Danjuma was a little caught off guard by the answer. He shook his head with a smile and said, "How can you call little ol' me a big shot. I'm just an errand boy."

Both men laughed at the response. By the side, Special Agent Ndike was surprised. He didn't expect to see his superior joking with the youth. After all, he was known in the department as a serious person.

"You are right. My post is in Abuja. However, when I heard from Colonel Balogun that you were going to be the Eagle Squad Operator sent here, I had to be here in person. I want to apologise for the intel mishap of the last mission. We should have done more to verify the intel before passing it on."

Korede quickly cut the man off before he could continue talking.

"There's no need for that, Special Agent Danjuma. It wasn't your fault. The mission was time-sensitive and a potential nuke was involved. Even if we knew beforehand that it was a trap, we would still have gone."

"But still…"

"I understand your guilt. However, the responsibility for this isn't on you. It's the Emissary's. As well as his other cohorts. Besides, we are soldiers. Death is something we accept every time we wear the uniform."

Special Agent Danjuma closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they had regained their calm.

"You are right. We can't change the past but we can make those responsible pays for it."

Korede nodded in agreement while Special Agent Ndike watched silently from behind.

"Alright. Let's get back to the mission." Special Agent Danjuma said. He took a quick look at his watch before saying. "Let's get in the car. We are on a clock."

The three men entered the car. Special Agent Ndike took the driver's seat, Special Agent Danjuma rode shotgun while Korede sat at the back.

"What's the plan? I had initially thought the Department of State Security would take the lead on this." Korede asked.

"After it became known that the NDz wanted to facilitate the trade of nuclear material to a known terrorist, they had earned the attention of numerous stakeholders and were no longer just the DSS's problem. Action would have been taken against Duke earlier but it was decided that it was best to have a comprehensive plan which is why we had delayed this for a year. The plan requires the co-operation of multiple bodies and agencies as the NDz had spread throughout the country. We must wipe them out in one fell swoop. Since the NDI has the most experience co-operating with other sister bodies, we were asked to be the go-between for everybody."

Korede nodded in understanding and Special Agent Danjuma continued,

"That brings us to your mission. Your mission is simple but can be complex because it is the most important one. You are expected to take down the Duke while making sure to sufficiently cripple the gang. For this reason, it was decided that the means be left to you since you would be the one on the ground."

Korede nodded again. This was something he wanted. He didn't want his movement to be tied down by a bunch of suits behind a computer. Special Agent Danjuma signalled Special Agent Ndike who continued from where he stopped.

"To be extra careful and avoid being noticed by the NDz, we decided to get you into the city in a low-key manner. We'll drop you off at a bus stop where you will board a bus that will take you to the Onitsha bus terminal. At the terminal, you are to find your way to the safehouse. All the equipment and gear you will need have already been stocked in the safehouse. The Safehouse address is on the envelope beside you. The key to the safehouse and the method to find and open the weapons cache is inside. Detailed mission brief is also available on the secure laptop in the weapon cache."

Korede looked around and saw an envelope beside him on the seat. It was sealed. Korede carefully folded it into his trouser pocket. Soon, the car got off the forest dirt road and onto a tarred road. After about five minutes, a little bus stop was in view.

"This is it." said Special Agent Ndike. "If you need anything else, you are to contact me. My direct line has been registered on the phone in the weapons cache."

"Copy that." Korede said as he opened the car door.

Just as he was about to get out, Special Agent Danjuma said, "The NDz have their eyes and ears everywhere in Onitsha. So, to be on the safe side, we decided not to send too many men. We can't let them feel threatened or they'll go underground. This was why the mission was given to you, an Eagle squad operator. Remember, there would most likely be no back-up. You'll be on your own."

Korede nodded his head and got out of the car. The two agents watched as the youth pulled his luggage bag behind him while carrying two cylindrical objects wrapped together in cloth on his back as he headed to the bus stop.

"Is it really OK to let him do this mission alone, sir?" Special Agent Ndike asked his superior.

"I know a little about the kid. He has a good head on his shoulders. Besides, if rumors from the Balogun Family is to trusted, he is being made an Elder based on his combat strength."

"Is that reliable? I know the Balogun Family is reputable but why should we trust their assessment of his combat strength." Special Agent Ndike asked with a frown.

"You are still too green. If you understand the foundations of that family, you wouldn't be in doubt." Special Agent Danjuma said while shaking his head. "Listen, Chidubem, there are two popular ways of being an Elder of the Balogun Family. One is to reach Colonel rank or its equivalent in the military or security forces. Two is through combat strength. To put it in perspective for you, you have to, at least, be as strong as Colonel Kola Balogun was on that mission almost ten years ago."

"WHAT?!!" Special Agent Ndike was shocked. "Are you sure? The mission that earned Colonel Balogun the moniker, 'Phoenix'?

"The very same one."

"That means the youth that sat behind us just now can re-enact Operation SlyWolf?"

"If the rumors are to be believed." Special Agent Danjuma replied.

"How do they train their members?" Special Agent Ndike asked.

"A very brutal method not anyone can withstand. We're lucky the success rate is low." Special Agent Danjuma said. "Not to mention, I heard this kid is being lauded as a once-in-a-lifetime genius of the family."

"Somehow I feel more confident." Special Agent Ndike said.

"That's also how the higher-ups feel." Special Agent Danjuma said.

There was something he didn't say though. 'This also shows how scary the unconscious trust/confidence everyone in the defence and security sector has in the Balogun Family. They sent one youth against an army and no one is concerned or even bothered to fathom him failing.'

The two intelligence agents watched as the youth boarded the bus before turning in another direction and driving off.

A few minutes later, a bus arrived at the Onitsha bus terminal. A youth carrying something on his shoulder while pulling a luggage bag alighted. The youth looked around before sighting a taxi queue. He hailed one of them and got in. After giving the driver an address, the youth looked out the window curiously. As the taxi drove through the Onitsha Main Market, the youth was able to experience a bit of the country's cultural, tribal, and ethnic diversities.

Korede realised that, unlike in Lagos where everyone made a conscious effort to speak in English, here he could hear the sounds of different languages drifting into his ear. He closed his eyes and focused his attention on his ears. As the sounds of different languages were filtered and only the sound of one person at a time was heard by him. Almost immediately, the meaning of the words spoken by the person was known to him even though he didn't understand the language. This was a way he discovered to use {Sense Boost}-Lv2 and {Life Communication}- Lv3.

Improving Will Tactics may be difficult but, as far as Korede was concerned, the effort was always worth it. For example, {Sense Boost}-Lv1 increased one's senses the more the Will strength is feed into the Tactic script. It could increase one's individual sense to almost 5x and collective senses to 2x. The only limitation is the influx of a large amount of information for the brain to process. Imagine being able to hear all the sounds around you 2x louder. It would be difficult to pick up the information you want. That's where Lv2 comes in.

{Sense Boost}- Lv2 allowed Korede to focus his heightened sense(s) on just one thing and filter out the rest.

After failing to understand the 'perception of time' to the level of a useful comprehension, Korede took a step back and focus on only perception. How to perceive just one thing to be exact? The result was the comprehension that led to the {Sense Boost}- Lv2 where he could decide what to focus on.

As for how he got {Life Communication} to Lv3, Korede thought back to six months ago when he had just started living with the Hanzos.

[A.N: Please, don't forget to leave a review of the work to encourage me. Your opinion matters to me.]

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