After trying the code once more, Dillon took a step back.
"Glad I was smart enough not to rely on a woman," he mumbled.
Turning to Cal, he looked at the hatch and ordered him to blow it open.
"Prepare the explosives. We’re going to blow our way in. Everyone, prepare yourselves to fight as soon as we breach the entrance," he commanded.
Cal quickly took out the packed explosives he carried in his backpack and began setting them up on top of the hatch door.
The rest of the men, including Dillon, made their way deeper into the forest to avoid being impacted by the explosion.
A few minutes later, Cal came over holding the detonator. After receiving the nod to go ahead, he clicked the handle, remotely setting off the charge.
BOOM!
The earth shook, and the trees rattled from the strong explosion. Tree branches littered the ground along with piles of dirt and snow.
The explosion flung the surrounding snow, clearing the area around the hatch.
Dillon walked over to the hatch, expecting to see a giant hole in its place, but instead, he found that the hatch was still attached.
Luckily, the hinges that kept it locked down were blown off, giving him hope that the hatch could be opened.
"Quick, try to pry the hatch door off," ordered Dillon. He stood close by, watching everyone try to lift the heavy metal door.
It took the entire team of men to finally be able to nudge the hatch door off to the side, exposing the entry ladder into the bunker.
Everyone pulled out their weapons and slid down the ladder, ready for a shootout as soon as they entered.
Dillon was the last one to enter and quickly surveyed the surrounding area. Everything was dark and eerily quiet. Not a single sound could be heard.
"Move out, shoot anything that isn’t us and Julian Barclay!" he ordered.
The trained men quickly pushed forward, checking every room on the way.
Dillon walked behind like an entitled lord, frowning.
All of the rooms were empty. Not a single chair or table was seen.
The entire bunker felt lifeless, as if they were the first people to discover its existence.
"Boss, something feels off. There’s nothing here, not even a sign of anyone ever being here," said Cal.
Dillon walked forward, examining each room with his own eyes. He was looking for signs of hidden rooms or anything else that would give him a clue as to what happened.
Jess had told him about every major room on each level of the bunker, and in great detail. However, the reality was that everything was empty.
As he entered what was supposed to be the kitchen, he noticed that even the cabinets on the walls were gone.
"They must have known we were coming," Dillon said finally. Anger consumed him as he felt the urge to punch the wall.
This was supposed to be a surprise mission, catching them off guard. He envisioned capturing Julian and taking all of the weapons he had hidden here back to their base.
"Is there a mole among us?" asked Cal, wide-eyed.
Dillon shook his head. "No, we only just planned this out. There wouldn’t be enough time for a mole to give us away. They knew beforehand," he explained.
"Okay, finish searching every nook and cranny. I doubt we will find anything, but keep looking!" he ordered. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
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