+ MISSION HUH? +

+CHAPTER 22+

Victoria's jaw tightened, and she muttered under her breath, "Someone get me another thug so I can get back to enjoying this mission without him ruining it."

"That's the spirit," Angel quipped, clearly having overheard her. "Channel that energy into something productive, babe."

"Don't call me babe!" she snapped.

Haechan, pinching the bridge of his nose, stepped between them before things escalated. "Okay, enough. We still have the rest of the warehouse to clear. Mark, Jaemin, Chenle, you're with me. Renjun, Jeno, Jisung—watch our six. Angel, can you keep Victoria from starting another shootout?"

Angel gave a mock salute. "You got it, Coach."

"Oh, for the love of—" Victoria began, but Haechan had already moved on, motioning for the rest of the group to follow.

The next room was dimly lit and eerily quiet, filled with stacks of crates and buzzing with the faint hum of machinery. Chenle felt a twinge of nerves as they fanned out, their footsteps echoing softly on the concrete floor.

"Keep looking," Haechan whispered. "This is where they'd stash the intel."

Chenle tried to focus, but behind him, he could already hear Victoria and Angel bickering in hushed tones.

"Do you have to swagger everywhere you go?" Victoria hissed.

"It's not swagger," Angel replied coolly. "It's confidence. You should try it sometime."

Chenle glanced over his shoulder, whispering to Jaemin, "Is it bad that I'm rooting for both of them to lose this argument?"

Jaemin stifled a laugh. "Not at all. It's kind of entertaining."

"Focus, you two," Haechan growled under his breath, gesturing for silence.

But the silence didn't last. Out of nowhere, a squad of armed thugs emerged from the shadows, their weapons aimed and ready. The group froze, tension crackling in the air like a live wire.

"Drop your weapons!" barked the lead thug, his voice rough and commanding.

For a moment, no one moved. Then, in a move that no one expected—least of all Chenle—Victoria stepped forward, her hands raised but her expression defiant.

"Alright, alright," she said with a shrug. "You win. We surrender." She placed her weapon down gently on the ground.

Chenle's eyes widened. "Uh, Vivi? What are you—?"

But before she could finish, Victoria ducked, grabbed the weapon again, and fired off a precise shot that sent the lead thug sprawling. Chaos erupted instantly.

"She's doing it again!" Angel shouted as bullets started flying.

Chenle dove behind a crate, pulling Jaemin and Mark with him. "Why does she always do this?!"

Mark peeked out cautiously, shaking his head. "Honestly, I think she gets a thrill out of it."

Meanwhile, Angel, clearly exasperated but unwilling to admit it, took down two thugs in rapid succession with calm efficiency. He ducked beside Victoria, reloading his weapon with a practiced hand. "Do you ever stick to the plan?"

"Plans are boring," Victoria replied with a grin, popping out from cover to return fire. "Besides, this is way more fun."

"Fun?" Angel repeated incredulously. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

Victoria's grin widened. "And yet, here you are, keeping up with me."

Angel didn't respond, mostly because he was too busy taking out another thug, but the faint twitch of his lips suggested he wasn't as annoyed as he let on.