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Ashton\'s team was making good progress, taking down enemy after enemy as they made their way closer to the bank\'s entrance. However, just as they were about to reach their objective, things suddenly turned for the worse.

A loud explosion shook the ground beneath them, and Ashton\'s team was thrown off balance. The blast had come from a nearby building, taking out a large portion of the street in front of the bank.

Dozens of gangsters were also killed in the explosion, but it didn\'t seem like anyone cared about them.

Law enforcement couldn\'t reach the gangsters anymore. The gangsters were overjoyed. As long as they took care of the Ghosts, no one could stop them.

"Fucking hell..."

Ashton quickly assessed the situation, realising they had stumbled into a trap. The enemy had planned for their arrival and had set up a series of explosives to take them out.

"Fall back, fall back!" Ashton shouted into his earpiece, his voice urgent.

Shian and Viper quickly disengaged from their opponents and followed Ashton\'s orders, retreating to a nearby alleyway. The rest of the team followed suit, their movements swift and panicked.

Ashton had intended to refrain from interfering in the job directly as it was supposed to test the new recruits. But considering how things had taken a sudden turn for the worse, he might have to put an end to the drama himself.

He scanned the area, looking for any signs of the enemy. He knew they were in a vulnerable position and needed to regroup quickly if they were going to survive.

"We need to get out of here, now. Move it, people!" Ashton said, his voice firm.

The team moved quickly, their weapons at the ready. They ran through the streets, ducking behind buildings and avoiding enemy fire. Ashton used his sniper rifle to take out any enemies that got too close.

"Fuck it. Let\'s head back now, Shian!" Viper urged before throwing a couple of Diego\'s foot soldiers.

Shian didn\'t say a word and nodded, agreeing with Viper. However, before they could make it to safety, a man appeared out of nowhere and charged straight at them.

He was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a thick beard. His eyes glinted with anger, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A bunch of rats trying to steal from the big cheese," the man said, his voice low and gravelly. "You two are the worst of the lot, so you\'ll face the worst punishment as well."

As he approached, he let out a fierce roar, and Viper and Shian stepped forward to confront him. But the man was too strong, too fast, and he manhandled both of them, slamming them to the ground with brutal force.

Ashton watched in horror as the man continued to pummel his teammates, his fists moving in a blur of motion. He knew that he had to act fast if he was going to stop him.

Without hesitation, Ashton stored the rifle in his inventory and jumped into the fray, tackling the man to the ground. The two rolled across the pavement, fists flying as they fought tooth and nail.

But as they grappled with each other, Ashton used [Detection] and realised something. The man he was fighting was none other than Diego, a notorious criminal who had been eluding the authorities for years.

"You?" Diego gasped before laughing despite his pain. "Reaper? The famous mercenary?"

Ashton looked down at him, his face grim. "What are you talking about, Diego?"

Diego laughed again, his voice wheezing. "You really don\'t know shit, do you? This entire operation, it was all a trap. The cult had been planning it for weeks. I thought it was all for nothing, but here you are... trapped like a rat in a cage!"

With that, Diego lunged at him.

Ashton\'s eyes narrowed as Diego charged at him, fists flying. He sidestepped the first blow and brought his elbow down hard on Diego\'s back. The man stumbled forward but recovered quickly and spun around, lashing out with a powerful kick.

Ashton dodged the blow, feeling the wind from it brush past his face. He took a step back, his mind racing as he tried to figure out Diego\'s next move.

Diego moved fast, his punches and kicks coming in rapid succession. Ashton ducked and weaved, dodging each blow with ease. He knew he was the better fighter and his opponent lacked proper training, but Diego was relentless.

He seemed to have an endless supply of energy and showed no signs of slowing down. In the meantime, the Ghosts extracted Shian and Viper while clearing up a path for the police to arrive. But they couldn\'t go further away due to heavy fire.

Finally, Ashton saw his opening. Diego overextended on a kick, and Ashton used the opportunity to sweep his legs out from under him. Diego hit the ground hard, his head bouncing off the concrete.

Ashton moved in for the finishing blow, but Diego\'s eyes snapped open before he could land it. The man let out a wild laugh, and suddenly he was on his feet again, his fists flying.

"What the-"

Ashton was caught off guard, and for a moment, he was on the defensive. Diego was more robust than he looked and fueled by some kind of primal energy that gave him superhuman strength. Diego\'s eyes when black as a new surge of energy filled his body.

But Ashton was no slouch. He countered each blow with precision and power, slowly pushing Diego back. Diego\'s actions got increasingly erratic, but Ashton finally got another opportunity to shut him down.

He delivered a swift uppercut to Diego\'s chin and crumpled to the ground. Ashton stood over him, panting. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

For a moment, he thought that the fight was over.

But then Diego\'s eyes flicked open again, and he laughed wildly. "You really are something, Reaper. Too bad it\'s all for nothing."

"Oh, shut it!"

Ashton landed a powerful punch to Diego\'s stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

Diego stumbled backwards but quickly regained his composure and lunged at Ashton again. Ashton sidestepped him and delivered a swift kick to his back, causing Diego to fall to the ground. He rolled over and got back up, a twisted smile on his face.

"You\'re good, Reaper," he said, wiping blood from his mouth. "But you can\'t beat us. You can\'t beat the cult!"

Ashton tensed up, wondering what Diego was talking about. Diego tried to attack again, but Ashton was too quick.

"That\'s enough," a voice called out from behind them.

Ashton turned to see Viper standing there, holding Shian up with one arm. Viper had a nasty cut above his eye, but he seemed to be holding his own. Shian, on the other hand, was slumped over, barely conscious.

"You\'ve already lost," Viper said, his voice steady and controlled. "Feel free to stay back if you want to spend the rest of your life in prison."

Diego\'s grin faded as he looked around and saw that his fellow cult members had been taken down by the Ghosts and police. He sighed and shook his head.

"You haven\'t seen the last of us," he said before disappearing into the darkness.

Ashton watched him go, his mind racing with questions. The cult was growing more desperate, but most importantly, it seemed the Ghosts or at least the Tower had some rats leaking his plans to the enemies.

"I might have to take care of these bastards sooner than I thought."