THE LAST EXTRACTION
The Last Extraction is a gritty war-zone adventure about Captain Ethan Cross, a special-ops soldier whose helicopter is shot down during a secret mission in a lawless country called Kandara. Left for dead, Ethan discovers that his mission was never meant to succeed. The scientist he was sent to extract-Asset Orion-holds information about a powerful technology capable of collapsing entire nations without open war.
Hunted by rebel militias and betrayed by his own government, Ethan teams up with Dr. Mara Vale and chooses to protect the truth instead of following corrupt orders. As time runs out and violence closes in, Ethan fights through ambushes and loss to ensure the secret reaches the world.
At its core, the story is about survival, betrayal, and moral courage, one man risking everything to do what's right in a world driven by lies and power.
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Chapter 5
The village lay in ruins behind them, but it wasn't the fire or the rubble that made Ethan uneasy. It was the knowledge that their enemies were no longer just rebels-they were everyone. Kandaran militias, foreign operatives, rogue mercenaries, and even factions from Ethan's own government all wanted Orion dead, alive, or controlled.
Ethan crouched in the shadows of the abandoned schoolhouse, rifle in hand. Mara scanned the horizon through a broken window, her face tense. Orion sat against a wall, hands trembling, clutching the bag that contained the key to destabilizing nations.
"Where do we even go?" Mara asked quietly. "They're everywhere. The forest... the mountains... even the river we crossed-they could be waiting."
Ethan didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the perimeter, analyzing every possible path. "We move east. There's a secondary safehouse-abandoned, but it's hidden. If we can make it, we have time to plan."
"Time to plan?" Orion's voice cracked. "Do you know what they'll do if they catch me?"
Ethan's jaw tightened. "We're about to find out. But if we don't move now, we won't get that chance."
The forest ahead was alive with the sound of footsteps, low voices, and the distant hum of engines. Ethan counted at least four patrols converging near their path. The terrain was rough-jagged rocks, fallen logs, and thick undergrowth slowed every step.
"Move quietly," Ethan whispered. "No mistakes. One wrong sound, and it's over."
They slipped through shadows, silent as ghosts. But just as they neared a narrow ridge, the ground beneath them shifted. Mara froze.
"Tripwire," she hissed.
Ethan's hand shot out, catching the wire before it triggered a small, deadly mine. They paused, hearts hammering. Beyond the ridge, a convoy of militia trucks rumbled slowly along the valley road, scanning for targets.
"We'll never make it if we go that way," Mara whispered.
Ethan's gaze sharpened. "We'll make our own way." He scanned the ridgeline. A narrow cliffside path zigzagged up the mountains. Dangerous, yes-but unseen. Their only chance.
As they climbed, rocks tumbled underfoot. The sound echoed through the valley, drawing distant shouts. A hail of bullets ripped past them, forcing them flat against the cliff.
"Keep moving!" Ethan shouted. "Don't look back!"
Minutes stretched into an eternity. Ethan's side ached, Mara's breathing was ragged, and Orion's fear radiated like heat. Every step was a gamble-one slip could send them tumbling hundreds of feet down the mountainside.
Finally, they reached a small plateau hidden by thick pines. Ethan allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. Mara scanned the horizon. "We're not clear," she said. "They're still looking for us. And they're not alone."
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Not alone?"
From the shadow of the trees, a figure emerged. Calm. Precise. Armed with an advanced rifle that had no place in Kandara's arsenal.
Ethan raised his weapon. "Identify yourself!"
The figure smiled faintly. "You're brave... but foolish."
Before Ethan could react, the figure fired. A bullet struck the cliff edge inches from his foot. Mara screamed, ducking behind a tree. Ethan returned fire, missing by inches. The figure vanished into the shadows like a phantom.
"They're watching us," Mara said. Her voice trembled. "Not just Kandara. Not just the militia. Someone... someone else is in play."
Orion's eyes widened. "Foreign intelligence?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately. He had learned long ago that some truths were worse than lies. "We keep moving," he said finally. "No rest. No mistakes."
They descended carefully along the plateau, moving toward a narrow valley that would lead them to the secondary safehouse Mara mentioned. But as night fell, the danger multiplied.
A sudden crack-branches breaking-echoed behind them. Ethan spun, rifle raised. Shadows moved swiftly. Ambush.
Three figures emerged: masked, armed, and silent. They surrounded the trio, weapons leveled. Ethan cursed under his breath.
Mara's hand trembled over her sidearm. "We can't fight them all."
Ethan's mind raced. One step, one calculation, one risk. He fired a shot that ricocheted off a nearby rock, then rolled behind cover, drawing the enemy's attention. Mara and Orion used the distraction to slip past, running toward a rocky outcrop.
Gunfire erupted. Ethan returned fire, precise and deadly. But it wasn't enough. The masked figures closed in with terrifying coordination.
Then, unexpectedly, the shadows behind the attackers flickered. Another group-different uniforms, different weapons-appeared, firing on the masked figures. Chaos exploded in the valley.
Ethan took advantage, motioning Mara and Orion to move. They sprinted through the confusion, bullets tearing the air around them.
Once clear, they collapsed behind a large boulder. Ethan's chest heaved. Mara's hair was matted with sweat and blood. Orion shook violently.
"They're everywhere," Orion whispered. "There's no safe place. No escape."
Ethan's eyes hardened. "That's not true. There is a way."
Mara looked at him, doubt in her eyes. "After everything, after the ambush, after the lies... how can you be so sure?"
Ethan lifted his gaze to the dark horizon. "Because we're alive. And as long as we're alive, we have a chance to fight back. And if we don't... the world won't know the truth."
Orion's trembling eased slightly, understanding for the first time that survival wasn't just about running-it was about taking control.
Ethan scanned the valley again. From the shadows, more movement. They weren't done. Never done.
He exhaled, steadying himself. "We go at dawn. Quiet, fast, and without hesitation. We reach the safehouse. Then we plan our next move. And no one, I mean no one, will stop us from getting Orion to safety."
Mara nodded, gripping her weapon. "We'll make it."
Ethan's hand rested on Orion's shoulder. "We have to. No other choice."
The night deepened, thick with fog and danger. Somewhere in the valley, the remnants of the militia and the unknown forces watched, waited, and planned their next move. Every second was a test, every shadow a threat.
But Ethan Cross was already moving in his mind, calculating, predicting, surviving.
And as dawn began to creep over the mountains, a new battle loomed-one that would test every limit, every skill, every ounce of courage they possessed.
The war for Orion's secret had truly begun.
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9.7
Eighteen months ago, the man I loved shattered my heart, claiming everything between us was a mistake. Now, he's back, a ghost of his former self, a rookie tryout in my pro esports team. And I will make him regret crawling back.
Clifton, captain of a legendary esports team, was secretly battling a severe wrist injury that threatened his career, every match a fight against his own body. He pushed through the pain, ignoring doctors' warnings, desperate to maintain his god-like status.
His world was already on the edge, but nothing prepared him for seeing Justice Terry again in the team basement. Justice, pale and trembling, his eyes wide with naked terror, was now a rookie tryout.
Clifton had spent a year and a half trying to forget that rainy Chicago alley, the raw revulsion in Justice's eyes, the whispered "it wasn't real" that had left him heartbroken. Justice had vanished, and Clifton had erased every trace. Now, the boy who once looked at him like he was the sun was back, flinching at his touch, displaying a deep, primal fear. Amidst sponsor pressure and whispers of being "washed," Clifton saw Justice's return as a chance for vengeance. He publicly humiliated Justice on a live stream, forcing him into a suicide mission, then coldly benched him.
Yet, the satisfaction never came. Instead, a hollow emptiness and a torrent of questions: What had truly happened in the past? Why was Justice here, and what trauma had carved such fear into his bones?
Clifton, unwilling to be fooled again, swore to uncover every secret and every lie. He would force Justice to explain why he had returned, even if it meant tearing down everything they both had left.
8.7
Aria Blackwood grew up as the Alpha's daughter. Everyone expected her to lead. She was taught to stand tall, never bow.
Then came her eighteenth birthday. In front of the whole pack, her mate rejected her.
Rafe Daniels didn't just break her heart-he shattered the bond and turned it into a battlefield.
Five years later, Silver Crest has fallen. Aria's father is gone. Her pack has surrendered. And Aria? He keeps her alive for one thing: to serve in the house of the man who wrecked her world.
Rafe calls it mercy, this humiliation. He thinks she's beaten.
Let him think it.
She drops her gaze, but she catches every whisper. She carries out orders, but she's always plotting. And that mate bond-they both feel it burning, whether they want it or not. Aria just turns that fire into something sharper.
Revenge.
She was never supposed to kneel. She was born to rule. And she's going to take her throne back-even if she has to destroy the man fate chose for her.
9.7
Giana woke up drugged and burning with fever in a luxurious hotel suite. Standing before her was Cornel Stark, the most ruthless billionaire in New York.
Memories of her past life stabbed into her brain. In that life, her adoptive family and her fiancé Gary had stolen her inheritance and left her to die a brutal, agonizing death.
She also remembered how fighting Cornel only made him more violent. So this time, she didn't scream.
She endured his brutal punishment, escaped the moment he let his guard down, and swallowed a Plan B pill on the freezing streets.
Returning to her adoptive family's mansion, she faced the people who had destroyed her. Her fiancé and her stepsister put on masks of fake concern, secretly mocking her.
Instead of throwing a useless tantrum like before, Giana deliberately threw herself down the steep wooden stairs.
She smashed her head against the marble floor, using her own blood to shatter their plans and win back her mother's trust.
She thought she had finally taken control. She was ready to crush the people who had betrayed her and live for herself.
But she didn't understand why the billionaire she had just escaped was suddenly turning her life upside down.
When she woke up in the hospital, her room wasn't filled with her family's fake tears, but an ocean of blood-red roses.
The heavy door swung open, and Cornel Stark walked in, his gray eyes locking onto her with a dark, predatory hunger.
"Remember this feeling, Giana. Every breath you take belongs to me now."
8.3
I took the fall for my sister and endured three years of torment in prison.
My knee was shattered, my body covered in scars, and I almost lost my life in that "accident".
On the day I was released, clinging to the last shred of hope, I ran toward my fiancé Benito’s Maybach—only to hear his cold voice: "Your existence is just a nuisance."
It turned out that the beatings and cigarette burns in prison were all arranged by him, paid for with his money. It turned out that the sister I had protected with all my heart had long been switching my medicine behind my back, hoping I would be completely crippled.
At the family gala, they joined hands to strip me bare in front of the flashing camera lights. My father slapped me hard across the face and roared: "Why didn’t you just die in prison?"
I smiled and tore apart my tattered dress, then dialed the number I had hidden in my heart for three years—the man who only understood blood for blood, his voice hoarse and alluring: "Turn around."
This time, I will no longer be a toy to be manipulated.
I will tear off their masks and burn the Stafford family to the ground.
By the way, I will take back everything that belongs to me—including him, the one hiding in the shadows.
7.8
VANESSA
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But for me, that's not enough. I want it to hit so hard they beg for their lives.
Five years ago, my own husband left me to die in a fire. I watched him walk away, his eyes full of hate. In my last moments, I thought about how unfair it was, that I was dying while the people who did wrong were free. As if some higher power heard me, I was saved.
Now, I'm back and my only purpose is to give Ethan Croft exactly what he deserves. He took everything from me, and now I will take everything he loves, in the most painful way possible.
I have it all planned out. But there's something or someone else I didn't plan on. Ceron Morrison. He's tall, dark, and dangerously handsome. He's a mystery and a distraction I can't afford. He's a threat to the revenge I have sworn to complete.
But no matter what comes my way, I'll make Ethan pay. I'll burn his entire world to the ground, even if it means I get burned in the flames, too.
CERON
Vanessa Ashford has taken over my mind without even trying.
The first time I saw her, she was putting a thief on the ground at the airport with a single, perfect kick. I was captivated. As the heir to a powerful family, I'm used to getting anything I want. And I want her. I want to know her secrets.
Vanessa has built high walls around herself, but I am not a quitter. As I slowly peel back the layers, I'm discovering a past filled with pain. I can see the fire of vengeance burning in her eyes, a fire so strong it could destroy her.
My family wants me to secure our legacy with a sensible, strategic marriage. But all I can think about is the woman who wears her revenge like a custom-made gown. I know I should walk away. But something in me can't stand the thought of her facing the darkness alone.
The real question is, when she finally plays her last card, will I be the one to save her? Or will I just become another victim caught in the crossfire?
9.0
For years, I exhausted myself trying to be the perfect, obedient heiress of the ultra-wealthy Carlisle family.
But my reward wasn't their love. Instead, I was abruptly branded a fake, thrown out of the estate, and sent to a brutal black-site prison to take the fall for someone else's crimes.
My cold CEO brother, Julian, didn't lift a finger to save me. My carefully selected boyfriend, Connor, sold me out without a second thought.
In that maximum-security cell, I was stripped of my dignity. I ate moldy, insect-infested bread, and my soft hands were covered in thick, ugly scars from fighting off murderers.
I watched inmates get beaten half to death over a single cracker, while my so-called family continued their pristine, luxurious lives on the outside.
"She's just a parasite, let her rot."
I died in that dark cell, completely abandoned. The sheer exhaustion of trying to please them, of trying to be flawless, washed over my final moments like a physical sickness.
I didn't understand why my absolute loyalty was repaid with such ruthless cruelty.
Then, water rushed out of my lungs in a violent, burning surge.
I opened my eyes to the pristine blue pool of the Carlisle estate, my body completely unscarred. I had reverted to being fifteen again.
This time, I was done playing the perfect daughter. If my fate was a prison cell, I was going to spend my remaining freedom tearing their perfect world apart.