Ryan huffed, running a hand over his sweaty face. "This fucking Russian layout is a mess. The whole complex is connected in a confusing way—take the wrong exit, and you might end up on the other side of the base without even realizing it."
Lee crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah, and not having the schematics for this place is a pain in the ass. I feel blind in here."
Richard grumbled, leaning against the wall as he checked the magazine of his rifle. "I'll say it again—Russians don't know how to organize shit. How the hell do they even win wars like this?"
I walked to one of the grimy, dust-covered windows, wiping a small section with my hand to get a better view outside.
The heavy gray sky stretched over the horizon, and below us, part of the Russian base was visible.
The hangar was in the distance—exactly where I expected it to be.
I closed my eyes for a moment, pulling up the base's layout from memory.
"If my memory serves me right, we're near the hangar," I began, drawing everyone's attention. "If I'm correct, this building has five floors, and we're on the top one."
Richard frowned, confused. "The fuck? We were on the ground floor! How the hell did we end up on the fifth?"
I let out a short chuckle and shook my head.
"The hallway we came through... It's sloped. But since it's long, it gives the illusion we're still on the ground level. In reality, we've been ascending without noticing."
I paused and looked at the others.
"And none of you bothered to check the windows? It was obvious we weren't on the ground floor anymore."
I huffed and shook my head, letting out a short laugh. "When we get back, training's going to be a lot more intense."
A brief silence settled in as they processed the information.
"So now we have to go all the way down?" Ryan asked, crossing his arms, clearly irritated.
"Exactly." I gestured toward the rest of the building.
"We'll have to move down floor by floor. Once we get outside, the hangar will be a straight shot from here. The problem? Between us and our destination, we've got four floors likely crawling with Russians and zombies."
Lee let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "And after that, an open field, about one or two kilometers… Which means we'll be easy targets for Russians."
Richard let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, great. Sounds simple. No problem at all."
Joel, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice sharp and commanding. "Complaining won't change shit. We need a plan."
"We have to avoid unnecessary fights," Lee suggested.
I nodded. "Exactly. Stealth whenever possible. But if it's inevitable—quick and silent eliminations."
Mark, as always, said nothing—just checked his knife's edge and adjusted the rifle on his shoulder.
"Let's move..."