[12:00:00]

Twelve hours left. Del must hurry himself up or he wouldn't be able to rescue whoever he wanted to rescue. Del gave Cassandra a crash course on her G3. She was a capable marksman, but she couldn't reload the G3. They had a briefing first before going into the unknown. To make matters worse, if they couldn't reach the target before afternoon, he/she might die.

"Listen carefully, alright," Cassandra pointed to the area on Del's map.

Elbanian threw the dead bodies of execution into the valley of death. It was also the place where they would most likely find their intended target. However, the road to the valley wasn't that smooth. It was made of huge rocks and gravel as well. In the valley, there should be a river called the Indio River.

Indio River was located close, right next to the execution ground. It was only separated by a thin layer of a forest. The forest was well-known to be the place where elves live, but it was only an unconfirmed myth. The plan was to park the car near the Indio River. Cassandra would hide in the forest as a marksman holding a DMR while Cole, Wolfie, and Del would do a head-on-assault on the execution ground.

Hopefully, they were able to rescue the victim way before the execution started. Still, the road towards the valley was rough enough that it would take them hours just to reach that position. Still, twelve hours should be more than enough.

"Hmm, the route seems safe enough, is there any chance that we will encounter Elbanian soldiers?" Del asked.

"Well… yes, there's the chance of it happening, but what will you do to them? Do you want to kill them or something?" Cassandra asked.

"Is there anything else to do besides killing them if we notice them? We have killed one of their special units, we might as well go all in and kill anyone that obstructed our way," Del said.

"I see," Cassandra nodded.

Cassandra then pointed to one area on the map. The map showed an area located very close to the execution area. What was so special about the area? Del had no idea about it, but Cassandra might be able to tell Del why the area was so special. It was only a formation of tall rocks located next to the river.

"What's so special about this area?" Del asked.

"I think I can set myself up as a marksman from this position, it might provide less concealment for me, but I don't think a regular marksman would be able to hit me from that area," Cassandra said.

True enough, that area, in particular, had a higher elevation than the area surrounding it, the execution zone included. Still, Del doubted that the area was safe enough for Cassandra to stay without any armor. They were going to fight a security detail only equivalent to regular special security on Earth. It would be risky not to pack any protection.

"Are you sure that you can keep yourself safe inside of that area? I meant, even though we would face them upfront, the moment they found you, all hell would be thrown at you," Del churned his face, doubting that this vampire would be able to pull that off.

"C'mon, don't underestimate me that much, I might be not as powerful as you, but I am still strong," Cassandra said. She then showed her G3 to Del, "Besides, you give me this thing, what was it called? A rifle, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Well, do you mind if I give you armor or something? I'm really worried about your safety, especially since you will be married soon enough, to be honest," Del said.

"Sure, what do you have in mind for me?" Cassandra asked.

Del picked up his tablet and he started opening the shop menu. He browsed all body armor of that area and he found one that would be suitable. Del didn't have any interest in giving Cassandra a cheap soviet armor like what Cole was wearing.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Showing Available Body Armor]

[Tech Level: 6] [Total Balance: 359,300$]

[6B3] [800$]

[PASGT] [1600$]

[6B5-15] [2000$]

[Ranger Body Armor] [2200$] [Customizable]

[Fort Defender 2] [4000$] [Customizable]

[Fort Defender 2 Light] [5000$] [Customizable]

[Fort Defender 2 Heavy] [12000$] [Customizable]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Hmm, what should I even buy for you?" Del asked himself.

"I'm happy with anything," Cassandra added.

Del thought about the option that he had. He could buy Cassandra a better version of his armor which was the ranger body armor aka the plate carrier. However, he also knew that Cassandra would be under the heaviest fire if she got spotted. It was a tough decision. He eventually came to the conclusion that he should buy her the heaviest armor.

[Fort Defender 2 Heavy Has Been Purchased] [Remaining Balance: 347,300$]

A wooden create appeared in front of him. Del opened the wooden crate up and it contained the heaviest armor that he had ever seen. The armor was thick, like really thick. Del would describe it as holding his heavy textbook.

"What in the bloody heck is this armor made of?" Del lifted up the armor from the crate. He felt that armor alone was as heavy as his machine gun with its ammunition combined, maybe heavier.

[Permission to answer. Fort Defender 2 armor is an armor created to respond to the need for a more durable and more protective armor for the Russian military. A regular defender 2 armor uses the combination of steel plates and Aramid fiber to achieve better protection than regular 6B5-15 armor. This experimental variant uses a thicker Aramid fiber in combination with thick titanium plates instead of steel plates. This experimental version is designed specifically for the Russian Heavy Gunner and Russian Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team.]

"So… this is a heavy armor, huh?" Del held the armor firmly in his hand.

"What's even that contraption that you're holding, is that the armor for me?" Cassandra asked.

"More or less," Del said.

"That doesn't look like an armor for me, hell, all of the vests that you all are wearing look more like a regular vest than an armor, are you sure that thing could stop the arrow that would be thrown at me or any fragmentations from those rocks?" Cassandra asked.

"Believe me or not, Cassandra, I think you can judge by yourself," Del said.

Del had been shot by arrows more than once. The PASGT vest was somehow effective at stopping arrows at a distance. But well, it was kinda hit-and-miss for the most part. Sometimes it penetrated, oftentimes, it didn't. But for close range, it usually resulted in penetration. However, it was very effective against an explosive spell that threw fragmentations in his direction.

"Alright, alright, how do I wear it?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, first," Del opened the Velcro that secured the vest. He put the vest on Cassandra's body and secured it tightly. "Alright, that should be done."

"Damn, what kind of thick vest is this? This also feels way bulkier than what I previously expected. Still, overall, I think I can trust my life on this vest," Cassandra commented on the olive bulletproof drab vest that she wore.

"Yeah, this vest is surely overengineered," Del commented.

Del put four magazines inside of Cassandra's pants pocket. 120 rounds of 7.62 NATO rounds should be enough to kill anything that moved. Besides, Cassandra was quite skillful as a sniper, maybe it was because of her familiarity with a crossbow.

"Anything else that you have in mind besides of this bulky vest?" Cassandra asked.

"Well…" Del opened his tablet again and browsed for a ballistic helmet.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Showing Available Ballistic Helmet]

[Tech Level: 6] [Total Balance: 347,300$]

[SSH-68] [500$]

[6B7] [800$]

[PASGT] [1000$]

[MASKA] [1300$] [Visor Included]

[Altyn] [1600$] [Visor Included]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Del purchased a Altyn helmet for her. Not because PASGT helmet was more than enough, but more because it would be a good match with the bulky Defender 2 armor that she wore. Another crate appeared and Del opened it.

"This is a helmet, pure and simple," Del gave Cassandra the helmet.

"I think this is the only piece of equipment that makes sense to me, I'm not going to lie about it," Cassandra said as she wore the helmet.

"Well, this is just a titanium helmet," Del said.

"Titanium? What is titanium?" Cassandra asked.

"Some sort of heavy metal," Del said.

"I see," Cassandra said.

"Anyway, that should be enough for the briefing, we shall go now," Del said.

All of them entered the car and Del started driving away from the campsite. He couldn't wait to meet whoever he would rescue. Hopefully, the person that they rescued could be extracted for some information about the current conflict. He really wondered whether he/she would be cooperative or not.