As they drew closer to Budapest, the operatives preemptively drank ginger soup to ward off the cold.
Ginger, a plant introduced to Europa by merchant caravans in early years, was an indispensable ingredient among the various cold-resistance potions in the magical field. This ginger soup, personally supervised by Master Röntgen and brewed with several other medicinal herbs, had a much better cold-warding effect than ordinary ginger soup, at least enough to allow the operatives to withstand the icy river water of this season.
After completing their thermal preparations, the group began silently donning the bulky diving suits.
Although with the buff of the 【Water Breathing】 spell they didn’t need heavy helmets and breathing hoses, the rubber material of the diving suits and the heavy lead boots on their feet still made their movements considerably sluggish.
“Check your diving suits and waterproof leather bags carefully. This is not a joke. I don’t want to hear anyone say they lost their weapons after coming ashore!” Morin paced back and forth, reminding everyone loudly.
Time ticked by.
At 7:40 PM, the cargo ship gradually slowed down.
Through the narrow portholes of the cabin, the lights on the outskirts of Budapest could vaguely be seen.
After confirming their position on the system map, Morin issued the order.
“Prepare to enter the water!”
Master Röntgen also stood up from the corner and began buffing the operatives preparing to dive.
First was 【Water Breathing】.
This was a buff-type skill with a duration of up to 24 hours.
Until the spell ended, it allowed up to ten willing creatures visible to the caster within range to breathe underwater. As soft white lights merged into the soldiers’ bodies, they immediately felt a wondrous change.
Their lungs no longer seemed to crave air, replaced by an affinity for water, as if they were born aquatic creatures.
Next was 【Darkvision】. Since this spell could only affect one target, and Master Röntgen couldn’t possibly prepare all his spell slots with this spell, he cast it by tearing open spell scrolls one by one.
The moment the spell took effect, the world in the soldiers’ eyes instantly lost its color, turning into black, white, and gray images.
But simultaneously, darkness could no longer obstruct their vision. Within 60 feet, even in the deepest shadows, they could see every detail clearly.
“How does it feel?” Morin patted the shoulder of a young soldier beside him.
“Reporting, Commander! It feels… very wondrous!” The soldier grinned, revealing white teeth. “It’s just that seeing everything in one color is a bit awkward.”
“Awkward is right. It means the spell is working.”
Morin was the last to put on his diving suit. After tearing open a spell scroll to buff himself, he walked to an opening by the ship’s rail and looked down.
“Enter the water in order, keep quiet, do not make unnecessary noise!”
The soldiers put on leather diving caps one by one, trying to keep their hair as dry as possible, then, like clumsy penguins, slid down into the icy river water in a line through the opening.
The biting chill of the river instantly surrounded them through the diving suits, making everyone shiver.
Many instinctively held their breath until they couldn’t hold it anymore and thought they were going to choke on water, only to realize they could draw oxygen directly from the water.
Morin was the last to enter the water.
When he completely submerged, the entire world instantly went quiet, leaving only the sound of his heavy breathing.
He opened his eyes. The effect of 【Darkvision】 allowed him to clearly see the scene on the riverbed.
The originally murky river water became as transparent as air in his eyes. The swaying of aquatic plants, swimming schools of fish, and the mud kicked up at the bottom of the riverbed were all clearly visible.
Just then, a gentle yet powerful undercurrent enveloped everyone underwater.
It was Master Röntgen’s 【Control Water】.
Everyone immediately felt their bodies lighten, as if completely weightless.
Without even needing to paddle their arms or legs, they were buoyed by this invisible force, silently following the cargo ship overhead, moving rapidly towards Budapest.
Like a pack of water ghosts lurking in the darkness, quietly closing in on their prey.
The 【Control Water】 spell required the caster to maintain high concentration, and the duration of each casting was only ten minutes. To ensure nothing went wrong, Master Röntgen not only prepared all his 4th and 5th-tier spell slots with 【Control Water】, but also requisitioned a box of backup 【Control Water】 spell scrolls from the homeland.
This allowed him to continuously guide everyone underwater.
For the underwater operatives, time seemed to stretch.
The oppressive darkness, the icy river water, and the monotonous sound of breathing constantly tested the soldiers’ psychological fortitude.
Fortunately, when selecting personnel, Morin specifically emphasized that psychological fortitude must be exceptional, so at least until now, no one showed signs of panic.
After advancing an unknown distance, Morin noticed the undercurrent enveloping them began to decelerate. The cargo ship overhead also slowly stopped, its propellers ceasing their rotation.
Soon, the effect of the undercurrent disappeared entirely. Everyone immediately felt their bodies grow heavy, the heavy lead boots planting them firmly on the riverbed.
Morin looked up and saw two small boats pulling alongside the cargo ship, one on the left and one on the right.
Above the water, people were constantly jumping from the small boats onto the cargo ship. It was obvious the Hungarian water inspection had begun.
Morin was somewhat nervous, more or less. After all, this part was entirely the responsibility of Conrad’s people, and no one knew if they had prepared adequately.
Fortunately, for this operation, the Royal Austrian Intelligence Bureau had spared no expense.
All the documents for this cargo ship, the origin of the transported goods, the destination—everything was forged flawlessly.
On the deck, an intelligence operative disguised as the captain approached with a face full of smiles, expertly handing over a stack of documents and a thick envelope. As for Master Röntgen, he had used an 【Invisibility】 scroll on himself long before the boarding party approached. Right now, he was standing in the shadows of the cabin like a transparent person, observing everything coldly.
The soldiers of the Kingdom of Hungary were clearly just going through the motions. The massive increase in shipping volume on the Danube recently had also increased their workload.
So they just hastily flipped through the documents, took a lap around the deck and a few main cabins, and found nothing abnormal. Plus, the thick envelope worked its magic, and a satisfied smile appeared on the face of the leading officer.
He patted the captain’s shoulder, said a few words, and led his men back to the small boats.
Alarm lifted.
A few minutes later, the cargo ship’s propellers started turning again, kicking up a murky current.
Underwater, Morin and his team were once again buoyed by a new undercurrent, continuing their stealthy approach toward the heart of Budapest. At 8:25 PM, five minutes later than the original plan, Cargo Ship 1 finally arrived at the designated operational waters.
The Reconnaissance Group led by Ludwig, having detached from the main force early under Master Röntgen’s control, was sent toward the west bank of the Danube by a branch undercurrent.
Morin, leading the remaining Assault Group and Target Control Group, was slowly pushed toward the east bank by the undercurrent.
This location was near a famous bridge on the Danube, with stone steps and platforms on both banks for tourists to descend to the water’s edge. This provided immense convenience for their landing.
The two groups surfaced almost simultaneously in the shadows under the bridge.
Cooperating with each other, they quickly stripped off their dripping wet diving suits, then pulled out the dry Austro-Hungarian uniforms prepared in advance from their waterproof leather bags and changed into them.
Morin stood by the riverbank, looking at Ludwig in the shadows on the opposite bank, and activated the “portable magitech communication equipment”.
“‘Dagger’ in position, everything normal, continuing operation…”
“Copy, ‘Hawkeye’ in position, everything normal, proceeding to target building.”
After point men confirmed there was no one around, the two groups, like phantoms blending into the night, silently moved up the stone steps and quickly disappeared into the streets and alleys along the banks.
The nights in Budapest were far less noisy than before the war broke out.
The shadow of war hung over this ancient city. Pedestrians on the streets were sparse, and most shops had closed early.
Dim yellow streetlamps cast long shadows on the flagstone roads along the Danube, adding a touch of desolation.
This silence, naturally, was excellent for Morin’s operation, at least saving them from worrying too much about being witnessed by inexplicably “spawning” civilians.
The Reconnaissance Group led by Ludwig hugged the shadows at the base of the walls, swiftly passing through several alleys, and quickly found the building mentioned in the intelligence to serve as a safe house.
It was an ordinary-looking residential building, three stories high on the street-facing side.
Ludwig made a hand gesture. A soldier immediately stepped forward and, using specialized tools, silently picked the lock on the back door. The five men, drawing crossbows and daggers, filed in, clearing the building floor by floor according to standard indoor tactical formations, quickly confirming the entire building was secure.
Heading straight for the attic on the top floor, Ludwig found that, just as the intelligence stated, the window of this attic directly faced the Danube, offering an excellent field of view. From here, one could not only clearly see a large area on the opposite bank but also have a panoramic view of the main road leading to the Tisza Palace.
Two soldiers were responsible for guarding the stairwell and the back door, while the other two best marksmen quickly set up two modified Mannlicher rifles by the window, simultaneously keeping Morin’s instructions in mind not to stick the muzzles out the window.
The dark muzzles, fitted with makeshift suppressors that were visibly a size larger, pointed at the distant street.
Through the optical sights, the distant scenery on the opposite bank was brought closer and became incredibly clear.
Ludwig himself raised military binoculars, carefully observing the situation on the opposite bank.
After confirming everything was ready, he picked up the handset of the “portable magitech communication equipment” again.
Following a slight fluctuation of mana, Ludwig’s steady voice sounded in Morin’s ear.
“‘Hawkeye’ is in position. Currently observing no anomalies on the designated route. You may proceed.”
“‘Dagger’ copies,” Morin’s voice was equally calm. “Please maintain vigilance and observation. The team will commence the operation in fifteen minutes.”
Ending the call, Morin glanced at his watch worn on the inside of his wrist.
It was 8:45 PM.
According to intelligence provided by the Royal Austrian Intelligence Bureau, Hungarian Prime Minister Count István Tisza had no social engagements scheduled for tonight.
According to his usual routine, this Count—known for his rigor and self-discipline, who had not remarried after being widowed early—typically returned to his bedroom to rest around 9:00 PM.
Well, his routine could be considered very healthy… and Morin wished for nothing more than for the other party to sleep as early as possible.
Meanwhile, with Ludwig’s Reconnaissance Group in position, the system map in Morin’s vision also began updating in real-time.
On the map, a unit card representing “Hawkeye,” bearing an icon of “binoculars + crosshair scope,” stopped at the attic’s location. On the streets within their field of view, red unit cards representing patrolling soldiers also appeared.
This information provided the most direct reference for Morin’s infiltration route planning.
The fifteen-minute wait felt extremely long in this environment.
The soldiers of the Assault Group and Target Control Group lay quietly in ambush in a dark alley.
They made small movements with their limbs, adjusted their breathing, checked the crossbows in their hands, and ensured their daggers were within easy reach. They were all more or less somewhat excited, because they were currently in the capital of an “unfriendly nation,” and their next step was to kidnap the Prime Minister.
“Perhaps this is what it feels like on the helicopter before an air assault by the 101st Airborne…”
The thought flashed uncontrollably through Morin’s mind. When the planned 15-minute wait ended, he immediately signaled Ludwig via the communicator.
“Hawkeye, watch our cover. Dagger commencing operation.”
“Hawkeye copies.”
Morin took a deep breath and made a hand gesture.
“Move out!”
He himself, holding a loaded crossbow, walked at the very front of the formation.
The soldiers behind him, also holding crossbows, hugged the shadows of the walls in a standard combat formation, moving forward silently like flowing water.
The two Austrian intelligence operatives were clearly participating in this kind of “intense” operation for the first time.
But the intensive training these past few days, combined with their inherent military literacy, prevented them from holding the team back.
At least they could stick closely to the middle of the formation and try hard not to make any unnecessary noise.
The team moved very fast.
Morin’s brain was operating at high speed. While planning the safest route based on enemy positions shown on the system map, he also had to constantly remain alert to any slight movement in the surrounding environment.
Approaching the final block on the perimeter of the Tisza Palace, they stopped.
Not far ahead were the high walls and main gates of the Tisza Palace.
At the main gates, many heavily armed soldiers from the Budapest garrison were standing guard under strict security.
Judging from the unit cards on the system map, there was roughly a platoon’s worth of troops.
Under normal circumstances, Morin could actually take out this platoon of enemies by himself…
But that would make too much noise. This was a covert operation, and all unnecessary combat should be avoided.
For this operation, the goal Morin wanted to achieve wasn’t just simply completing the mission.
He hoped to use sufficient preliminary preparation and on-the-spot adaptability to avoid all unplanned conflicts as much as possible.
Just as a legendary figure once said: “When you are prepared, death will not find you.”
So he didn’t plan to force his way through the front gates, but rather to follow the planned route and enter through the back door of the Tisza Palace.
“We go around to the back door.”
The team moved again, tiptoeing like a pack of nocturnal cats around to the side and rear of the Tisza Palace.
Compared to the heavily guarded front gates, the back door in the wall, which was kept closed year-round, was much more loosely defended.
There was only one squad, ten soldiers, lazily guarding here.
Some were smoking, some were chatting in low voices, looking quite relaxed.
This completely aligned with the intelligence provided by the Royal Austrian Intelligence Bureau: compared to Budapest’s outer perimeter, the defensive strength in the city’s core area was relatively looser.
Morin quickly observed the surroundings. After confirming there were no other unrelated civilians or patrolling soldiers, he swiftly formulated a plan.
“I’ll handle the five on the left. The remaining five are yours.”
Morin issued orders to the soldiers behind him using a breathy voice: “Two-man teams taking one target. Synchronized firing. You must ensure a one-hit kill with the crossbows; do not give them any chance to sound an alarm.”
“Yes!”
The soldiers quickly fanned out, finding suitable firing positions. The dark crossbow bolts aimed at their respective targets in the night. Morin unhesitatingly activated 【Greater Invisibility】.
In an extreme situation, he could guarantee taking out these ten guards within the duration of 【Greater Invisibility】.
But there were ten people after all, and the distance was neither short nor long. From taking out the first to moving on to the tenth, it would consume some time. If someone fired a warning shot during this process, it wouldn’t be good.
So Morin chose the safest method.
At this moment, utilizing the blind spots under the lights, the soldiers of the Assault and Target Control Groups had closed in to a distance of only about 20 meters from these guards. At this range, Morin believed they wouldn’t miss.
After the spell was activated, Morin’s figure blurred in the air, then completely disappeared.
Soon, the five chatting soldiers on the left side of the back door suddenly seemed to be simultaneously struck in the back of the head by invisible heavy hammers.
This time, Morin struck to kill. These soldiers didn’t even have time to grunt before they slumped to the ground one after another. This sudden noise startled the five soldiers on the right.
They abruptly turned their heads, looks of astonishment on their faces.
“What’s go…”
“Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!”
Before they could finish their sentence, a dense barrage of bowstrings twanged in the darkness.
At a distance of less than 20 meters, the precision and power of the crossbows were fully utilized. Ten deadly bolts accurately tore through the air, instantly hitting their respective targets.
One shot to the chest, one to the head; even an immortal would shake his head in despair.
The five soldiers couldn’t even see where the enemy came from before they fell heavily to the ground, faces full of confusion and fear.
In less than a few seconds, all ten guards were silently eliminated.
The soldiers of the Assault and Target Control Groups immediately rushed out from the shadows. Moving swiftly, they dragged the corpses on the ground into the nearby flower beds and bushes, covering them simply.
Morin, now visible again, took a running start, pushed slightly off the wall with both hands, and vaulted over gracefully as if ignoring gravity.
With a soft “click,” the lock on the back door was opened from the inside.
Leaving three men in the shadows outside the back door as backup, the rest quickly flooded in, then swiftly closed the back door.
From the outside, it was still dead silent. Aside from the mysterious disappearance of the ten guards, it seemed no different from a few minutes ago.
“This is ‘Dagger,’ entered VIP zone, approaching target.”
“‘Hawkeye’ copies, everything normal at present, over!”
After successfully infiltrating the inner courtyard of the Tisza Palace, the men of the Assault and Target Control Groups felt like they had come home.
They finally understood why Morin tirelessly made them rehearse the entry procedure with the mock-up over and over. Because although the Tisza Palace before them differed in exterior appearance, they could still find the side door leading into the building with their eyes closed; all the procedures were so familiar.
Led by Morin, the group immediately began acting according to the route drilled countless times in the mock-up.
Thick red carpets lined the internal corridors of the Tisza Palace, absorbing all their footsteps.
Oil paintings hung on the walls, the eyes of the figures within seemingly silently watching these uninvited guests in the dim light. “Careful, servant patrolling ahead.”
Morin’s ears twitched; he heard light footsteps coming from the corner ahead.
He immediately made a hand signal. Everyone instantly pressed against the wall, melting into the shadows cast by the cabinets on one side of the corridor.
A maid carrying a tray, humming a little tune, walked out from the corner.
She didn’t realize at all that less than ten meters away in the shadows lurked a group of deadly killers.
Before long, the maid walked straight past, her footsteps gradually fading away.
After confirming safety, Morin led the team forward again.
Thanks to their strict simulation training these past few days, which made them completely memorize the internal structure of the building, and even more thanks to Morin’s inhuman, “cheat-like” perceptive abilities…
The group moved like a pack of ghosts traversing the darkness, precisely evading wave after wave of patrolling guards and servants, until they reached their destination—the corridor where Count Tisza’s bedroom was located.
At the door of the Count’s bedroom stood two personal bodyguards.
These two were clearly much more vigilant than the soldiers outside. Their hands rested on the sabers and pistols at their waists, their sharp eyes scanning every corner of the corridor.
Unfortunately, they weren’t facing ordinary enemies.
After casting 【Detect Life】 to confirm only these two soldiers ahead and one life sign inside the room, Morin didn’t approach. Instead, while keeping his body hidden to the maximum extent, he cast 【Sleep】 towards the position of the two bodyguards.
The full 90-foot casting range of 【Sleep】 also proved its worth at this moment.
Snoring soon came from the end of the corridor. The two tower-like bodyguards fell asleep while remaining in a standing posture. Morin glanced at the two soldiers behind him and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Getting the signal, the two soldiers immediately crouched and moved forward, drawing their daggers.
The two sleeping bodyguards completely failed to notice someone sneaking up behind them.
And when they were awakened by the ensuing attack, their necks were already almost severed by the daggers.
Before their blurring vision plunged into darkness, they only saw a group of armed personnel suddenly appear ahead, the two leaders plunging daggers into their bodies from the front.
In front of the bedroom door, the final obstacle was cleared.
And Morin, after quickly checking the door for traps or alarms, directly had someone pry open the door with tools. The entire assault squad flooded in like flowing water!
On the large bed in the bedroom, a man wearing silk pajamas was sleeping soundly.
He didn’t even have time to be startled awake before a burly instruction unit soldier pinned him firmly to the bed, while the other hand stuffed a pre-prepared towel into his mouth.
“Mmph! Mmm-mm!”
The middle-aged man with a balding head struggled violently. Having just fallen asleep and been rudely awakened, his eyes were full of terror and anger. The two Austrian intelligence operatives, who had been following at the back of the formation, finally came in handy.
They stepped forward quickly, turned on the box flashlights provided by the instruction unit, and carefully identified the face of the man on the bed.
A few seconds later, one of them excitedly turned his head and nodded vigorously at Morin.
“It’s him! No mistake! He is Count István Tisza!”
Target confirmed!
Morin exercised immense self-control to keep from pumping his fist in excitement.
With the target’s identity confirmed, the operation immediately entered its next phase.
Two soldiers from the Target Control Group stepped forward, unceremoniously pulled a black hood over the still fiercely struggling Count Tisza’s head, and cuffed his hands behind his back with cold steel.
Deprived of vision and gagged, Count Tisza’s struggles became even more futile.
Like a lamb to the slaughter, he was roughly hauled up from the bed by the two soldiers.
The entire process was smooth as flowing water, completed entirely in under half a minute.
A dignified Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary, thoroughly subdued in his own bedroom by a group of unidentified armed personnel. This story tells us: middle-aged single men sleeping alone at night are not entirely without risk… “Withdraw!”
Morin immediately issued the order to retreat, simultaneously activating the “portable magitech communication equipment” again.
“‘Hawkeye’, be advised, package is secured, I repeat… package is secured!”
“…Really succeeded… I mean, ‘Hawkeye’ copies! Planned route currently normal, you may extract!” When Morin and the team initially formulated the plan, the extraction was actually far more difficult than the infiltration.
Because they needed to bring along a highly uncooperative “burden.”
The two strongest soldiers in the Target Control Group supported Count Tisza on the left and right, walking right in the middle of the formation.
And at this moment, the two finally understood why one of the training subjects was a mysterious event where two people had to sprint fully armed carrying a sandbag roughly the weight of a person…
So this is what it was for!
“Pick up the pace, but keep quiet!” Morin led the way at the front of the formation, feeling even more tense now than when they first infiltrated. Because they had to leave before the guards at the Tisza Palace changed shifts.
Otherwise, once the disappearance of the guards at the bedroom door and the back door was discovered, all of Budapest would likely go into full lockdown.
Fortunately, the relatively backward information transmission technology of this world was demonstrated even more vividly in these two kingdoms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire… So the window left for Morin and his team was relatively generous.
Even more fortunately, under Ludwig’s observation, the streets on their way back remained deserted.
Morin and the team quickly left with the target through the back door. After rendezvousing with the three backup soldiers outside, the group began a fast jog back towards the Danube along the route they came.
Meanwhile, in the attic across the river, Ludwig kept a close eye on their every move through his binoculars.
When he saw Morin’s group successfully emerge from the direction of the Tisza Palace carrying a tied-up figure, his hanging heart finally dropped halfway.
“‘Hawkeye’ calling ‘Dagger’, just received news, Ship 2 is in position and moving upstream, expected to arrive at designated rendezvous point in ten minutes!”
“Ten minutes…” Morin glanced at the riverbank drawing nearer behind him. “That’s enough!”
A distance of over 700 meters was clearly nothing for these physically superior instruction unit soldiers.
Soon, the Assault Group and Target Control Group returned to the banks of the Danube, slipping into the shadows under the bridge.
The silhouette of a cargo ship appeared on the river in the distance; it was Ship 2, coming to receive them.
Across the river, Morin also saw Ludwig leading the Reconnaissance Group retreat under the bridge as well.
“Into the water!”
At Morin’s command, everyone slid into the icy river water, still wearing their military uniforms.
And Count Tisza, upon entering the water, began struggling violently, like a fish being fried at home during New Year’s.
If the two soldiers controlling him weren’t so strong, they might really not have been able to hold him down.
Morin simply held Count Tisza’s head underwater, watched him struggle for ten seconds or so, then immediately tore open a 【Water Breathing】 scroll. A soft blue magical light enveloped Count Tisza.
And the latter, on the verge of drowning, didn’t resist the spell in the slightest…
Soon, everyone submerged. The familiar undercurrent enveloped Morin, Ludwig, and the others, swiftly carrying them towards Cargo Ship 2 in the middle of the river.
The entire extraction process, just as Morin hoped, was silent and didn’t alert anyone.
When the ship completely left Budapest’s monitored waters, everyone on Cargo Ship 2 breathed a sigh of relief. They slowed the ship, lowered a rope ladder, and let everyone underwater climb up one by one.
When Count Tisza was hauled onto the deck of Cargo Ship 2, this iron-fisted Prime Minister who once commanded the wind and rain in Hungarian politics was thoroughly reduced to a wretched prisoner.
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, the black hood over Count Tisza’s head was removed.
The pale-faced Count, over sixty years old, had his hair soaked by river water, plastered messily across his forehead.
His eyes were filled with anger, shock, and a sliver of unconcealable fear.
Count Tisza stared fixedly at Morin and the soldiers wearing Austro-Hungarian uniforms behind him, his lips trembling as if wanting to say something. But because of the cloth gagging his mouth, he could only make indistinct sounds.
Morin ignored him, instead waving his hand to the soldiers beside him.
“Not bad, let’s wrap it up~”