169: Chapter 169 The Flames of Revenge

After Hunk and his armored vehicle disappeared at the end of the dark tunnel, the entire Hamas underground headquarters fell into an eerie, dead silence.

This silence lasted for a full minute.

Until Leader Abu Hassan shuddered violently, as if waking from a bizarre dream. He bent down and, with trembling hands, tore off the tape from the mouth of the U Federation senior consultant on the ground.

"Mmph... cough cough! You group of terror... ugh!"

The consultant was about to start cursing when Hassan grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Just now, that man said he leveled the IDF airbase?" Hassan's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was as raspy as sandpaper rubbing together. "Tell me, is it true!"

The consultant's face turned purple from being strangled. He looked in terror at the man before him, who seemed like a mad demon, and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Devils... they are devils..."

This answer was enough.

Hassan threw him violently to the ground and let out a sky-shaking, wild laugh.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

His laughter echoed throughout the underground space, filled with long-suppressed pain and a sudden release of madness. All the Hamas high-ranking officials, including Ethan, seemed infected by this laughter, their stiff expressions instantly turning into ecstasy.

"A miracle! This truly is a miracle!"

"The airbase is gone! The IDF's eyes are blinded! Its wings are broken!"

"Allahu Akbar! Allah has sent his Angel of Destruction!"

In stark contrast to the revelry in the Gaza underground bunkers, Israel's capital, Tel Aviv, outside the Ministry of Defense building, was currently surrounded by a sea of anger.

Thousands of Israeli citizens waved banners with "Prime Minister Netanyahu Step Down!", "Accountability for the Dead Soldiers!", and "We Want the Truth!" written in blood-red paint.

A brigade-level headquarters was wiped off the map, and an airbase along with over three thousand Soldiers and dozens of expensive fighter jets were turned to ash. This catastrophic defeat, which could be called a national tragedy, could no longer be covered up with lies like "routine fire coverage."

The flames of anger had already spread from the internet to reality.

Inside the Prime Minister's office on the top floor of the Ministry of Defense building, Prime Minister Netanyahu looked with a grim face at the angry faces outside the window and listened to the deafening slogans. He knew his political career had reached the edge of a precipice.

*Bang!*

The conference room door was roughly pushed open, and Chief of General Staff Avi Levan walked in with a face full of fury, followed by a group of terrified high-ranking military officials.

"Mr. Prime Minister! What are we still waiting for?!" Dayan slammed his palm on the table and roared, "The front line is a mess! Those Hamas rats, holding sophisticated weapons we've never seen before, are launching a frantic counterattack! We've lost at least twenty outposts in three hours!"

"How do we counterattack?!" An air force general spread his hands in despair. "Our aerial superiority is gone! The radar stations have been taken out! We are blind now! We can only take hits passively!"

"That 'Ghost'! We don't even know who the enemy is!" another intelligence chief's voice carried a hint of crying. "It can bypass all the defense systems we pride ourselves on! It comes and goes without a trace! How do we fight? Fire at the air?!"

In the entire conference room, the sounds of arguing, roaring, and fearful gasps mixed together.

They were no longer the high-and-mighty hegemon of the Middle East, but a group of trapped beasts cornered by an unknown fear.

Prime Minister Netanyahu ignored their bickering; he simply closed his eyes wearily. President Tanglangpu's roar, mixed with shock and anger, still echoed in his ears.

That wasn't acting.

The U Federation truly didn't know.

This realization was even more terrifying than being betrayed by the U Federation itself.

...

Meanwhile, Gaza, Hamas underground headquarters.

After the celebration, Leader Abu Hassan and Ethan were leading a group of core commanders, standing before the newly formed "Iron Legion."

Two merkava main battle tanks captured from the SDF, six namer heavy armored personnel carriers, and over a dozen Humvee military vehicles were quietly parked in the expanded underground cavern. Their cold steel armor gleamed darkly under the dim lights.

The Soldiers stroked these steel behemoths, which had once brought them endless nightmares, almost piously with their palms. A young Soldier even knelt on the ground, kissing the cold tracks of a merkava, tears streaming down his face.

All of this seemed like a gift bestowed by the divine.

And Ethan and Hassan, who had given them this gift, now had their prestige in everyone's hearts reach its peak. They were no longer just leaders but were fanatically regarded by the Soldiers as "prophets chosen by Allah."

"Leader!" Ethan's eyes burned with the flames of revenge. He pointed at the crude map of Gaza on the wall, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "'Reaper' has cleared the biggest obstacle for us! The IDF's air power won't be able to form an effective strike for at least twenty-four hours! This is our best opportunity!"

Hassan's gaze fell on the map. His finger slowly traced across it, finally pressing down hard on a single point.

"Here."

Everyone's eyes converged on that spot.

It was a settlement thirty kilometers away, labeled on the map as "New Hope."

"'New Hope'?" A commander frowned. "That's just a large settlement. Although it has security forces, it's not a military fortress. Now that we are strong and well-equipped, we should go and tackle those hard nuts!"

"No." Hassan shook his head, his voice carrying a deep-seated hatred. "Do you know what 'New Hope' was called thirty years ago?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Hassan looked up, his gaze sweeping across everyone present, and said word by word, "It was called 'Al-Aqsa Village.' My grandfather, Ethan's father, and the relatives of many of you were born on that land. Thirty years ago, the Israelis drove bulldozers to level our village and built their so-called 'New Hope' on the ruins!"

*Boom!*

These words were like a heavy hammer, slamming hard into everyone's hearts.

The flames of revenge were instantly ignited in everyone's eyes!

Reclaim their homeland!

Wash away the shame of this land with the blood of the invaders!

"But... Leader," an older commander spoke up hesitantly, his voice sounding somewhat out of place in the fanatical atmosphere. "Attacking a civilian settlement will... will draw condemnation from the international community. They will call us terrorists who massacre civilians..."

"Civilians?"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Ethan's fanatical and sharp voice!

Ethan stepped forward abruptly. He looked around at everyone, his eyes crazed and determined, his voice echoing throughout the headquarters.

"Israel has universal conscription! Every man, woman, and even child living on our land is a Soldier occupying our home! They enjoy the resources stripped from us, live in houses built on our demolished ones—they are the enemy!"

He took a step forward, almost pointing at the older commander's nose as he roared:

"Where was the international community when their planes bombed us and slaughtered our wives and children? When they besieged us in this open-air prison, leaving us to linger on like rats, what use were those so-called condemnations?"

"Now, we have strength! We have weapons of revenge! We are killing the Soldiers who occupied our homes; what right do they have to condemn us?!"

These words, like boiling oil poured onto a fire, completely ignited the bloodlust and hatred suppressed in everyone's hearts for decades.

"Ethan is right! There are no civilians, only enemies!"

"Kill them all! Reclaim Al-Aqsa Village!"

"Blood for blood! A tooth for a tooth!"

Looking at this well-equipped unit whose morale had burned to its peak, and seeing the undisguised killing intent in everyone's eyes, Hassan knew that nothing could stop them now.

That man named "Reaper" had not only given them weapons but had also released the most primal demons in their hearts.

Hassan slowly raised his hand, suppressing all the roaring.

He walked to the map and, with a red pen, drew a large 'X' over the "New Hope" settlement.

"Depart."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.

"Let the Israelis also taste the flavor of their homes being destroyed and their loved ones being killed."

*Rumble—*

Deep within the underground base, the engines of the two merkava main battle tanks let out a low roar. Six namer armored vehicles followed closely behind, carrying hundreds of Hamas warriors armed with brand-new M4A1 rifles, their eyes burning with the flames of revenge. Under the cover of night, like a steel torrent crawling out of hell, they ground toward the "New Hope" settlement thirty kilometers away.