Lu Jin, once the special forces' top sniper, was forced to retire in disgrace after being framed for "accidentally killing civilians" five years ago. He formed the Emberfire mercenary squad and now makes his living amid blades and bullets.
A rescue mission offering a staggering fee draws the squad into the turmoil of a war-torn African nation. Their target is an "ethnic Chinese engineer" held under heavy guard, but the mission is riddled with red flags: the client's identity is a mystery, the camp is far more heavily guarded than usual, and an elite mercenary squad is hunting them relentlessly.
After breaking through the encirclement and rescuing their target, the first twist hits like a thunderclap: the "engineer" is actually an internationally wanted bioweapons expert, and the virus sample he carries holds the key to the truth behind the "accidental killing" years ago. The shadow of Lu Jin's former superior, Rake, emerges. He was not only the one who framed Lu Jin, but is also planning to sell the virus to a terrorist organization and wreak havoc at a global financial summit.
The squad is beset by internal crises: their medic, Nightingale, is an undercover Interpol agent; their demolition expert, Tie Niu, has family being held as leverage; and their hacker, Ghost Shadow, is hiding a secret. Amid a struggle between betrayal and redemption, the second and third twists follow one after another: an undercover agent pretending to defect, an antidote hidden inside a child, and a secret in the protagonist's own genes. Layer upon layer of mystery pushes the squad to the brink.
From the African rainforest to the streets of New York, from an abandoned laboratory to the financial summit itself, Lu Jin leads the squad in pursuit of the truth through a hail of bullets, holding fast to justice as the virus countdown ticks away. They are mercenaries who live by the gun, yet also lone heroes protecting the safety of the world.
When the abyss turns its gaze upon them, only the bond of comrades who are as close as spouses, and their willingness to face life and death...
Good book, fascinating plot, I always want to solve the mystery