Chapter 131: Rules of CQB

Late into the night, Xander lay awake in the dark, cradling a fast-asleep Bunny in his arms.

His chest was covered in messy, crimson bite marks left behind by the woman—chaotic, raw, and thoroughly erotic.

A Guide in her heat cycle was truly no different from a wild beast. Alpha hadn’t lied about that.

When Bunny had thrown her arms around him, nuzzling and biting him incessantly, a crazy urge to pin her down and ravish her had flooded Xander’s mind hundreds of times over.

Yet cold reason ultimately reined in his primal male instincts. Because Bunny was strictly using him as a living heating pad right now.

Well... going from boyfriend to husband wouldn’t take very long anyway.

They had done practically everything together; all that remained was that final, most intimate step.

***

Today, Bunny’s military theory curriculum focused on CQB (Close Quarters Battle) tactics.

There was no way around it—she had far too much to learn. For a total beginner starting military conditioning from absolute scratch, she could only tackle the grind step by arduous step.

Sentinels seemed to carry combat instincts hardwired directly into their DNA; tasks they executed effortlessly required twice or even three times the effort from Bunny to master.

Her instructor for the day was Tyr. He seemed to have little patience for dry, monotonous theoretical lectures, finding them hollow and abstract. Tyr preferred learning through direct execution, firmly believing that battle experience was the only true way to pinpoint weaknesses—both in oneself and in the enemy.

"Good morning, Miss Guide."

Tyr greeted her with quiet courtesy. The moment the words left his mouth, he offered no further pleasantries, leading Bunny directly into the virtual combat simulation pod.

He was a man of exceptionally few words.

Bunny followed behind him, watching Tyr’s pastel-pink hair tied neatly with a plain elastic band, swaying gently with every step he took.

The bunny hair tie Bunny had gifted him previously was something he couldn’t bring himself to wear daily, keeping it treasured inside his nightstand drawer instead.

She was genuinely curious—Tyr didn’t strike her as the type of Sentinel who cared about vanity or personal adornment, so why did he keep his hair long?

Inside the simulation pod, the white sensor lights flickered on one by one. Only then did Bunny realize that Astin and San were actually inside as well.

"Good morning, little dinosaur!"

San blew her a playful wink. Astin stared at her with a tightly set jaw, remaining utterly silent.

He smelled it—the heavy, unmistakable scent of Xander’s Sentinel pheromones clinging to her body.

A sudden, sharp sting pierced Astin’s chest. He quietly clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"I requested their assistance for today’s session," Tyr offered as a brief explanation, switching the program to automated mode and selecting "Indoor" as the training environment.

As the holographic code initialized, they were transported instantly into a classic urban neighborhood setting—complete with widespread graffiti, city-walking teenagers, and scattered groups of vagrants...

"CQB tactics refer to Close Quarters Battle, including but not limited to high-intensity military engagement within confined spaces like rooms, hallways, and narrow alleys."

"The core principles rely on speed, surprise, and fire superiority—leveraging high team coordination to resolve the engagement before the enemy can react."

Tyr stood facing her. The four of them had equipped full tactical gear and linked directly into the virtual neural network.

"You are already proficient in handling firearms and know how to defend yourself while neutralizing targets on the battlefield."

"However, remember that we operate as a squad. Miss Guide, team trust and coordination matter far more than you might imagine."

Never abandoning a teammate was the absolute primary rule that had kept the Sector 616 squad alive and intact to this day.

Tyr pointed toward one of the three-story apartment complexes. "Today, our enemy is not an Aberration swarm. This is a hostage rescue operation."

"There are two hostages. The core evaluation criterion is team synchronization; you must successfully extract all hostages and eliminate every hostile element."

They split into two elements: Tyr and Bunny as Team Alpha, with Astin and San forming Team Bravo.

Bunny quickly maneuvered into a stealth position near the rear door of the apartment. Tyr issued his first query. "Do you intend to breach the door?"

Bunny paused her movements. "I’ll breach, you cover me."

Tyr immediately shook his head. "All doorway sectors function as fatal funnels. The cardinal rule of CQB: never use a door if you can avoid it. Breaching walls, vaulting windows... virtually any alternative entry point is safer than a doorway."

Bunny nodded thoughtfully, opting to vault through a low window instead.

Once inside hostile territory, Tyr disabled his comms system, relying strictly on hand signals to relay commands to Bunny.

Maintain radio silence—the second cardinal rule of CQB.

Moving in a tight stack, the two navigated from the garage into the kitchen area. Faint footsteps vibrated from the ceiling directly above them.

Bunny crouched instantly, raising her arm above her head and waving her hand side-to-side to signal that she was taking the lead position.

With her rifle slung, she shifted position rapidly, arriving at the base of the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

San’s voice crackled softly through her earpiece:

"Storage room clear. Zero hostages found, one hostile eliminated. Out."

After verifying the perimeter was secure, Tyr matched Bunny’s pace.

At that moment, heavy steps descended the wooden stairs from above. Pressing herself against the wall edge, Bunny confirmed only two targets were approaching. As the lead hostile rounded the corner, she swiftly unsheathed her combat knife and sliced the NPC’s throat in a fluid motion.

Tyr clamped a hand over the second hostile’s mouth, neutralizing him in seconds.

The pair reached the upper floor smoothly. Four rooms lined the corridor—two were open and empty, while two remained locked, leaving the hostages’ location unconfirmed.

Stacking against the first locked door, they executed a pieing technique to clear angles incrementally; the room was clear.

Simultaneously, San and Astin breached from the opposite corridor wing to link up, assembling all four operatives outside the final closed door at the end of the hall.

The third cardinal rule of CQB: room entries require rapid cross-coverage, overlapping visual blind spots, and heavy fire suppression.

Bunny tucked her elbows tight to her torso to minimize her exposure profile, took a deep breath, and forcibly breached the door.

Tyr, San, and Astin instantly split responsibilities across a 180-degree sector to maintain fire dominance, as screaming echoed from the hostages inside the room.

A fragmentation grenade was tossed straight toward Bunny’s feet.

"Watch out!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Astin hurled himself forward, pinning Bunny securely beneath his own body.