The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1063 Retreating Together

"Shit!" the enemies cursed again, scrambling for cover wherever they could as Luke and Dave took turns firing, keeping them pinned down.

But both of them knew this tactic wouldn’t last. Their magazines were draining fast, and once they ran dry, they’d become sitting ducks. Worse, their positions were already exposed; there was no doubt some of the enemy were searching for higher ground, lining up for a clean sniper shot. If that happened, neither of them would stand a chance.

They couldn’t stay here.

They’d been crossed. The entire operation had been a trap from the start.

That left only one option.

And that is to pull out, now.

"Anyone copy me?" Dave was the first to make the call.

"Sir, yes, sir!" A few voices crackled back over the comms; some of their people were still standing.

"Good," Dave said, forcing his fury down into cold control. "Round everyone up. We move out in five. Support the wounded and make sure no one gets left behind. We’re pulling out, now."

"Understood," the soldiers replied over the comms.

Dave then looked at Luke and made a sharp hand signal, ordering a retreat.

Luke didn’t respond immediately. His gaze lingered on the enemies ahead, calculations flashing through his eyes. Part of him wanted to push forward, wipe them out, secure the area, and dig for answers. Find the insider. Find out exactly how they’d been sold out.

But Dave signaled again, firmer this time: ’retreat, don’t push it.’

They could investigate the betrayal later. Losing more men here wasn’t worth it.

Luke finally understood Dave’s stance, even if he didn’t fully agree with it. The two of them came from different worlds. Luke had clawed his way through the underbelly of society as a mafia boss; betrayal, ambushes, and dead subordinates were grimly familiar territory for him. This wasn’t the first time a deal had turned into a trap, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Dave, on the other hand, was a politician who served his country. To him, every life under his command mattered. His first instinct was always to protect his men, even if it meant swallowing his anger and walking away.

In the end, Dave chose his people over answers, and that was a choice Luke couldn’t ignore.

Right now, instead of pulling out, Luke wanted nothing more than to slaughter every last one of them and finish what he’d started. Dave, however, had already ordered his men to retreat.

He wasn’t about to gamble any more lives.

Seeing Luke hesitate, Dave signaled again, harder this time.

’Pull back. My men are retreating. Don’t be fucking stupid and charge in alone.’

The anger on Dave’s face was unmistakable, his jaw clenched tight, eyes burning with restrained fury. Too many of his men were already gravely injured, and some had unknown status. He refused to let Luke throw his life away just to salvage an operation that had clearly turned into a blood-soaked trap.

Dave waited, giving Luke a few more seconds to make the decision on his own. He needed Luke to choose reason over revenge. Right now, there was no chance of turning the tide; pressing forward would only doom them all.

Retreating wasn’t surrender. It meant surviving to strike back later.

They could hit the cartels harder, dismantle supply lines, cripple the enemy’s chain of command, and expose their hideouts one by one. Only after weakening the enemy enough could they launch another operation, one that wouldn’t put their entire squad at risk.

But if they pushed forward now, they would only stumble into a deeper trap.And once that happened... there would be no way out.

Dave locked eyes with Luke, holding the glare far longer than necessary. Around them, hurried footsteps, shouted orders, and the chaos of battle closed in, but the noise began to blur, muffling into the background until all Dave could hear was the thunder of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

His gaze never left Luke.

Every second felt heavier than the last.

Dave had always thought he would be the stubborn one, the problem child when things went wrong. Yet here he was, stunned to realize that Luke was the one refusing to budge, choosing this moment of all moments to dig in his heels.

For a fleeting second, Dave didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Laugh, because maybe he wasn’t as reckless or hopeless as he once believed.Or cry, because of all the times to be stubborn... Luke had chosen now.

When Luke still didn’t move, when he looked like he was seconds away from charging straight into his own grave, Dave resorted to his last card.

He scooped up a small stone and flicked it toward Luke.

It struck the ground near his feet.

Luke’s head snapped up.

The moment Dave knew he had Luke’s full attention, he raised his hands and signed slowly, deliberately, making sure every word landed:

H-E-R-A

I-S

W-A-I-T-I-N-G

A-T

H-O-M-E

I

P-R-O-M-I-S-E-D

T-O

R-E-T-U-R-N

Dave pressed his lips together, his expression hard and unyielding.

He had promised her.

He had already messaged Hera that he’d be home after the operation. He’d even been looking forward to it, looking forward to spending real time with her after he finished this operation between three factions to bring down the Northern Faction one peg.

That was why he refused to let Luke throw his life away here.

Leo was already proof enough of how much Hera cared about them. Hera herself was still injured from saving him.

Dave hoped, desperately, that reminding Luke of the woman waiting at home would snap him out of his stubborn rage, make him think of what Hera would feel if they were delayed... or worse, if they never made it back at all.

After reminding Luke, Dave waited.

He didn’t rush him. He didn’t signal again.

This was Luke’s choice to make.

Dave knew one thing for certain: he could not leave Luke behind. Not here. Not alone. If anything happened to him, Hera would be shattered, and that was a weight Dave refused to carry.

The operation could fail. Missions could be repeated. Enemies could be hunted down another day.

But lives couldn’t.

So even if this ambush cost them the objective, even if tonight ended in retreat instead of victory, Dave was determined that the two of them would return home alive.

Recklessness could wait.

They would survive first and settle the score later.

It was as if Dave’s words had slapped him awake.

The fog in Luke’s mind cleared in an instant, and with it went the burning urge for revenge, the stubborn pride that had been screaming at him to stay, to fight, to wipe every last enemy from the ground.

Hera.

He remembered it now, Dave teasing her over their text message earlier, telling her to wait for him, promising he’d be home so they could spend time together like everyone else. Dave hadn’t even tried to hide how much he missed her.

And Luke wasn’t any different.

The reason his temper had been so volatile lately, the reason he’d been constantly on edge, was because he missed her too.

Somehow, ever since Hera had entered his life, her calm, soothing presence had been taming the darkness inside him. The demons that once drove him toward violence quieted around her. He found himself choosing restraint without realizing it, forgetting, at times, that he was supposed to be a mafia boss with a vicious reputation, a man who once wouldn’t hesitate to press a gun barrel to someone’s skull if crossed.

Right now, standing on the brink between life and death, Luke finally understood.

No amount of revenge was worth not making it back to her.

"Shit," Luke muttered under his breath before finally signaling back.

A-L-R-I-G-H-T.

L-E-T-’S.

G-O.

He turned and pressed his back against the battered car behind him, muscles coiling as he readied himself to sprint. There was no hesitation left in him now.

Dave took position opposite him, the two of them moving in instinctive sync, covering angles, watching each other’s blind spots, already prepared to provide suppressive fire the moment one of them broke cover.

It was clear their people wouldn’t be able to reach them in time. Everyone was fighting their own battles, trapped in their own pockets of chaos.

So now, it was just the two of them.

No backup.

No margin for error.

Only trust, and the promise that they’d get out together.

Dave and Luke exchanged a nod, drew a steadying breath, and turned their eyes to the approaching enemies.

Luke fired first, his vantage giving him a clear shot. Two of the attackers, slow to react, dropped instantly. The rest dove for cover.

Seizing the opportunity, Dave sprinted toward a new position, putting distance between himself and the enemy. After two meters, he dropped behind cover and peeked out. When the enemies emerged again, alerted by his movement, he fired, forcing them back.