The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1064 The Mole Revealing Himself

Luke used the moment to advance three more meters behind him.

They moved like this, fire, cover, advance, each step calculated, each shot buying time, until they could reach a solid building, a car, anything that would finally give them proper cover, or a vehicle to make their escape.

But it seemed their enemies had a death wish. They swarmed toward Dave and Luke like moths to a flame, fully aware that charging in only increased their chances of dying, yet they came anyway. Because of that relentless assault, both men burned through most of their ammunition.

Even with extended magazines, two hundred rounds per assault rifle, it still wasn’t enough against enemies pouring in like flies. Sweat beaded on Dave’s forehead as the realization sank in. When he glanced at Luke, he saw the same concern mirrored in his eyes.

They hadn’t brought enough spare magazines. The backups had already been used during the retreat. Now, Dave was down to fifty rounds, and Luke had only sixty left.

They could switch their rifles from automatic fire to single shots, stretching each pull of the trigger, but even that wouldn’t be enough. Fifty to sixty rounds might sound like plenty, yet they still needed suppressive fire to keep the enemy pinned. They couldn’t bluff their way through with two or three shots at a time.

The moment their enemies noticed the pattern, realized they were conserving ammunition, they’d understand the truth. And once that weakness was exposed, Dave and Luke would be driven into a corner.

Right now, they couldn’t afford to show even a crack of weakness. The instant they did, every enemy in the area would pounce.

Sweat streamed down Luke’s forehead, soaking through his white undershirt until it clung uncomfortably to his skin. Dirt and grime covered him from head to toe, but he didn’t care. None of that mattered right now.

"Anyone, anyone close to the —" Luke started into the comm, about to call for backup so he and Dave could retreat.

Then he stopped.

They had been crossed. That much was painfully clear. The enemy’s fire was concentrated almost entirely on him and Dave, too precise, too deliberate. They were the targets.

If he called for support now, without knowing who the insider was, wouldn’t he be leading the wolf straight into their own den? Handing the traitor the perfect chance to finish them off from the inside?

Luke clenched his jaw and cut the transmission short.

Luke couldn’t let that happen, especially now, when he was certain his side had suffered heavier casualties than Dave’s. The realization gnawed at him, sharpening his suspicion. There was a high chance the mole came from either the Northern Faction or his own people. Betrayal was never far-fetched in their world.

His Mafia faction operated in the gray zones, deliberately avoiding drugs and anything that would place them squarely in the government’s moral crosshairs. But that restraint came at a cost.

Many of his men were growing dissatisfied, believing his cautious approach was strangling their income. It left their brothers-in-arms, especially those at the bottom of the hierarchy, the minor thugs, scrambling to survive, vulnerable to arrests and attacks from rival factions.

Luke understood their resentment. And now, standing in the middle of an ambush, he couldn’t shake the thought that one of those grievances might have finally turned into betrayal.

There was also the possibility that the mole came from Leo’s side, feeding them flawed information. But that theory didn’t quite add up. The route and the initial operation plan had been discussed thoroughly between Leo and Dave before Luke and Dave refined it further into a detailed strategy, one that focused on intercepting Leo’s smuggled goods from the man who had forcibly taken over his position. Too many details had been verified at multiple stages for Leo’s side to be the weak link.

As for Dave, appearances were deceiving. He often acted as if nothing fazed him, but the soldiers under his command were fiercely loyal. Gaining their trust wasn’t easy, and they constantly clashed with Luke’s people due to long-standing mutual dislike, yet that loyalty was precisely why Luke knew the chances of a mole coming from Dave’s side were almost nonexistent.

That left only one conclusion.

The problem had come from his own faction.

And that realization was exactly why his anger had spiraled earlier. Luke hated betrayal more than anything. The moment that suspicion took root, it shattered his composure, because if someone from his side had sold them out, it meant the rot had already reached closer than he ever wanted to admit.

Some of the subordinates he had brought with him were dead, men who had families waiting for them. They couldn’t be called good people, but they had never harmed the innocent. Every single person he brought on this operation was someone he trusted completely.

That was why it stung so badly.

It wasn’t just his pride as a man that was wounded for trusting the wrong people and getting his men killed; it was the shame. He couldn’t stand the thought of facing Leo and Dave if he failed to fix this. The blood on the ground felt like it was on his hands.

Luke was almost certain the mole had already struck a deal with the other side.

And that was what gnawed at him the most.

What kind of deal was worth throwing away conscience, loyalty, and the bond of brotherhood? What price had been high enough for someone to sell out their own people?

The question burned in his mind, feeding his rage until it threatened to consume him.

"Fuck it!" Luke growled, frustration and rage burning hot in his chest.

At that moment, his comm crackled to life.

"Sir! Thank God you’re alive! We lost many brothers, but we’re pulling back now. Give us your location, and we can cover your retreat!" one of his men reported urgently.

It was exactly what Luke and Dave needed right now.

And yet, his fingers froze.

Trust was the last thing he could afford.

The possibility of a mole lingered like a blade at his throat, and calling for support without knowing who was listening could be the final mistake that got them both killed.

Luke turned to Dave, his eyes dark and conflicted, silently weighing the risk.

Dave looked back at Luke, unable to read what was going through his mind. His own thoughts were already racing, calculating routes, timing, and angles, anything that might get them both out alive.

He had heard Luke start to call for backup over the comms, only to cut himself off halfway and fall into silence.

That hesitation told Dave everything.

Luke suspected something.

Dave didn’t push him. This wasn’t the moment to argue or second-guess instincts that had kept Luke alive for years. Instead, Dave switched channels and checked in with his own men.

"Status report," he said curtly, keeping his voice steady despite the tension clawing at his chest.

"Everyone, report your situation," Dave ordered.

"Sir! We managed to fall back, but those bastards are like cockroaches, hard as hell to kill!" one soldier replied over the comms, his voice ragged. Heavy panting made it clear he was still running.

"And it’s not just that, sir," another voice cut in urgently. "They’re sticking to us like leeches. Won’t let go, staying right on our heels. But they’re not trying to wipe us out completely —"

There was a brief pause, filled with static and labored breathing. "It feels like they’re herding us. Pressuring us forward, forcing us to keep moving."

Hearing this, Dave’s brows knitted tightly. No explanation was needed; the message was clear. Their enemies were playing them, herding them like cattle. But to what end? To slaughter them all at once, making them watch each other’s misery before death?

Or was there some other, darker plan in motion? Either way, it was obvious that the enemies on Dave and Luke’s side were doing the exact same thing.

But Luke realized something else. Unlike Dave, he hadn’t yet ordered his people to retreat. Yet the person who had answered his comms just now reported that they were already pulling back.

Mafias, unlike organized military units, didn’t follow standard tactics; they weren’t trained to fall back and regroup in an orderly fashion. The more they lost, the more impatient and reckless they became. With their pride on the line, they would rather die fighting than return empty-handed, tails tucked between their legs like beaten dogs.

And at that moment, it became painfully clear to Luke who had truly betrayed him. The traitor had revealed themselves, standing right in front of him without Luke even needing to search.

This infuriated Luke to no end. The mole in his group had brazenly exposed himself before Luke even had a chance to find him. The bastard was likely watching, seeing Dave’s men fall back one by one while he now aligned himself with the enemy. In his arrogance, he probably assumed Luke would also order a retreat or call for reinforcements, unwittingly revealing himself and his betrayal.