Owen took aim and joined the fight, but the enemy's positioning was clever. The alley entrances on both sides provided them with cover, and the thick SUV in the middle served as a shield, leaving few angles to fire from.
Despite this, the enemy was quickly at a disadvantage. Five men against more than thirty—both in firepower and equipment, they couldn't hope to hold out for long.
Owen fired several shots but hit nothing. The enemy was well hidden, only peeking out occasionally to fire a few suppressing rounds to slow down CTU's approach, but they were immediately pushed back by the superior firepower.
CTU was well-prepared. While the front kept them suppressed, tactical teams with bulletproof shields were advancing from the sides. Bullets pinged off the shields harmlessly.
Finding no clear shot, Owen decided to go low. The enemy had taken cover well, but they hadn't accounted for every angle.
Near the SUV's front wheel, Owen spotted the edge of someone's pant leg. Their feet were hidden behind the tire, but Owen knew he could shoot through it to achieve the same result.
Holding his breath, focusing, time seemed to slow…
A single precise shot rang out, piercing through the rubber. A cry of pain followed from behind the vehicle, and a body collapsed.
That was Owen's moment. He pulled the trigger again—another shot. The man who had been writhing in pain just moments ago was now a lifeless corpse.
The gunfire from the other side intensified. Someone started spraying bullets under the car, forcing Owen to duck behind cover.
By the time the shooting died down, Owen checked again—every tire on the SUV had been blown out. His trick wouldn't work again; the angles just weren't there.
The assault teams kept advancing, and the firefight became fiercer. Suddenly, an object flew out from behind the SUV, rolling a few times on the ground.
"GRENADE!!"
A panicked voice shouted.
The experienced front-line operatives had already spotted it through their shield windows. As soon as the warning was given, one of them lifted his shield slightly and kicked the grenade away just in time.
It exploded, but with minimal casualties.
A man peeked out to check the situation—he was instantly met with a hail of bullets. Owen fired as well, seeing the blood splatter. It was a hit, but not fatal.
Rounds continued hammering the SUV, turning its exterior into a pockmarked wreck. CTU teams pressed forward while the gunfire from the enemy weakened.
Watching from above via satellite, Nina observed the alley. The shadows made visibility difficult, but something didn't sit right with her.
This was a dead-end. No reinforcements were coming. These mercenaries weren't amateurs—so why were they making such a basic tactical error?
The more Nina thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. "Chloe, zoom out. I want a better look at the alley."
Chloe quickly adjusted the satellite feed. The image on the screen enlarged, focusing on a darker section of the alley. Nina stared, eyes widening.
The figures behind the SUV weren't the original five anymore. From the overhead perspective, visibility wasn't perfect, but Nina could tell there were only two men left—one firing, and the other slipping into a nearby sewer hatch.
"Stop them! They're escaping through the sewer!"
Nina's urgent warning spurred the tactical teams forward.
But just as they advanced, several grenades were tossed out.
The explosions effectively blocked every approach.
The squads had no choice but to fall back, cursing as they scrambled for cover. Smoke and dust filled the air, cutting visibility in half. No one dared to move forward.
The last enemy operative, seeing his comrades disappear down the sewer, wasted no time. Using the chaos as cover, he slung his weapon, sprinted toward the open hatch, and slid inside.
As he disappeared, he reached up and pressed something on a bomb attached to the SUV. Then, with one smooth motion, he pulled the hatch shut behind him.
Through the settling smoke, Owen heard a faint metallic click.
Neither the ground teams nor Nina in the command center noticed the bomb. The tactical teams regrouped, moving in again, while the SUV's digital countdown silently ticked away.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
A blinding explosion erupted.
The blast wave sent the closest CTU operatives flying. Those farther away were knocked off their feet.
The SUV itself lifted off the ground, only to crash back down as a raging fireball. Wounded operatives groaned in pain, scattered across the alley.
Shrapnel from the vehicle tore through the air. Those who had been thrown clear were lucky, but anyone struck by the metal fragments lay writhing on the ground.
In an instant, the alley became a scene of devastation—flaming debris, injured agents, and swearing operatives struggling to regain control.
The explosion had also shifted the wreckage, exposing the previously hidden sewer entrance. The hatch wasn't fully closed—it had only been pulled halfway shut in the enemy's haste to escape.
Owen pushed himself up from the ground, shaken but mostly unharmed—he had been far enough away to avoid the worst of the blast.
Survivors scrambled to tend to the wounded. Fortunately, the bulletproof shields had absorbed most of the shrapnel, meaning most injuries were from the shockwave rather than direct hits. Only a few unlucky ones had been struck by flying metal.
Tony led his field team into the alley.
The fugitives had only just fled—they couldn't have gone far.
One agent, nicknamed Heartbeat, cautiously approached the sewer entrance. He shone his flashlight inside, confirming it was clear. Just as he prepared to descend, Owen was hit by a sudden, overwhelming sense of danger.
"Wait!"
Heartbeat froze at Owen's urgent warning. Though unsure why, the others instinctively took a few steps back.
Owen didn't know exactly what was wrong—just that something was.
He scanned his surroundings. A short distance away lay one of the SUV's dislodged wheels, its rubber burned away, leaving only the metal rim.
Owen picked it up and rolled it toward the sewer entrance.
The rim wobbled erratically, barely staying upright. As it reached the edge of the opening, it tipped forward, nudging the half-closed hatch.
Click.
A barely audible sound—like a safety pin being pulled.
Then, another deafening explosion.
The hatch and the rim shot into the sky before crashing back down, bouncing loudly across the ground.
The assembled operatives exchanged glances, then turned to stare at Owen.
No one had expected the enemy to booby-trap their escape route. If Owen hadn't sensed the danger, someone would have walked straight into it—and there would have been more bodies to cover with flags today.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]