[Chapter 232: Five vs Six]
The explosion's deafening roar spread across half of Covina.
Fireballs and smoke soared into the air, capturing everyone's attention at Citrus Square. The bearded man wearing a hard hat pressed his earplugs tighter and peered toward the edge of the Square, trying to get a clearer view of the situation.
Dust swirled around, obscuring his line of sight, making it impossible to see clearly.
The bearded man asked over the radio, "What's the situation now?"
A man under a sun hat, perched on the scaffolding nearby, observed the chaos and replied, "It's unclear for now!"
Preparing for the worst, the bearded man instructed, "Get ready to move. Wait for my command to draw your guns. No one acts without my order!"
Beside him, a man with glasses, a bald man, and a tattooed guy all moved closer to their gear and supplies.
...
Most of the other workers had lived in Arica for so ti and, upon witnessing such a violent explosion, scattered, trying to get as far away as possible.
In the haze of dust, Hawke noticed the white sedan was demolished, while the black rcedes had sustained so damage but remained mostly intact.
He dashed over, yanked open the driver's side door, and shouted, "Savior!"
Edward was gasping for breath as he replied, "Boss, I'm fine, really."
He cracked a smile, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and cautiously warned Hawke, "That car exploded unusually, sothing's off..."
"Stay put, the ambulance is on its way," Hawke said firmly.
Edward finally steadied his breathing, explaining, "I hit it, I hit it, the airbag popped on ..."
From behind, Brian's voice called out.
Hawke glanced back and saw Brian shaking his phone, indicating he had just called for help.
As the smoke began to clear and sunlight filtered back in, the previously dark sky lightened up.
Seeing that Edward was relatively unhard put Hawke at ease. "Take a breather."
He closed the car door, cautiously scanned the surroundings, and pulled out his radio earpiece and microphone. He slipped the earpiece in and clipped the microphone to his collar, calling out, "Raul, Raul, do you copy?"
...
A Ford pulled up not far from the rcedes, and Raul was on alert, responding, "Nothing has been found yet."
At that mont, he noticed that most of the crowd had fled the Square, except for a few workers who remained, drawing his gaze toward them.
...
A Jeep Cherokee slowly approached, stopping on the opposite side of the street.
Guti and Morentes inside the vehicle remained vigilant.
...
Hawke reached the rear of the rcedes, opened the trunk, which contained gun bags with long rifles.
As long as there were enemies, he could quickly use the bulletproof rcedes as cover to fight back.
However, he hesitated to get in; another bomb could turn the rcedes into a coffin.
He couldn't abandon Edward either, so he decided to stay near the rcedes.
...
On the scaffolding, the man in the sun hat kept his eyes on the dissipating smoke and dust, observing the burning wreckage of the car, the black rcedes, and a few others along the road. ꭆΆΝȮВƐŠ
Among them was soone huddled next to the rcedes, clearly the target.
The sun hat imdiately reported over the radio, "Boss, the guy is still alive, next to the black rcedes."
Without hesitation, the bearded man barked, "Take him out!"
Including himself, everyone quickly opened their gear bags, retrieving long weapons, including ARs and AKs.
The man in the sun hat moved the quickest; he flung open his backpack and pulled out a scoped AUG rifle, kneeling on the scaffolding to aim.
...
On the other side of the road, Raul had been keeping an eye on the Square and spotted the group's movents.
He shouted, "Enemy alert! Twelve o'clock in the Square, five guys ard with long guns!"
...
Almost as soon as he yelled the first warning, Hawke grabbed the rifle bag and dove next to the wheel of the rcedes for cover.
The bomb-proof, bulletproof vehicle was currently the best shield available.
Gunshots rang out, bullets striking near the spot where Hawke just was, creating several small craters in the freshly laid asphalt.
Hawke quickly pulled out his gun and shouted, "Get down! Get down!"
He was warning Edward and Brian.
Edward curled up inside the bulletproof car, while Brian, although not skilled with guns, had relatives who were, and he had undergone gunfire protection training. He dropped to the ground and rolled under the steps between the Square and the sidewalk.
...
Raul exited the vehicle, clutching an AR, taking cover near the engine.
Across the road, Guti and Morentes exited their Cherokee, ard with long rifles as they charged up into the two-story storefront, taking the high ground.
The three n Campos had found were well-trained in combat.
...
Gunfire erupted continuously, the steady stream of bullets striking the bulletproof rcedes, making it shake under the assault.
Hawke raised his AR, aiming it forward, and squeezed the trigger.
A burst of bullets flew out, silencing the gunfire from the other side.
...
Morentes, using the cover of the brick railing of the second floor, took advantage of the montary distraction from Hawke's shooting and aid at the enemy's sniper.
His gun fired with two muffled sounds, and the man in the sun hat on the scaffolding collapsed, blood streaming from his head and torso.
...
anwhile, Guti, distanced from Morentes on the second floor, displayed a different shooting style. The wind caught his golden hair as he fired his AR-15, which was outfitted with a bump stock, delivering suppressive fire toward the Square.
...
Behind the Mondeo, Raul raised his gun and, whether he hit or not, he fired in the direction of the Square to keep the enemy suppressed.
In the chaos, suppressive fire was far more important than exact hits.
...
Simultaneously, Edward, now collected, pulled out his Glock, lowering the car window and aiming outside, pulling the trigger.
In an instant, gunfire erupted, resembling a battlefield.
...
Hawke emptied a magazine, using the cover of the bulletproof rcedes to reload as he moved to the front of the car.
He raised his gun and spotted a reflective safety helt.
It was like shooting at a fixed target. Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger, firing a quick burst, not bothering to check if he hit, and quickly pulled back.
Sure enough, gunfire erupted from the other side, bullets ricocheting off the rcedes once more.
...
In the Square, the tattooed man crouched behind a flowerbed, AR tossed to the side, his body slumped over the flowerbed, motionless.
The bearded man realized sothing was wrong; within a short firefight, not only had they not taken down the target, but they had also lost two n.
The target had bodyguards, and they were skilled.
Without hesitation, the bearded man ordered, "Fall back! Cover each other, retreat!"
He swapped in a new magazine and unleashed a barrage of fire toward the position of the rcedes.
The man with glasses and the bald man wasted no ti; not caring about their fallen comrades, they imdiately retreated under the cover of the bearded man.
...
On the edge of the Square, Brian was lying on the ground, listening to bullets zip overhead, unsure of what to say or how to voice his thoughts.
Suddenly, Hawke's voice ca from behind the rcedes, "Stay put, don't move or say a word!"
That jerk seed to know exactly what Brian was thinking.
"If you dare say a word, I'll blow your ass off!" After saying this, Hawke felt a bit of relief.
He clearly rembered just ten minutes earlier when Brian had said it was impossible for a street fight to break out in Covina.
What happened instead? Bullets were flying everywhere, and now they were dealing with so enemy who had even used a car bomb!
Brian didn't shut his mouth because of Hawke's words.
He knew Hawke was a loyal friend. Even with the car bomb crashing in, he didn't forget to take him along.
Thinking quickly, Brian yelled, "I didn't call 911; I called the FBI to report a terrorist attack! The FBI helicopter will be here soon!"
....
This ssage reached the Square, falling into the bearded man's ears.
The opponents were not fewer in number, nor were their weapons or skills inferior.
The bearded man cursed the informant under his breath, urging, "Let's move! Quickly! Cover each other!"
The bald man paused, turned around, and fired back at the previous location, letting off a volley before making his escape.
Real-life combat was nothing like the portrayal in Hollywood movies.
Finding an opportunity for precise shots was incredibly difficult.
Aiming at soone ant also becoming a target yourself.
The soul shooting of the African rcenaries was the norm for hired muscle in battle.
...
On the opposite side in the second-floor storefront, Morentes had already changed his position.
He held his breath and ignored the bullets flying nearby, steadying his rifle to pull the trigger.
Two shots rang out.
The man with glasses, running, suddenly dropped.
...
"Ah--"
The bald man, seeing another go down, worried for the bearded man and turned his gun to the source of the gunfire, firing repeatedly.
...
Morentes finished shooting and imdiately changed positions.
...
Seizing the opportunity, Hawke exposed his gun barrel and fired a quick, short burst, causing the bald man to crash to the ground.
In this five vs. six gunfight, the latter had established a clear advantage.
While Edward wielded his Glock and Brian shouted for help, they still contributed in their own ways.
Hawke, having a solid understanding of firearms, had previously assessed the gunfire in their direction, estimating there were at most five attackers.
Now, four had gone down, leaving only one remaining. He spoke into the radio, "If possible, let's keep one alive."
This sudden attack could have had unimaginable consequences if Edward hadn't bravely crashed the car.
Hawke needed to figure out where this assault ca from, though he already had so suspicions.
...
On the second floor of the storefront, Morentes had the high ground and locked his sights on the fleeing bearded man.
He fired several tis but aid to keep the target alive, so he missed.
Guti and Raul were not as skilled as Morentes; besides their suppressive shots, they didn't point their guns at the bearded man.
...
Hawke raised his AR, and thanks to the muscle mory from his constant practice, he pulled the trigger at the perfect mont.
*****
/Sayonara816.
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