"Copy that. All units, plan change—vehicles can't reach us. We're walking out," Jason announced, his tone steady despite the escalating chaos.
Before he could say more, Ray Perry, providing suppressive fire at his side, narrowly avoided a stray bullet. Reloading with practiced efficiency, he turned to Jason.
"We can't outrun this many bullets with wounded civilians, boss."
Jason already had a solution in mind. Lieutenant López, having grown up in this very area, was uniquely qualified to map out a quick escape route. This was precisely why Jason had pressed him into participating in the mission.
Two smoke grenades flew out, providing temporary cover. Jack and Clay Spencer took turns covering each other as they retreated back into the building. The team seamlessly transitioned into a "peel maneuver," a tactical movement widely (and inaccurately) popularized as "Hellfire Tactics."
Known in PLA terms as "alternating cover movement," the strategy wasn't limited to retreats—it worked equally well for offensives. However, retreating under fire demanded even more coordination, trust, and calm.
As the team executed Jason's retreat order, the frontmost pair laid down suppressive fire, creating a brief window of overwhelming force. Jack and Clay emptied their magazines into the opposition, forcing the gunmen across the street to take cover.
Meanwhile, Jason and Ray Perry set up behind cover in the rear. Once Jack and Clay retreated through the path they'd left open, they tapped Jason and Ray's boots as a signal. The rear pair then took over suppression, allowing Jack and Clay to reload and fall back further.
This back-and-forth rhythm repeated smoothly. What seemed straightforward required intense training, near-instinctive coordination, and unflinching composure amid chaos.
The team used every trick in the book to slow their pursuers. Smoke grenades obstructed visibility, and improvised traps—like flashbangs rigged with duct tape—acted as makeshift booby traps. Though the concussion grenades weren't lethal, they were enough to disorient attackers in close quarters.
As an explosion and accompanying screams echoed from behind, the team reached the courtyard they'd crossed earlier.
The one-legged man who'd banged on a gas can to sound the alarm earlier now emerged wielding an AR rifle. Before he could aim, Jack's bullet tore through his skull.
Occasional stragglers, armed with outdated rifles, darted out of narrow alleys in futile attempts to block the team's retreat. Each was quickly neutralized by Ray Perry and Clay Spencer, both expert marksmen.
Though the gangs of Depro were numerous, they couldn't organize fast enough to assemble a proper ambush in the short time the team had been moving.
Emerging from the final alley, the team could see their two SUVs waiting in the distance. Beside them were two newly arrived pickup trucks, mounted with machine guns already trained on the team's rear.
Jack threw his last smoke grenade to obscure their trail and breathed a sigh of relief. Depro's labyrinthine streets had proven to be a nest of hostility, a criminal hive where everyone seemed complicit.
"Keep moving! Don't stop!" Jason ordered.
The wounded civilians, seeing safety within reach, stumbled forward with renewed energy. They scrambled into the SUVs, assisted by the operatives. Jack slammed the door shut before climbing into the bed of a pickup truck with the remaining team members. Rifles stayed trained on the retreating path until they were clear of Depro's chaos.
"You've perfectly embodied every empty promise from JSOC to the Pentagon," Mandy Ellis remarked sarcastically, approaching the team in the parking lot. The smell of gunpowder still clung to their gear.
"I hope they'll appreciate the six innocent civilians we saved from being tortured to death," Jason shot back, earning a dramatic eye-roll from Mandy.
"Your mission was to capture González," she retorted, her frustration barely contained.
"Are you questioning my orders? You wanted us to split up in that maze full of hostiles? How many would you have sent after that bastard, Mandy?" Jason's tone sharpened with irritation.
Mandy softened slightly but pressed on. "The issue is we've lost González. He was our only lead to Mendoza, the entire reason for this mission."
"Not necessarily," Jack interjected, holding up a black cloth bag.
"What's that?" Mandy asked, frowning.
"Phones. Pulled from González's hideout. He left in such a rush he didn't grab them. Your CIA team can handle the rest. Mendoza's people don't operate in isolation. These phones will have numbers, contacts—breadcrumbs."
While Jack had said the CIA would handle the phones, his dual role as an intelligence officer meant he wasn't off the hook.
After the firefight, while the others rested, Jack didn't even have time to shower. He sat at a computer until nightfall, meticulously combing through the available intel. As he paced back to the barracks, his mind churned, reviewing the case for overlooked details.
In the barracks, Jason had just finished a video call with his family using the secure military network. He closed his laptop and nodded at Jack.
"Care for a drink upstairs?"
Jack pulled a cigar from a walnut box, lighting it before tossing the box to Jason. "Not if it's watered-down vodka. I'd rather use that for disinfecting wounds. Are people actually drinking that crap?"
Jason shrugged, taking a cigar for himself. "We're following Colonel Martínez's rules, aren't we? At least he kept his word today. Didn't say a word during the fight—followed my orders to the letter."
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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