Fortunately, prior preparations had been made. Both SUVs had been reinforced with additional steel plates on the inside, providing partial armor to the vehicles. The M249 SAW light machine gun, using 5.56×45mm NATO rounds, had limited penetration power. Apart from creating a shower of sparks and drilling holes into the vehicle, it only added some tension to the atmosphere and posed no significant threat for the time being.
Ironically, Mexico's notoriously poor road infrastructure turned out to be an advantage. The uneven and potholed surface made continuous machine gun fire difficult, causing the bursts to be intermittent.
The gunner in the pickup truck's bed couldn't afford to hold down the trigger. Every bump sent the muzzle swaying wildly. At best, the bullets harmlessly shot into the sky; at worst, the muzzle might dip and risk shooting their own driver in the cab.
As bullets whizzed past the SUV, Jack and Sonny worked together to pull Clay back inside. He had just emptied an entire magazine. "Damn it, that thing's bulletproof!" he cursed.
It was unclear whether the Mexican cartel truly had the kind of money to use custom-made armored cars for their daily operations, or if they had prepared the vehicle specifically for this ambush. Either way, money talks—it was enough to give the SEALs a headache. They needed the target alive, so blowing up the vehicle with grenades wasn't an option.
Although the armored car's tires weren't fully bulletproof, they would deflate when hit. However, their special structure allowed them to continue driving at normal speeds for an extended period.
As the surrounding streets became increasingly dilapidated and the city lights grew sparse, an ominous sense of dread began to creep over the team. If they delayed much longer, they risked being lured deeper into an ambush.
Jason, who had taken over the driver's seat from Clay earlier, gritted his teeth and floored the gas pedal. The SUV accelerated to a dangerously high speed and slammed into the silver armored Mercedes.
"Boom!"
"Creeeak—screeech!"
The armored car's heavier weight made it much harder to knock off course, but the SEALs' modified SUV wasn't ordinary either. Reinforced with steel plating and upgraded with a more powerful engine to compensate for the added weight, it hit like a freight train.
The silver Mercedes, already hampered by its punctured rear tires, couldn't maintain high speed. The impact from Jason's charge caused the driver to lose control of the steering wheel, and the vehicle veered wildly in an S-pattern.
With a screech of brakes, the armored car spun sideways and came to a stop in the middle of the road. Jason's SUV, however, didn't escape unscathed—its front end was wrecked, smoke billowing from the engine. After a few sputters, the SUV came to a halt.
"Out of the car!" Jason shouted. The team quickly swung open their doors and exited. Sonny jumped out, hefting his beloved MK46 Mod 1 light machine gun. He adjusted the ammo belt and readied himself. Unlike the usual 100-round soft pouches he carried, he had attached a 200-round drum magazine this time.
A sharp screeching sound followed as the second SUV, driven by Ray Perry, skidded to a halt and parked sideways. Its front end perfectly shielded Sonny, who was now kneeling behind it.
Unlike the immobilized Mercedes, this maneuver was deliberate. It was executed with the precision of countless rehearsals. Sonny deployed the bipod, and without needing to reposition himself, he braced the machine gun on the SUV's hood and unleashed a long burst at the pursuing pickup truck.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
While the pickup truck was powerful, it wasn't bulletproof. Even standard armored glass wouldn't hold up against a sustained burst from a light machine gun. Sonny, channeling his inner Rambo, kept the impact zone tightly clustered in a small radius.
The results were immediate: a spray of blood filled the air inside the pickup's cab as the driver was taken out. The truck veered off course, smashing through a roadside wall. The machine gunner in the bed was thrown violently around, dazed and disoriented.
Before the gunner could recover, Ray Perry, seething after the long chase, leapt out of the driver's seat. Taking only a moment to aim, he fired two precise shots, ending the gunner's life.
While Sonny dealt with the pursuers, the team in the second SUV was already in action. The doors swung open, and the squad—including Colonel Martinez—disembarked, spreading out into a defensive perimeter. Brock sprinted to the armored Mercedes, crouched low, and attached a block of plastic explosives to the door lock. He inserted the detonator.
"Fire in the hole!" he called softly. A flash of light erupted, followed by a muffled explosion. The armored car's rear door was blasted open, its bulletproof windows reduced to a spiderweb of cracks.
Jack, who had been waiting by the car, stepped forward and thrust the barrel of his HK417 through the shattered window. Angling the weapon toward the driver's seat, he fired several shots, killing the driver instantly. Then he yanked the door open and dragged a dazed Rasso, who had been stunned by the explosion, out of the car.
"Where's Doza hiding?" Jason didn't wait for Jack to finish searching Rasso. He grabbed him roughly and shouted in his face.
Rasso, blood dripping from his mouth, grinned grimly, his teeth slick with crimson. His expression was both menacing and pitiable.
"You're all dead. You've walked right into our trap. This is our turf—there will be countless warriors coming for you. See you in hell!"
"Vehicle 2's tire is blown—we're stuck," Ray Perry reported grimly to Jason. The second SUV had taken heavy machine gun fire during the chase. It was a miracle it hadn't been left behind earlier. One of the rear tires was shredded, the rim ground down to almost nothing. It had only managed to keep up thanks to a combination of skilled driving and sheer luck.
As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Before Jason could respond, the team's comms channel lit up with a warning from Command.
"Bravo 1, you've got company. We're tracking at least 40 to 50 armed hostiles heading your way, with more suspicious individuals gathering nearby. Recommend immediate extraction."
"Command, we've lost our vehicle and can only evacuate on foot. Provide an escape route—" Jason's voice was cut off by Jack's shout. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack spotted a sudden flash of light.
"RPG!" he roared.
The entire team hit the ground instinctively. A rocket-propelled grenade streaked through the air, trailing a fiery tail before slamming into the immobilized second SUV parked in the middle of the road.
"Whoosh—BOOM!"
The explosion sent a searing wave of heat across the street. Sonny, who had been closest to the blast, was thrown hard onto the pavement, his machine gun flying from his grip.
"Medic!" Jack bellowed. Ignoring the ringing in his ears from the blast, he crouched and fired his HK417 at a three-story building about 50 meters away. His shots struck a figure on the balcony—the RPG operator, who screamed as he fell to the ground below.
Nearby, Clay pivoted and opened fire, taking down two gunmen who had appeared at the corner of the street.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Sonny protested as the team medic, Trent, dragged him behind the armored Mercedes for cover. Despite his injuries, Sonny's first concern was whether his beloved machine gun had been damaged in the blast.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
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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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