Chapter 367: Eliminating Hidden Dangers
"Okay, the surveillance feeds are up. Do we need to adjust anything?"
"Pan a little more to the left."
"Boss, the exterior sentries are all positioned. Should we do another sweep?"
At Silverberg's lakeside estate, the CEO of Life Robotics, all the domestic staff had been dismissed, and a squad of heavily armed mercenaries had taken up positions, transforming his once-magnificent home into a fortified compound bristling with firing positions and weapon emplacements.
"Is all this really necessary? You should be hitting his place," the CEO complained.
"Really? I'd love to hear your tactical advice on how to handle things?" The merc team leader walked past him sarcastically. "Yeah, I just love being micromanaged by civilians."
"I remember suggesting you flee the country, but you refused."
"He's just a bean counter!" The CEO's frustration boiled over at this point. "He's not some special forces operator! You don't need this many guns to deal with him!
You just need to send a few guys to put some rounds in him, and he'll be dead—problem solved!"
"Listen here, you privileged asshole!" At this point, the merc leader abandoned all pretense of professionalism. "I did it your way before, and what happened? I lost six of my best operators!
So this time, you follow MY protocol!"
Just as they were arguing, a gunshot cracked through the silence of the night.
"Contact east side, that's Ike's position!" The team leader quickly keyed his radio. "Ike, status report!"
However, there was no response over the comms. Without a doubt, the man named Ike was KIA.
Further out from the estate, Ron, watching the figure darting through the underbrush with admiration through his night-vision optics, exclaimed, "Hank, you really need to see this! We're both designated marksmen, but this guy can nail targets at a thousand meters at night, while you?
All you do is drop grenades on targets, zero finesse whatsoever. I just don't get it—why is there such a massive skill gap between two snipers?"
Hank felt like he wanted to say something, but didn't know if he should. Was this even fair?
I was using a suppressed sniper rifle just fine, and then you suddenly threw this massive launcher at me and told me all my previous marksmanship was garbage. Now that you see someone else sniping brilliantly at long range, you complain about how terrible I am. You always have an excuse!
Whatever... Hank sighed internally. What can I do? He's the one signing my paychecks. Whatever the boss says goes, right?
While Hank was lost in thought, Christian had successfully evaded the sentries' search patterns and infiltrated the grass beside one. As the sentry passed by, Christian suddenly grabbed his ankle and yanked hard.
The sentry hit the ground with a thud, and Christian, who was ready, swiftly zip-tied him. Then Christian quickly snatched the rifle that had clattered to the ground and fired at a sentry post that had popped up in another direction.
"Bang! Bang!" The first round missed, but Christian quickly adjusted with a second shot, and the figure across from him dropped.
"The ballistic curve is pulling left. You should consider using ammo with a better ballistic coefficient," Christian said dismissively. "Tell me about the house layout—entrances, exits, hallways, rooms, cover, now!"
Christian dropped the rifle, slung the Barrett over his shoulder, and instead screwed a suppressor onto his pistol, aiming it at the captured mercenary.
"Boss, shouldn't we move out?" Hank suggested to Ron.
"Me, not we. Christian's made enough noise—everyone's attention should be focused over there. You keep overwatch on the upper firing positions; I'm going solo."
Ron finished speaking, clapped Hank on the shoulder, and crept along the tree line toward the estate. He was only bringing Hank and Christian on this op.
Besides avoiding unnecessary attention, the main purpose was to assess how combat-effective this new recruit was.
He hadn't expected the guy to give him such a massive surprise right out of the gate.
Precision sniping within a kilometer range—that level of skill would place him among elite tier-one snipers in any country's military. He'd really hit the jackpot.
What a joke! Did people really think he only liked to carpet bomb everything with heavy ordnance? That's caveman tactics. If Hank's skills weren't so lacking, he wouldn't have resorted to that approach, right?
Christian's arrival truly filled the capability gap in Ron's team—now he finally had a world-class sniper!
(Hank: So what does that make me?)
Inside the estate, an eerie silence fell after the first shot. At the team leader's command, a Black mercenary slowly peered out from behind a window, attempting to assess the exterior situation.
But unexpectedly, the moment his head cleared the wall, "BOOM!"—his entire skull exploded!
"Barrett! Everyone get down! Hit the deck now!" the team leader urgently warned, but his warning came too late. Following the first merc whose head was vaporized, another mercenary near the window also had his brains blown out.
And the gunfire continued, systematically sweeping across the windows and walls, punching rounds into the house.
Yes, you heard that right—sweeping fire! Don't be fooled by the Barrett in some video game; in reality, only about two hundred bolt-action Barrett sniper rifles were ever manufactured, and most models are semi-automatic!
In other words, they could continuously engage targets like an assault rifle!
Against the Barrett sniper rifle chambered in .50 BMG, the estate walls were like cardboard; every shot carved a fist-sized hole through the structure. The mercenaries inside were pinned flat to the floor, not daring to raise their heads.
"Perfect!" Ron thought to himself, and immediately, capitalizing on a lull in Christian's suppressing fire, he sprang up from the grass and sprinted toward the estate.
By the time Christian's ten-round magazine ran dry, Ron had just reached the estate's exterior, pressed against the corner of the wall. The moment footsteps rounded the corner, he pounced, clamping one hand over the mercenary's mouth and slashing his throat with a tactical knife with the other, killing him silently.
"Four men to the front entrance, engage him. You, take your buddy and flank left. I'll hold here on overwatch." The team leader pulled mercenaries from the security station and deployed a four-man fire team with them, taking his position at the monitors.
"Wait! He's got backup!" The team leader was alarmed to discover that the security cameras covering the rear of the estate were completely blacked out, obviously sabotaged.
"Five more, check the rear perimeter, stay frosty!"
(End of Chapter)
Ron's Special Operations Team Combat Strength Summary
At the request of readers, here's a summary of Ron's combat strength.
Los Angeles Veterans Club:
Captain: Andy Dufresne
Skill: Silver Fox Charm
Skill Description: Attracts high-caliber veteran operatives to the team through his distinguished appearance and credibility, such as Victoria Winslow.
Source: The Shawshank Redemption, one of the Shawshank Three
Member: Hannibal Lecter
Skill: Surgical Precision
Skill Description: Masterful understanding of human anatomy, combined with exceptional intelligence, creates formidable combat power.
Source: The Silence of the Lambs, one of the Shawshank Three
Member: Joe Matheson
Skill: Black Ops Veteran
Skill Description: A retired special forces operator, proficient in various assassination and infiltration techniques.
Source: RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous), one of the Shawshank Three
Member: William Cooper
Skill: Tier One Operator
Skill Description: Former member of America's most elite special operations unit; even in his later years, his combat effectiveness remains exceptional.
Source: Former Delta Force operator, currently running a security consulting business
Member: Frank Moses
Skill: Black Ops Specialist
Skill Description: A veteran CIA operative, proficient in various elimination techniques and tactical operations.
Origin: RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous), formerly the team leader of the RED squad
Member: Marvin Boggs
Skill: Paranoia Protocol
Skill Description: In addition to being proficient in various combat techniques, his hyper-vigilance and intuition allow him to sense threats before they materialize.
Origin: RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous)
Member: Victoria Winslow
Skill: MI6 Legend
Skill Description: A veteran British intelligence operative, master of tradecraft and wet work operations.
Origin: RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous)
Ron's Commando Unit:
Member: Hank Schrader
Skill: Heavy Weapons Specialist
Skill Description: Specialized in using long-range heavy ordnance for target elimination: "If it's got a scope and shoots one round at a time, it's a sniper rifle!"
Source: Breaking Bad, former DEA agent
Member: Arthur Bishop
Skills: Contract Specialist, Technical Expert
Skill Description: Proficient in all methods of elimination and able to use mechanical knowledge to stage deaths as accidents.
Source: The Mechanic
Member: Gisele Yashar
Skills: Tactical Driver
Skill Description: Expert in high-performance vehicle operations, specializing in motorcycle pursuit and evasion.
Source: Fast & Furious franchise
Member: Carl Gallagher
Skills: UAV Specialist
Skill Description: Exceptional reflexes and hand-eye coordination, particularly in flight simulation. Ron's premier drone operator.
Source: Shameless, South Side Chicago native
Members: Deckard Shaw and Owen Shaw
Skills: Former SAS Elite
Skill Description: Top-tier special forces operators capable of single-handedly executing strategic-level operations. Super soldiers whose individual capabilities rival Ron's. Together, they form a force that even Ron considers genuinely dangerous.
Source: Fast & Furious franchise
Member: Christian Wolffe
Skills: Precision Marksman
Skill Description: World-class sniper with confirmed effective range exceeding one thousand meters under adverse conditions.
Source: The Accountant
Member: John and Jane Smith
Skills: Tactical Duo
Skill Description: When operating together, their coordination is seamless, making them one of the most effective two-person strike teams in the field.
Source: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
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