It was unusually lively near Federal Plaza. Almost immediately after the gunshots rang out, shrill sirens blared from all directions.
Several plainclothes police cars, hidden lights flashing, roared into Federal Plaza, quickly blocking the surrounding intersections. Then, a blue and white NYPD F150 Raptor pickup truck, towing a round, vehicle-mounted explosion-proof tank, rushed over.
Danny got out of the car and was met by Jack and Hannah, both looking grim-faced. He asked in surprise, "What happened? Did another suspect escape?"
Jack flashed the bomb detonator, which resembled a car key. "It only has a button to detonate, not a deactivate button."
Danny gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffing slightly, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Federal Plaza, where the FBI is located, is very close to Police Plaza, where the NYPD headquarters is located. Soon, a large number of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances arrived, surrounding the area completely.
Jack motioned for Hannah to stay outside and ran back into the Federal Building. Clay had already turned off the signal jammer, and Alice was on her phone.
"Hi, baby, I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice. It's okay, keep watching TV. I just wanted to tell you that I love you more than anything in this world.
Mmm, kiss, I'm hanging up now. Bye!"
After finishing the call, Alice took a deep breath, smiled sheepishly at Aubrey, wiped the tears from her cheeks again, and said self-deprecatingly.
"I didn't cry as much as I did today when I was abandoned by my ex-husband."
Aubrey's eyes were also a little red, and he held her hands tightly again, "I know this is difficult, but everyone here is trying their best, believe us, nothing will happen."
Jack, who was killing the mood, slapped him on the shoulder, "Leave it to us, go wait outside, you can think about how to ask the most beautiful girl in our operations center out for dinner tonight."
"As for me. I didn't. I just..." Aubrey scratched the back of his head shyly, and became a little incoherent. When he was with Jack privately before, this guy boasted a lot about his past dating supermodels.
Jack pointed out the door, telling him to get out of here. Then, bowing slightly, he extended his right arm in a very gentlemanly manner. "Ma'am, may I invite you to sit by the window?"
Although she knew he was trying to lighten the mood, Alice understood his true intention. "I could try walking to the plaza; it's more open there, and I don't want anyone else in the building to get hurt."
"Did I ever tell you you were smart? But we might not have that much time." Jack slowly helped her to the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the lobby's exterior wall, pulled a chair over for her to sit down, and then his smile faded, becoming serious.
"You have 30 seconds to think about this. The NYPD and our SWAT team's best explosives experts are waiting outside. They might have a better plan.
But with 12 minutes left, I suggest Clay and I continue the rest of the work. Of course, that's your decision."
"Of course you guys will continue, but does your previous suggestion still stand? I think it's time to make some changes in my life, if I'm going to survive after today." Alice didn't hesitate for a second.
Jack quickly donned his blast suit again, jokingly saying, "That's a truly deadly act of trust. My proposal stands. After we defuse these bombs, you can apply for field training. And I'll let you in on a secret: our team doesn't prohibit office romances."
"Isn't that because of your relationship with Hannah?" Clay, who was helping him put on the suit, suddenly retorted. "
Tsk, this team's not going to be easy to lead," Jack smacked his lips. He bound Alice's hands behind her back with plastic zip ties. Although she was relatively calm now, he still had to do this just in case. Alice cooperated.
The familiar clatter of high heels echoed again, this time accompanied by a flurry of footsteps.
Dana Moger stalked towards them, her face still tinged with anger. Behind her was Jubal escorting the handcuffed and shackled drug lord Vargas. Behind them came the anxious and concerned analysts and technicians from the operations center.
"You like to threaten others, don't you? You think you can still control everything even if you are temporarily at a disadvantage? Then let the facts prove how wrong you are."
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand and asked Jubal to handcuff Wags to the railing not far from Alice.
Jack's eyes twitched. This move of mutual destruction was a bit cruel. Obviously, while they were trying hard, Dana Moger upstairs did not give up and kept negotiating with Wags until the last moment. Of course, the result was obviously a breakdown.
"You can't do this. You have no right to act so recklessly!" Wags was a little panicked. His short and fat body made him squat on the ground in a ridiculous posture, and he struggled desperately.
"Do you think anyone here will care?" Dana Moger's eyes flashed with madness.
"If anything happens to them, I swear, I will spend the rest of my life hunting down your accomplices and subordinates, and will not let go of any accomplice in this matter. I will definitely destroy your Durango Group completely, including your family and children!"
After leaving these harsh words, she nodded to Alice, said nothing more, and took everyone out of the Federal Building.
The hall fell silent for a moment. After a few struggles, Vargas gave up, like a spineless wolf, glaring fiercely at Jack and Clay as they worked.
Before he could speak, Jack, without even looking up, said, "If I were you, I'd just shut up and pray we succeed."
Vargas opened his mouth, then, seemingly convinced by his point, slumped to the floor.
Seconds ticked by, the massive federal building was evacuated. Everyone stood at a safe distance, set aside by the demolition experts, their eyes fixed on the three men behind the glass curtain wall.
Although the curtain wall was made of dark glass, making it difficult to discern the movements even with binoculars, the onlookers were so engrossed they held their breath.
Clay's new wife, Stella, looked nervous, as if she were about to faint. In fact, if it weren't for Hannah supporting her, she would have collapsed.
"Five minutes left," Jubal anxiously glanced at the countdown on his phone.
"Trust them, it'll be fine." Dana Moger frowned, not sure if she was trying to comfort herself or her subordinates.
Meanwhile, Clay secured two lumps of plasticine to the ends of a long wire and let out a long breath. "I'll leave the rest to you."
Jack removed his gloves and blew warm air onto his palms, reddened by the liquid nitrogen. He rubbed them vigorously, then picked up the lockpicking tools he had prepared. "You can retreat now."
"Are you sure?" Clay placed a spare pair of heavy-duty pliers at his feet, hesitant.
"Go!" Jack ignored him, unsheathing the lockpicking tools he had prepared and inserting them into the mechanical keyhole.
Clay quickly stepped out of the door and gestured with his hand. Two blasting specialists, also in explosion-proof suits, immediately advanced with a canister, opened the lid, and stood ready.
"Woo-woo-woo," Alice trembled with nervousness, unable to suppress a low sob until she felt a soft click behind her head. Her neck relaxed, and she felt herself about to collapse.
"Don't move!" Jack, prepared for this, quickly grabbed her shoulders and helped her sit back down, himself breaking into a cold sweat.
"It's not over yet. I'm taking it off now. You can't run until I tell you to, understand?"
Alice didn't dare nod, not even the slightest movement, and could only blink frantically.
He pried the collar loose, then slowly removed it from her head from bottom to top. Jack cut the restraints on her hands with a knife and shouted, "Run, Alice, run to the square!"
Alice whimpered softly, and as she stood up, she overturned the chair with the noise, startling not only herself but also Wags, who was sitting on the ground nearby.
Under the expectant eyes of the onlookers, Alice scrambled out of the federal building and fell into the arms of Aubrey, who rushed to meet her. Aubrey quickly protected her and walked her out of the blockade.
Everyone's attention instantly focused on Jack, slowly exiting the building with the collar bomb in hand. Some fearless reporters and photographers even leaned halfway over the cordon to find a better angle.
Jack continued to walk at a leisurely pace. A pin drop could be heard throughout the square. Police lights flashed, and sirens had long been silenced. Everyone held their breath, their gaze fixed on the collar bomb in his hand.
"Two minutes left," Clay, who had been waiting by the blast tank, said with unwavering composure, though his blast suit was already drenched.
Jack's condition wasn't much better; he could even hear the gurgling of sweat through his sweat-soaked shoes and socks as he walked.
As the collar bomb was slowly lowered into the blast tank, two explosives experts slammed the lid shut, each dragging Jack and Clay away.
"Did we forget something?" Jack asked Clay, panting as he slumped down by the cordon, pulling open the helmet of his blast suit.
"?"
Clay was confused. Then, both of them looked in horror at the drug lord, Vargas, who was handcuffed to the railings and struggling and shouting, just a dozen meters away from the explosion-proof tank.
Unfortunately, through the thick glass curtain wall and the automatically closing glass doors of the building, no one could hear him, or even notice him.
The next second, "Bang!"
(End of Chapter)