Jack didn't linger in the hall. Although he was wearing a hood and avoiding surveillance cameras as much as possible, even wearing specially designed thick-soled shoes, he didn't want to be too conspicuous.
They had no intention of disrupting the surveillance; on the contrary, they were deliberately exposing themselves to it. Although everyone had adopted a certain degree of disguise, it was just a trick of covering one's ears and stealing the bell.
This seemingly reckless raid was not only intended to obtain internal information about "New Age Technology", but also to deliberately expose the special investigators to the enemy.
How to conceal their identities to the mastermind naturally relied on Reacher's extraordinary stature. Therefore, for now, everyone else was a supporting role, the only protagonist being the large man whose identity was immediately recognizable even under the hood.
After using beanbag rounds to eliminate the two hastily arriving security guards, Jack left the "New Age Technology" office building and ran at full speed. The SUV they abandoned was also a clue; the evacuation vehicle was parked two kilometers away.
Although Dixon had rented the Hyundai SUV under a false identity, a careful search would reveal that the fake identity led to the investigative firm where she currently worked.
Given the investigative materials they had previously found in the car of the professional killer, Trevor Saropian, Jack and Reacher believed this wouldn't be difficult for the mastermind.
The SUV that received the call was Negley's black Range Rover. Jack sat in the driver's seat and checked the time. At the 11th minute, O'Donnell hurried in carrying a large bag. At the 15th minute, Negley and Dixon, breathlessly carrying two large bags of hard drives, plunged into the back of the car.
"Where's the big guy?" Jack glanced in the rearview mirror, but couldn't see Reacher.
"I don't know, but he told us not to wait for him." Dixon smiled broadly after removing her hood, as if she hadn't just robbed a defense company but had snagged a long-desired item during the Black Friday shopping spree.
"We should go," O'Donnell urged.
Jack squinted at the three men. "Are you sure?"
"I didn't want to leave either, but he said seriously before we left that it was an order. I won't disobey the colonel. If he says go, we have to go." Negley's face was serious, and the others nodded repeatedly.
Are these ex-soldiers so rigid? They've made all the arrangements, and even if it takes more than 15 minutes, the NYPD won't take any real action.
Hearing the sirens in the distance, Jack subconsciously released the parking brake. Just seconds after he stepped on the accelerator, the Range Rover had barely 20 meters away when a figure like a giant bear crashed through the parking lot fence and rushed onto the road.
Jack, always watching the rearview mirror, hit the brakes, and the Range Rover came to a stop, leaving two long ruts.
Reacher opened the passenger door and stepped inside. Pulling off his ski mask, he could see his hair was drenched in sweat. "I can't believe you're planning to abandon me,"
Jack said, his mouth agape. Then, looking back at the three chuckling special investigators, he shook his head speechlessly. "What a bunch of idiots."
On a hilly slope not far from Brooklyn's industrial district lies Green-Wood Cemetery, a 478-acre cemetery with nearly 200 years of history.
It was early morning, and everyone, dressed in black formal attire, stood solemnly. Before them lay a coffin draped in the American flag.
On a shelf next to the statue of the Virgin Mary, a large photograph of Calvin Franz in military uniform stood before the banner, accompanied by several wreaths of fresh flowers.
Franz's wife, Angela, held a red rose, her eyes mourning as she gazed at her husband's coffin. Their still-inexperienced son, Mikey, stood beside her, his expression uneasy, his small hands clinging to the hem of his mother's black trench coat.
Six soldiers in Army uniforms lined up on either side of the coffin, and a priest began chanting, "We lay Calvin Franz to rest, dust to dust, earth to earth, may the deceased rest in peace, and the living find freedom. Aye."
Among the relatives attending the funeral were also believers. When the priest finished chanting, they all made the sign of the cross.
The priest stepped aside, and a commander walked to the front of the coffin and saluted solemnly. At the same time, the special investigators, led by Reacher, straightened their bodies and raised their right hands to salute.
The Army soldiers on either side of the coffin leaned over simultaneously, picked up the American flag on the coffin, and pulled it straight.
"Firearmers, stand at attention!"
"Stand by."
"Ready!"
"Raise!"
With each successive command, seven Army soldiers nearby pointed their M1 carbines skyward.
"Fire!" With a single command, blank rounds were fired, and the crisp crack of gunfire echoed across the cemetery, startling a flock of crows.
"Ready!"
"Raise!"
The command rang out again, repeating the entire process 21 times.
Jack, not a soldier, didn't need to salute. As he bowed his head in silence, he felt a surge of unease. He instinctively looked up at the end of the road.
There, parked his Hellcat, were Jiejie and Hannah, who had been secretly protecting Franz and his son for the past few days.
The Hellcat's door suddenly opened, and Hannah and Jiejie jumped out, Noveske N4 assault rifles in hand, pointing them toward the other side of the cemetery. Jack's eyelids jumped, and he followed the direction of their rifles to a corner of the cemetery, where a bush swayed even without wind.
"Get down!"
Jack pushed Reacher hard. The large man only staggered slightly, but he used the reverse momentum to tackle the mother and child on the other side.
Almost instantly, a bullet whizzed in, shattering the glass frame of Calvin Franz's portrait.
Simultaneously, Jiejie and Hannah opened fire with their Noveske N4s, firing in bursts, not aiming to hit, but simply to draw the attacker's fire.
Gunfire erupted in an instant. Although the Noveske N4, like the assault rifles used by the attackers, belongs to the AR family, its subsonic bullets have a slightly muffled sound when fired, making it easy for Jack to distinguish them.
Although the number of attackers was unclear, it was clear there were more than two, as Jiejie and Hannah were quickly pinned behind the car, unable to raise their heads. The intense gunfire instantly transformed the funeral into a battlefield.
Thanks to their quick reaction, however, they forced the attackers to fire back after only a single shot, and no casualties were reported at the funeral.
Franz's friends and family came to mourn, numbering about thirty or forty. Besides special investigators like Reacher, there were also several retired military personnel.
There were also a dozen or so honor guards who attended the funeral, but they were unarmed. Their ceremonial M1 carbines were loaded with blanks.
The advantage of having soldiers on the scene was that the crowd could be evacuated promptly and in an orderly manner. Jack, protecting Franz's wife and children, hid behind an old tree so thick it took three people to hug it. Soon, a soldier and a relative rushed to their aid, fearless of their own safety. "Get them out of here!" Jack shouted, handing his sidearm to the soldier.
He then pulled his FK7.5 from his waistband and untied the specially designed folding stock from his belt. The special accessories on his spare gun hadn't been used in a long time. The last time he had used the spoon-shaped folding stock was against those inhuman "ogres."
(End of Chapter)