"There are twelve armed guards patrolling the perimeter alone, and there are likely more inside. We only have two sniper rifles, and Clay and I need to join the assault team."
Jack lowered his binoculars, feeling the situation was becoming increasingly difficult. The patrols were secondary. The electric fences were topped with laser alarms every few dozen meters, and surveillance cameras were installed in strategic locations. Breaking through the perimeter quietly would be quite challenging.
"If your other sniper rifle isn't a massive Barrett, I might be able to temporarily take over as the sniper," Negley offered.
Jack didn't respond immediately, but instead looked at Reacher, who nodded without hesitation. "Besides Larry, Negley's marksmanship is the one I trust the most."
The Larry Reacher was referring to was the only black man in the Special Investigations Unit, who tragically passed away in a car accident a few years ago. Jack remembered that his records mentioned him winning best rifleman in an Army shooting competition.
"Hey, big guy," O'Donnell said, his voice suddenly unconvinced. "I'm a sharpshooter, too."
"You're just an average shooter at best," Reacher scoffed, completely disrespecting him.
"That's bullshit. Hey, Dixon, help me out. Back in Biloxi,"
O'Donnell said before Dixon burst into laughter. "That was pure idiotic luck. Normally, you wouldn't be able to hit a donkey at 20 meters."
"Go to hell, you bastards." O'Donnell shoved a bulletproof plate into his chest, then took the MDX508 from Jiejie and slung it across his back, then picked up a Noveske N4, also with a silencer.
These ex-army soldiers were truly careless, or perhaps they were used to seeing life and death, so they had the leisure to joke around at a time like this.
"Okay, Hannah and Negley will be the snipers. Take out as many patrolling security guards as possible before launching the operation. We'll handle the rest."
Luckily, we're all on our side here, so a little overkill won't be a problem. Jack thought as he moved quickly, handing Hannah's G28E sniper rifle to Negley.
While Hannah's figure was now trending towards Jiejie's urban ladylike style, losing her previously overly toned features, her inner strength had improved considerably. She was no longer the "weakling" woman whose shoulders couldn't withstand a few consecutive rounds from the Barrett rifle.
"The next problem is how we can disrupt their internal power supply. The Barrett rifle is equipped with .50 caliber armor-piercing incendiary rounds, which can easily destroy most facilities. However, the power distribution equipment is located on the north side, blocked by buildings.
If Hannah were to fire from other directions, there wouldn't be enough windows to provide cover."
Jack frowned as he looked at the southern gate. As Jubal had said, they were a bit short on numbers. Even with two or three more helpers, he wouldn't be so constrained.
"Did you forget we have a helper?" Reacher suddenly asked.
"What helper?" Jack was slightly taken aback. This wasn't an official mission. Although they had the dual endorsement of the FBI and DHS, they couldn't even mobilize SWAT at the moment.
The situation now was a bit like shooting first and then drawing circles. As long as they found the lost missiles and chips, even if they killed everyone, as long as the DHS could get the job done, they would be happy to help clean up the mess.
Just like Jack and Reacher had secretly recorded their conversation with Congressman Lavoie through the DHS wiretap, unless they could prove a connection between the "Little Wings" project and terrorism.
Otherwise, even if the congressman admitted to abusing his power and even accepting bribes during the project's operation, what would that mean?
If a federal senator could be brought down over such a trivial matter, then this country truly has great hope.
Thinking of Congressman Lavoie, Jack's eyes lit up, and he immediately remembered what he had said to Reacher and himself at the zoo.
"You mean for Congressman Lavoie to send his people? But it's almost 1 a.m., and there's still four hours left. Lanston will definitely leave early to deal with 'AM'. There won't be enough time, right?"
Reacher curled his lips. "Who knows? Doesn't the congressman pride himself on his efficiency? Besides, my job is to go in and buy time. Maybe his people can make it."
With that, he pulled out the anonymous phone Jack had given him earlier, the one he had stolen from a hit man's car in Atlantic City, and called Malcolm Lavoie.
After a series of transfers, the voice of a certain congressman finally came from the receiver, "Mr. Reacher?"
Reacher didn't even say a name, and asked directly, "You said I could call you for help at any time. Now I have the opportunity to solve all the troubles. Can you still keep this promise?"
"As long as you ask, I can meet your requirements 100% without any discount." Malcolm Lavoie obviously misunderstood something, as if he thought Reacher was asking him for a benefit.
"I need your personal bodyguards, those guys who are from the Rangers and Navy SEALs."
This request seemed a little unexpected to the congressman. He paused for several seconds before reacting, "Yes, that's right, two Navy SEALs and a Ranger."
"Great, I need them to appear at a location in Rockland County within two hours, is that possible?" Reacher asked.
There was another pause on the other end of the phone. Lavoie seemed to be confirming, and after a while he replied, "If all the troubles can be solved at once, there is no problem."
"Let your people contact me, I will send them the specific coordinates and inform them of the action plan."
As if realizing that Reacher was about to hang up the phone after finishing his business, Lavoie quickly spoke, "Listen Reacher, I know you think I'm an incompetent and despicable politician, but I was indeed just doing something good for this country."
Reacher kept the speaker on the whole time, and he couldn't help but look helpless when he heard such "heart-to-heart" words, while Jack, who was standing opposite him, was already picking his ears out of boredom.
"Yes, I did take some benefits from this, but everyone in Congress is involved in similar activities. I never imagined that this would lead to your friend's death. You must believe me."
Lavoie uttered a lot of nonsense with great confidence, but was finally interrupted by Reacher. "If you want to confess, it's best to find a priest. Now, have your people contact me as soon as possible."
"Perhaps we can try to give the congressman a 'chance'." After hanging up the phone, Jack winked and said in a sarcastic tone.
(End of this chapter)