The captured AR15 was equipped with a silencer, so the gunshot wasn't deafening; instead, the clinking of bullets hitting the bulletproof shield was even louder.
Jack now regretted removing the laser pointer from his other AR15. It was useless to him, but for someone who didn't often use a long gun, it was a useful tool for beginners.
Ronik squeezed the trigger, aiming at the enemy. Sparks flew everywhere, but the two men hiding behind their shields didn't even have their health bars lit up.
Of course, it couldn't be said that they had no effect at all, because Jack seized the opportunity when he ran out of bullets and the enemy tried to counterattack, firing two three-round bursts in quick succession.
The bullets struck his shieldbearer's foot, and as he screamed and staggered, the second three-round burst blew his head off.
The shieldman, his face splattered with blood, desperately retreated, aiming his shield toward Jack to conceal himself. However, John, who had returned, seized the opportunity and unleashed two rounds of shotgun shells.
Like Jack, John aimed his gun downward, but unfortunately, in addition to his shield, John was also wearing a heavy riot gear and leg protectors.
While this high-strength plastic with a cushioning layer wouldn't protect against rifle rounds, it could easily block some of the shotgun damage. The shieldman grunted, his body lurching, but he managed to hold onto the shield.
Jack was about to fire again when a sudden, black whirlwind swept past him. Bishop, holding a lit bottle in one hand, rushed past him, blocking his line of fire.
"Sniper outside!" Jack's warning was barely finished when two improvised Molotov cocktails pelted him head-on. The alcohol trickled down his shield and body, burning everything it touched, instantly transforming the shieldman into a human torch.
The man instantly abandoned all thought, screaming and dropping his shield as he rushed out the door, tumbling headfirst into the snow.
Having received Jack's warning, Bishop didn't pursue him. Instead, he bent over and dragged his shieldbearer's body back, dragging it away from the doorway before he began to remove his equipment.
Two corrupted police officers also rushed out from across the street, providing covering fire while dragging the still-shrieking shieldbearer away.
But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Alex's scream rang out from the back corridor, followed by the crackle of the FN57 that Jack had given her.
Ronik and Jack turned and ran. After freeing the four prisoners, they had taken them to the evidence room, where they were assigned to find someone handy to guard the rear.
The blasted air vents in the holding area couldn't be sealed for a while, and there was a high probability that someone else would come in. With the front door already under pressure, this was the last resort.
They hadn't expected these guys to be so unreliable. Alex had an unconscious wounded man at her side, completely defenseless.
Before they could rush into the hallway, another explosion rang out. Jack and Ronik realized that Alex had just noticed movement outside, and her screams and shots were a warning.
Two stun grenades were thrown into the hallway, dodging the two who had just arrived. Ronik screamed and huddled on the ground in agony.
Jack's head was ringing, and his eyes were temporarily blinded. He fumbled to grab Ronik by the back of the collar and dragged him back to the corner of the hallway, but for a moment he was unable to move forward.
The large, black man, Bishop, arrived like a whirlwind again, this time armed with a confiscated AR-15.
"Stay here," Jack patted Ronik's shoulder, not caring if he could hear him clearly. He cast a healing spell on himself and stumbled after Bishop.
The two of them ran head-on into Alex, who was struggling to drag the black state trooper towards them.
This operation was truly difficult for the psychiatrist. The height and weight difference between the two men was enormous. Jack couldn't imagine how she managed to get a semi-conscious, burly man out of the office.
Bishop took the black state trooper from Alex and lifted him up with ease.
"Protect them," Jack said, feeling relieved that the two were safe. Without stopping, he bypassed the three and rushed into Alex's office.
"You idiot!"
"I told you to arrest me! You son of a bitch! And you're making me pay bail!"
"Smiley hates you cops, you bad guys!"
In the office, three prisoners were beating a black cop with a baseball bat, a hammer, and a rusty samurai sword.
Even in heavy riot gear, they couldn't withstand the onslaught. The black cop was beaten to the ground, and the drug addict raised the samurai sword and pierced his abdomen, leaving a bloody scene.
Even though he knew it was the three of them who saved Alex, the commotion still left Jack speechless. Something felt off.
Hearing someone enter, the three inmates turned around. Seeing it was Jack, the drug addict instinctively dropped his katana, feeling guilty.
"You did a good job," Jack said, unsure how to address the three. The black girl was fine, but Smiley and the drug addict looked like they were not particularly smart.
The corrupt officers were equipped similarly: an AR-15 and a pistol, with some miscellaneous items in their pockets.
Jack only took a smoke grenade and a stun grenade, sharing the rest among the three inmates. He also left a previously confiscated pistol to ensure they all had weapons.
"Yeah, I have a gun too!" The drug addict excitedly grabbed the AR-15, pulled the bolt, and ran out. Moments later, the sound of assault rifle fire echoed from upstairs, mingling with the drug addict's screams.
Jack wordlessly put away his three remaining spare magazines. Wasting bullets wasted only one magazine on his gun, so he didn't bother.
The separate offices on one side of the hallway were connected not only by the corridor but also by a small internal door. The three prisoners had just broken in through the adjacent office and succeeded in their ambush.
Jack had given one of the two bulletproof vests he had seized earlier to Ronik and had just taken off the other to John, asking him to continue guarding the front door. He continued his journey lightly, sneaking through the small doors connecting several offices and returning to the temporary holding area.
Judging from the way the corrupt cops had broken in, they had limited explosives. They had no real options in this sturdy old police station, and could only breach a few weak points through windows and other vulnerable areas.
So Jack had Blackie and Black Smiley remain in the office, guarding the corridor where the windows had been blown open, while he planned to head back to the holding area, the only unguarded opening there, where he might find something unexpected.
(End of Chapter)