"I'm a Capitol police officer! My daughter is in the bathroom outside! Please let me out to find her!"
The young man with military bearing tried to explain to the two agents at the door, but they completely ignored him. Instead, they drew their handguns, signaling everyone to stay put—no one was leaving the room.
Seeing even the Capitol police officer confined here, Charlie didn't volunteer to help. His status as an LAPD detective meant nothing here—no different from a civilian.
Bella and Natasha exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. How could they run into something this unlucky? You definitely infected me!
"The Secret Service agents are elite. They'll handle this." Natasha whispered in Bella's ear, meaning let's not do anything rash.
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the same as the United States. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee, it was best not to expose herself if possible.
Not to mention Bella, who still needed to maintain her persona as a pitiful, weak, and helpless female author. She had even less desire to reveal her abilities in front of everyone.
Both made silent decisions—continue playing background characters!
But soon neither could stay calm. Gunfire erupted within the White House. The two agents guarding the door looked anxious as their radios transmitted numerous screams. Each scream represented another guard's death.
The enemy had arrived! The enemy was in the White House!
The military-looking young man who'd introduced himself as Duke repeatedly demanded to be let out to find his daughter, but the two agents stubbornly refused to let him leave.
The remaining tourists were in emotional chaos, none knowing what was happening.
"I'll protect you all—stand behind me!" Charlie's tone wasn't entirely confident, but he still gathered his wife and daughters close.
The family of four had been through Prosperity Town's spider incident. They were relatively composed now—compared to that situation, things weren't too bad. Prosperity Town had delays, requests for leadership approval, meetings for discussion, dragging things out half the day before starting rescue operations. The White House wasn't Prosperity Town. The president was right here. Would they drag their feet too?
Their family remained calm. They'd wait!
Rescue didn't arrive. Instead, heavy footsteps suddenly rang out. The two agents at the door were clearly unprepared and overly rigid, still clinging to their precious regulations. They turned slowly, only to be cut down by a rapid burst of gunfire through the door.
Rifles! Bella's heart sank. Smuggling large quantities of weapons through Washington D.C. was extremely difficult. These bandits must have obtained their weapons from the White House armory itself, which meant most of the White House had already fallen.
The shattered door was kicked open as four armed bandits barged violently into the exhibition hall.
They wore body armor, military pants and boots, with radios strapped to their legs. Two held M4A1s, positioned front and back. The other two on the flanks carried UMP45 submachine guns. Four men in a standard combat formation.
Just from their movements, anyone could tell—these were well-trained U.S. military, or rather, rebel forces.
Bella pondered for a while but couldn't figure out which movie this scenario came from. There were many similar films, or maybe she'd never seen this one, or it was just a random incident. In her increasingly jaded worldview, assassinating an American president almost felt routine by now.
She gave her family meaningful looks: Let's be proactive. Never mind the others—let's run first!
Samantha and Natasha both had a bit of Russian character in their bones—namely, rashness! Being taken hostage by bandits really didn't suit their style. Three votes in favor, one abstention. Though Charlie felt it was risky, he decided to break out with his wife and daughters.
Charging head-on definitely wouldn't work. Bella couldn't summon her super-tank Pyramid Head in this situation. They needed strategy and timing.
The opportunity came quickly. The young man named Duke was desperate to find his daughter. As the bandits kicked open the door and tourists screamed in panic, he rolled to the side, grabbed a fallen agent's handgun, and bolted.
The four bandits weren't as calm as they appeared. Treason! That meant death penalty anywhere. Their hearts were deeply unsettled as they committed this act. They had a sense of burning their bridges. Seeing a hostage escape, they felt provoked. Without thinking, all four gun barrels swung toward Duke in a furious barrage.
Now! Bella's family of four suddenly exploded into action.
Four against four wasn't impossible to win. These bandits, however strong, were only on par with those French elites. If Bella and Natasha fought at full strength, they could take out a hundred like these!
But that would expose their abilities. The whole family simultaneously targeted the nearest bandit.
Bella slowed her pace, falling to the rear. She rapidly gathered psionic energy, launching an invisible, intangible Mind Blast.
Since her glamorous photos spread nationwide, her mental abilities had greatly increased. Her Mind Blast could now affect not just the primary target but also nearby enemies to some degree.
Those struck by Mind Blast would be dazed for quite a while, and the others would be stunned for a second or two—those crucial one or two seconds that decided victory or defeat.
All four bandits froze simultaneously.
Samantha, in the lead position, grabbed a fork from a nearby table and—thunk—jammed it into the side of the bandit's neck. Blood sprayed out over a meter.
Charlie took the opportunity to grab a fallen agent's handgun. Because Bella needed to cast, she fell back two steps. Natasha, not wanting her parents to see her special abilities, also held back.
The two sisters worked in perfect sync. No ice swords, no Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—they made their movements look clumsy. Together they grabbed the throat-stabbed bandit's right hand. As if jointly embracing him, they pulled the trigger all the way, holding the UMP45 and spraying a stream of bullets at the other three bandits.
Charlie urged his wife and daughters to run while firing at the enemy.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Rat-tat-tat!"
Gunfire merged into one continuous sound.
What the hell? The lethal threat snapped the three battle-hardened bandits awake.
No time to think—they instinctively dodged to both sides, but it was still too late. The unluckiest one, standing too far forward, took three shots to the head and died instantly. The other two sustained some injuries.
Their training was excellent. They didn't even glance at their wounds, dodging while returning fire. Bella's family of four was temporarily suppressed.