Chapter 122: Siege of the Island
The afternoon sun blazed over Paradise Island, bleaching the sand white and turning the sea into a sheet of dazzling gold.
Along the pier, the men of drug lord Diego Sanchez busily loaded supplies onto several boats. Crates of ammunition, fuel drums, sacks of rice and flour, and even cases of red wine scavenged from the island's cellar were hauled aboard.
Their mission was simple: search the coastline for the stolen speedboat and track down the three escapees who had fled the island.
A bald, muscular man carried a crate of ammunition across the dock. The wooden planks creaked beneath his weight as he walked.
Reaching one of the boats, he tossed the crate into the cargo hold and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then he heard it.
Not waves.
Not seagulls.
Rotors.
A lot of rotors.
He squinted toward the northern sky.
Eleven black dots emerged from beneath the clouds, flying in a wedge formation.
They grew larger with every second.
The roar of their engines echoed across the island, shaking the pebbles along the shoreline.
The bald man froze.
Then his eyes widened.
He threw away his cigarette and sprinted toward the beach.
"Sound the alarm! Air raid!"
A hand-cranked siren began screaming across the island.
The shrill wail shattered the afternoon calm.
Workers dropped everything and ran toward shelters.
Men on the dock dove into the sea and swam desperately toward shore.
Several boats immediately started their engines, attempting to flee the harbor.
But they were too late.
One of the approaching Ospreys peeled away from the formation and descended.
The cannon beneath its nose began spinning.
A stream of fire erupted.
Explosive rounds ripped across the beach in a devastating line, stretching from the pier to the palm groves.
Sand and debris exploded into the air, tearing through fleeing men like shrapnel.
A speedboat leaving the harbor took a direct hit.
Its fuel tank detonated instantly.
Flames shot into the sky as wreckage rained into the sea.
Another cargo vessel was struck by a rocket before it could cast off its mooring lines.
A massive hole appeared in its hull.
Seawater flooded inside.
The ship tilted sharply as crates of ammunition slid off the deck and disappeared beneath the waves.
---
The first Osprey hovered above the beach.
Its side door slid open.
A rope ladder dropped.
Black-clad clone soldiers descended with astonishing speed.
The moment their boots touched the sand, the ladders retracted automatically.
The soldiers spread out in a fan-shaped formation.
AUG rifles rested against their shoulders as they advanced toward the palm grove.
Suddenly, machine-gun fire erupted from defensive bunkers hidden behind sandbag walls.
Bullets tore through the beach.
Sand exploded everywhere.
Several clone soldiers were hit and collapsed.
Blood seeped through their black coats and stained the white sand beneath them.
The soldiers behind them never slowed.
They stepped over the fallen and continued forward with the same relentless pace.
A second Osprey arrived above the palm grove.
More soldiers descended directly into the trees, bushes, and behind enemy fortifications.
The defenders remained focused on the troops attacking from the front.
None of them noticed the soldiers already behind them.
Gunfire erupted.
Short.
Precise.
Deadly.
Each shot struck the back of a defender's head.
One by one, the machine guns fell silent.
Hands dangled lifelessly from firing ports.
The bunkers had been cleared.
---
Another Osprey swooped low, preparing to land near the pier.
A rocket suddenly streaked out from the palm grove.
The missile struck the aircraft's right side.
A violent explosion shook the sky.
Black smoke poured from the damaged engine.
The rotor speed dropped dramatically.
The pilot gritted his teeth and fought the controls.
The crippled aircraft slammed onto the beach, carving a deep trench through the sand before crashing into a large rock.
The side door burst open.
Soldiers stumbled out.
Some limped.
Some clutched bleeding wounds.
Others were dragged out already dead.
Taking cover on the beach, they immediately returned fire.
---
Then Hunk arrived.
Dropping from another Osprey, his boots landed softly on the sand.
Without hesitation, he advanced toward the palm grove.
His pace was calm and steady.
Bullets flew past him.
One struck the sand behind him.
Another passed close to his head.
He never ducked.
Never ran.
Never changed his pace.
It looked less like a battlefield and more like a casual stroll.
A sniper peeked from behind a palm tree.
Bang.
The man's head snapped sideways.
His body collapsed into the bushes.
Another fighter rushed out firing wildly.
Hunk crouched.
The bullets whistled overhead.
He rose and fired once.
The attacker fell.
Another appeared.
Bang.
Another body hit the ground.
Every shot was lethal.
Every bullet found its target.
Every target died.
Where Hunk walked, corpses marked his path.
Before long, the gunfire in the palm grove faded away.
Then it stopped completely.
The surviving defenders broke and ran.
They abandoned rifles, backpacks, and anything that slowed them down.
Their destination was the hotel at the far end of the island.
Hunk watched them flee.
Calmly replacing his magazine, he turned and headed toward the crashed Osprey.
The pilot had already climbed from the wreckage.
Blood covered his face, but he remained standing.
Hunk glanced at the aircraft.
"Can it be repaired?"
The pilot shook his head.
"The right rotor is destroyed. The engine's finished too."
Hunk nodded and raised his radio.
"Boss, the island's armed resistance has been defeated. Thirteen soldiers killed. One Osprey lost beyond repair. The enemy has retreated into the hotel. Their equipment appears military-grade."
A moment of silence followed.
Then Wu Fan's voice came through the radio.
"Clear the hotel. Bring back anyone worth interrogating. Kill the rest."
"Understood."
---
The white resort hotel stood beyond the palm grove.
Once the most luxurious destination on Paradise Island, it had become Diego Sanchez's fortress.
The gates were sealed shut.
Steel plates covered the windows.
Only narrow firing slits remained.
Hunk approached the entrance.
Stopping before the heavy oak doors, he pulled a flashbang grenade from his belt.
He removed the pin and rolled it through a gap beneath the door.
A blinding flash erupted inside.
A split second later came the explosion.
Boom!
Hunk pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
The lobby was dark.
Curtains blocked most of the sunlight.
Several armed men lay on the floor clutching their eyes and screaming in pain.
Their weapons lay scattered beside them.
Hunk ignored them.
Rifle raised, he moved toward the staircase.
Footsteps echoed from the second-floor corridor.
Fast.
Panicked.
He pressed himself against the wall and waited.
The first man rounded the corner.
Bang.
The bullet struck him directly in the forehead.
His body collapsed.
The men behind him crashed into the corpse and stumbled.
Before they could recover—
Bang.
Another body fell.
---
At the end of the corridor stood an ornate oak door with a polished gold handle.
Hunk kicked it open.
Inside stood Diego Sanchez.
The drug lord gripped a silver pistol.
The barrel pointed directly at the doorway.
The moment Hunk entered, Diego fired.
The bullet struck Hunk's body armor.
Hunk barely reacted.
Diego fired again.
This shot tore through Hunk's shoulder coat.
Still, Hunk kept walking.
Panic appeared in Diego's eyes.
Hunk reached him.
He grabbed Diego's gun hand and twisted.
Crack!
Bone snapped.
The silver pistol clattered to the floor.
Diego screamed.
Swinging with his free hand, he tried to fight back.
Hunk blocked the punch effortlessly.
Then he drove a fist into Diego's face.
Blood sprayed.
Grabbing the man's collar, Hunk lifted him off the ground and slammed him against the wall.
Diego's feet kicked helplessly in the air.
His strikes against Hunk felt like punches against steel.
"Who... who are you...?"
His voice trembled.
Hunk didn't answer.
He simply activated his radio.
"Boss, the hotel has been secured. The target is in custody."
Wu Fan's voice replied immediately.
"Gather all armed personnel on the island and transport them to the Hive's fourth underground level. Place them in the VIP holding area."
"As for the civilians, send them to Savannah. Give them work."
"Anyone who wishes to stay may stay."
"Anyone who wishes to leave gets food, water, and freedom to go."
"Understood."
Hunk put away the radio.
Then he looked at Diego Sanchez.
For the first time, he spoke directly to him.
"Let's go."
"Someone wants to see you."