Rappelling Assault 0073

As soon as the assault vehicle ascended onto the overpass, Hou Rui and the others found their field of view expanding dramatically. Yet, on the narrow lanes of one bridge after another, they still could not catch a glimpse of the target vehicle.

“Don’t worry, maybe a large vehicle is blocking their view,” Hou Rui tried to reassure Tie, noticing the anxiety creeping onto his face.

“Are you kidding me? If the navigation on the phone is correct, we’re no more than three hundred meters from the target car. How could we not see it at all?” The wolfman, once so confident and unruffled, was now bristling with agitation as he retorted.

Ignoring the argument behind him, Tie kept his eyes glued to the phone screen. When he saw the green triangle just fifty meters from the red skull, he spoke with conviction: “If we can’t see them at this distance, there’s only one explanation left.”

“What is it? Out with it!”

“The target is underneath the bridge, directly below us. The body of the overpass is blocking our line of sight.” As soon as Tie said this, Lux was the first to stick her head out the window. In the blink of an eye, she leaned so far out that her whole upper body dangled over the guardrail, craning her neck to just barely glimpse the long stream of cars beneath the bridge.

“I see it! There!” Lux shouted, excitement bubbling in her voice, but her tone quickly shifted to alarm. “Not good—an assault vehicle has already intercepted the target. They’ve linked up with the Hong Kong police after all.”

With a screech, Tie slammed on the brakes, the force nearly hurling Lux out the window. Thankfully, the wolfman reacted swiftly, yanking her back to safety.

“Out! We’re attacking from the bridge,” Tie commanded as he leapt out of the driver’s seat. Leaning over the rail, he spied Minister Mohammed’s armored car forming a T with a police assault vehicle. Forty-five fully armed officers had formed a perimeter around the armored car, but the traffic jam on this stretch of road was so severe that the police couldn’t immediately escort the minister away.

“We’ll use ropes,” suggested the wolfman.

“You go first. Mad Dog and Three Seconds will follow in the second wave. I’ll provide cover and guidance from above,” Tie decided in a flash, laying out the order of attack.

“Mad Dog, give me the rope!” The wolfman nodded toward Hou Rui and barked out the command.

Hou Rui immediately handed over a thick coil of rope from the assault vehicle. The wolfman secured one end around his waist, deftly tying a couple of knots. Hou Rui and Lux grabbed the other end, bracing themselves to help control his descent.

Meanwhile, Tie placed his 5 atop the overpass railing for stability. Though he didn’t have his favored sniper rifle, within two hundred meters he could still provide effective long-range suppressive fire. Once ready, he turned and gave Hou Rui’s group a thumbs-up. The wolfman nodded back, took a running start, and in a rush of wind, leapt from the overpass.

The bridge stood about a hundred and twelve meters above the ground. In a flash, the wolfman plummeted most of that height. The force of his descent yanked Hou Rui and Lux forward, but they held fast, leaning back with all their strength to slow his fall and keep him from crashing to the ground in pieces.

With a sharp hiss as the rope scraped the railing, the wolfman landed on his feet. He crouched to absorb the impact, rolled, and came up behind a uniformed Hong Kong officer.

“Sorry, friend, I need your body for a bit,” the wolfman intoned coolly. With a practiced motion, he whipped the rope off his waist, looped it over the officer’s neck, and pulled tight. Then, his 5 barked to life, dropping a nearby policeman in an instant.

The rest of the officers scattered, diving for cover behind cars and opening fire on the wolfman. Bullets ricocheted off the metal around him, forcing him to retreat behind a minibus.

Meanwhile, the short bodyguard inside the armored car, seeing the chaos, gritted his teeth and helped Minister Mohammed make a break for a distant building.

The staccato of the 5 echoed down the street as the wolfman and the armed police exchanged fire.

The officer caught in the loop of rope was kicked aside. As he struggled to free himself, he suddenly felt the rope tighten. An irresistible force yanked him upward, lifting him clear off the ground and hauling him toward the bridge above.

It was Hou Rui and Lux, jumping down side by side, using the officer’s weight as a buffer to descend quickly and efficiently from the overpass. As soon as they let go of the rope, the lifeless officer’s body crashed heavily to the pavement.

From above, Tie fired as well, his shot killing the commanding officer on the spot. Now only two police officers remained, barely a threat.

“Headquarters, headquarters, this is Team 201—we’re under attack on Wenlin Street, requesting immediate backup!” one of the officers shouted from behind the assault vehicle, just before the wolfman targeted him. A burst of 5 rounds struck the rear of the vehicle, forcing the officer to duck away.

But as he peeked out again to return fire, Lux demonstrated her deadly aim—four shots in a single second, all hitting the officer square in the chest and throwing him backwards in a star shape.

Only one officer remained, posing little danger. From above, Tie shouted, “Mad Dog, finish the target!”

Without a word, Hou Rui dashed toward the distant building, intent on delivering the final blow to their mission objective. The last policeman, summoning his courage, fired two shots at Hou Rui’s back, but luck was with Hou Rui; the bullets whizzed past, only causing him to duck his head as he ran.

The officer, however, was not so lucky. Just as he tried to duck back into cover, Tie, waiting patiently above, fired and cleanly shot him in the head, eliminating the last obstacle.

“You go ahead, I’ll catch up,” Tie called down, slinging his 5 over his shoulder and grabbing the rope to descend from the bridge. He shouted to the wolfman and Lux below as he prepared to follow.

The wolfman hurriedly picked up spare magazines from the fallen officers and set off with Lux in pursuit of the fleeing minister.

No sooner had Tie reached the ground than another assault vehicle arrived at the scene, slipping through an alley just a few hundred meters away. Two squads of black-clad, masked Flying Tigers fanned out, advancing swiftly between the gaps in the stalled cars to encircle the area.

“Damn it, just a little too late,” Tie muttered as he surveyed the situation. Spotting an unused assault vehicle, his eyes lit up and he sprinted toward it, ducking behind it for cover.

He raised his 5 and smashed the metal butt against the fuel tank cap until it popped open. Quickly, he grabbed a fallen officer’s beret, stuffed it into the tank opening, and lit the exposed end with a lighter. Satisfied as the beret caught fire, he leaned out and opened fire on the advancing Flying Tigers.

A volley of bullets struck the lead officer’s ballistic shield, forcing the squad to slow their approach and buying Tie a precious moment. He swung his gun around and sprayed the other squad, riddling their cover vehicle with holes and forcing them to crouch behind it.

Casting one last look at the burning beret, Tie knew he’d accomplished his goal. He slung his weapon and turned to flee—but he’d lost too much time. After just a few steps, a gunshot rang out and he was hit square in the back, crashing to the ground and sending his 5 spinning from his grasp.

Four hundred meters away, a Flying Tigers sniper quickly chambered another round while his spotter reported through binoculars, “Target hit, appears incapacitated.”

“Move! Move! Move!” the squad commander shouted, determined not to let any of the attackers escape. The police had found nothing but the charred remains of hostages in the double-decker bus outside the government building—not a single attacker. Now that they finally had one cornered, he was determined not to let him get away.

“Heh, just my luck,” Tie muttered, struggling to roll onto his back. Blood seeped from his mouth, nose, and eyes; the bullet had torn through his lung. With the Flying Tigers closing in, he knew there was no hope of escape. At least, he thought, he’d never have to listen to his fool of a boss again.