Jack's volunteering to harass the armed militants was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Firstly, he considered the terrain. Palang, referred to as a town, was smaller than a village in Celis. It stretched along the coast, narrow from east to west, with the south facing the sea and slightly higher terrain to the north.
The main road ran directly from the north to the town center, meaning that from the northern entrance of the town, one could clearly see the town square less than two kilometers away. Conveniently, his Barrett M107A1 had an effective range of two kilometers against light armor, and he had plenty of ammunition.
Psychologically, the leader of the "Abu Sayyaf" group on Holo Island, Raduran Shasilun, already considered the foreigners from the crashed plane at the abandoned mine his prizes. Although his initial team was severely beaten and his trusted lieutenant killed, the survivors provided enough intelligence.
Shasilun's opponents seemed elite but were few in number and lacked heavy weapons and sustained firepower (since Shebek had not revealed the machine gun's presence). Shasilun's plan was predictable: he would amass enough forces to besiege the mine, using the jungle for cover. With ten times their number, he believed victory was assured.
Jack figured that no matter how cunning the old man was, he wouldn't expect them to go on the offensive, launching a surprise attack on his base twenty kilometers away. Sure enough, when the green Nissan pickup truck reached the outskirts of Palang, the sentries on the lookout tower were oblivious, thinking it was their own vehicle.
"Stop here," Jack instructed. Gaspare released the accelerator, pulled the handbrake, and spun the steering wheel, causing the truck to skid, raising a cloud of dust as it made a 180-degree turn and came to a halt.
"Don't kill the engine," Jack reminded, climbing out the window like a monkey, agilely getting onto the roof. "Wow, Jackie Chan?" Gaspare exclaimed, watching as Jack jumped into the truck bed, pulled out the Barrett, and mounted it on the gun stand.
The longest recorded sniper kill in the world was 3,450 meters, with the second and third longest at around 2,400 meters. These required precise calculations considering wind, gravity, and ballistics. Jack didn't need such precision; he had skill assistance and was using an anti-materiel rifle. His focus was not on sniping but on causing maximum disruption.
"Bang!"
The first shot killed a sentry less than 50 meters away, his head exploding in a red mist. His decapitated body fell from the 10-meter-high wooden watchtower.
"Bang, bang, bang."
Continuous booming shots followed. From Jack's position, he couldn't see the one-armed old man giving a speech, but the gathered crowd was clear through the 10x Unertl scope. Due to the downward angle, the 12.7x99 mm NATO rounds pierced through multiple bodies before burying themselves in the ground. This was enough; Jack didn't need top-level precision, just to fire quickly into the crowd.
The overpowered large-caliber bullets wreaked havoc in the small square. Many didn't know what hit them as the bullets ripped through multiple bodies. If he had used an M2 heavy machine gun, the recoil and distance might have reduced his efficiency compared to the Barrett.
In less than 15 seconds, Jack emptied two ten-round magazines. The militants in the town were still clueless about the attack's origin. The town square became a scene of chaos and carnage, with limbs flying and blood splattering everywhere. The ground was like a canvas splattered with red paint, as if an invisible brush was painting it with each shot.
Jack loaded a sixth magazine and healed himself. The people in the square finally reacted, fleeing in panic. After emptying another magazine, he switched to a different type of ammo and took a break. Even with his current physique, the continuous recoil from the anti-materiel rifle was exhausting.
Unlike the M2 heavy machine gun, the Barrett wasn't welded to the mount, so it didn't absorb the recoil. Gaspare, watching in awe from the driver's seat, knew this. He had experience with .50 caliber rifles, but firing at Jack's rate would have shattered his collarbone.
"Are you alright? Do you want me to drive?" Gaspare asked, seeing the chaos in the town and expecting a chase soon.
"I'm fine. Just be ready to drive," Jack replied, cracking his neck and aiming at the first pickup truck emerging from the town.
"Bang!"
A green-tipped armor-piercing incendiary round hit the engine, setting it ablaze. "Damn, I missed," Jack muttered. He aimed for the driver, knowing that the Norwegian-made NAMMO NM140 MP multipurpose round, adopted by the US military as the Raufoss Mk.211 API, would have devastating effects on light armor.
Despite the missed shot, the incendiary effect on the engine caused enough havoc, buying them precious time. Jack continued to fire, creating a scene of chaos and destruction, fulfilling his role as a hero among bullets.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
Get 33% off all subscription levels from Jan 10–17! Use code: CF4C2