"Haha, I just can't imagine how you'd draw that handgun when you need it," Jack joked freely with Angela, now very familiar with her.
The Beretta 950 had a very cute design. This miniature handgun was almost exclusively a self-defense weapon for women, which was completely at odds with Angela's usual tough-girl image.
"If you like, I don't mind trading it for your Python. I'll even show you how to draw it then," Angela said nonchalantly, puffing out her chest without treating Jack as an outsider.
"Maybe when I wear a skirt someday, I'll borrow it from you," Jack retorted, unaware he had set a flag for himself, thinking he was being humorous.
Three police cars entered the building's parking lot in sequence. Six officers got out, reorganizing their equipment. Tim tossed a bulletproof insert to Lucy, signaling her to gear up. Everyone seemed to be treating this seriously, leaving Lucy somewhat bewildered.
"Do we really need such a big show?" Lucy asked, struggling to insert the plate into her vest.
Tim asked her seriously, "Do you know why this place is called the Bronson Building?"
"Isn't it just named after someone named Bronson?"
Angela, who had also fitted her bulletproof insert, glanced at Jack's belt filled with revolver loaders and then at the naive Lucy, shaking her head secretly before explaining, "No, have you seen that old movie from the '70s, 'Death Wish'? It's based on a story here, starring Charles Bronson. Ever since, any cop brave enough to come here is seen as the movie's protagonist."
"This year, Bruce Willis starred in a remake of that movie. You should watch it; it's a great action film," Tim shrugged, closing the police car's trunk.
The six officers left the parking lot and headed toward the building entrance. Tim, the most experienced, took charge and assigned tasks: "Lucy and I will start checking from the third floor, Stephens (Hannah) and Bishop (Talia) will handle the second floor, and Tower (Jack) and Lopez (Angela) will sweep the first floor. Stay in radio contact and remain vigilant."
"Does this kind of search even work?" Jack questioned as he knocked on several residents' doors. Those who saw the police either slammed their doors shut or silently stared at him. Without a search warrant, they could do nothing, and the building's residents, mostly low-income individuals who were hostile to the police, left them feeling powerless.
Angela rolled her eyes, signaling him to continue. She had no better idea and could only hope to get lucky.
Soon, a call came over the radio: Lucy and Tim had found Cesia Olivo, the girlfriend of drug dealer Vance Marcus, in room 365 on the third floor. Angela breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to head towards the elevator, while Jack's nerves tightened, his hand reaching for his Glock, knowing things wouldn't be so simple.
Sure enough, just as Angela was about to press the elevator button, intense gunfire erupted from upstairs. It was the sound of automatic rifles, mixed with a few crisp Glock shots.
Jack's heart tightened. The gunfire was clear; it came from the second floor, where Hannah and Bishop were.
Angela grabbed the radio and called, "Hannah, we heard gunfire. What's your situation?" There was only chaotic electronic noise and no response. She thought the radio was broken and turned to look at Jack.
"The radio's jammed, and there's no cell signal," Jack said, shaking his phone.
"Damn it, the firepower upstairs is too strong. We'll use the stairs to support them," Angela decided, drawing her service pistol. Using the elevator would make them sitting ducks if someone ambushed them.
As they turned the corner, Angela, leading the way, was pulled back by Jack. "Careful." Before he finished speaking, two figures appeared in the corridor ahead, spraying bullets into the corner wall, sending concrete fragments flying.
From the moment the gunfire started, Jack's adrenaline had been pumping. With heightened concentration, he noticed every detail in his surroundings. When they turned the corner, he spotted the unusual shadows in the hallway, indicating an ambush. He acted swiftly, saving Angela.
After a burst of gunfire, the clicking sound of an empty magazine echoed from the other side. Jack peeked out and fired five or six shots.
"Damn, they're wearing body armor," Jack cursed. His shots had hit the attackers' chests, but they wore bulletproof vests. One assailant fell but continued trying to reload his Uzi.
Luckily, Angela leaned out and fired a precise shot to the head, killing him. The second attacker, seeing his companion down, screamed in panic, firing wildly as he retreated, trying to take cover.
The Uzi's rapid fire rate was both its strength and weakness. The inexperienced attacker emptied his magazine in less than two seconds. Jack and Angela fired simultaneously, taking him down at the corridor's corner.
"Reloading," Jack said, ejecting his half-empty magazine and replacing it with a full one. Angela maintained her shooting posture, covering him.
As Jack finished reloading, Angela pulled him back just in time. A loud bang followed, and steel pellets peppered the wall behind them, forming a semicircle and making Jack break into a cold sweat. The attackers had reinforcements.
Angela fired blindly, emptying a magazine, then pulled Jack back. "We need to get out of the hallway. They've got more than one shotgun."
Jack nodded. Facing shotguns in the corridor was terrifying; bulletproof vests couldn't protect their heads, limbs, and lower bodies. He quickly moved towards the other end of the corridor.
The building was like a maze with many rooms on each floor and twisting corridors. They cautiously advanced, covering each other until they temporarily lost their pursuers.
"Cover me," Angela said, squatting by a room door at the corridor's end and taking out two small tools to pick the lock.
"You can do that? You'll have to teach me sometime," Jack said, impressed by the multifaceted American police skills.
"Let's get out of here alive first," Angela said, swiftly unlocking the door. They entered the room, closing the door gently as footsteps echoed in the hallway.
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