Returning to the ogre's gold-panning hut by the river, everything seemed as usual, except for the five corpses on the ground that had been partially eaten by wild animals.
Jack suppressed his nausea and used an iron hook to drag all the remains into the wooden house. He then took a barrel of gasoline from the back of the Wrangler and poured it inside and outside the house.
Jessie wasn't idle either. She helped clear the flammable materials around the hut. The clearing was not small, slightly larger than a football field. To ensure safety, they wanted to prevent the flames from spreading to the forest if the helicopter's downwash caused the fire to spread.
Seeing that it was about time, Jack lit a branch and threw it into the wooden house from a distance. Flames shot up instantly, and the hut turned into a torch. With crackling sounds, a black column of smoke rose into the sky, giving a sense of evil being cleansed.
"Jessie, get in the car."
Jack started the Wrangler and waved to Jessie. The girl hopped into the passenger seat, smiling, and kissed him on the lips.
Jack floored the gas pedal and headed to the small hill they had come from yesterday. If there were some background music, coupled with the flames roaring behind them, it would feel like a scene from a Hollywood movie, with a couple on the run.
The small hill was only about a hundred meters from the forest clearing. After crossing the ridge, Jack stopped the car, took Jessie's hand, and returned to the top of the hill, hiding behind the rock they had used for cover the previous day, ready to wait for backup.
This was Plan A. Plan B was to drive along the riverbank if the SEALs didn't arrive in time and there were too many ogres.
Fortunately, there were no unexpected developments. In less than five minutes, a Black Hawk helicopter carrying rocket pods flew in from low altitude.
Contrary to the plan, the Black Hawk didn't land after spotting the two on the hill but hovered behind them, dropping ropes. Four fully armed SEALs rappelled down.
"Jack Tavoller?"
The leader, a man with a bushy beard and a fierce look, resembled the Booth Jack remembered but radiated an air of lethal professionalism.
Due to the helicopter noise, he yelled into Jack's ear.
"Yes, Jason Hayes?" Jack proactively shook his hand.
"Call me Jason. Here, this is for you."
Jason didn't waste words. He took off a multi-purpose backpack from his shoulder, which also had an HK417 with a 16-inch barrel and a bulletproof vest attached.
"A drone spotted two civilian vehicles on a forest road 10 miles away. We have guests. Let's deal with them first."
Jason indicated for Jack to open the backpack.
Inside was a complete set of tactical gear and ammunition, including a Fast tactical helmet, a Comtac-I headset, and a pair of Gatorz tactical goggles.
"Have the civilian evacuate temporarily. Alpha-5 needs to leave for a while. The higher-ups want no one left alive. We need to set up an ambush."
Jason continued yelling before waving to his team. Two team members nodded, ran down the hill, and began setting up.
Jack quickly nodded to show he understood. He removed the stock from his FK7.5, stuffed the stock and his vest into a backpack, and handed it to Jessie, gesturing toward the hovering Black Hawk.
"Be careful!"
Jessie yelled into his ear before giving him a fierce kiss. She then followed the last SEAL, put on a harness, and was lifted up.
Two more SEALs were in the open helicopter cabin. They secured Jessie, made a hand signal to those below, and the helicopter quickly flew away, maintaining treetop height.
Jack swiftly donned his gear, shouldered the backpack, attached a red dot sight to the HK417, checked it again, and then signaled Jason that he was ready.
Jason, seeing his efficient movements, nodded in satisfaction. "FBI's David said you're the best cop he's ever seen. But no matter what, you must strictly follow my orders in battle. Understood?"
Jack gave another OK sign. He had no intention of showing off in front of the SEALs. These were trained killers with comrades who had faced life and death together. It was already good enough they didn't leave him in a safe spot to just listen to gunfire.
Following Jason's arrangements, the three SEALs dispersed and concealed themselves. One by the river on the left, two in the forest on the right. Jack stayed by Jason's side, both hiding behind the rock on the hill, the same spot where Jack and Jessie had ambushed yesterday.
The ogre's hut was still burning fiercely. With no wind, the black smoke rose straight into the sky, like bait attracting "moths."
Soon, the sound of engines, comparable to tractors, came from the forest. Two battered Toyota pickups, similar to the one Jack had seen at the gas station, emerged on the forest road.
A total of ten ogres were in the two pickups. As they saw the burning hut and shouted angrily, jumping off the vehicles, Jack heard Jason's order through his earpiece.
"Open fire."
With the sound of two Claymore explosions, everyone emerged from their hiding spots, almost simultaneously pulling their triggers.
It seemed only a few breaths had passed. Jack had only fired two short bursts when he realized there were no more moving targets in front of him.
"Advance and search."
Following the captain's order, the three SEALs converged, each shooting the heads of every corpse they passed.
Jack followed Jason, marveling silently at their efficiency. These were indeed professional killing machines.
He hadn't done too badly either, managing to score one kill. The driver of the first pickup was his target.
"What the hell are these things?"
After checking the battlefield, the SEALs were thoroughly disgusted. One of them pulled down his mask, spat on the ground, and complained loudly.
Another, who looked younger, seemed a bit dazed. He touched a scratch on his left shoulder from an arrow and murmured, "I hit his chest at least three times."
Though the battle ended quickly, a few of the pain-immune ogres still managed to fight back before being killed. At least four fired a shot or loosed an arrow even while riddled with bullets, though they caused no injuries.
Jason glared at him but didn't say much due to Jack's presence.
Jack pointed to his head. "Aim for the head. These things are like zombies, insensitive to pain."
"Ray, call Alpha-5 back. We need to wait for further instructions."
Jason instructed another long-faced SEAL with an even bushier beard.
Soon, the Black Hawk that had just left returned and landed in the clearing. As soon as it stopped, Jessie eagerly jumped out.
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