Jack volunteered to help. As an LAPD officer, he felt it was better for him to be involved in the hostage rescue. Although he wasn't familiar with Jessie's friend, he didn't want Jessie to be too upset. If he could save her, he would try. Besides, he had some suggestions.
"Actually, I don't think we need to strike simultaneously. We can eliminate the monsters first and then turn back to clear out the Eugene family's villa. After all, they're not accustomed to the forest like the wildmen. If we disable their vehicles, they likely won't immediately decide to flee into the woods."
"Also, give me a high-powered scope. I'm a decent marksman, and targets within 500 meters won't be a problem."
The headshot he scored earlier boosted his long-neglected rifle skills to proficient and even unlocked his previously gray sniper skills.
If he had enough system gold coins, he would have directly upgraded his sniping skill to proficient and equipped a powerful scope.
He always enjoyed playing ranged characters in games. Back in his DOTA days, he loved the sniper-stunning skill of Mirana, the Moon Priestess.
Jason stared at the military tablet, deep in thought for a long time before finally making a decision.
"Trent, lend him your spare scope. Clay, you're going to the villa alone to sabotage the vehicles there and keep an eye on the Eugene family. Report any movements immediately. The rest of us will proceed as planned."
——
"Bam bam bam!"
Several SEALs climbed into the back of the Wrangler. Ray slapped the car body, signaling they were ready.
As Jack hit the gas, the Black Hawk lifted off behind them. The two experienced pilots kept the helicopter just above the treetops, steadily following the SUV.
Jason, in the passenger seat, kept his eyes on the tablet, watching the drone feed.
Along the way, Rossi's updates came through the tactical radio.
The Eugene family seemed suspicious. They sent out two people in a pickup to check the situation, but the FBI intercepted and riddled both the vehicle and its occupants with bullets.
This news was a mixed blessing. On the plus side, there were two fewer enemies in the villa, and the FBI deployed two drones to keep an eye on the villa. On the downside, the family was clearly alarmed. Once the battle at the mine began, the Eugene family might make sudden moves.
But now wasn't the time to change plans. The SEALs' Wrangler was less than a mile from the villa.
Jack braked at a fork in the road. Clay jumped out with a tactical radio, and Jason followed, handing him two packs of C4 with a serious warning.
"Don't push yourself. Absolutely no unauthorized actions. Got it?"
Clay nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, boss. I won't let you down again."
Though Jack didn't know their backstory, Jason seemed like a good leader.
Jason climbed back into the car, glanced at the tablet, and urged Jack, "Hurry up. These monsters are coming out of the mine, probably for lunch. Now's the time to strike."
Jack sped the Wrangler along the road, slowing slightly at intervals for a SEAL to jump out and move towards their designated positions.
If someone had a bird's-eye view, they'd see that the five SEALs formed a semicircle, surrounding the large clearing and wooden huts near the mine where the ogres gathered.
Jack was the sixth. He had climbed a tall tree, found a comfortable spot, and set up his HK417 with the high-powered scope, quietly waiting.
Reports of everyone being in position came through the earpiece one by one. As soon as the last man spoke, Jason decisively gave the attack order.
"Alpha-5, you're cleared to engage!"
With a tremendous noise, the Black Hawk, which had been hiding in the distance, swooped in. The ogres, who were barbecuing 'food' outside the huts, looked up in confusion, seemingly seeing such a large strange bird for the first time.
Some, already wary, grabbed their steel crossbows and shotguns, aiming at the armed helicopter.
Ignoring them, the Black Hawk sped over their heads, the downdraft scattering several campfires and causing a few ogres to howl in pain.
Flying to within 100 meters of the mine, the Black Hawk's rocket pods suddenly roared, unleashing over a dozen rockets that exploded in and around the mine. The continuous blasts caused the primitive wooden-supported mine to collapse and seal.
As the ogres stood in shock, the Black Hawk circled back, slightly ascending. As it turned its side towards them, the Gatling gun mounted in the open cabin began to spin, emitting a high-pitched whine.
In the next second, the whine turned into a sharp, rapid-firing death melody, drawing scorching lines through the ogres.
One tall ogre, trying to aim its steel crossbow at the steel bird, was instantly sliced in half by the fiery line, bursting into a mess of blood and flesh like a water balloon filled with red paint.
"Go to hell, you damn monsters!!! Wahahahaha!!!"
Hearing the mad cackles through his earpiece, Jack felt a bit regretful. This looked so fun; why did he ask to be a precision shooter? A real man should be operating this.
Of course, he was just daydreaming. Jason would never let him handle such a dangerous weapon.
Due to the insane firing rate, the Gatling gun's endurance was even worse than most middle-aged men. Despite the operator trying to lengthen the firing intervals, the barrage lasted less than a minute.
Perhaps due to the interrupted training and rushed arrival, the SEALs hadn't brought enough machine gun ammo.
But it was enough. Only about ten ogres remained standing in the clearing. A few tried to flee into the forest, but the SEALs, already in a semicircle, took them down one by one.
Jack, from his perch in the tree, kept firing. He was less than 300 meters from the clearing, and several shots brought down two ogres running in his direction. He then aimed at farther targets.
Jason, meanwhile, directed the other three SEALs to converge on the center. Another sniper, like Jack, began targeting ogres using huts or woodpiles for cover.
"Bang!"
Jack headshotted an ogre hiding inside a hut, peeking from behind a door. This was his last kill of the battle.
The SEALs methodically cleared each hut, their tactical movements seamless. Jack barely heard any verbal communication through his earpiece. Everyone knew their position, their responsibilities, even the order of entering the huts.
With a few more gunshots, the SEALs finished the sweep. Emerging from the last hut, their faces were grim. Even these battle-hardened soldiers couldn't ignore the desiccated corpses hanging inside.
As low curses filled the earpieces, the SEALs began gathering the dismembered corpses.
Not wanting to just stand by, Jack holstered his rifle, climbed down, and used tools like iron hooks to gather the bodies into the huts.
Following his previous method, after clearing a perimeter, they doused the huts with gasoline and set them ablaze. They abandoned the Wrangler and everyone boarded the Black Hawk, which quickly headed towards the Eugene family's mountain villa.
Meanwhile, an FBI drone crossed paths with the Black Hawk, beginning surveillance of the burning huts.
"Clay, what's your status?" Jason called the young SEAL.
"No one's left the villa. I've rigged the remaining two SUVs with C4, ready to detonate."
"Great job." Jason praised his team member upon hearing the good news.
Jessie, who had stayed in the helicopter, sat next to Jack, looking worried.
Jack knew she was concerned about her friend. He didn't say much, just gently held her hand to reassure her.
"Jack, any issues with rappelling?" Jason handed him a pair of gloves.
Perfect timing. He had just trained this skill recently. Jack nodded, briefly imagining two graceful female figures, then scolded himself for being distracted at such a moment.
"Let's try to scare them out first, see if we can flush them out. Ray, contact the FBI and see if their drone can pinpoint the hostage's location?"
As Jason spoke, the Black Hawk reached the villa.
Though also made of logs, this mountain villa was far more impressive than the ogres' shacks. It had two stories with many rooms and some second-floor rooms even had balconies.
"The FBI says the hostage is alone in a small room on the west side, first floor," Ray reported loudly.
"Great, let's begin."
The Black Hawk avoided the side with the SUVs, hovering south of the villa. Two SEALs in the cabin started spraying the second and first-floor east windows with their HK417s.
Inside, shadows moved as the remaining six adult males of the Eugene family, already frightened by the Black Hawk's appearance, scrambled out of the villa after a hail of bullets, clumsily piling into the two SUVs to flee.
Perhaps they thought they could lose the helicopter in the forest, or maybe it was just an instinctive reaction in a panic.
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