In the end, it was Hannah, familiar with the ranch, who proposed a feasible plan.
"We can use the livestock feed, ignite it, and then douse it with water to create smoke. There must be fans in the ranch. We just need to blow the smoke from one end of the factory into the other."
Everyone agreed that it was a good idea. After all, this wasn't a Hollywood movie. No one wanted to engage in a close-quarters firefight with high-rate-of-fire submachine guns in a cramped space filled with stuff.
Moreover, most of the workers were locals. Although they were not innocent, they didn't deserve to die. They weren't there for a massacre; Ray King just didn't want the main culprits to make it to court.
"Baker's pickup has a police loudspeaker. Stevenson and I can help call out to them. Most of the workers should recognize us."
Roscoe and Stevenson, both locals, volunteered. As kids who grew up in this town, they knew the Kleiner Foundation was doomed, and the small town of Margrave would fall into decline again.
Behind every worker, there was a family that needed support. If all these people died, it would affect dozens of families, adding more misery to the already struggling town.
Jack's gaze fell on the Barrett M82A1M that Hannah carried. The heavy silencer-equipped rifle looked formidable, but relying solely on it for intimidation wouldn't be enough.
They needed a massive display to break the enemy's psychological defenses.
"Can we get explosives?" Jack scratched his head, not holding out much hope. The feeling of plans constantly changing was frustrating.
As a mere small-town cop, Jack felt out of his depth. The last case with the cannibal just required him to follow the SEALs. This time, almost everything depended on his knowledge of the plot, which was exhausting.
"C4 okay?" Finley provided an unexpected answer.
Stevenson suddenly remembered something. "A few months ago, we arrested a guy from Florida. We found 20 pounds of C4 and some detonators in his car. They're stored in the armory."
The others were puzzled. "There are terrorists here?"
Roscoe gave a complicated look. "Not terrorists, just a pig-hunting influencer. He wanted to film something viral."
"He planned to lure a herd of wild boars to an open area with food and then film the explosion."
Florida sure knows how to live on the edge. Kind of makes you want to see it, right?
"We still have time. Go get the explosives and bring the police cars. Here's the plan..."
Jack's new plan received unanimous approval. While the three went to fetch the explosives, the rest of the team climbed the hill again to scout the terrain.
Considering Little Kleiner likely had a VSS sniper rifle, which, despite its limited range, could still threaten their snipers, they needed spotters.
Due to the shortage of personnel, Old Hunter got his wish to join the action. He was assigned to be Hannah's spotter, while Dana would spot for Chris.
After marking their positions and assigning tasks, Hannah and Old Hunter moved to another hill. The two sniper teams needed to be about 120 degrees apart to cover most of the area.
Finley and the others soon returned. The C4 was divided into three parts, all handed to Raycher for the demolition targets.
As the operation began, everyone put on their earpieces, checked their equipment, and moved to their hiding spots, waiting for the right moment.
Around 1 AM, the factory area of the ranch became lively. High-powered lights were turned on, and three container trucks were parked in the loading area.
Several drivers were called inside to rest. Soon after, the patrols began changing shifts, which meant the most armed personnel would be outside the factory.
According to their estimates, there were over 30 armed men. During the shift change, six patrol teams, along with those changing shifts, meant at least 24 would be outside, plus the two at the gate.
A total of 28. If they could take them all out—although that was unlikely—it would be ideal.
"Go."
With Jack's low command, a terrifying "whoosh" was heard. Two armed men with Uzi submachine guns standing at the ends of the rectangular factory were instantly shot in the head.
The Barrett in Hannah's hands showed its terrifying power. Chris, using his HK417, fired twice, accurately taking down two guards at the southwestern entrance of the factory.
Hannah fired one shot, and at the northeastern entrance, two unfortunate souls were obliterated, one losing his head and the other having his upper body blown apart. Blood, brain matter, and white bone fragments splattered against the wall.
Simultaneously, the sound of engines roared from the ranch gate. A Toyota pickup suddenly appeared on the road, with Jack and Braxton in the truck bed opening fire with their HK416s.
Four guards, chatting and lighting cigarettes, were blinded by the pickup's headlights and were shot down by the sudden barrage of bullets.
With a loud crash, the pickup smashed through the gate and sped into the loading area, coming to a halt with a drift.
The next second, the cab door was kicked open, and Raycher burst out like a bear, charging towards the trucks.
Behind him, Jack, Braxton, and Zoe, who jumped from the passenger seat, fired their assault rifles at any visible targets.
From a distance, the two silenced sniper rifles kept up a 2-3 second shooting interval. By the time the pickup reached the factory, seven or eight bodies lay in front of the snipers.
The three covering Raycher only needed to focus on the blind spots blocked by the snipers.
But for the Barrett, some blind spots weren't really blind spots. A terrified guy hiding behind a container, too scared to show his head, blindly fired his UMP45 outside.
"Whoosh-BOOM!" The sound of death came from afar, and before the guy could hear it, a large hole was blown through his chest.
A 12.7mm armor-piercing bullet easily penetrated the container's thin metal walls and drilled into his body.
"Reloading!"
Jack was the first to empty his 20-round magazine. He jumped out of the truck bed, backed against the rear wheel, and reloaded. Just as he peeked out to shoot again, he realized there were no standing enemies left outside the factory.
At the same time, Raycher sprinted back, panting heavily, and pulled a detonator from his pocket.
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