The sound of a "click" echoed from the gun's bolt striking the chamber. Typically, this sound would be drowned out by the noise of the bullet being fired, but hearing it now meant the magazine was empty.
"Reload!" Dragon shouted as he turned, crouched, and leaned his back against the wall, beginning to reload.
The soft bullet pouch, small in size, could hold 100 rounds, offering long endurance and the ability to provide heavier supporting fire. The downside was that it took more time to reload.
It wasn't as fast or sleek as a rigid magazine that could be swapped quickly with one hand.
Fortunately, Dragon and Sonny were working in tandem. Sonny, who used a three-round burst for short shots, consumed ammunition at a slower pace, so there was still enough ammo at this point.
Hearing Dragon's tactical reload command, Sonny immediately took over the firepower.
He switched from a three-round burst to a five-round long burst, ensuring that while one person was suppressing the enemy, they still had enough firepower to keep the remaining Lionheart King soldiers pinned inside the building, preventing them from interfering with Clay's efforts to seize the pickup truck.
Two seconds later!
"Switch!"
Dragon racked the bolt and chambered a round while calling the command again. He then rested the rifle on the fence and resumed the five-round burst, continuing the suppression of the Lionheart King's forces.
Sonny, who hadn't emptied his magazine yet, immediately switched to full-force suppressive fire.
He rapidly emptied the remaining rounds, then quickly crouched to reload the pouch, ensuring that the next round of fire would proceed smoothly.
This alternating firepower and reload routine was one of the foundational tactics in coordinated operations.
It ensured that the suppression never stopped!
Beyond this basic alternating fire coordination, there were more complex, more subtle, and brutal tactics suited for team-based, localized operations that focused on regional fire suppression.
For instance, the well-known "Hellfire" tactic!
When employed by a team, the Hellfire tactic didn't just suppress a few enemies.
It suppressed an entire area!
The pressure exerted by such a tactic was far more terrifying.
Anyone without professional military training would be thoroughly overwhelmed by a trained and well-coordinated team. Even with the best weapons, they would be ruthlessly suppressed, unable to even raise their heads to fire a shot.
This may sound cruel, but it is the reality of modern warfare.
And this doesn't even account for the airstrike capabilities of armed helicopters or the technological might of gunship bombers, providing three-dimensional space-level firepower suppression.
Despite the Lionheart King's army having over forty soldiers, and a heavy-caliber machine gun with powerful firepower, they seemed to be in a losing position, overwhelmed despite their numerical and equipment advantages.
It was hard to believe, but this was the reality.
If it weren't for the fact that this was the Lionheart King's stronghold, with continuous reinforcements likely on the way, and the need to conserve ammunition, the situation could have turned into an even more overwhelming victory.
Also, there was the political aspect—killing too many could cause problems, as the Lionheart King, despite his dictatorship, was still the legitimate military force of Liberia. If too many died, even the president might struggle to maintain control.
Team B didn't need to retreat at all. The forces here were far from enough to threaten them.
...
With Dragon and Sonny providing constant, well-coordinated suppressive fire, Clay was able to smoothly approach the armed pickup truck. He swiftly executed a close-range shot, killing the driver.
After dragging the driver's body out, Clay quickly slid into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. With a swift reverse and a burst of throttle, the truck roared to life.
"Vroom~"
The diesel engine of the armed pickup growled, billowing thick black smoke from the exhaust.
Despite Clay's driving skills, the vehicle—already in poor condition from multiple previous owners—shuddered violently, especially the rusted engine cover that seemed on the verge of flying off.
Fortunately, despite its dilapidated state, the pickup was still sturdy enough to endure.
With a loud screech, the bald tires, worn down to smooth rubber, left black streaks on the dirt road as the truck shot forward, its back-end leading the way.
The Lionheart King soldiers, noticing the disturbance, realized someone had stolen their armed pickup. They intended to recapture it, but they no longer had the ability to do so. All they could do was watch as the truck disappeared into the darkness in reverse.
In less than five minutes of combat, the situation had drastically changed.
The 40 or so soldiers of the Lionheart King, after being relentlessly suppressed by Sonny and Dragon's furious fire, along with close-quarter combat from Jason and the other two inside the building, had already lost over 30 soldiers, either killed or wounded.
The remaining soldiers were either being dragged away by Jason's team or being kept from peeking out due to the fire from Dragon and Sonny.
Meanwhile, other reinforcements from the Lionheart King's army, even those coming by vehicle, were still two to three hundred meters away.
For those coming on foot, it would take at least three to four minutes to arrive.
By the time they showed up, it would all be over.
"What's going on here?"
Jason, Trent, and Brock, still engaged with the Lionheart King soldiers inside the building, noticed the unusual behavior of the armed pickup. A question mark appeared in their minds.
If the fire had simply ceased, they could have understood.
After all, the mission for Sonny and Dragon was to destroy the armed pickup within five minutes and then retreat to the alley for regrouping.
But now the truck was reversing, looking like it was fleeing, which was completely unexpected.
At that moment, while Jason's team was puzzled, Sonny immediately contacted him on the team channel.
"B1, this is B3. Mission update: plan has changed. I can't brief you fully right now, but follow my lead.
With B6 providing cover, B7 has successfully acquired the armed pickup and is en route to the alley for extraction.
B6 and I are moving to the rally point and will be there in 20 seconds. Can you get your team to the rendezvous? Do you require extraction?"