Chapter 145: Arrived finally
Crack! Crack!
Whizz!
Bullets flew back and forth. The group of police officers barely held the line; another assault began. This time the enemies pressed more harder.
The team leader crouched down, his eyes twitching to the whiplashes passing over his head. He lifted his body back up, fired a couple of rounds and ducked back in.
The harsh wind and sonic boom overhead raised his innate fears and survival instincts. But his rationality suppressed the feeling and ground himself to return fire.
The situation was getting more and more dire in this short period of time. Perhaps the opposition knew help was arriving soon?
Well, then, the moment could be both good news and bad news. Their support should soon be here but the enemies would only get more and more relentless.
When he tried to peek a view, the sight almost caused him to exclaim. He saw commanding figures among the gangs shooting at their own subordinates because they fell back.
This!
He understood the severity of such actions from the gangs. It was almost like a last resort to press the pressure on his side.
With a dead squad behind controlling, the wave assaulted by the gangs this time must be incomparable with the past.
A heavy burden weighed on his shoulders and he glanced around to see if anyone noticed the prior scene. No one.
He shut this information out of his subordinates' minds to prevent affecting the current rising morales. Tug of war between the two morales emerged. Only the strong would remain.
.....
The two black armored vehicles—Aegis—arrived at the hotspot. Chaotic gunfire echoed from a distance like popping firecrackers.
The sound traveled through their thick wall of armor. Tang Ziyi's eyes remained steady and her head turned to gaze at everyone's eyes. She nodded slightly—everyone was reassured and ready.
"1-2, turn left at the intersection." Tang Ziyi pointed at the road ahead. "Girls, prepare yourselves. We're reaching the goal."
Tang Ziyi's Aegis had overtaken Su Ruomei's vehicle and led the convoy.
Tang Ziyi radioed her teammates: "Bravo 2, just after turning left, we're at the scene."
"Understood, Bravo 1."
"Command, we've arrived." Tang Ziyi reported back to the police HQ.
"Acknowledged Bravos, we'll link you with Team One and Two. Out."
Tang Ziyi's eyes scanned the area. The clatters of firecrackers only exhibited the presence of humans. Not a single person was found in the area. A ghost town wasn't an exaggeration.
Tang Ziyi raised her eyebrows, surprised yet relieved no bystanders should stand in the middle of the oncoming fierce fight.
"Do we need to kill our sirens and lights?" Her driver asked.
"No need. Let our presence be known to both sides."
The deafening wails of their sirens reverberated through the narrow urban streets and alleyways, momentarily drowning out the cacophony of violence that had consumed the area.
As Tang Ziyi's convoy completed the turn, both the gangs and the officers they were about to rescue, paused for a few seconds with different reactions.
For a brief moment, the flashing red and blue lights of the Aegis vehicles brought a glimmer of hope to some beleaguered officers, whose sight could see from the reflection of the vehicles nearby.
The rest could only hear the wailing sirens, cheering their depressed mood. Rescue had arrived. Those who saw Tang Ziyi's vehicles exclaimed: "It's the SWAT. Chief Yang send in the SWAT!"
Despite their strongholds, having been breached by a few gangs, their morales had been restored instantly and they put up their defenses.
In contrast, the gangs were in disarray and tried to flee but were stopped by the leadership and forced to engage with the incoming reinforcement.
Inside Tang Ziyi's vehicle, the driver asked: "Instructor Tang, everything is a mess."
Tang Ziyi nodded. Through the windshield, they had a sight of two pickup trucks parked aligned to block off the road. Beyond these, she saw the damaged police vehicles in a line from the height of Aegis.
Some even had burst into flames, cracked windshields, broken and shattered glasses. The debris picked off the vehicle. She could even observe a group of people like ants surrounding the building, now set on fire.
Probably gangs setting the barricaded stronghold on fire to destroy the officers inside or flush them out with smokes. Either way, things wouldn't appear good if it weren't for Tang Ziyi's group presence.
"Heavens." The driver cried out in surprise at the rising smoke. "That building's on a big fire."
"There should be our guys staying put." Tang Ziyi said, explaining to the rest as she could feel everyone's eye staring through the windshield.
"I see so many people. Are you sure there are no officers among these people?" The driver asked.
"That's what I'm doing next to find out." Tang Ziyi replied, radioing Su Ruomei. "Bravo Two, prepare two of your girls, to man the turret and rear hatch. Armed one with a magazine drum for fire superiority and suppression. Form an echelon."
"Wilco, Bravo One." A reply came back shortly after. Su Ruomei's Aegis moved out of the column and distanced itself 5 meters apart.
"Command, Bravo here, help me patch up with your teams."
"Understood, Bravo. Wait one...Alright, you can talk but we'll be hearing everything." Tang Ziyi's eyelids twitched at the reminder. She understood Yang Qingyue was warning them not to blow their cover indirectly.
As the armored vehicles advanced through the obstacle-laden road, bullets ricocheted off their impenetrable exterior like raindrops on a metal roof.
The very massive existence of the trucks and their noises attracted the gangs' attention. Some firepower had been distributed away from the officers they were attempting to save.
"Team One & Two, this is Bravo, are you all inside the burning building?"
"Glad to hear your help, Bravo. Yes, everyone accounted for is inside."
"Are you certain, no one is left in the street outside?"
"Negative. Please hurry up, we won't last long keeping these bastards at bay."
"Alright, we're coming. Hang on and stay inside. We're gonna clear the surroundings." Tang Ziyi looked at the rear and said. "1-3, you're taking the turret position. I want yours to be loaded with a drum. 1-6 provide flank securities for 1-3, clear?"
"Clear!" x 2
"Bravo 2, go ahead your gunner. And Light'em up when you're ready." Tang Ziyi said to 1-3 and 1-6. "Alright, engage when you're ready. Give them hell."
Observing her gunners in place, opening the hatches above, Tang Ziyi signaled the rest to get ready to dismount.
1-3 and 1-6 stood up, their bodies behind cover. 1-3 c-griped the handrail of the carbine and stabilized it on the metal edge. Switched the carbine to an automatic mode and prepared to squeeze the trigger.
1-6 provided flank protection for 1-3 focused on the enemies in the front. Working in tandem, it was like a superior fireteam element.
The Aegis vehicles screeched to a halt; the gunner—1-3— above unleashed a burst of automatic gunfire towards the gang members, who were firing at Tang Ziyi's group and surrounding the outnumbered police officers.
The other Aegis also had its gunner and the fire bursting out of the two barrels brought hell to the enemies.
The roar of the machine gun was like thunder on the road, and it sent the gang members scrambling for cover.
The officer on the verge of being overwhelmed, took this sudden turn of events as a lifeline. The symphony of rapid bursts of bullets sounded like a fast-forward drumbeat to surge their morales.
In contrast, the gangs had different feelings. A series of connected whiplashes flew above their heads for those who had time to duck.
For those who weren't fast enough, they were quickly mowed down like weeds on the field. Splashes of large volumes of automatic fires spread panic among the ranks of the gangs.
No matter how these gangs' leaders tried to regain the morale, in the face of a strong fist, everything was shaken. Even if they fired at their own subordinates, no one cared.
Compared with the fear brewed by these leaders, Tang Ziyi's group instilled a more horrendous fear deep into the bones.