Eh? You want to try the humanoid girl's iron fist too?

"What location?"

"I'll repeat myself, see you later at NONONO Japanese Restaurant on Madison Avenue and 31st Street."

"Copy".

Raphael picked up his XM250 machine gun and fired two short bursts at the twenty-odd bastards following behind, slightly slowing down the Lex Gang thugs' advance before making a quick getaway.

On the other side, Doug took out the agent's exclusive autonomous machine gun, set the machine gun turret to self-destruct mode, and threw it forcefully onto the top of the car in front of him.

The machine gun turret, which used 9mm bullets, immediately emitted a series of "rat-a-tat-tat" sounds.

As Raphael left the crossroads, he glanced back and realized that the agent from the Strategic Bureau had gone all out, even throwing out the autonomous machine gun turrets used for fire support.

For this reason alone, she wouldn't mind wasting a little time to see who would be so generous in helping a stranger.

……

A few minutes later, Doug pushed open the restaurant door and found it empty. He immediately felt a little sorry for the machine gun turret's destruction.

However, upon further reflection, she realized that the agents she had encountered earlier were all hostile towards her, inevitably leaving a negative impression, and it wouldn't be so easy to change their minds.

I understand, I understand, but it still makes Doug feel very uncomfortable.

"This is Noble-1, calling Noble-4, please respond."

"Damn it, why are you only responding to our call now?!"

"Celia said urgently in the channel,"

“We’re under attack, we need you back quickly… Hey, Alki, help Tony up. We’re retreating through the alley at 2 o’clock!”

Another burst of intense gunfire came through the channel. Doug heard Cecilia's panting, and then another string of numbers was reported.

Without Doug's prompting, ISAC automatically planned the nearest movement route to reach the engagement position as quickly as possible.

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 28 I Am Death (Seeking votes and support)

Right ahead, indeed

"We're almost there," Doug heard a burst of gunfire erupting from the alley ahead...

All these fragmented messages reached Doug, mixed with the booming of sticky explosives and rolling grenades. The disappointment of just being stood up and the heavy psychological burden of his teammates being attacked made him extremely anxious.

The wind and snow intensified.

Lara Barrett and her henchmen are systematically and methodically sweeping away all the enemies in the controlled area who dare to resist, and they plan to turn the place upside down.

At this rate of efficiency, Doug estimated that the three members of the squad would soon lose their lives little by little under the siege.

Should we attack from behind? Or should we circle around to the back of the garage where Cecilia is temporarily staying and use explosives to blow open the locked iron gate?

He reassessed the situation and decided to launch an immediate attack from Lex's rear. This would relieve pressure on the three men defending the warehouse, giving them a chance to regroup.

If the Lex Luthor gang bastards continue their high-pressure offensive, Cecilia and her group won't even have a chance to collect their empty magazines and reload them. The future of running out of ammunition and supplies is rapidly approaching them.

Doug moved quickly and quietly from the sidewalk to the selected abandoned building, which was diagonally opposite the alleyway where the enemy was besieging.

Doug found an ordinary five-story apartment building—climbed over the fence, set up a booby trap in the stairwell for security, and then found the balcony facing the street. Thank goodness, the second-floor resident had forgotten to lock the door.

Although he was fairly certain the building was empty, he still managed to clean it up smoothly and methodically.

Slow is steady, and steady is fast.

He then managed to open all the doors leading to the other end of the apartment so that he could quickly leave the apartment when the Lex Gang members realized the danger and split up to attack him.

Jumping directly from the second floor is not easy. But it's the best escape route he can find in a short time.

Doug carefully looked around to make sure no one was in the room, then found a suitable windowsill and slowly pushed open the tightly closed window.

A near-perfect field of fire appeared, providing a clear view of the enemy at the alley entrance. Now was not the time for complacency; choosing this spot as a sniping position did not require exceptional tactical talent.

Humans are creatures driven by habit. As long as a series of actions and thought processes are transformed into instincts, they can naturally find a suitable fighting position in a complex and ever-changing environment.

Doug Sutton did just that. He turned on the radio and said, "Cecilia, can you still mount a counterattack?"

"No problem, we can do it."

For Cecilia and the others, it was a matter of necessity, otherwise they would be doomed.

The garage's main entrance was locked, with only a back alley leading to the main street. This meant they couldn't utilize their equipment advantage; the alley was littered with debris and trash, leaving no room for the machine gun turrets to operate.

Hand grenades, sticky explosives, and homing mines are the preferred options, but their use must be controlled. If an explosion causes a fire, the three of them will be trapped in the garage, and their final fate will either be burned to death or suffocated by inhaling large amounts of harmful gases.

Moreover, the three could only fight back through the back door, and had to endure the explosive impact of projectiles from time to time.

The efficiency of retaliating is terribly low.

For the Lex gang bastards, it didn't matter; the enemy's weakened firepower was the best signal to attack. Right now, their commander hadn't even realized what was happening. If he figured out how to set the debris on fire, they'd be completely finished.

If they can cut off the hands, feet, and heads of JTF members, they are certainly capable of committing the heinous act of arson.

Doug knelt down and propped the rifle on the desk by the window. He mounted the AN/PEQ-15 multi-function laser emitter on the M4A1's goggle rail, turned on the visible laser, and then pulled the trigger.

The 5.56 bullet struck the target man directly in the back of the head. Doug then aimed the laser at the next man's back and rewarded him with three peanuts for his vest.

The SAKER ASR suppressor is indeed effective. When the bullet leaves the muzzle, the high-pressure gas is gradually consumed by layers of baffles and fillers, expanding step by step, and finally forming a vortex to slow down the impact speed.

When the gas is discharged from the front of the muffler, the pressure drops significantly, which not only changes the noise characteristics but also reduces the decibel level.

Doug wanted to praise the silencer manufacturer, who not only made it harder to pinpoint the shooter's location but also effectively reduced recoil.

In addition, the suppressor cools the hot gas exiting the barrel sufficiently so that most of the lead vapor ejected from the barrel can condense inside the device, reducing the amount of lead ingested by the shooter and bystanders.

In short, it's about health and wellness.

Doug's movements were calm and steady, with slight adjustments to his posture to get a better shooting angle, and his target remained locked on the alley entrance.

Just like in the training camp, precise and efficient, ruthlessly reaping the lives of the enemy.

Finally, someone noticed something was wrong and pointed in the general direction of the gunman's location.

"Those Lex's gang of bastards aren't all fools, are they?" he thought, "I'll take care of a couple more unsuspecting idiots while I'm at it."

Doug quickly got up and left his firing position. As he passed through the door, he closed it behind him, cutting off the trail and slowing down the Lex's gang's pursuit.

With a clang, accompanied by the rustling sound of objects colliding with each other, Doug slowly got up from the ground, not as easily as during training—the weight on his body was too great.

He climbed over the railing again, carefully passed through the small shop on the first floor of the apartment building, then smoothly looped his M4 back over his shoulder and appeared on the side of the road.

Reloading, assessing enemy numbers, aiming, kill time's up. Doug muttered to himself as he advanced into the alley:

"I am Death, every shot takes away an enemy."

On the street in front of the garage, Raphael smelled the nauseating odor of burnt marijuana, urine, and sweat emanating from the building.

This should be the spot. There's a lot of noise coming from the other side of the wall; the crackling sounds keep going on and on.

Beneath the collapsed signboard of the auto repair shop lay a body; a hapless man could be seen lying face down on the ground, almost crushed in two by the signboard frame.

"...Uh-huh, can you hear me, everyone at SHD?"

"..."

Only a fool would talk to that. Cecilia clutched her arm and leaned against the wall. The fact that the National Strategic Bureau's exclusive encrypted channel had been hacked was a serious matter that even a fool could not have imagined.

"Alright, if you don't answer, then I'll assume you're all dead. Well then, farewell, everyone."

"Hey!" Tony, his temper even more volatile, said over the radio, "What do you want?"

"Look, he's still alive."

Suddenly, a barrage of different American-style curses burst from the earphones, lasting for a full minute, making Raphael feel like his skull was about to fly off.

She pursed her lips; these people are really easy to tease.

"Listen up, you lot... stay away from the iron gate, I'm about to make my move."

Volume One: Before the Great War

World: Chapter 29 Detachment

On the tightly closed iron gate, plastic explosives connected by wires were affixed. She repeatedly checked the placement of the directional blasting device to avoid being injured by the shrapnel flying up during the explosion.

After confirming that the fuse and detonator were correctly installed, she quickly retreated to a safe area from where the bomb had been placed.

She has done this thousands of times on the training field.

There was no panic, nor any tension or anxiety.

Raphael took out the electric detonator and quickly pressed it three times to send out the signal.

The violent explosion generated a massive shockwave that blew the entire door away. The excessive heat generated thermal radiation, vaporizing the surrounding snow and causing thick white fog to rise in front of the office door.

It's hard to describe the feeling of watching an explosion up close; she found the way explosives release energy incredibly fascinating.

The heavy security door embedded in the wall flashed by in the firelight and plunged into the wall of the auto repair shop's office.

If anyone were to hide inside, they would surely be turned into freshly squeezed minced meat.

Inside the repair workshop, when the explosion occurred, Agent Cecilia felt only fear.

At that moment, she couldn't control anything, and she felt that this was the most terrifying thing.

When Cecilia received the activation order, she often thought that she might die in a gunfight in the future, but she never thought that she might die in a demolition accident suspected to be caused by friendly forces.

She was used to thinking about things from a perspective that was in her own best interest, and she knew that she would face all sorts of dangers in battle.

Before each departure from the base, Doug and she would carefully study and plan for all sorts of situations they might encounter on the way, and they truly believed in their own abilities.

But at this moment, apart from clinging tightly to the hooks on the wall, she had no control over anything else.

Boom—

In the seconds following the explosion, she felt dizzy and disoriented, hearing a high-frequency whistling sound in her ears before losing almost all hearing. Cecilia could only hold her breath and wait.

She hoped that Doug's assault on the main street would be a great success, forcing the rioters in the alley to turn back...

Then the world suddenly froze. However, the air currents stirred up dust in the room, and the noble squad was immediately enveloped in a smoky haze.

Cecilia took a few deep breaths and blinked to clear the stinging dust from her eyelids. As she squinted to shield herself from the dust, she vaguely saw a figure emerge from the office.

"Are you alright?" The man grabbed Cecilia's shoulder, yelling at her and shoving her. "Get the hell out of here right now!"

And so, Cecilia stumbled out of the office and collapsed onto the snow-covered sidewalk of 31st Street.