Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger-Chapter 1034 - 968: Interception

As the attack commenced, Mountain Eagle started the all-terrain vehicle, swiftly driving out of the alleyways and, under Crow's guidance, winding past several Los Zetas checkpoints, finally stopping at the entrance of a department store about 600 meters from the mansion.

The department store was divided into two sections: the front was a storefront open for business, while the back was a warehouse-like area.

When Mountain Eagle reached the predetermined location, the people around the mansion hadn't fully reacted yet, so there was no movement on this end.

Since it was a secret passage, it would only be used in times of crisis; thus, the other side wouldn't arrange for people to run wildly for cover and expose the location, so although gunshots rang out in the distance, this area remained relatively quiet.

A night of gunfights had brought daily life in New Laredo to a halt, with most people hiding at home too afraid to venture out, and as it was morning, the roads in this commercial district were devoid of people.

Mountain Eagle surveyed the condition around the mansion through the perspective of Black Cat...

The sudden bombardment and shooting threw people inside and outside the mansion into chaos; although the Spring Knife 600's explosion power was negligible in the wild, in the city, it was incredibly fierce.

When someone tried to get in a car and storm out of the foggy area to counterattack, the Spring Knife 600 from the sky dove down as if it had eyes...

With a "boom," the explosion propelled fragments of the vehicle and a huge mass of black smoke, covering most of the yard, while flames began to spread to nearby vehicles due to the damaged fuel tank.

The increasingly intense flames, mixed with toxic gases, made the yard a forbidden zone for humans.

If the front couldn't be traversed, there was still the back door...

But when gang gunmen, with their heads and faces wrapped in jackets, braving the scorching pain, rushed to open the back door, two shuttles carrying explosive white phosphorus smoke bomb dived into the backyard, exploding at the exit...

"Bang"

"Bang"

After two muffled sounds, two clusters of dispersed white phosphorus smoke spread with a pungent temperature and enough heat to burn the human body.

Usually installed on armored cars and tanks to evade anti-armor weapons, these Smoke Bombs displayed immense deterrence and destructive power in these circumstances.

Several guys covered by white phosphorus smoke let out cries of pain, and after inhaling the poisonous white phosphorus, they kept twitching on the ground, clutching their throats upon escaping the smoky zone.

In this chaos, if they were taken to the hospital for a tracheotomy, they might have been saved, but during such turmoil, no one had time for them.

Everyone inside the mansion was plunged into panic...

The gang bosses who had been furious with Claudia Felix were now expressing even more rage...

A short, bald middle-aged man watched as the situation suddenly spiraled out of control and angrily shouted at Claudia Felix, "It's all you, you madwoman ruined everything...

I knew the Americans couldn't be trusted; only you, a bitch, would believe their so-called promises.

Now we're all doomed!"

The glamorous Claudia Felix had also fallen into a state of panic, but since this was her arranged 'safe house', her home ground, she managed to remain calm.

Facing the furious Los Zetas higher-ups, Claudia stood up and said, "There's a secret passage under the house; arrange for people to distract those outside, and we'll leave through the passage.

I've prepared vehicles and weapons on the other side; although I don't know what's happening, New Laredo is our territory; as long as our subordinates obey orders, they can't defeat us.

We must rescue Simones from those special forces; today's events are a conspiracy by the Gulf Group and the Americans. If Simones is taken to the United States and held, our business within the United States will suffer a huge blow."

Since its inception, Los Zetas has been known for its brutality and combat prowess, and these top figures have always lived on the edge. They were pressuring because they didn't like Claudia Felix's autocratic demeanor; now, with the situation developing as it had, there was no room for hesitation.

Taking advantage of the time before outsiders barged in, the bosses began using phones to contact the outside, trying to mobilize more people.

A short-haired, mustached, and ordinary-looking middle-aged man listened to Claudia's words while calling someone and staring at 'Arthur' and the 'Human-shaped Ledger' beside her.

Everyone focused on their matters, not noticing a silent Black Cat crouching in the corner, transmitting everything here back to Mountain Eagle.

Mountain Eagle couldn't accurately gauge the gang's internal issues, but once he ascertained their intent to use the passage, he proactively got out of the car, circled the target store's perimeter, and then took several Claymore Mines from his bag, setting them up on both sides of the backyard exit.

After completing everything, Mountain Eagle returned to the car, called Robbin, who was still active in the city, instructing him to rendezvous with Ryan Donovan's retreating group upon finishing his tasks.

The smoke-covered mansion resembled a steaming, foul-smelling pile of dung, with gang members buzzing like flies around it, trying to rescue their bosses.

Staying there equaled suicide, and the cunning Ryan Donovan had already plotted his escape the moment Mountain Eagle launched his attack.

After the promised 5 minutes spent, he offered an additional two minutes of sweeping suppressive fire before speeding toward the accountant's house, picking up the guy, and the three battered-looking vehicles started weaving in and out around the city center, playing cat-and-mouse with the gang's convoy.

Without cover, Ryan and his team find it really difficult to retreat safely.

Meanwhile, as Mountain Eagle is monitoring multiple movements, people inside the mansion start entering a tunnel that is just 50 cm wide and 150 cm high, led by several bodyguards.

The drug cartel has years of experience in digging tunnels. They choose multiple points between two target locations for segmented digging, usually using houses for cover. This approach is both discreet and speeds up construction progress, meaning the tunnels aren't straight.

Walking inside the winding tunnels is somewhat challenging, so the team quickly gets spread out...

Claudia and the "Human-shaped Ledger," protected by several bodyguards, walk in the front; "Arthur" follows closely behind, eyes always fixed on the "Human-shaped Ledger" ahead. Simultaneously, he holds an old prepaid phone in his left hand and sends messages blindly with his fingers.

Seeing the bodyguards ahead push open the overhead hatch, "Arthur" sends the last message, then presses a button on his belt before catching up amidst the chaos of people. He pulls out the battery and card from the phone, throws them to the ground, and doesn't forget to stomp them into the dirt before leaving.

Climbing up the makeshift ladder to the exit, "Arthur" tries to catch up with Claudia and the Human-shaped Ledger, already boarding vehicles, but is stopped by a tall bodyguard who signals her to board another car.

More gang bosses and bodyguards are coming out now. "Arthur" takes a deep look at the vehicle with Claudia and the others before turning and opening the door of the second car, sitting in the passenger seat...

The short-haired Eight-character Mustache Jose lets the older person take the front car, courteously boarding the last one.

The warehouse of the department store is vast, with over a dozen cars inside, and a large amount of firearms piled up in the corner.

Due to the narrow tunnel, long guns can't be carried quickly, so when the bosses board the vehicles, bodyguards choose suitable weapons from the arms crates.

The entire preparation process lasts nearly 10 minutes, and then the electric rear door of the department store slowly opens...

A black Audi A4 carrying four bodyguards first drives out, followed by the Audi A8 with Claudia, and the third car with "Arthur" and the bodyguards...

These three cars form the first echelon for retreat, driving out from the warehouse...

As the fourth car drives out halfway, two loud explosions sound from both sides of the road...

"Boom"

"Boom"

Two carefully positioned Claymore Mines turn the fourth car into a beehive, while a Spring Knife 600 descends from above, piercing into the roof of the first car...

"Boom"

The exploding A4 bounces once in place, then spews fire and thick smoke, blocking most of the roadway.

Next, two drones equipped with exploding white phosphorus smoke bombs fly in from behind, causing a blast within the enclosed warehouse...

Unluckily, the warehouse spews out a stream of white smoke from the rear door like it's vomiting after drinking too much, blocking Claudia and the others' exit. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

With the front blocked and the rear sealed, "Arthur" is the first to respond, shouting loudly while pointing ahead: "The road behind is narrow, the way out is ahead, charge through, charge through, open the path for them..."

The bodyguard hesitates for a moment, then fiercely steps on the gas...

The Audi A4 unleashes powerful horsepower, rushing past the A8 with Claudia onboard, colliding head-on with the burning vehicle, creating a passable pathway.

The A8 driver reacts quickly as well; the instant the road is cleared, he steps on the gas, following suit. The two cars rapidly accelerate to around 40 or 50 miles per hour, charging toward the junction ahead.

As "Arthur"'s A4 rushes out of the junction, a sharp turn is made to try accelerating again, but a strangely shaped all-terrain vehicle suddenly charges toward them.

In the panic, the driver instinctively swings the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to lose stability. Barely managing to brake in time, the driver sees the all-terrain vehicle slam into them, only having time to curse...

"Shit..."

"Bang..."

It's like a wild bull crashing into an amusement ride for the elderly...

Mountain Eagle, driving the all-terrain vehicle, rams into the side of the A4's cab, causing it to flip over from the massive impact.

As the flipped A4 chassis settles, Mountain Eagle grabs a UPM45 and exits the vehicle, skirts around the A4's engine, and swiftly pulls the trigger at the A8 trapped at the junction...

"Bang bang bang bang..."

A string of bullets hits the A8's front windshield but only creates spider-web-like cracks.

Realizing he's facing a bulletproof vehicle, Mountain Eagle remains unfazed, quickly moving to the side of the A8's cab, firing at the window glass to obstruct the people inside, then switches to an AK-103 and sprays bullets along the driver's side window...