The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1061 Crossed

Luke ignored Dave’s complaint. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and began moving, using the scattered cargo crates as cover. Still wearing his white suit, he hadn’t had time to change after rushing to the meeting point with Dave when they learned the cargo would arrive ahead of schedule. He advanced with the precision of someone who had done this countless times before.

"Wait for me!" Dave whispered, sprinting to catch up with Luke as they weaved through the area. The shipment was closing in, and their scouts stationed at key points reported every movement.

"Sir, they’ve entered our line of fire... Your order —" one of Luke’s men spoke into the comms, but Luke didn’t respond immediately.

"Not yet," he cut in calmly. "They aren’t close enough, and we can’t risk them slipping through. Hold... a little longer."

He glanced back at Dave, who nodded immediately and signaled his own team to stay ready.

"Stand down and wait for my signal before moving in," Dave said through the comms, as he slipped through the shadows. "These people are as slippery as eels; they might already have an exit planned. We can’t rush this."

Despite the heavy rifle slung over his shoulder and his steady voice over the comms, neither he nor Luke showed the slightest strain. So far, it was just the two of them and a few others racing across the ground, scouting for a good spot to intercept the cargo. Meanwhile, the rest had already secured vantage points, ready to provide cover when needed.

"Understood, sir..." one of the soldiers responded.

Dave had brought in a group of special ops for the operation. They were fully aware that they were working alongside the Eastern Mafia to intercept a cargo from the Northern Mafia. While they operated under Dave’s command for this mission, they were not a private militia of the Carson family.

This was a government-funded special forces unit, sworn to protect Dave personally. In the event of a terrorist attack or any threat to him, they were responsible for his safety at all costs. Essentially, they functioned as Dave’s elite personal bodyguards.

But how had Dave convinced them to cooperate in an operation alongside a mafia faction, when special ops and organized crime groups are usually like oil and water? After all, mafias are notorious for endangering civilians, and as soldiers sworn to protect the people, it was natural for them to despise such organizations.

Yet, because Dave had worked closely with Luke for some time in the war on drugs, the special ops team now saw the four mafia factions in a different light. Dave had positioned himself as a bridge between the government and the mafia, helping both sides coexist and even cooperate when the good of the country demanded it.

After all, even the government has its shadows, operations, and dealings that fall into the darker side of politics. Someone had to take the lead in managing that side, and for that, the help of the mafia was sometimes necessary.

This wasn’t unprecedented; mafia factions have cooperated with governments before. Take Japan, for example: the Yakuza, while powerful, are legally acknowledged because they generally avoid harming innocent civilians and even assist the government during disasters, sending aid to affected areas. And Japan remains one of the safest countries in the world, in part because of such arrangements.

When Dave used that example, the special ops team couldn’t deny his logic. Their perspective shifted, and through Dave’s eloquence, they were effectively guided, coaxed even, almost like children, into seeing things his way.

Now, they were working seamlessly together, fully aware that Luke’s true identity was a secret that could never be revealed. Everyone involved in the mission had sworn an oath to keep it under wraps. Luke also operated in the business world, and maintaining a clean public image was essential.

Luke then signaled to Dave to take the opposite side, preparing to flank the enemy once they came into view. Dave nodded and motioned for his men to follow. They lowered their bodies to slip through an opening, then rose onto the other plank, while Luke watched carefully, ensuring they were fully covered.

"Sir, they’re entering in ten!" one of the soldiers reported as the train rolled onto the expected route.

The cars were packed with crate after crate of smuggled weapons. Nearby, trucks from the Northern Faction were already in position, waiting for the train to slow so they could unload the cargo quickly before sending it back on its way.

The location had been chosen carefully. The area was isolated, lined with discarded cargo on both sides, and devoid of military patrols or CCTV coverage, making it the perfect smuggling route, or so the Northern Faction believed.

Now that both Dave and Luke were in position, they held their breath, refusing to move. Any premature action could alert the Northern Faction or allow the train to restart and carry the smuggled weapons away while the Northern Faction scattered in every direction. Patience was key; they needed to wait until the crates were fully offloaded before striking the trucks the Northern Faction had brought.

The window to act would be brief, so they positioned themselves at the only exit the Northern Faction would take when leaving. Dave and Luke didn’t worry about hitting the cargo with their bullets; the trucks were all bulletproof, ensuring the weapons inside would remain intact even if someone tried to intercept them. This crucial intel had come from Leo, giving them confidence in their plan.

Now, they only needed to act before the drivers climbed back into their seats and the loaders sealed the truck doors. That brief moment was their opening. So Dave and Luke waited, and waited.

"Sir, loading is almost complete..." one of Luke’s men reported, having a clear view of the trucks being sealed.

"Alright. All units, prepare to intercept. Snipers, provide cover fire," Luke ordered, signaling Dave to alert his team.

"All units, prepare," Dave echoed over the comms. His men shifted into position, ready to move.

Bang! Bang!

Bang!

The gunfight erupted almost instantly. Dave and Luke surged forward, closing the distance to the trucks as snipers provided steady cover from above. With the attack underway, the train operators panicked and hastily restarted the engine, abandoning the area as the train lurched back into motion.

Dave and Luke didn’t spare it a glance. The operators were merely hired hands, unaware of the full operation, and capturing them would gain nothing. Their focus stayed locked on the Northern Faction, who had already begun firing back in desperation.

"Encircle them!" Luke roared over the comms.

"Roger!"

"On it!"

Gunfire soon erupted from every direction as Dave and Luke closed in on the trucks. Just as Dave was about to reach cover, a truck driver burst out of nowhere and slammed into him, tackling him hard to the ground.

Dave reacted on instinct. He brought his assault rifle up just in time, using it as a shield as a dagger flashed toward his throat, the blade screeching against metal instead of flesh.

"Shit!" Dave groaned as his back crashed against a rock, pain flaring through him, but he never stopped fighting.

Luke couldn’t get to him. More enemies were pouring in, forcing Luke to hold his ground as the chaos of the gunfight intensified.

"What’s happening?! Where are these people coming from?!" Luke demanded over the comms, disbelief etched across his face as he dove for cover, five shooters pinning him down with heavy fire.

"Sir! We’ve been crossed, this is a trap!" one of his men shouted back. The transmission cut off mid-sentence, the comms dissolving into static.

Luke’s blood ran cold. He could only assume the worst, that his men were being hunted down, the speaker included.

"Shit! Can anyone tell me where they came from?!" Luke roared again. He leaned out from the front of the truck, scanned the rear, then yanked the pin from a grenade and hurled it behind the vehicle.

"Sir! They’re coming from the western forest, and some of them were hiding inside the crates!" one of Luke’s men reported breathlessly over the comms. "They were waiting for us to make the first move, so we would put our guard down when we thought we had it all covered, and they could surround and wipe us out."

"Several brothers’ positions have been compromised; we’ve lost men, especially the snipers providing cover. We need to pull back and regroup, ugh!"

The transmission crackled as the man fought while moving. He had been one of the snipers assigned to overwatch, with a clear vantage point of the entire area. But as the crates were being carried toward the back of the trucks, they didn’t know that their positions were being exposed one by one, allowing the enemy to systematically eliminate the snipers first, then the ground teams.

He had survived only because he’d caught a flicker of movement near his perch. Trusting his instincts, he abandoned his position immediately. Moments later, enemy figures appeared where he had been, clearly searching for him.