indianbanksassociation Chapter 673 A Strange Aura!
Chapter 673 A Strange Aura!
“Great, that’s wonderful!” Lynn’s eyes lit up and he immediately stood up. “Officer Rodriguez, the embassy’s support should be arriving soon. Let’s assemble the team now, assign tasks, and prepare to depart.”
Just then, the apartment door was pushed open, and the embassy's support team walked in. The leader was a tall man wearing a black combat uniform, carrying a heavy machine gun on his shoulder, with a resolute expression on his face: "Detective Lynn, we've arrived. There are twenty team members in total, all fully equipped, and ready to depart at any time."
“Great, thanks for the support!” Lynn stepped forward and shook hands with him. “I’m Lynn, and this is Officer Rodriguez from the Honduran Police Department. We’ll assign tasks now and prepare to raid Karen’s core stronghold.”
The lead support team member nodded: "I'm Brown, I'll follow your orders, Inspector Lynn."
Lynn immediately gathered all the team members and police officers, forming a circle around them, and began assigning tasks: "Brown, you will lead ten support team members to block the back and side gates of the manor, especially the path leading to the back gate. Make sure to arrange enough manpower to prevent Karen and the mutants from escaping. If you spot any suspicious persons, intercept them immediately. Do not fire your guns lightly; try to capture them alive."
“Understood!” Brown replied immediately.
"Officer Rodriguez, you will lead fifteen officers, divided into two groups. One group of five will accompany me to break through the main gate, while the other group of ten will follow Miller to dismantle the infrared sensors on the wall and assist Brown in sealing off the side gate. Pay close attention to the spiked trap area under the west wall, and have two officers with mine detectors conduct a preliminary search. Only after confirming it is safe should the main force proceed."
Lynn's voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the living room of the temporary base. Every instruction was clear and precise. The team members and police officers immediately sprang into action. The twenty companions brought by support team member Brown quickly organized their equipment. The heavy machine guns were disassembled into parts and packed into backpacks. Bulletproof vests were fastened tightly, tactical knives were tucked into their waistbands, and the muzzles of each person's guns were polished to a gleaming shine, exuding a chilling aura.
Rodriguez nodded, turned around and waved to the officers behind him: "First group, follow me. Second group, follow Officer Miller. Check your equipment. Assemble and depart in three minutes!" The officers responded in unison, their footsteps echoing in unison. The previously somewhat dull apartment was instantly filled with a tense atmosphere of combat.
Lynn walked to the wall, unfolded the simple map of the stronghold he had drawn earlier, and lightly traced the locations marked with his fingertip: "Brown, after your men reach the back door, find concealed positions to ambush and observe the movement of the manor with binoculars. Once you hear gunfire from the direction of the front door, immediately block the path. Note that priority should be given to capturing Karen's confidants alive, as this will allow you to obtain more intelligence."
“Understood.” Brown walked to the map, his gaze sweeping over the back door, then looked up at Lynn. “Detective Lynn, are our heavy machine guns in place? Should we provide suppressive fire during the breakthrough?”
“We’ve brought it,” Lynn nodded, “but don’t use it unless absolutely necessary. The sound of heavy machine guns will alert any Karen spies that might be nearby. We need to act quickly. Miller, when you take three team members to dismantle the infrared sensors, be sure to use specialized tools and move gently. Triggering an alarm could put the entire plan on hold.”
Miller, who was inspecting the sensor removal tool in his hand, looked up and replied, "Don't worry, Captain. We've brought the latest infrared shielding tools. As long as we stay out of the sensor range, we can remove it safely."
With everything arranged, everyone gathered at the apartment entrance three minutes later. Lynn did a final check of his tactical equipment, confirming that his pistol magazine was full and his assault rifle was loaded. He then looked at Verus, who was being held captive to the side. Verus was now bound by two team members with special restraints, and his previous arrogance was gone, replaced by barely concealed tension.
“Verus,” Lynn walked up to him, his tone calm, “once we destroy the stronghold and rescue the imprisoned people, I will keep my promise and let you go. But remember, don’t try anything funny. We’re keeping an eye on your whereabouts. If you dare to run away, the bullets will be faster than you.”
Verus swallowed hard, his eyes darting away from Lynn's gaze, and mumbled a reply, "I know... I won't run away."
Lynn ignored him and waved to the crowd: "Let's go!"
The group, traveling in three SUVs and two police vans, sped towards the mountains on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. The scenery outside the car windows rushed past, the once bustling city gradually being replaced by dense forests, the asphalt roads turning into bumpy dirt roads, and the vehicles kicking up clouds of dust as they drove by.
Lynn sat in the passenger seat, his fingertips tracing the slip of paper with the coordinates written on it. His earpiece crackled with reports from various teams: "Brown's team has arrived near the back gate, concealed, and observed a mutant guard loitering along the path." "Miller's team has approached the west wall, found nothing unusual, and is preparing to dismantle the infrared sensors." "Rodriguez's first team has arrived outside the main gate, rendezvousing with Jason's team, and is awaiting the dismantling signal."
Lynn responded into his headset: "Attention all teams, remain concealed and await my final instructions. When dismantling the infrared sensors, make sure each one is disabled, and report back to me immediately after dismantling."
"receive."
The SUV eventually stopped at the edge of a grove of trees about 500 meters from the manor wall. The dense trees and intertwined branches perfectly concealed the vehicles and people. Lynn got out first, followed by the team members and police officers. They hid the vehicles deep in the woods, then shouldered their equipment and stealthily made their way towards the manor.
The manor was nestled in the heart of the mountains, surrounded by a three-meter-high stone wall topped with sharp barbed wire that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Outside the wall, the grass grew wildly, especially along the western wall where it was knee-high. Several raised clods of earth could be vaguely seen on the ground—the locations of the spiked traps Verus had mentioned.
Miller, along with three team members, approached the western wall first. The four of them crouched low, moving nimbly through the grass, their infrared sensor demolition devices constantly emitting soft "beep" sounds. At each location, Miller would stop, place the demolition device against the brickwork of the wall, and gently press the button.
"The first sensor has been removed and is no longer functional." "The second one has been removed."...
The demolition work proceeded exceptionally smoothly without triggering any alarms. About ten minutes later, Miller reported to Lynn through his headset: "Captain, all infrared sensors on the west wall have been removed, and no abnormalities have been detected."
Lynn nodded and ordered into his headset, "Second group of officers, proceed immediately to the west wall to check for spike traps. Once it's safe, prepare to breach the wall." Rodriguez led the second group of officers, who immediately moved toward the west wall. Two officers carrying mine detectors led the way, their screens flashing green dots. When they reached a protruding clod of earth, the dots became exceptionally bright.
"There's a spike trap here; we'll need to pry it open with a tool," an officer whispered, taking a specially made crowbar from his backpack and carefully prying away the soil. Beneath the soil were exposed sharp steel spikes, gleaming coldly, each a full twenty centimeters long; stepping on one would instantly pierce the sole of the foot.
The officers checked each spike trap in turn, marking their locations, and then covered and secured them with planks and sandbags. Once this was complete, Rodriguez reported to Lynn through his earpiece: "Captain, all the traps on the west wall have been checked and dealt with; it's safe to breach."
Lynn took a deep breath and gave the final order into his headset: "All teams, prepare to move! In three minutes, we will launch a surprise attack on the main gate. Miller's team will take control of the machine gun positions on the wall, Brown's team will block the back gate, and Rodriguez's first team will follow me to break through the main building. We must capture Karen alive!"
"Roger that!"
Silence filled the earpiece, broken only by the heavy breathing of the team members and the rustling of leaves in the distance. Lynn gripped his assault rifle tightly, his eyes fixed on the manor's main gate, his finger lightly on the trigger, awaiting the moment to act.
"Three, two, one, move out!"
At Lynn's command, Rodriguez led the first group of officers rushing towards the main gate, their assault rifles firing wildly at the guard post. The sound of gunfire shattered the tranquility of the manor. Before the two mutant guards inside could react, they were struck in the chest by bullets and fell heavily to the ground, blood flowing from the gaps in the guard post.
Meanwhile, Miller led three team members and a second group of officers to breach the western wall. They took out climbing ropes, quickly secured them to the wire at the top of the wall, and then climbed over. A mutant patrolman happened to be walking along the other side of the wall. Seeing the officers suddenly appear, he was about to shout when an officer shot him in the head with a silenced pistol, and he fell to the ground instantly.
"Take control of the machine gun position!" Miller shouted, leading the charge into the machine gun emplacement inside the wall. Two mutants inside were sitting in chairs smoking. Seeing the officers rush in, they immediately stood up to grab their guns, but the officers beat them to it, smashing them on the head with rifle butts and knocking them unconscious.
Jason's support team also broke through the eastern wall. They had scouted the terrain beforehand, climbed over a gap in the low wall, and quickly moved towards the machine gun positions on both sides of the gate to join Miller's team and jointly control the outer firing points of the manor.
The alarm suddenly went off inside the manor, red warning lights flashed incessantly atop the walls, and the piercing siren was painful to the ears. But this did not affect the actions of the team members and police officers. They quickly took up advantageous positions according to the pre-arranged plan and cleared out the mutant patrols on the perimeter.
A patrolling mutant noticed his companion lying on the ground in the guard post and charged towards the main entrance, roaring as he fired his assault rifle at Rodriguez. Rodriguez quickly dodged to the side; the bullet struck the stone wall beside him, sending up a spray of gravel. He immediately returned fire, his bullet striking the mutant precisely in the knee. The mutant fell to his knees with a piercing scream and was quickly handcuffed by the onrushing officers.
"The main gate has been breached, and we are now clearing out the mutants on the perimeter!" Rodriguez reported to Lynn through his headset.
Lynn's main force had arrived at the gate of the manor's main building. The main building was a three-story European-style structure with mottled walls and tightly closed doors and windows, looking dilapidated, but the interior exuded a sinister atmosphere. The main building's door was a heavy solid wood door, carved with intricate patterns. On either side of the door stood an ordinary guard holding a submachine gun, their eyes wary as they constantly scanned their surroundings.
"Detective Lynn, there are two guards at the main entrance, neither of them are mutants, and they are about fifteen meters away," Brown reported through his earpiece, adding, "The guards at the back door are under my control, and they did not sound an alarm."
"Roger that." Lynn gave the order into his headset. "First team of officers, flank from the left and take out the guards on the left. I will lead the support team to break through from the right. Be careful not to damage the gate and avoid triggering internal mechanisms."
The team members and officers immediately sprang into action. The officers on the left crouched low, moving quickly along the wall of the main building, closing in on the left-side guard from behind. One officer drew a dagger from his waist, stealthily approached, and as the guard turned his head, plunged the dagger into the back of his neck. The guard groaned and collapsed to the ground. Before the guard on the right could react, Lynn and his support team pressed guns against his chest, shouting, "Don't move! Drop your weapons!"
The guard, pale-faced, slowly lowered his submachine gun and was quickly subdued by the police officers. Lynn stepped forward, pushed open the main building's door, which creaked open, releasing a strong stench of disinfectant mixed with the smell of blood that made one frown.
"Enter the main building and split into three groups. Group one will search the first floor, group two will search the second floor, and group three will search the third floor. Focus on searching the laboratories and offices. Be careful to stay hidden and watch out for mutant ambushes," Lynn ordered.
The group split into three teams and entered the main building in turn. The first floor contained a guard room and an armory. The guard room was scattered with a considerable amount of firearms, ammunition, and tactical equipment. The armory door was tightly closed, with a combination lock hanging on it. Rodriguez stepped forward to examine it and found that the combination lock matched what Verus had described. He entered 170925, and the door clicked open.
The armory was filled with all sorts of weapons, from assault rifles and pistols to rocket launchers and grenades, as well as a considerable amount of protective gear used in mutant experiments. One officer took out a camera and quickly took photos to document the scene, while another officer collected the important equipment and documents and put them into evidence bags.
"No abnormalities found on the first floor, no Karen found, some experimental documents and equipment have been collected," the team leader reported via headset.
Lynn led his team of three to the second floor, the mutants' dormitory. The rooms were scattered with tattered bedding and clothing, along with graffiti left by the mutants. Black skull drawings adorned the walls, giving the place an eerie atmosphere. Most of the mutants were still asleep. Awakened by the noise, they tried to resist upon seeing the armed officers, but were quickly subdued. (End of Chapter)