Chapter 1828 - 1508: Surging Waves
At this moment, Tim Bolton felt like an ant on a hot stove...
The rapidly changing situation was far beyond his control and acceptance, as if the entire affair had spiraled out of his grasp from the moment he fired his gun.
"Boss, what do we do now?"
Listening to the question from his Goat-beard comrade, Tim Bolton, driven by instinct, subconsciously pointed his gun at the Federal Reserve Bank's door closest to him...
"Bang bang bang bang..."
After a series of shots shattered the glass on the door, Tim Bolton rushed forward, clearing the glass along the door's edge with his gunstock. Seeing two old men cowering in the corner wearing white security uniforms, he fired a few shots at the ceiling...
"Everyone down, toss your guns over here..."
Seeing the two old men in white security uniforms obediently comply, Tim Bolton sighed in relief and then shouted loudly, "Tyre, bring the others in..."
After saying that, Tim Bolton rushed to an old man in a suit, grabbed his hair, and shouted, "Is there any other exit here?"
The suited old man groaned in pain, clasping his hands in front of his chest to plead not to be harmed, and trembled as he said, "Sir, this is the Federal Reserve Bank. Besides here, there's only a cargo exit in the underground vault..."
When Tim Bolton heard this, he glanced around in surprise and cursed, about to speak when the outside was once again filled with the ominous machine-gun sounds...
The bullets fired from the helicopter in the sky forced the snipers using cover to flee in panic...
At this moment, Joe Ga used two luggage carts for cover, shielding from the police's line of fire before once again forming an assault formation, following behind the shield wall formed by Ayu and Rhino, swiftly crossing the road...
At this point, they were less than 10 meters away from the Federal Reserve Bank's entrance...
Vaguely seeing someone inside the bank driving hostages, trying to use them as a human shield...
Joe Ga decisively pulled out and tossed in a flashbang grenade...
Joe Ga always adhered to a principle: in complex situations, the more decisive the team, the more likely good results can be achieved...
"Boom"
After a violent flash and explosion, Ayu and Rhino simultaneously activated the flash on their shields, leading their comrades behind them to charge at the bank's entrance...
The snipers forced into the bank by the helicopter had no time to react much; they were accustomed to setting their M14s to semi-automatic mode, which limited their reaction capability...
Scattered counterattacks and blind shooting within the flash were unable to stop Joe Ga and his team's assault...
"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."
"Da-da, da-da, da-da..."
The rapid fire led by Joe Ga instantly took down several snipers who didn't have time to find cover...
Those gunmen inside the bank whose eyes were blinded by the flash were much more difficult to deal with...
A strong bald man with a big beard held a woman by the neck with one hand, shooting wildly with the other at the bank's entrance...
"Everyone stand up..."
The other gunmen heard the shout from the bald big beard, attempting to recover from the residual effects of the flashbangs and use the nearby hostages to confront their opponents...
But big beard's attempts to fight back and shout didn't bring any help from his comrades, instead inviting more flashbang grenades...
Four flashbangs slid into the depths of the bank hall across the floor, then once again erupted with flashes and loud noises before everyone regained their sight...
The bearded man fighting back desperately felt nothing anymore; in a whirlwind, he tried to pull the trigger frantically but had no idea his bullets were long gone from the previous counterattack...
"Clack, clack"
With the crisp sound of the beard man's rifle click, a bullet hit his head...
When Joe Ga and his team stormed into the bank, the chaotic screams echoed first...
Several evidently deafened women sat hugging their heads on the ground, kicking their legs and screaming.
The men weren't much better off, curling their bodies up as if that could prevent harm from outside.
Joe Ga and his team quickly cleared the gunmen in the hall without finding Tim Bolton, and the numbers didn't add up.
Looking at the messy bank hall, Joe Ga gestured and said, "Medic Bird, Ronnie, stay and watch them, and call the ambulance over...
Everyone else, let's check the basement..."
After saying that, Joe Ga rushed toward a sightseeing elevator deep within the bank...
Yes, a sightseeing elevator!
The Federal Reserve Bank was meant for tourists...
This sightseeing elevator would take tourists to a depth of 200 meters underground, allowing them to visit the place with the most abundant gold reserves worldwide and see the $500 billion underground fortress and its gold.
Throughout the nearly century-long history of the Federal Reserve Bank, there had never been an issue...
This itself is a paradox because as long as people work and manage here, over so many years, the lack of issues is the biggest issue.
It's just that the nature here is too special, and the stakes are too high, so problems must be turned into no problems...
Joe Ga made things so complicated, and he's been waiting for this moment!
Joe Ga called Dorian to help him forcefully pry open the elevator doors that had been forcibly locked. He peeked inside and then swiftly smashed the elevator's controller, sabotaging its circuit, completely incapacitating the elevator.
Next, Joe Ga took the access card from the bank manager's body and swiped it to enter a nearby security stairwell.
After rushing into the stairwell, Joe Ga looked at the pitch-black stairs, took a deep breath, and said, "We need to get down there and catch them before those guys escape?"
Dorian peered down with a frustrated expression and shook his head, saying, "Boss, this is the vault—those guys can't escape, can they?"
Joe Ga sped up his pace, disdainfully saying, "The Federal Reserve Bank has another exit, specifically for transporting gold.
It's a separate system from where we are now.
Tim Bolton wants to open the passage to the other side below, but it takes time—we should be able to make it..."
Saying this, Joe Ga turned back and looked at Dorian disdainfully, saying, "You didn't know this?"
Dorian, carrying much less weight, could easily keep up with Joe Ga's speed. As he sprinted down the stairs three steps at a time, he said, "Boss, I'm just a worker; I'm not planning on robbing a bank...
And how did you know?"
Joe Ga paused, saying, "I got a guide on how to destroy New York from an old KGB; it includes detailed information on the Federal Reserve Bank's structure."
Dorian said in surprise, "How does knowing the bank's structure help? I've heard those gold bars weigh hundreds of kilograms each—even if someone could break in, how many could they carry out?"
Joe Ga scoffed, saying, "I already said to destroy New York, why are you still thinking about robbing gold?
You know what's most dangerous in the apocalypse?"
Without waiting for Dorian to answer, Joe Ga continued, "It's fear!
Using high-power explosives to destroy the connection between the Federal Reserve Bank and the underground vault can cause the rock layer to sink, thoroughly destroying the vault.
Until America proves it can safely extract all the gold, it will be under worldwide financial siege.
If coincidentally the explosion affects the nearby securities trading center, the result would be international capital fleeing America as it's no longer safe.
America's credibility will drop, resulting in the US Dollar depreciating significantly...
Then fear will drive those politicians to do many irrational things to appease voters, and the fear will further expand globally...
That old KGB is a reckless madman, someone who, when the time comes, will bring everyone down with him in death."
Dorian honestly didn't see what was so terrifying about this, but he was supportive...
"Boss, does this mean you also have the password for destroying New York? That's incredible!"
After running down more than ten floors, Joe Ga started to get a bit winded...
Hearing Dorian's words, he took a few deep breaths and said, "This stuff is just the fantasy of an outdated old KGB...
In reality, 'destruction' is just a card in the hand, one not meant to be played!
This thing is merely self-comfort for a powerful man, completely useless!"
Though Joe Ga said it was useless, he was honestly following the old man's 'fantasy' with his actions.
However, it wasn't to destroy anything, but to create an uncontrollable tidal wave to drown all those with ill intentions toward him.
While Joe Ga was running, Citibank experienced many unscheduled transactions internally!
Inside the panic-stricken Fair Building, no one cared about these transactions, which quickly reflected in the international market...
As the loss of money spread to reality, the New York police ultimately overcame their fear. Led by the arriving SWAT, they rushed into Citibank, cut all power to the building, and began searching upward through all exits of the Fair Building...
Meanwhile, out of their sight, 'Iceman' and 'Water Ghost' changed into P.B. combat uniforms and took off from the building rooftop with the helicopter. Then a P.B. team disembarked from the helicopter and started a serious search downwards.
'Jackal' led the fight into the bank's first-floor office area, destroying Anna's office where the USB was placed, stepping over the bodies to join the arriving 'Spurs'...
"The boss is at the Federal Reserve Bank, let's go..."
...............
"Bang bang bang bang..."
Joe Ga reached the bottom of the bank, and the instant he opened the security stairwell door, a barrage of bullets flew his way...
Joe Ga, rushing too fast, was grazed on the arm by a stray bullet, and the pain made him realize he might have been a bit overconfident...
After retreating back into the stairwell, Joe Ga patiently waited for Ayu and Rhino to catch up, while tossing out a small drone.
He then saw Tim Bolton, a few hostages, and a solid steel barrel door mostly closed...
Several gunmen had removed their bulky tactical vests, trying to squeeze through the narrow gap.
Seeing the situation, Joe Ga didn't feel rushed anymore...