Reborn: The Rookie Detective

Jack volunteered to help. As an LAPD member, he felt it was better for him to participate in the hostage rescue. Although he wasn't familiar with Jessie's best friend, he didn't want her to be too heartbroken. He figured he should help if he could, especially since he had some suggestions.

"Actually, in my opinion, we don't need to act simultaneously. We can eliminate the men first, then go back and clear out the Eugene family's villa. After all, they're not savages used to the mountains. Once we destroy the vehicles, they're unlikely to immediately decide to escape into the forest."

"Also, give me a high-powered scope. I'm a pretty good marksman; targets under 500 meters shouldn't be a problem."

The kill he just got had finally upgraded Jack's rifle shooting skills, which he hadn't touched in a long time, to master, and also unlocked his previously grayed-out sniper rifle skill.

It's just that he didn't have enough system coins, otherwise he would have definitely upgraded his sniper skill directly to mastery and shown off.

He always preferred ranged specialists in games.

Jason stared at the military tablet for a long time before finally making a decision.

"Trent, lend him your spare scope. Clay will go to the villa alone, responsible for destroying the vehicles there, then keep an eye on the Eugene family and report back. The rest of you will move in together. That's it for now."

....

"Bang bang bang!"

Several team members climbed into the back of the Wrangler. Ray slammed his fist on the vehicle to signal them to get into position.

As Jack stepped on the gas, the helicopter behind them took off. The two experienced pilots kept the helicopter at a height slightly above the treetops, steadily following the SUV.

Jason, in the co-pilot's seat, kept a close eye on the surveillance images transmitted from the drone on the tablet.

During the journey, Rossi's report came through the tactical radio again.

The Eugene family, perhaps sensing something was wrong, sent two men in a pickup truck to investigate. The FBI intercepted them halfway and riddled the truck with bullets.

This news was bittersweet. On the one hand, two fewer enemies needed to be eliminated from the villa, and the FBI had deployed two drones to monitor it. On the other hand, the enemy had clearly been alerted, and once the fighting began in the mine, the Eugene family might make a move.

But now wasn't the time to change plans. The Wrangler carrying the team was less than a mile from the villa.

Jack braked at the fork in the road. Clay jumped out of the back with a tactical radio, and Jason jumped out of the passenger seat, handing him two packs of explosives. Jason then solemnly instructed, "Don't push yourself. No acting on your own, understand?"

Clay nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, boss, I won't let you down again."

Although he didn't know their past, Jason seemed like a good leader.

Jason jumped back into the car, glanced at the tablet, and urged Jack, "Hurry up, these men are starting to come out of the mine, probably preparing for lunch. Now's the time to strike."

Jack drove the Wrangler at breakneck speed, scattering bullets along the way. With each slight slowdown, a team member jumped out and ran towards the designated target.

If someone were to use a bird's-eye view from above, they would see that five team members had formed a semi-circular encirclement, surrounding a large open area and wooden huts where the men had gathered, not far from the mine.

Jack was the sixth. He had already climbed a large tree, found a comfortable spot, set up his rifle with a high-powered scope, and waited quietly.

Reports of everyone being in position came through the headset one after another. Just as the last person finished speaking, Jason decisively gave the attack order.

"The helicopter, attack authorized!"

With a deafening roar, the helicopter, which had been hovering concealed in the distance, swooped in. The men, who were grilling their 'food' outside the four wooden houses, looked up in confusion, seemingly seeing such a large, strange iron bird for the first time.

Some warily grabbed their crossbows and hunting rifles, aiming them at the helicopter.

The helicopter, seemingly oblivious, flew swiftly overhead, the powerful gust of air overturning several campfires and scalding several men, causing them to howl in pain.

When it was less than 100 meters from the mine, the rocket launcher on the helicopter suddenly roared, unleashing more than ten rockets that exploded inside and outside the mine. With a series of deafening explosions, the makeshift log-supported mine collapsed, sealing it off completely.

As the men stared in disbelief, the helicopter circled back, climbed slightly, and turned its fuselage. A weapon mounted on the open cockpit began to spin, emitting a strange, high-pitched screech.

The next second, the screech suddenly became incredibly sharp, like a rousing death melody, drawing streaks of searing fire through the men.

A tall man, facing the helicopter and attempting to aim its crossbow at the iron bird, was instantly cut down by these streaks of fire.

"Go to hell, you damned monsters!!!"

Listening to the frantic screams coming through his headphones, Jack regretted it a little. This thing looked so cool; why did he even apply to be a marksman? Real men should be doing this!

Of course, he was just thinking about it; Jason wouldn't let him operate such a dangerous machine.

Because of its incredibly high rate of fire, the weapon's endurance was worse than most. Although the team member operating it on the helicopter had tried to increase the firing interval, the barrage of fire only lasted for less than a minute.

Perhaps because training was interrupted and they rushed over, the team hadn't brought enough ammunition.

But that was enough. There were less than 10 men left standing in the clearing. Several were panicking and trying to escape into the woods with their backs to the helicopter, but the team members, who had already formed a circle around them, took them down one by one.

Jack, perched in the tree, continued firing. He was now only about 300 meters from the central clearing, having taken down two men fleeing in his direction with several shots. He then turned his scope towards targets further away.

Jason was already directing the other three team members to move towards the center, while another sniper, like Jack, began searching for men using cabins or piles of wood as cover.

"Bang!"

Jack headshot a man hiding inside a cabin, only peeking halfway out from behind the door — his last kill of the entire operation.

The team members began their coordinated house-to-house clearing, their tactics flowing smoothly. Jack barely heard any verbal communication through his headset; everyone knew their position, their assigned areas of focus, and even the order in which they would enter the cabins.

With a few gunshots, the cleanup was complete. The team members who withdrew from the last cabin looked extremely grim. Even these soldiers, accustomed to violence, couldn't ignore what they saw inside.

Accompanied by low curses echoing through their headsets, the team members began to gather the scattered remains.

Jack, put away his gun, jumped down from the tree, and ran over, using tools to gather the bodies into the cabins.

Following the same procedure as before, after quickly clearing a cordon, the cabins, doused with gasoline, were set ablaze. The Wrangler was abandoned on the spot, and everyone boarded the helicopter, quickly flying towards the nearby Eugene family's mountain villa.

At the same time, an FBI drone passed the helicopter, circling and monitoring the burning cabins.

"Clay, how's the situation on your end?" Jason called out to the young team member over the channel.

"No one has left the villa yet. I secretly placed explosives in the remaining two SUVs, ready to detonate at any time."

"Well done." Hearing that there were no unexpected situations, Jason praised his team member.

Jessie, who had been on the helicopter, sat next to Jack, looking at him with some worry.

Jack knew she was worried about her best friend, so he didn't say much, just gently held her hand to reassure her.

"Jack, was the rappelling okay?" Jason asked, handing him a pair of gloves.

What a coincidence! The skill he had only practiced for a few days was already coming in handy. Jack nodded.

"Let's scare them a bit first, see if we can drive them out. Ray, contact the FBI again, ask if their drones can pinpoint the hostages' location?"

As Jason spoke, the helicopter had already arrived above the mountain villa.

Although both were log cabins, this mountain villa was far more impressive than the dilapidated ones belonging to the men. It was a two-story structure with numerous rooms, some even featuring extended balconies on the second floor.

"The FBI says the hostages are being held separately in a small room on the west side of the first floor," Ray reported loudly.

"Good, begin the operation."

The helicopter deliberately avoided the side where the two SUVs were parked, hovering on the south side of the villa. Two team members stood at the hatch, indiscriminately firing their rifles at the windows on the second floor and the east side of the first floor.

Inside, figures darted about. The six remaining adult males of the Eugene family, already terrified by the helicopter's appearance, fled the villa amidst a hail of bullets, scrambling into the two SUVs to escape.

Perhaps they thought driving into the woods would offer hope of escaping the helicopter, or perhaps it was simply the instinctive reaction of ordinary people fleeing for their lives, without much thought.