Chapter 250
In an instant, the crowd surged forth, rushing outwards like wolves and pigs.
At the same time, the 'focus' of the unrest.
Boom! With another loud bang, the blinds and window frames on the second floor of the Latin-Mexican restaurant named 'Garcia' shattered, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust.
In the room filled with the pungent smell of food waste, a crisp 'crack' was heard, and a headless human body staggered and fell backward.
"Sniper!"
Amid the FIA agents' roars, Song Zhaomei performed a tactical roll into the corridor, crouching low, her eyes flashing red light rapidly. She glanced at Maman Brigitte and the White House Secret Service agent who had been closely following her, calmly assessing the best time to escape.
At this point, less than a quarter of a minute had passed since Arasaka made his move, but the casualties were already considerable—a White House Secret Service agent without cybernetic components was sniped during their brief questioning of the Voodoo Boys.
This made Song Zhaomei even more confident in delivering the full amount of "pledge of allegiance".
Only one person remains on the surface...
She thought to herself.
Da da da da da—!
The fighting continued, Arasaka had already stormed into the restaurant's first-floor lobby.
Bullets and shrapnel flew everywhere, and the cracked and peeling plaster from the explosion filled the room like dry sand.
Some unlucky souls who went to watch the spectacle ended up becoming part of the play, lying dead on the spot, their bodies intertwined with the robust corpse of the secret agent.
Some pieces were scattered in the center of the lobby, and inside the cracked subcutaneous armor, flesh and blood mixed with ceramic polymer parts were still steaming.
It's like a crustacean that's been steamed and then dismembered.
"We're being suppressed! These Arasaka in exoskeletons have too much firepower! Damn, a bunch of spineless cowards who only know how to rely on their equipment advantage! If we hadn't been ambushed, under the same conditions, I'd be..."
Boom! Pots and pans flew everywhere. After a few dry coughs, the agent hiding behind the bar sounded resentful and anxious.
"When will the guys from Lazarus and the Santa Fe team arrive?!"
Because this restaurant is a government-affiliated "tentacle-type restaurant" that receives special subsidies from the Washington government, even though it cannot compare to a dedicated intelligence station or safe house of the Federal Intelligence Agency, its building materials are far more solid than those of civilian houses, as required.
He asked in a low voice, and then his companion's labored breathing came through the channel, "I don't know..."
Before the words were even finished, sizzle—bang!
Bullets carrying electric currents hurtled through the air, bricks and stones shattered, and the sounds of tearing bodies, mixed with muffled groans, echoed over the Federal Intelligence Agency channel.
There was no further response.
Damn it!
The agent gritted his teeth and growled.
He knew very well that holding out on the first floor for too long would mean certain death; he had no choice but to fight for his life. If he delayed any longer, he wouldn't even have a chance to fight.
At least drag someone down with you!
With eyes closed and a determined heart, [Krzysztof], overclocking start!
Similar to bullet time, he pushed off the cabinet with his feet and leaped out from behind the cover. His mechanical arm raised two modified guns based on the Militech crusher, and he pulled the trigger all the way down.
Boom boom, boom boom, boom boom.
Fully automatic, 12×2 continuous fire.
The steel-nailed shotgun shells streaked through the air, leaving trails of intense heat as they struck the exoskeleton armor of the Arasaka soldiers, creating dazzling sparks like metal being struck.
The Arasaka Army's response lived up to its reputation as the world's largest security business group, being extremely swift. The two front-row soldiers immediately ducked and raised the shield modules of their assault exoskeletons, while the second row turned their guns around, unleashing a hail of bullets at the FIA agent.
At this moment, his prosthetic eye was bulging out of its socket.
The nervous system components are operating at near-maximum speed, and all the cyber components in the body are interconnected. [Reinforced Tendons] Biomechanical Connective Tissue Response - Double Jump!
Like an arrow released from a bow, his body suddenly darted forward a distance in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the barrage of bullets.
He let go and threw away the crusher with its empty magazine.
At the same time, he reached behind his back with his right hand and pulled out a DB-2 Sadala Electromagnetic Shotgun, which was highly praised by the MaxTac.
"Die!" He aimed at the nearest Arasaka soldier.
"I can break through!" he shouted in his heart.
"Suneo, kill him!"
In the blink of an eye, a short, somewhat Arasaka, who appeared more compact than the tall and imposing FIA agent, arrived first and forcefully plunged headfirst into his arms.
Bang! The plaster peeled off the wall.
It missed.
"You!"
"[Krzysztof], you're not the only one who can do that, you American."
Xiao Fu's cheeky, teasing voice rang out, followed by the sound of a gun barrel pointed directly at a chest at point-blank range.
"Perfect timing, I also like using the DB-2 Sadara."
Bang! Bloodstains mixed with bits of flesh and metal flew far away.
The subcutaneous armor was shredded by the electromagnetic needles, and the FIA agent was ripped open. Instinctively, he coughed up blood, let out a shrill scream, and his body was thrown into the air, falling straight backward and becoming stiff.
The moment Xiaofu landed and his field of fire was exposed, a barrage of bullets engulfed him.
The nearly unrecognizable corpse finally slammed onto the bar, splattering a large pool of blood that emitted a plume of crimson steam.
"Continue."
Katsuo Tanaka, having abandoned the Militech M-179 Achilles electromagnetic precision rifle and killed another FIA agent, waves from the center, saying, "We have a temporary equipment advantage, speed up the advance!"
He didn't think there was anything unfair about wearing an exoskeleton.
Second floor.
Bullets 'crackled' as they pierced through the open stairwell structure and struck the walls.
Having taken in everything on the first floor, the FIA agent team leader, like a raccoon dog, threw heat decoy smoke grenades, fragmentation grenades, and incendiary grenades towards the opening before quickly moving towards the back of the restaurant, shouting into the channel at the same time:
"Agent Lark, our people are being suppressed. Please provide hacking support immediately!"
Damn it, without a high-level hacker involved, they're on par with Arasaka's ICE; they can't break through their defenses.
Fortunately, they had a top-notch hacker on their side.
Unfortunately, what the "big brother" said next chilled him to the bone.
"If I could, I would have already done it!"
"The chip contains Arasaka's Puppet Virus!"
As the sound of the explosion reached upstairs, Lin Song Zhaomei, who was hiding in the corner of the stairwell, drew her M-76e Omaha rifle from the holster under her arm. The gun was already loaded, but she did not immediately backstab him. Instead, she proactively provided location sharing, sharing the location of the Arasaka attacker with the FIA agents through hacked surveillance cameras.
After all, even if she didn't provide such basic hacking support, there was Ranyon (Haiti for "foot wiper") from the Voodoo Boys.
"I need time to remove the malware; it's just been activated..."
As she spoke, leaning against the wall, Song Zhaomei even manipulated her network warehouse to make a crackling sound, producing a few small bursts of lightning.
"You bunch of Haitian black devils who deserved to drown!"
Without a second thought, the FIA agent team leader, enraged, fired a shot at Brigitte had cowered behind the load-bearing wall.
Bang! Wall debris splattered, and a splash of bright red blood appeared. The bullet had pierced the black woman's right ear, and the gold coin earring, dragging its flesh, fell down the stairs with a clatter.
"More trouble than they're worth!"
He then launched into a tirade of curses. "Are you blind? Go ahead and attack!"
As for why he didn't blow Brigitte's head off, it was because he had just received a message on the channel that the Voodoo Boys members had also been killed by the Arasaka people, including her confidants.
The dreadlocked young man nicknamed "Neptune" was torn to pieces by a sudden attack from the Arasaka War Beast.
After the hail of bullets, the honeycomb briquettes turned into a spray of blood mist.
They died a terrible death.
It's clear that the Arasaka soldier prioritized eliminating the hacker by omitting the plainclothes agent who was closer.
Therefore, the situation is quite clear: Arasaka did not Voodoo Boys to frame them at all. The Voodoo Boys was completely incompetent and was unaware that Arasaka had targeted them. Even the chips in the transaction were tampered with.
Unable to refute, Brigitte, who had already begun to suspect that someone in her gang had been bribed by Arasaka, turned even darker. She trembled with anger, gritting her teeth and trying her best to control her inner rage.
"I see."
The sound was almost coming from the back of the throat.
I tolerated it.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
Given Arasaka's ruthless attitude, she currently only has one option: to side with the Federal Intelligence Agency.
"Atak (Haiti, meaning attack)!"
Upon hearing this, the remaining Voodoo Boys members disregarded the military-level Intrusion Countermeasure Unit that the Arasaka elite soldiers were inevitably equipped with, and their prosthetic eyes lit up in unison.
Upon seeing this, the FIA agent team leader frowned, shielded everyone in front of him, and began to attack from behind.
As they passed the White House Secret Service agent, his body blocked Song Zhaomei's view, and their eyes met.
Although there was no communication, the message about the mission was clear to some people—if escape was not possible, and the escort, Song Zhaomei, was also likely to be captured by Arasaka, the mission should be destroyed immediately.
"Retreat! Fight and retreat simultaneously!"
After leaving one group behind, he took Song Zhaomei and made a quick getaway.
A room on the top floor of a commercial and office building several hundred meters away.
"What's the situation now?"
The ninja with the high-powered binoculars deactivated his thermo-optical camouflage and turned around.
"No change."
Another Arasaka ninja lay prone on a pieced-together table away from the window, with cover in front of him, using the binoculars of Nekomata Electromagnetic Sniper Rifle to observe the situation near Garcia Restaurant.
"This batch of SAT recruits performed reasonably well; they're not all show and no substance."
"Especially that kid named David Martinez, who single-handedly held off the Voodoo Boys's hacker 'Neptune' in the first instance, and then skillfully used the terrain to cooperate with his teammates to block the FIA's external support channels..."
"[Sandevistan] played quite well, no wonder Miss ordered us to protect him in the crucial moment."
"However, the SFPD (Santa Fe Police Department) will arrive in about 5 minutes, if they are willing to intervene. Some of the FIA personnel have already arrived. Although their piecemeal tactics are not a concern for the time being, the key to watch out for in this operation is the Lazarus mercenaries who will arrive from the eastern outskirts of the city in about 12 minutes."
"We can't wait any longer."
After a pause, he dialed the encrypted internal channel. "Group A, hold your ground for now and follow my orders. Your current position is not bad. Under the pressure from SAT, the target is shifting towards your side."
Just as the FIA agent team leader was leading Song Zhaomei and Brigitte out of Garcia Restaurant, the delaying agent detonated the explosives.
Boom—!!
Flames raged and heatwaves rolled in; the second floor of Garcia Restaurant could be seen to have been completely blown off, with billowing black smoke.
This means that all those who were delayed have been covered.
"The distance is sufficient. Detonate the electromagnetic pulse bomb."
"Narrow alley," the FIA agent team leader commanded with a grim face.
"Yes."
Just as the FIA's accompanying network expert's prosthetic eye flashed red, preparing to remotely detonate the electromagnetic pulse bomb left at the side door of Garcia Restaurant, his prosthetic system malfunctioned instantly, and the network access compartment exploded with electrical sparks.
Everyone's Cybernetic Operating System, including FIA agent team leader Brigitte, simultaneously malfunctioned, with black and red data streams appearing on their retinal visual interface, and their bodies convulsing uncontrollably.
Black and red? It's the [Black Wall] agreement! "You!" The FIA agent team leader seemed to understand in an instant, his expression changed, and he looked at Song Zhaomei in horror.
"The traitor... killed... her..."
The only unaffected Secret Service agent at the White House raised his gun, and poof!
The blade of the samurai sword pierced through his chest.