NOVEL WEB Chapter 942: The Expected Ambush
"Is this the place you found for us?"
Joe Ga stood on top of an unfinished two-story building, awkwardly avoiding the human waste beneath his feet. He couldn't help but flip off Tony, who was smirking dryly nearby…
Dorian measured the target distance using his rangefinder, then casually remarked with a laugh, "Boss, this spot isn't bad—460 meters. We've got a clear line of fire on both the target's front and side."
Ronnie was busy setting up Broad Sword Mines in the stairway, then used ropes to create two quick evacuation points on the other side of the rooftop…
Hearing Joe's complaints, Ronnie chuckled and replied, "Sir, boss, this place is pretty good. At least it's better than being stuck in the jungle.
The nights in Kinshasa are relatively cool; you get to stargaze and feel the night breeze—it's actually nice!"
Joe couldn't help but shake his head, knowing full well this crew was messing with him on purpose…
About 200 meters ahead, there was another even more rundown building, closer to the enemy's slum. It offered better visibility and was nearer the action.
Even with night vision, providing precise cover at 460 meters in the wilderness would be difficult.
But Joe didn't say anything further. Instead, he chose a suitable spot and gathered a few stones from around a homeless person's makeshift campfire, using them to create a makeshift seat. He then propped his sniper HK417 rifle on the chest-high parapet.
Joe mounted the usual night vision attachment in front of the adjustable six-times magnification scope, instinctively setting the scope to 4x. He pressed his cheek against the cheek rest and adjusted the rifle for comfort…
The custom HK417, made to fit Joe perfectly, combined with a top-tier optic system, provided him with a reasonable field of vision. He could cover a sizeable range with his bullets.
Watching Ayu set up a machine gun near the rooftop corner and Ronnie and Dorian deploy M24 sniper rifles on either side of him, Joe gave Tony a thumbs-up and said, "Launch the drones. Ferryman and Night Tiger will enter in five minutes…
Make sure not to alert the locals before engaging. The slum is densely populated; avoid collateral damage as much as possible."
Seated cross-legged on the ground, Tony accepted the orders. Fussing over the complex antenna next to him, he operated his bulky computer like he was prepping a space shuttle…
"This is 'Batter,' synchronizing drone surveillance footage...
Launching two Springblade 600 drones...
Activating Spearhead Missile Backpack...
Syncing personnel data, establishing friend-or-foe identification signals...
All units, listen up: Talus system is now live. Friendly troops will display as green boxes, armed hostiles will be marked in red, and unarmed individuals in yellow.
Adjust your modes and intensity manually..."
Once the Talus terminal went active on the drone, Joe didn't immediately grasp how all of its fancy features worked, but he instantly noticed that his goggles provided a slight upgrade in optical clarity. Night vision edges appeared sharper.
Joe didn't fully understand the tech behind it, but clearer visuals were always welcomed.
Next to him, both Dorian and Ronnie exclaimed in awe. Ronnie took his goggles off and put them on repeatedly, marveling, "These are better than the Talus helmets I've tested before. FUCK—those science nerds must've held back the good stuff!"
Joe wasn't about to explain. His personally engineered optics, especially the lenses, were undoubtedly superior to anything Talus Corporation could procure.
Smirking at Ronnie's naïve excitement, Joe opted to stay silent. After hearing the soft double pop of the drones taking off, he pressed his comms unit and said, "This is A1. Cover point ready. We're on the rooftop 460 meters directly east of the target…"
"This is Ferryman. F1 copy. Beginning operation…"
"This is Night Tiger. T1 copy. Beginning operation…"
With both squads signaling their readiness, two teams clad in black combat gear began advancing into the slums under the cover of night.
It was now 11 p.m. The streets of the slum were sparsely populated, save for gatherings of gang members around occasional campfires.
These individuals guarded key intersections, loosely surrounding the target building and adjacent structures.
The target—a 400-square-meter single-story dwelling—was surrounded by a jagged perimeter wall topped with nails and broken glass.
Night Tiger's six-man team approached the front, moving single-file along the shadows cast by corrugated metal sheds in the slum.
At one corner, 'Grasshopper,' the reconnaissance lead, signaled for a halt and quickly motioned four individuals were ahead…
'Monkey' raised a hand, signaling the next move. Behind him, 'Frog' and 'Eel,' armed with Joe's custom V33 suppressed sniper rifles, quietly moved forward to take position…
'Monkey' drew a silenced pistol and positioned himself behind his teammates. Extending three fingers between them, he began silently counting down…
"Three, two, one…"
When 'Monkey' reached one, 'Frog' and 'Eel,' crouched and pressed up against the corner of the wall, leaned out simultaneously...
"Dadadadada…"
"Dadadadada…"
The whisper-quiet VSS rifles, modified by Joe to fire subsonic 9mm rounds, emitted sounds akin to leather belts snapping on a tabletop—virtually imperceptible a few dozen meters away.
The rounds struck true, pinpointing the gang members—one to the chest and one to the head—demonstrating an elite level of precision and pacing.
'Monkey,' ready to provide backup fire, saw the clean hits and immediately holstered his weapon, leading the team in advancing forward.
The two snipers maintained their cover positions while the others dragged the bodies into the shadows, destroying their weapons in the process.
After securing the corpses, the squad resumed moving. 'Black Panther,' passing by a gang vehicle, discreetly planted a remote explosive near its fuel tank.
Everything unfolded under Joe's watchful eye, and he had to marvel at their efficiency. The entire sequence ran as if choreographed—smooth and seamless.
From encounter to shooting to disposal, including planting the bomb—all in under a minute.
Somebody was asleep in a room just twenty or so meters away from them, completely oblivious.
Of course, P·B had several squads capable of such execution, but few carried it out this gracefully.
Night Tiger had no hulking giants—its tallest machine gunner, 'Buffalo,' was barely 1.8 meters tall.
Agile, swift, silent—all while packing a frightening punch…
Joe, now an insider, quickly understood why they were called 'Night Tiger.'
By the time enemies noticed them, it was already too late!
After clearing another intersection in the same manner, dealing with a few more lookouts, Night Tiger finally reached their assault positions.
Point man 'Grasshopper' peeked out from a corner, then softly reported, "There are four guards on the roof. Two sentries positioned inside the main gate on the perimeter wall…
These individuals seem disciplined…"
'Monkey' patted 'Grasshopper' on the backpack and pointed to the goggles on his face, saying, "Deploy the mini drone…"
'Grasshopper' nodded, activating the small drone from his tactical computer and goggles with clumsy movements…
With a soft "clic," a palm-sized drone ejected from 'Grasshopper's backpack, buzzing faintly as it ascended into the air…
The drone's aerial vantage complemented reconnaissance where larger drones struggled with interior views.
Once airborne, 'Grasshopper' couldn't hold back his admiration and pressed the comm, reporting, "In the front yard, there are two armed pickup trucks, and the ground floor has over a dozen resting individuals…
The numbers seem off. Intelligence from hours ago estimated 30-plus personnel…"
Steering the drone toward an adjacent structure, he soon spotted something suspicious…
"Something's not right—the eastern building has armed personnel. They've been monitoring the windows facing the target building…"
Hearing this, 'Monkey' frowned, pressing his comm to say, "F1, this is T1—check the surrounding buildings…"
From a different angle, 'Comet' launched his drone as well and quickly responded…
"This is F1—the southern side, 30 meters away from the target building, has armed personnel inside the ground-floor dwelling…
Something's off; this seems like a trap!
T1, let's fall back one block and regroup…"
'Monkey' promptly agreed, saying, "We're retreating…"
The enemy wasn't exceptionally skilled, but the sheer numbers posed a problem.
A night raid and falling headfirst into an enemy trap were two entirely different situations. Both 'Comet' and 'Monkey,' seasoned veterans near fifty, knew exactly what to do under such circumstances.
Watching the unfolding developments from over 400 meters away, Joe turned to Tony and asked, "Why wasn't this detected earlier?"
Tony turned his computer screen toward Joe, explaining, "Boss, every building here has people inside. The surveillance drones can't penetrate structures effectively.
I'm rewinding the earlier footage now…
We tracked the guys delivering food to the hotel and found this location. Initially, we counted 34 individuals, but now there seem to be ten or so extra…
Oh shit—someone's climbing onto the roof; they might've spotted us!"
Panic etched on his face, Tony furiously typed commands into his computer. Pressing his comms, he yelled, "'Catcher,' scan for hostile radio signals in the area—we might be compromised…"
Joe glanced at Tony's frantic mess, shook his head faintly, then turned his focus back through his scope. Muttering softly to himself, he said, "They're moving fast!
Let's see if they're bold enough…"
Just as Joe contemplated ordering Night Tiger and Ferryman to retreat, the more favorable building 200 meters ahead suddenly exploded…
"Boom!" A deafening blast turned the structure into a raging torch, flames erupting from the rooftop and lighting up large stretches of the surrounding area.
As the blaze erupted, Night Tiger and Ferryman, now regrouped, broke into a nearby structure in unison...
"Spearhead missiles—six simultaneous launches—fire…"