Chapter 476: N
"Stop them!"
"Take them down!"
"Those fucking rats! Kill them all!"
"Ahhh!"
Gunfire tore through the compound like an unleashed storm, muzzle flashes strobing against the concrete walls. Bodies dropped into the dirt—some riddled with bullets, others trampled beneath the chaos of men scrambling for cover or for a weapon, whichever came first.
A soldier lunged for a fallen comrade’s rifle, only to be shot from behind. Another seized the moment to slip past the fence line, disappearing into the smoke curling from a burning building.
"Hold the line!" a commanding voice roared. "Don’t let them through!"
As the soldiers struggled to halt the prisoners’ advance, the roar of an engine suddenly echoed from the side.
VROOOM!
The engine cut through the battlefield, loud enough to make heads snap toward it.
The first thing they saw was a military truck barreling straight at them.
"Fire at it! Don’t let it through!"
The soldiers split their attention. Some continued firing at the prisoners while others turned their rifles toward the speeding truck.
BANG!
TAK!
Bullets slammed into the truck’s front, denting the hood. One shattered a headlight, but the truck never slowed.
"Get out of the way!"
"Retrea—"
The warning came too late.
The truck plowed through the soldiers, sending bodies flying before drifting into a wide circle around the square.
Its tires screeched across the dirt and thick smoke billowed behind it. The smoke swallowed the battlefield.
BANG!
BANG!
"I can’t see—ack!"
Unable to see their targets, the soldiers were forced to fall back. Yet the gunfire never stopped. Muzzle flashes flickered within the haze as the prisoners continued their assault.
Inside the truck, Red let out a heavy breath. His chest rose and fell as he turned toward the advancing prisoners.
"ADVANCE!"
His roar thundered across the compound, and another deafening roar answered him.
"Get them!"
The prisoners charged through the smoke, reaching the truck and using it as cover.
"Take them all down!"
"Yeah!"
And so, the battle in the compound’s main square raged on without mercy.
*****
"Charm!"
Gin shouted.
Charm turned toward him. "I’m fi—"
Before he could finish, Gin raised his rifle and fired.
BANG!
The bullet grazed past Charm’s cheek. His breath caught, and he spun around just in time to see a soldier behind him collapse.
"Keep your head in the game!" Gin shouted before resuming his advance, his rifle barking nonstop.
"Yes, sir!"
Charm slapped his own cheek and forced himself to refocus.
Their force had split into two groups.
Red led the first group straight into the main square, where most of the soldiers were stationed.
Gin led the second group around the perimeter to cut off anyone attempting to flank them.
As for Ashley, they had dropped her off along the way because she had her own objective.
"Ugh!"
Gin stiffened for a split second as another voice beside him was abruptly silenced. He refused to look. Instead, he fired at every soldier in uniform who entered his sights.
"Shit!"
BANG!
BANG!
Gin threw himself behind the corner of a building as bullets ripped into the wall, sending concrete fragments flying.
Without wasting a second, he swapped magazines as he had nearly emptied the last one.
"There are too many of them!" one of the prisoners shouted from cover.
Gin looked around. The men beside him were pressed against the same wall.
Across the narrow lane, Charm and the others were pinned behind another building. Neither group could move as the relentless barrage of gunfire kept them trapped.
Gin took a slow breath.
His eyes darted to the nearby windows. They had already been barricaded from the inside.
Smart.
"They’re getting closer," the prisoner beside him muttered. "Should we just rush them?"
"No." Gin shook his head. He glanced toward Charm’s group. "They’ll wipe us out."
His mind raced, though he still felt strangely calm despite the chaos.
"I’ll—"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gin flinched a little, only to notice something. The gunfire had changed its routine. The soldiers who had been suppressing them suddenly shifted their aim elsewhere, and now, only a handful continued firing at the wall.
Then he heard shouting.
"Take cover! Don’t let him—"
The voice was abruptly cut off, likely by a bullet.
"This is—"
Gin’s words died in his throat as another volley slammed into the wall in front of them.
Everyone instinctively ducked.
When the gunfire finally ceased, one of the prisoners cautiously looked down at himself.
"What...?" He blinked. "I’m still alive?"
The bullets should have hit them.
Instead, every round had struck the wall just inches away.
Slowly, everyone looked up.
Dust trickled from the fresh bullet holes. As it settled, they saw a single mark etched into the concrete.
An N.
Not a complete letter.
Just a series of perfectly placed bullet holes that outlined one.
"N?"
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
A grin spread across Gin’s face.
"Nelek," he whispered. Then he looked at everyone. "One of our comrades is covering us."
His grip tightened around his rifle.
"We move on my signal."
The prisoners swallowed hard. Despite the danger, their morale surged.
They had already witnessed what Rum, Red, and the Boss were capable of. If this Nelek belonged to the same group... then help had truly arrived.
"What about Charm?" someone asked. "He doesn’t know."
"If we shout, the soldiers will hear us."
"Don’t worry." Gin glanced toward Charm’s position and raised a hand. "He’s a former cop. It’s easier to relay a message to him."
He then made a series of quick signals.
Charm watched carefully. The moment Gin finished, Charm nodded in understanding. He turned to the prisoners beside him.
"On Gin’s signal, we move," he said. "We’ve got backup."
Everyone nodded, their rifles tightened in their hands. They waited, watching Gin.
Gin slowly edged toward the corner of the wall.
BANG!
Another bullet struck inches from his face.
He paused, took a breath, then looked at the prisoner beside him.
The man nodded and carefully crawled into position.
"Now!" Gin shouted.
The prisoner hurled a shoe out from behind cover.
As expected—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A storm of bullets immediately chased after the decoy.
"GO!"
The instant Gin gave the order, he burst from cover.
He rolled across the ground and opened fire at the soldiers peeking from behind their barricades.
At the same time, Charm and the prisoners with him surged out from the opposite side, unleashing their own volley.