Final Operation

The operation has begun, and the squad split into two groups. Neil escorts Chad with Roy to the building's top, while Nick and Mike will be escorting the US President and two teenage girls out of the area as far as they can.

On their way down to the first floor, their journey was quite peaceful since most of the terrorists were distracted by the noises coming from a rogue helicopter rampaging outside.

Even Nick's team was impressed by how long the rogue helicopter managed to divert the terrorists' attention for them.

Upon reaching the first floor and entering the main hall, they began to remember the scary feeling of having full of black-armed men walking around them.

Fortunately, since they were sneaking down without being detected, they still had a chance to exit the building as long as they haven't been seen-

"Nick watch out!"

They have been seen. Two terrorists were running around, and accidentally saw Nick, without hesitation, they quickly aimed their rifles at them and opened fire-

BANG! BANG!!

...

Shots have been fired, and none missed. As a result, the two terrorists collapse as each of them gets a bullet in the forehead. Failed to shoot first, they were instantly killed by someone who was more quickhanded than them.

Despite his service had ended years ago, his skills remained sharp, and the President made two nearly perfect headshots.

As the others look at him in amazement, he yells at them.

"What are you looking at? Go! Go! Go!"

And urged them to refocus on their escape. Because, despite his skills and reaction time were impressive, they have something more important to focus on. The other terrorists now know where they are.

"Shit!"

They hurried towards the source of the gunshots at lightning speed and Nick immediately shot down another couple of terrorists who had just appeared right in front of them.

BANG! BANG!!

"GO! GO! GO!!"

After taking out the threats, Nick and the President urgently urged the team to run. With their location compromised and the stealthy tricks useless, they decided to just "close their eyes" and run as fast as they could.

Immediately, as soon as they started running, other terrorists pursued, the terrorists fired and Nick fired back, supported by the President. Together, they formed a duo crucial for ensuring the survival of the entire group.

Mike, on the other hand, despite his good-willed efforts to help, mostly missed the target and spent more time fleeing than fighting.

The chase continued like this for 60 seconds, with both sides trying to run with all their strength, until Nick's team finally got outside of the building, and were met with dozens of other terrorists-

BRRRRRTTTT!!!!

...

The bullets rain down in the shock of the entire squad. However, the target wasn't them but the terrorists who were about to shoot them.

And what came after the BRRT was the blood-red air and the chopping sound that grew louder and louder with each passing second.

The president and the others stare at the hovering black helicopter, armed with a Gatling gun and missiles, that is also looking back at them. He cannot see who is inside the helicopter, but clearly, it is a man.

Then, after a brief gaze, the rogue chopper continued its flight toward other areas around the Empire State Building, where it believed there were threats remaining.

"Is that our support?" He wondered.

"No idea. But it's a good thing that he's keeping them distracted from us. Better not let his help be in vain."

Then they continued their escape, running through now-empty streets littered with the bodies of dead terrorists.

The scene was uncomfortable, with blood spilled everywhere and the nauseating stench of corpses in the air. Mike, Jenny, and Selena had to cover their noses, or else they might throw up.

However, for veterans like Nick and President Mikael, they could somewhat tolerate the fragrance-

BOOM!!

Suddenly, a loud explosion occurred from behind them. Based on the sound, it seemed like the explosion originated from above.

"Holly shit!"

The helicopter that had helped with their escape moments ago was now falling down from at least 50 meters above, trailing fire on its tail. With a loud boom as it crashed into the ground, and the fire grew bigger, engulfing the entire vehicle in flames, they know that they are now on their own.

"Great, now our support is gone, we're fucked!" Mike whined.

Despite the helicopter being destroyed, they didn't see anybody inside the flaming debris. There was a high chance that the pilot who had helped them had ejected the vehicle and landed on a rooftop somewhere around the area.

But that was the second thing that shocked the president.

"They have Stingers (Handheld anti-air missiles) too?!" He questioned Nick.

"No, I don't think they have Stingers, this area is not ideal for Stingers, they just probably have a really good aim with RPG. Come on, let's go!"

"But without that guy helping us, the terrorists could easily catch us." Mike resumes whining.

"Not if we can get out of here first, let's go! Run!"

And continue to run they go, this time knowing that they are now vulnerable as the cover from the rogue helicopter is gone, they become more hesitant and worried than before, fearing that they might be attacked at any point.

And they were right. High above them on a floor of the Empire State Building, Kosho, the sniper previously defeated by Nick, now had a clear shot at approximately five potential targets fleeing below.

As he places his sniper rifle against the window and peers through the scope, he ponders who he should target.

Clearly, he could not shoot the President because they needed him, but who should he shoot in the remaining fours?

The two teenage girls? Too meaningless.

The terrified black fat guy? Too unneccessary.

Or should it be Nick, the main troublemaker? Even though Kosho now knows who he should target, he hesitates about taking out Nick. Talented and skilled men like him were the ones Kosho preferred to compete with, not kill.

Kosho also began to wonder whether his decision was based on logic or driven by the desire for revenge? Nonetheless, his finger was already on the trigger, and he was ready to pull it-

"Don't."

Suddenly, a female voice emerged, and along with it was a slender hand reaching out and grasping the rifle's stock.

"Vasilia?"

As he gazes at her, Vaslilia looks him back with her head shaking.

"Don't do it. The mission is over, don't bother."

...

Upon hearing this, Kosho made up his mind. He decided to retract the rifle and abort the assassination attempt.

He felt, that killing any of them would be pointless. Since they were outside, they would just keep running even if one of them was shot, because the survival of the majority was of the utmost importance.

And also, he would love to meet Nick again, not as a terrorist, but as an enemy on the frontlines.

Vasilia felt the same, that from now on, any more killing would just be meaningless. However, despite the two of them giving up, the commander and his vice-commander hadn't given up just yet.

"Go after them!! Alive or dead doesn't matter, don't let any of them escape! Except for the president!"

And Andro, the man with the half-burnt face, also known as the vice-commander of the terrorists, was still pursuing them on the first floor.

Realizing they were late and their targets had escaped onto the streets, they hurried into their trucks, eager to recapture the president as soon as possible.

This time, he wouldn't show any mercy. He ordered his subordinates to man the machine guns and prepare to shoot and kill anyone who wasn't the President.

As the terrorists are getting into the trucks, Saiko, Ben, and Brent stand on the first floor, witnessing the entire fight and chase unfold before them.

During the chaos, Brent happened to notice something strange that he now remembered:

"Chad and Neil are not with them, this is a distraction!!" He assumes.

Then the three of them stand there, looking at each other in awkwardness, uncertain of what they should do next. It was clear they had betrayed their friends and likely their country as well, but should they also help the terrorists?

Ben felt hesitant and conflicted about this- No. His heart had been wrenching ever since he decided to betray his friends and follow Brent and Saiko just to save his own life.

Before this, he had been a victim of Brent, of bullying and power. He had always felt life was too harsh on him, that he was always, just the victim. Now, he is the accomplice of the currently most hated "criminals" in the world, and it was all his decision.

Only now did Ben understand that he was a poor decision-maker. Every choice he made, whether big or small, whether forced or of his own will, would eventually make him regret later on.

From being silent and acceps being ordered around by Brent, to agreeing with their treacherous plan, he had always been filled with regrets.

And now, with this realization, he decided that the best thing he could do right now was to stay silent and do nothing, letting everything unfold on its own.

However, even if Ben chose not to do anything, someone else would.

Saiko, from what Ben sees, appeared to be doing nothing as well, but he seemed to be expecting and waiting for something or someone.

"Oh, you're not getting away, Chad!"

And that someone was none other than Brent, who had despised Chad from the beginning.

Brent was aware that Chad, Roy, and Neil were secretly attempting to destroy the forcefield machine, sticking to their original plan, and he chose to stay quiet about it.

He grabbed a handgun from one of the dead terrorists, and dashed towards the elevator, intending to deal with them, all by himself.

As he ran through, Brent accidentally bumped into Ben's shoulder. But he quickly ignored Ben and kept moving. However, this bump has reminded Ben of something he had completely forgotten.

He looks at the backpack he's wearing.

"Roy..."

He recalled a favor Roy had asked him yesterday when they were still in the terrorist's weapon storage room.

He remembered that Roy had asked Ben to deliver his diary to Chad if anything bad ever happened to him.

As he realized this, he found himself stuck in another dilemma. He felt that he should at least deliver the diary in his backpack to Chad as promised, even though Roy was probably still fine. He doesn't even know what is written inside the diary that is so important to Roy that he wants Chad to read it.

However, after leaving Roy alone and betraying the ones who trusted him, Ben felt too ashamed to even look at their faces. And, like before, the best decision Ben could think of was to do nothing and let everything happen naturally.