Chapter 96: Advance, Target—Sniper
Five minutes later, the fully armed SWAT team boarded their vehicle.
The Bearcat G3, a beast of an armored vehicle, roared out of the training facility, speeding toward the scene of the incident.
SWAT didn't handle regular investigations or suspect interrogations. They were only deployed when heavily armed criminals were involved, meaning they always fought head-on battles.
Campbell was driving, while ASH began the mission briefing based on FBI intelligence.
"The target is located in a public square, which is currently packed with civilians—mostly Black protesters.
Yesterday, a white police officer accidentally shot and killed a Black teenager, sparking racial tensions. That night, a protest march was held.
During the event, a white government official and a white police officer coordinating the situation were sniped and killed.
The shooter has been confirmed to be a sniper, positioned on a rooftop north of the square.
His marksmanship is deadly—so far, he's already killed and injured multiple officers.
He's been single-handedly pinning down the local police and their SWAT team for over ten minutes…"
Campbell whistled.
"Damn, one guy holding off an entire team? This dude reminds me of 'The White Death'—Simo Häyhä."
The others agreed.
Nobody liked dealing with snipers—too many uncontrollable variables.
---
As soon as they arrived, bullets struck their vehicle.
CLANG!
But the Bearcat G3's armor was top-tier—unless the sniper had an anti-materiel rifle, safety wasn't a concern.
Campbell angled the vehicle's front toward the shooter, ensuring the back was shielded.
The rear doors swung open, and the SWAT team poured out in formation.
The local police officers and SWAT members already on-site were completely pinned down behind their patrol cars.
In the square, some of the protesters had managed to flee, but those stuck closer to the action were lying flat on the ground, hoping the sniper wasn't a racist psychopath.
A paramedic vehicle was stalled at the intersection—inside, the terrified medical personnel were hiding, while the emergency lights kept flashing.
Injured officers and SWAT members lay scattered on the ground.
The ambulance was right there, but nobody dared move—not even to help the wounded.
A plainclothes detective crawled up to them from behind a car.
"You guys finally made it. I'm Max Payne, Central LAPD. The shooter is on the gray rooftop at one o'clock—only one target."
ASH barely peeked out before—
CRACK!
A bullet whizzed past, ricocheting off the Bearcat's armor with a metallic clang.
The sniper had been watching them.
ASH issued orders immediately.
"Point man, take lead! Tight formation—Monica, Owen, provide suppressive fire!"
The team executed their plan seamlessly.
The point man, fully armored and wielding a ballistic shield, took the lead.
A 7.62mm bullet from the sniper couldn't penetrate the shield.
Everyone stayed tight behind him, advancing rapidly under cover.
Meanwhile—
Owen and Monica sprinted to opposite sides, taking cover behind trees and laying down suppressive fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG!
After spending the afternoon training together, their coordination was perfect.
They staggered their shots just right, ensuring continuous fire coverage with no gaps.
The sniper was momentarily suppressed, and his gunfire stopped.
While firing, Owen and Monica also advanced in turns—
One moved while the other covered, then they switched.
The FBI SWAT team's arrival immediately shifted the situation.
Seeing this, some of the pinned-down officers started stirring.
Then—
"AHHH!"
Owen snapped his head around—
Carl had been hit!
Hiding behind a police car, Carl had just peeked out when the sniper nailed his arm.
"Shit!"
Owen hadn't expected to run into Carl here.
Technically, this was Central Division's jurisdiction. Carl and the West Hollywood precinct shouldn't even be here.
Seeing his friend wounded, Owen instantly intensified his fire.
Activating bullet time, he zeroed in on the sniper's position, controlling his recoil to keep his shots tightly grouped.
The sniper was forced to stay down, allowing the officers to drag Carl to safety.
Seeing that Carl was secured, Owen ducked behind cover.
CRACK!
A bullet struck the exact spot where he had just been standing.
The sniper was watching him now.
"Advance! Keep formation!"
ASH's voice crackled in his earpiece.
Owen moved out again, falling back into the SWAT assault pattern—
Whenever one group moved forward, the others provided cover fire.
As they closed the distance, Owen's shots became even more accurate.
And the closer they got, the more suppressed the sniper became.
But—
Firing at this rate meant he was burning through ammo fast.
After three full magazines, he had to reload.
Monica immediately took over, ensuring constant suppressive fire.
---
The rooftop fell silent.
Owen rushed forward, reaching a chain-link fence.
Without hesitation, he ditched his M4A1, vaulted over the fence, and climbed up the side of the building.
With his pistol drawn, he swept the rooftop—
Checking every concealed spot.
By the time the rest of the team arrived—
The sniper was gone.
All that remained was a sniper rifle and a pile of empty shell casings.
He had escaped.
---
With the sniper threat neutralized, the police moved in to evacuate civilians and tend to the wounded.
Owen spotted Carl being carried into an ambulance—
Luckily, the injury wasn't too severe.
Max Payne—the LAPD detective in charge of security—climbed onto the rooftop.
Seeing the abandoned rifle and casings, he cursed loudly.
He had been responsible for preventing racial violence—now, with two dead white officials and an unknown sniper, the situation had exploded.
The LAPD had its own SWAT team, based at Central Division.
Normally, the FBI wouldn't interfere unless it was a federal case.
But when the local police couldn't handle it, they sometimes called for FBI assistance—even at the cost of losing control of the case.
That was exactly what Max Payne had done.
Without FBI SWAT's firepower, he and his officers would've been pinned down indefinitely.
Owen scanned the surrounding streets, noting the abundance of security cameras in the area.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed Chloe.