Chapter 232: Another Sudden Change

With Jack Bauer no longer in her way, Janet didn't hesitate and quickly dashed toward the utility passage. With the security supervisor dead, the USSS agents, following standard protocol, prioritized protecting the principal over neutralizing the assailant.

Aside from a few still targeting Janet, most of the agents surged toward David Palmer.

Janet reached the utility passage effortlessly. She shattered the glass at the entrance ahead of time, slipped through, and vanished.

Seconds later, Janet burst from the first floor exit of the passage and landed on a thick cushion.

She rolled off the cushion, ducked low, and crawled into a specially modified cart. It was piled high with junk and trash on top, making it look full, but inside it was hollow—just enough space to hide one person.

At that moment, someone dressed as a janitor entered from outside, pushed the cart out calmly, and passed through the staff hallway, exiting the hotel with it.

A few seconds later, a car carried Janet away at full speed.

...

Back inside the hotel, after Janet disappeared, the agents turned their guns on Jack and Owen.

Amid shouts and commands, Jack and Owen dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

Through the gaps between the agents, Owen finally caught a glimpse of David Palmer. He wasn't dead, but he was injured. Blood was trickling down his head, but he seemed okay—the wound didn't look serious.

"Drop your weapons, hands on your head, get on your knees~~~"

Someone among the agents shouted, and Owen and Jack obeyed without resistance.

"I'm CTU. My badge is in my side pocket, you can check..."

Jack loudly identified himself, signaling that he and Owen were not hostiles. Still, the agents didn't relax one bit.

Although their supervisor was dead and no one could speak to Jack Bauer's exact involvement, they knew about Owen overpowering and disarming a fellow agent—especially since the one he subdued was now among those surrounding them.

The agents cautiously approached. Owen supported Jack, who, despite everything, immediately asked about his family.

"Don't worry, your wife and daughter are fine. They're safe now. I saw Tony take them away personally—they should be at CTU already…"

Owen's words finally put Jack at ease. Although Owen didn't elaborate on what had happened, Jack could guess it had been a dangerous process. He looked at Owen and said sincerely, "Thank you."

Owen grinned. "Remember to get me a raise and a promotion…"

The two laughed, while the surrounding agents remained on high alert.

Jack Bauer had always treated Owen well—whether it was the mission to rescue Monica in Colombia or this operation to save Swagg, Jack had given him full support. Owen was genuinely glad he could do something for him now.

One of the agents, under the watchful eyes of the others, stepped forward and pulled Jack's credentials from his pocket. Owen just shrugged—he had no badge. He'd been suspended after staging a stunt with Jack and his badge was still in Jack's office drawer.

David Palmer, now bandaged and under the protection of the agents, walked over. Owen's warning shots had served their purpose—Palmer had been startled, and thanks to the agents' protective reaction, Janet's shot at his head had missed by just enough to graze his scalp.

The impact caused a mild concussion, which left him briefly unconscious. He was just now regaining consciousness. He recognized Jack Bauer—was even quite familiar with him. Just as he was approaching to find out what had happened, the banquet hall doors were suddenly kicked open from the outside.

"Rat-a-tatrat-a-tat-tatrat-a-tat-tat-tat~~~~"

A sudden barrage of gunfire erupted. A squad of heavily armed soldiers stormed in through the entrance. They were geared with top-grade equipment, and their SCAR-L assault rifles spat flames.

Shit!

Jack and Owen immediately dove to the ground, grabbing their weapons in the process. The agents surrounding them weren't so lucky—the attackers had entered facing them directly, and several went down in the first exchange.

The agents returned fire. Both sides dove for cover and engaged in a shootout, but the agents were clearly at a disadvantage. Although both sides had around a dozen people, the firepower gap was massive—one side had assault rifles, the other only pistols.

In the enclosed space, bullets flew wildly—ricocheting and whistling past at terrifying speed.

"Red Vipers!"

Owen immediately recognized the man leading the attackers as one of those who had hunted them at the abandoned factory.

"What?"

Jack Bauer didn't understand. Owen gave a quick explanation: "These are the ones who kidnapped your family. They even hunted me down when I went to rescue them…"

Owen thought of the female assassin again. It was clear the enemy knew the assassination had failed, so they were taking a desperate gamble.

Launching an armed assault to kill a presidential candidate in downtown Los Angeles—these people were clearly insane. This was no longer just a case—it was an act of terrorism. Owen could already imagine that regardless of whether they succeeded, none of them would be allowed to leave the USA alive.

Their profiles would end up on the desks of every federal agency in the country. No matter where they fled, they would be hunted to the ends of the earth.

"Pak~"

A nearby agent slumped over behind cover, a bloody crater where his right eye used to be.

In just this short span of time, the agents had already taken heavy casualties. Already outgunned, they now had to deal with enemies grabbing guests off the ground to use as human shields. That left the USSS agents even more restricted, and the attackers took advantage, killing and injuring several more.

When the attacker tried to push forward after killing an agent, Jack Bauer caught him off guard and shot him in the leg. Owen immediately followed up, finishing him off and scoring the attackers' first casualty.

Behind another column, another Red Viper attempted to use a hostage as cover. But as soon as he did, Owen took him down with a curved shot.

Just like the agent before, the bullet struck his right eye, blowing it out completely.

Someone else tried the same tactic—same result. Taken out instantly.

No one dared use that particular hostage again. Was this guy cursed?

The hostage, twice nearly used as a meat shield, panicked and dropped to the ground, crawling away clumsily yet quickly. He made his way to the edge of the banquet hall—the place he believed was safest.

Several attackers had seen Owen take those shots, but none associated his dramatic arm swings with the deadly curved bullets. After all, such a thing defied logic.

After two consecutive curved attacks, Owen's arm began to protest—the joints aching faintly. Next to him, Jack Bauer once again seized an opportunity to shoot, but was suddenly hit.

Though the bullet struck his body armor, the sheer force knocked him down. Owen quickly grabbed his ankle and dragged him back to safety.

Bullets zipped past and slammed into the pillar behind them. Seeing that the enemy wasn't advancing for now, Owen reached into the area where Jack had been hit. Thankfully, there was no blood—the bullet had gotten caught in the vest.

Lucky bastard. He was wearing a Level III vest. According to NIJ standards, it could stop 9mm pistol rounds, but had no chance against assault rifle bullets.

The fact that the bullet didn't penetrate meant Jack had either gotten extremely lucky—or that it had been a stray shot.

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