[Chapter 484: Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory]
Inside a barracks building, a bald man lifted his automatic rifle above his head, extending the barrel through a shattered window. He fired toward the direction of the gunshots outside, pulling the trigger in sweeping bursts.
Under these circumstances, relying on faith-based shooting was the best tactic.
Dull piercing sounds echoed. About two meters away, a mercenary trying to shoot from the doorway was hit in the chest by a .50 caliber bullet. Even with the barracks' wall providing cover, the unlucky man was riddled with holes.
Bullets continued piercing the walls. Another mercenary lost an arm and fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
Bardez tightened his helmet, crouched low, and shouted, "They're slaughtering us! We have to break out and fight back with heavy weapons! Staying here is certain death!"
The bald man stayed flat on the ground, terrified, as bullets flew over his head continuously.
He shouted hoarsely, "Listen up! About ten machine guns are firing! Plus at least five RPG launchers! Going out there is suicide! If you want to die, I won't stop you!"
Boom-boom-boom--
"RPG!" Bardez whispered to himself.
An electronic loudspeaker inside the barracks crackled: "Counterattack! We have to fight back! Staying put means death! Prepare smoke grenades!"
Bardez was no coward.
Facing life-or-death, the mercenaries inside the camp were equally brave.
Those carrying smoke grenades threw them outside. As the smoke spread, they dashed out of the barracks towards the armory.
Bardez ran out too, but after a few steps, he heard the rattling of gunfire from above.
...
Outside the camp, in a Humvee, Bosque gave a cold command: "Little Birds, strike!"
Three black Little Bird helicopters suddenly accelerated, approaching the camp from three different directions.
These lightweight, portable choppers were shipped in containers. While unarmed with external weapons, each had a machine gun installed at the side door.
The gunners put on thermal imaging goggles and began sweeping the area from the air.
Smoke grenades couldn't block thermal imaging.
The three helicopters created a crossfire, harvesting lives.
...
Bardez ran desperately through the smoke. Suddenly he felt his body become light; his lower half was gone.
His upper body fell to the ground, and even though severely wounded, he managed to crawl forward.
Against modern firepower, carbon-based life forms were no match.
...
At the camp's dockside, two large vessels resembling fishing boats approached.
Their decks' sunshades were removed, revealing multiple Gatling guns and M2 heavy machine guns rising slowly.
Once positioned for attack, the captain ordered Lynch on the command platform: "Engage!"
The Gatling guns buzzed, shell casings clattered across the deck, and intense fire was directed at the barracks area.
A deluge of gunfire tore through bodies and spirits alike.
Elite soldiers emerged from the vessels' cabins, wearing thermal goggles and firing into the smoke like hunting turkeys.
...
On the upper decks, two launch teams were positioned.
Gunners lifted RPGs, targeting every building within sight.
Hawke, who ran a security company starting from operations, invested heavily compared to his competitors.
After Brian took over the Ferguson family security company, he followed suit with significant investments.
Compared to the bigger countries' armies, these mercenaries might get overwhelmed with heavy weapons deployed against them. But in many parts of Latin America and Africa, these two companies were considered top-tier forces.
In places like Honduras and Nicaragua, questions existed about whether the army even had operational armored vehicles, and the air and navy forces were almost non-existent.
This assault relied purely on firepower.
The front perimeter walls of the camp were almost completely destroyed. As the helicopters blew away the smoke, dense machine-gun fire kept up fire suppression.
...
Meanwhile, the launching teams on the ships and camp's front identified targets within every building.
Both companies prepared to unleash RPGs freely.
Buildings inside the camp collapsed, the rubble riddled with machine gunfire holes.
...
Bosque stood in the Humvee's machine gun turret, observing through binoculars.
He radioed: "Cease fire! Cease fire!"
Gunfire gradually stopped.
Bosque gave a new order: "Armed pickups move in for cover. Infantry squads, clear the camp. No prisoners! Repeat, no prisoners!"
The pickups reached the demolished walls, with gunners vigilantly watching ahead.
Any movement would trigger immediate gunfire.
Infantry squads spread tactically, entering the camp's ruins, throwing grenades through gaps near the collapsed barracks.
...
Simultaneously, about a dozen teams from the Golden Shield Security Company boarded the camp's docks to clear forward positions.
Both sides stayed connected via radio.
Gunfire and explosions continued intermittently.
Despite coverage, some enemies slipped through, occasionally retaliating.
However, with helicopter support, nearly ten armed vehicles on land, and two paramilitary patrol boats in the water, they had a decisive advantage.
After about ten minutes, the three Little Bird helicopters flew off first.
Some time later, infantry squads started withdrawing. seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Each side suffered a few casualties in close-quarters firefights, but due to protective gear, injuries were not severe.
...
After receiving confirmation, Bosque ordered: "Retreat as planned."
The soldiers stabilized the wounded, boarded their vehicles, and quickly left the area.
The Little Bird choppers flew over the harbor, away from the coastline, and landed on a 10,000-ton cargo ship owned by the Ferguson family.
Lynch's two vessels met with a fuel supply ship offshore and started returning north.
The Waspam Security Company camp was silent.
...
The Waspam Police Chief, having received reports, suppressed his curiosity and told his team to wait another hour.
In a weak country, with no diplomatic influence, mercenaries were not to be taken lightly.
During large-scale battles, local military and police merely cleaned up afterward.
An hour and a half later, the chief finally sent his officers to the conflict site.
By then, the camp was just rubble scattered with bodies.
After confirming the scene was safe, the chief arrived late.
The lead officer reported: "Nearby villagers heard loud explosions and heavy gunfire. Some saw helicopters attacking from above."
"Armed helicopters?" The chief worried. "There's no such thing in all of Honduras."
"This matter's above us," he said. "Clean up the bodies. I'll report to higher-ups; they will decide what to do."
The officer added, "Many bodies were smashed beyond recognition."
The chief was dismissive: "Pile everything up, bag the bodies. If the hospital morgue can take them, fine; if not, burn them."
The officers ordered their teams to proceed. The scene was gruesome, with body parts scattered.
The chief called superiors, updated them, and asked for instructions.
They knew this was a noteworthy private security company but had no idea who backed them, so they reported up the chain.
...
Meanwhile, Bosque, during retreat, notified Hurricane Company in Costa Rica to deploy camouflaged mobile sentries to monitor the training camp 24/7.
He contacted several bribed Costa Rican politicians to allow official channel warnings.
The same arrangements were made in Africa.
...
On the way back, Bosque called Hawke to report the situation and warning plans.
Hawke asked him to devise traps to lure any attackers.
...
Northbound on Golden Shield's fleet, Lynch arranged similarly.
Golden Shield had stronger defense, holding the contract to protect Cozumel Island.
In Central and North America, many countries appeared unified in name only. Governments and militaries found it hard to control the entire region.
Local warlords and drug cartels wielded significant power.
Mexico's drug cartels acted more like regional warlords than gangs.
---
Frederick, Maryland.
Ramos and Pepe sat in a car, occasionally taking out binoculars to watch a standalone house by the street.
Using names and numbers provided by Adams, Twitter's massive computing power searched the entire U.S. phone directory and found the target's Frederick address.
They also found images of Flynn's wife, child, and Flynn himself among Twitter users.
Ramos and Pepe had been surveilling for three days, seeing only Flynn's wife Katherine and son Noah; Flynn himself was never spotted.
The first two hadn't even visited a hospital.
Pepe nudged Ramos' arm: "Look, they're leaving."
Ramos lifted the binoculars toward the house, started the car.
Shortly after, a Volvo passed them, heading out of town.
Ramos quietly followed.
The Volvo stopped at a florist. Katherine got out and bought two bouquets of flowers, one large and one small, then drove to a cemetery.
With few people around, Ramos kept a safe distance while following.
After some time, the mother and child left the graveyard and drove off.
Once the car disappeared, Ramos and Pepe entered the cemetery and found the freshly placed flowers.
They hurried over to examine the name on the marble headstone -- Francisco Flynn.
A photo was attached, matching the images they had seen.
Colonel Flynn was dead? Did he die of an infectious disease?
Thinking of this, Ramos and Pepe instinctively covered their mouths and stepped back.
Pepe suggested, "Let's go."
"Let's move," Ramos led, saying, "What kind of infectious disease kills in modern America?"
Pepe shrugged, "Who knows, I'm no doctor."
They left the cemetery, got in the car, and Ramos called Los Angeles with an update.
Shortly after, new instructions arrived.
"What's next?" Pepe asked.
Ramos put away his phone, relaxed: "Check Flynn's network in Frederick."
For former cops like them, this was a routine task.
Pepe shook his bald head: "No slacking, let's get back and work. We finish this, then take a vacation back in L.A."
Ramos started the car, heading downtown.
---
Washington D.C., Pennsylvania Avenue.
Marcelo and Carvajal, wearing business suits, sat in a corner of the Hilton hotel lounge, apparently discussing business.
After some time, a man entered the hotel.
Soon, a woman with a handbag hurried in after him.
Carvajal adjusted his briefcase and pressed a secret record button.
The briefcase slowly rotated in his hand, the concealed camera focusing on the couple.
Marcelo held a hotel card pack and walked toward the front desk, asking the lobby manager about office matters.
Yet his full attention was on the couple's whispered conversation.
They booked a suite and went upstairs.
Marcelo heard the room number from the front desk and overheard the man referring to it as "our old room."
After they left, Marcelo thanked the manager, returned to the lounge to drink coffee with Carvajal, then left.
At the nearby parking lot, Marcelo removed a wig, tossed it on the back seat, and said, "Export the man's image. We need to find out who he is."
Carvajal connected his laptop to the camera and exported the video.
Marcelo drove out to the hotel.
By night, they learned the man's name was Anthony Weiner, who married Abedin last month.
A small wedding with few family and friends.
Because of Hillary's involvement, some media covered the event. Carvajal found news online and located Weiner.
Having names made related investigations easier.
---
Los Angeles, Coastal Building.
Edward entered the chairman's office, delivering the latest information to Hawke's desk.
Hawke finished his work and read it aloud: "Flynn is dead? Confirmed?"
"Confirmed," Edward replied. "We contacted the naval veterans association's website, which posted an obituary for Francisco Flynn. We also secretly obtained hospital records showing he died of pneumonia leading to multiple organ failure."
Hawke frowned slightly: "Did he just suddenly die?"
Edward speculated: "Could he have found out dangerous secrets and been silenced by Hillary?"
Hawke nodded: "Possible." He asked: "Any related info?"
"Not yet," Edward continued. "We checked Flynn's and Katherine's network and found Katherine has a lover named Johnson, a former comrade of Flynn, but we found no connection between Johnson and Hillary."
Hawke pulled up Flynn's profile. He traveled often for managing Waspam private security under Hillary's command and rarely returned to Frederick.
Making a good living, but leaving a full-time housewife to cheat seemed normal.
Edward's voice turned eerie: "Ramos found a paternity test at the hospital showing Flynn's son is not biologically his."
Hawke's first thought: "Johnson?"
"No report on that," Edward's face darkened. "But I suspect yes."
Hawke agreed.
Now that Flynn died suddenly of an infection, most of the fortune he died fighting for would go to Katherine.
Earning hard, raising another man's child, losing everything? He even risked his life.
Hawke flipped through Johnson's files.
Another ex-Marine, a military medic who retired the same year as Flynn.
Unlike Flynn, Johnson joined the local biological laboratory for research after making some medical advancements.
This laboratory was the Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory located in Frederick.
Flynn was hospitalized for lung infection which caused multiple organ failure.
From infection to death took some time and looked like natural causes, not murder.
Hawke's dark thoughts turned to Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory, part of the U.S. Army Infectious Diseases Medical Research Institute.
While officially studying bacteria and toxins threatening the U.S. military or public health and investigating disease outbreaks, they secretly researched bioweapons.
Hawke remembered the Ackerman family once tried to open a medical center there but was shut down by the FBI after the family collapsed.
Edward added: "Flynn has military connections; some former comrades and superiors are now in the Pentagon."
Hawke said: "There are two possible scenarios. One, Johnson acts on Hillary's orders or was bought, using some virus from the lab to infect Flynn, either directly or through Katherine when the kill order came."
He paused: "Or it's a simple case of a cheating couple trying to kill for inheritance."
Either way, it involves the biological lab.
Hawke told Edward: "Have our people withdraw for now."
*****
/Sayonara816.