Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 189 - 177: Double-barreled Approach

Chapter 189: Chapter 177: Double-barreled Approach

Cannons or bombs, Gao Yi was indifferent, and Li Jie, Feng Biao Lin, and Xianghua were pleased to see it happen.

Only Luca felt broken, believing that the Sky Garden was swiftly losing all the traditions and skills of an assassin.

After all, the Sky Garden was not a garden. The mysterious, elegant, composed garden that stealthily eliminated targets was ultimately gone.

The task Sean had entrusted was inhuman. But wait, that wasn’t quite right; Sean had died suddenly, and it was Gao Yi who had actively taken over the garden.

With such the case, there was nothing for Luca to be upset about.

As for Lucy, she showed no psychological fluctuations, and even if she had any, she would not speak of them.

At the moment, Lucy seemed nothing more than a decorative vase, pure and simple.

In fact, she was just a vase.

Grins felt fear mixed with anticipation.

Fear, of course, because this matter, if pursued, was significant.

There were two types of significant issues; one that would only cause a sensation in the intelligence community and was unknown to ordinary people, known only to insiders. Grins and his colleagues called it a "deep burst."

The other type made headlines worldwide, known in intelligence circles and among the ordinary public, covered by news globally and termed a "sky burst."

The naming inspiration came from nuclear testing. "Deep bursts" derived from underwater or underground nuclear tests, particularly deep-water ones. Although the explosion was tremendous, once the splashes settled, virtually no trace remained unless scrutinized by intelligence agencies. Otherwise, the outside world remained unaware of the nuclear explosion.

A "sky burst" was different; irrespective of the destruction caused, the electromagnetic pulse’s impact would extend thousands of kilometers, making the event instantly known worldwide.

Thus, the contrast between "deep burst" and "sky burst" became the intelligence community’s colloquial terms for event confidentiality levels. Initially a CIA terminology, it became a common expression among a few major intelligence players because it was indeed very illustrative.

Now Grins hoped for a "deep burst," regardless of the incident’s magnitude; if it turned into a "sky burst," his fate could be very grim.

After meeting Gao Yi, how much money he had made was insignificant; his rapid rise in rank and the intoxicating feel of significant power were mesmerizing, although it was merely a workstation that enthralled Grins, who had languished for twenty years.

For further advancement, Grins was willing and daring to court danger.

Moreover, this was a mission directed by his superiors. Though there was a risk of being made a scapegoat, his superiors would ensure this critical contact position was preserved, passing any blame to others, virtually eliminating his risk. So what was there to fear?

Hence, providing weapons was not the only limit; even ordering Grins, who was normally in a clerical role, to take up arms personally, posed no issue.

"This is the place..."

Grins personally opened the door to a large warehouse.

The warehouse, located in a corner of the military base, stored numerous confiscated weapons and others left by the departing US Army, originally meant to be transferred to the Iraqi Defense Army but directly given to them mitigated their extra income.

It served as both an armament depot and a treasury.

Thus, this warehouse did not exist on the Pentagon’s management list, but the weapons inside could be pulled out during inventory checks, making this covert storage immensely beneficial.

The warehouse was vast, storing only army equipment, excluding aircraft.

Rifles were in heaps, and so were bullets. Rocket launchers, too, were stacked in heaps, and while rocket projectiles could not be stacked, the boxes containing them were also piled high.

There were several zu-23 anti-aircraft guns, two mounted on pickup trucks, and four others kept wheeled, towable by a pickup.

The ammunition for these guns was also piled high.

Despite the zu-23 being an old-fashioned gun, it was particularly popular with all guerrilla groups across the Middle East—an easy sell.

It was truly a mountainous accumulation.

After inspecting the warehouse contents, Gao Yi said to Grins, "We don’t have enough manpower."

Grins spread his hands and replied, "I can’t do anything about it. Everyone from the Secret Action Bureau has to be inside the embassy. That’s how the Pentagon pressures the CIA and also our way of establishing an alibi to absolve any connection."

Gao Yi was not familiar with using cannons; it was his first encounter; how could he possibly know how to operate them?

Gao Yi looked behind him.

Li Jie nodded, saying, "This is very simple, I can operate it."

"I can also operate it."

Lin Xianghua raised his hand, adding, "It’s really very simple."

Feng Biao pondered for a moment before adding, "Although my leg is injured, I can still operate it. It’s all the same, although I can fire, I can’t run. If no one takes me after firing, I could end up trapped at the firing position."

"Three people can operate the cannon, then three people..."

Gao Yi looked toward Lucy, saying, "You don’t drive, otherwise three could drive and three could fire. We’d shoot and then leave, how good that would be."

Lucy had already driven away smoothly, but her skills definitely weren’t sufficient, and including the technically unskilled Lucy in such a grave matter like combat seemed hasty.

Lucy didn’t show much reaction.

Li Jie was very casual, "The capable endure the most labor. I’ll do it myself. I’ll drive the cannon to the ambush point, get out of the car, fire, then run. Simple as that."

Feng Biao naturally said, "The cannon mounted on the pickup can be used, but because of the vehicle’s suspension, the pitching angle is quite large and imprecise, so it’s still better to tow it. When there’s time, deploy to combat state and fire. If there’s no time, just fire. A single person can operate it, but the ammo box can only hold a maximum of fifty shells, which is a bit few."

Grins naturally said, "There’s a modified larger ammo box that holds a hundred shells. Once a hundred shells are fired, the barrel will be overheated. You can just drop it and run, and someone else will take over afterward."

"Let’s do it. I’ll drive the car carrying Brother Feng, Luca will drive the car carrying Ah Gui, and Lucy will follow Li Jie in one car to assist. Just drive forward when it’s crucial. This is simple, she can do it."

After Gao Yi finished, Lucy nodded, "Alright, I can do that."

Grins nodded, then he whispered, "I’ll have people get the equipment ready, and then we’ll enter the embassy. Once we’re in, I expect the CIA people will come out, just in time for you guys to make a move."

"The National Intelligence Bureau though..."

Gao Yi still wanted the National Intelligence Bureau to do something, but Grins waved his hand, "Act as if they don’t exist, or consider them part of the enemy. That makes us even safer."

"Alright, let’s get to work."

While the Secret Action Bureau couldn’t actively participate, helping with preparations was no problem.

Three machine guns were pulled out. Although there were no towing vehicles, it didn’t matter, they would use Iraqi Defense Army military vehicles.

If the CIA could use it, the Pentagon certainly could too. Not a pickup, but a bullet-proof Humvee.

Machine guns were loaded in the back of the vehicles. Humvees fitted with gun turrets were used, three vehicles loaded with M134 Gatling machine guns, equipped with ten thousand rounds each.

Guaranteeing a hundred meters of uninterrupted firepower.

Since Lucy couldn’t drive, she was to operate the machine gun—easy enough, just approximately aim at the target and sweep. Even if she hadn’t used it before, no worries, guaranteed to learn in a minute.

Secret Action Bureau personnel pulled the cannons and loaded the ammo while Gao Yi, Luca, and Lucy learned how to use the guns.

"Turn on the electronic switch, aim the muzzle at the target, press down, fire."

The six-barreled gun began to rotate, signaling it was firing. Of course, there was no ammo belt connected yet, so no real bullets were coming out.

Gao Yi found it quite fun. He swept the spinning barrels back and forth. Even though no bullets were coming out, he could already imagine the feeling of bullets streaming out.

One sentence to learn, and done, all set.

Three cannons, firing a hundred shells, three machine guns firing ten thousand bullets, no one could predict the outcome.

Busy for about half an hour. In fact, pulling out the cannons took five minutes, loading took at least twenty minutes, but half an hour later, the three Humvees loaded with cannons were ready to go.

"Let’s head out, I’ll notify you of the ambush route."

Grins handed Gao Yi a walkie-talkie, but Gao Yi urgently said, "Wait a second, wait a second."

Gao Yi saw a hammer, the kind used for vehicle maintenance, pointed at one end and rounded at the other. Although he thought it unnecessary, seeing the hammer and not taking it felt like it would bring bad luck.

Such a good weapon should not be left behind.

Gao Yi got out of the car, picked up the hammer from the toolbox, then returned to the vehicle and announced to everyone, "Get in the car, let’s go."

Just then, his phone rang. Gao Yi checked, and seeing it was Harold’s number, he answered the call, only to hear Mu Tianwen whispering, "Big brother, I’ve convinced our father. He doesn’t want to switch sides last minute, but he’s willing to sit back and watch."

Harold was still unwilling to actively help Shaman, but remaining neutral was acceptable. However, Gao Yi couldn’t discern why Mu Tianwen made this call.

Mu Tianwen continued, "But I think father and his group are inadequate. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. I can’t let their fate befall me, so I must ’stir the father’s plot.’"

High information entropy has its advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, encountering unfamiliar idioms could be troublesome.

Suppose, just suppose Gao Yi understood the first two idioms but was unclear about this ’stir the father’s plot.’ What should he do?

Hesitating a moment, Gao Yi eventually said, "Stir the father’s plot..."

"Eh, it means to follow in my father’s footsteps, handling his affairs."

"Alright..."

Mu Tianwen continued, "My father’s current stance is ambiguous, but I can masquerade as a hostage, and meet with his confidants to plan. I should be able to infiltrate their ranks. When the time comes, we can coordinate from inside and outside. I don’t aim to capture them all but to strike directly at the heart."

That was a bit too much.

Gao Yi had to think about that sentence for a long time, but luckily he understood these idioms, so after a moment of hesitation, he said softly, "We plan to encircle them from all sides, hit them mid-crossing?"

Mu Tianwen was silent a moment, then said, "Taking action on two fronts could work too."

"I’m worried it might harm you." Glancing at his watch, Gao Yi continued, "We plan to attack as soon as the target leaves the embassy, indiscriminate kind. If you’re with them, it’ll be dangerous."

"Yeah, there won’t be any issues. I’ll maintain a comfortably distanced stance; it’s reasonable for me to keep myself safe. My plan is to find out Abdulla’s final location. They should tell me because my father’s stance is still quite significant—they need to gain his approval."

"Alright, then... then..."

Gao Yi tried to find a suitable idiom, struggled for a moment without success, so he simply said softly, "Let’s just leave it at that!"