Thup. Thup. Thup-thup-thup…
A series of silenced gunshots echoed through the darkness.
Not only the snipers, but also the SEAL assault teams had begun firing.
Within seconds, multiple Red Front militants collapsed.
Salim was a master orator.
Feeling the crowd's energy peak, he turned his attention back to the nuke and entered the activation code.
These warheads had multiple security protocols—they needed to be unlocked before they could be armed.
The screen lit up—unlock successful.
Salim, struggling to contain his excitement, set the timer—sixty minutes.
This would give them ample time to evacuate to a safe distance before witnessing the birth of a mushroom cloud.
The world would never ignore Red Front again.
Juno, the camera operator, instinctively moved to the side, ensuring Salim's face was perfectly framed.
His expression was pure ecstasy.
He looked into the lens, his finger hovering over the "Confirm" button—
Then, suddenly—
Something warm splattered across his face.
His eyes widened.
Juno's head was gone—half of it vaporized like a shattered watermelon.
Her body crumpled to the ground.
Simultaneously, his men fell one after another, their bodies bursting with crimson mist.
"AMBUSH!"
Salim threw himself down, rolling into the shallow pit where Ethan was.
"Shit!"
The sniper on position four cursed.
His finger had just squeezed the trigger—but at that exact moment, Juno had stepped in the way, shielding Salim from a kill shot.
He adjusted his aim—but Salim instinctively hit the ground again, narrowly dodging the second round.
The bullet scraped against the warhead, sparking before ricocheting—killing another nearby militant.
On the SEAL side, gunfire pounded like a war drum.
Unlike the chaotic return fire from the terrorists, the SEALs were methodical.
Each shot followed a steady rhythm, their four teams advancing while firing in sync.
Their objective was clear—secure the nukes.
The Red Front had been caught off guard.
Many were shot down before even seeing the enemy.
Bright red tracer rounds streaked across the battlefield.
"RATATATAT!"
A militant, standing atop a cement mixer, fired wildly into the darkness—
Like some wannabe action hero.
Within seconds, every SEAL in range targeted him.
He was shredded with bullets, tumbling off the cement mixer.
Then—
BOOM!
His body hit the mixer's rear control lever.
The drum tilted back—
A flood of wet cement and sand poured out, completely burying the shallow pit where Salim and Ethan were trapped.
Owen's heart stopped.
Was Ethan buried alive?!
Then—
Whoosh!
Two mud-covered figures exploded out of the pit, gasping for air.
Their faces were unrecognizable—except for the whites of their eyes and their open mouths.
The SEALs advanced past the shadows—stepping into the firelight.
Now, the terrorists could finally see who they were fighting.
The exchange of fire intensified.
"Shit! Sniper rounds can't penetrate the jammer's armor!"
A sniper's frustrated voice crackled over comms.
But soon, all communications cut off—
Owen had entered the jammer's range.
The SEAL fireteams operated with brutal efficiency.
Two teams controlled the left flank, one handled the right, and the last pushed toward the nukes.
Their plan was clear—secure the nuclear site and hold position until reinforcements arrived.
1,000 U.S. Marines were en route.
They only needed to hold out for ten minutes.
But things didn't go as planned.
As the SEALs reached the midway point, a hidden force emerged near the warhead crates.
They immediately opened fire on the advancing SEALs.
"RPG!!"
A white smoke trail shot across the battlefield—
Slamming into SEAL Team Three.
Their first casualties.
"Snipers, take out the RPGs!"
Even though comms were down, someone still shouted the command.
The snipers understood—and acted immediately.
One by one, RPG gunners were eliminated.
The SEALs were now pinned down.
Enemy forces blocked their advance, and they were outnumbered.
The battlefield situation had flipped in seconds.
From having the upper hand—they were now facing a three-front attack.
There was no good cover.
The SEALs had to improvise, using stacked debris as makeshift barricades.
Every time they returned fire, bullets rained down from three directions.
"Shift right!"
A fireteam leader bellowed.
Team Two had noticed the right flank was weaker—they could break through.
"Shift right!"
The order was repeated down the line.
With comms down, they had to relay orders manually.
"RATATATAT!"
Owen emptied his magazine.
"Reloading!" he shouted, ducking behind cover.
Though not a complete rookie, he was no SEAL.
His experience with rifles came from LAPD training and Las Vegas tactical drills.
But he was far behind these elite soldiers.
For this mission, the SEALs had equipped M14 EBRs—a compact battle rifle frequently used by Special Forces.
Unlike CQB submachine guns, the M14 EBR fired 7.62mm NATO rounds—heavier, deadlier.
Every shot counted.
Owen slammed in a fresh mag, resumed firing in controlled bursts.
But then—
Thup! Thup! Thup!
Bullets ripped into the dirt just inches from his face.
Fragments peppered his skin, stinging like needles.
He barely dodged back behind cover.
His adrenaline spiked—
The world slowed down again.
Everything moved in bullet-time.
But—
This wasn't a superpower.
Even though he could see bullets flying, his body couldn't react in time.
Like just now—
He had seen the incoming rounds.
But all his muscles managed to do—was blink.
He canceled the effect immediately.
If he kept pushing himself, he'd suffer a backlash—and this wasn't a place to collapse.
The enemy fire intensified.
Salim's forces had regrouped—now fighting back hard.
The SEALs were outnumbered, their weapons weren't significantly better, and their element of surprise was gone.
Now, it was a battle of skill, precision, and endurance.
"CLICK!"
Owen's rifle ran dry again.
He ducked back, patting his gear—
No more spare mags.
He had burned through all six.
Now, he was down to his sidearm.
Glancing at the other SEALs, he debated asking for spare mags—
But after assessing his own accuracy, he decided…
Better not waste their ammo.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
For every 10 Power Stones received, I'll release an extra chapter ✨