Chapter 86 Deadly Attack

Daniel and his two buddies hustled through the stinky junkyard and slipped into the maze of tin shacks.

With James leading the charge, Donovan naturally took up the rear.

Daniel always noticed how folks showed their true colors in moments like these.

In this mess, Donovan didn't stand a chance against James. James was just too chill.

James breezed through the identical tin shacks without a second thought, his killer sense of direction and distance making sure he never missed any of the markers Natalie had left.

While James was all smooth and easy, Donovan looked like a pro, the kind of pro who’s been through the wringer so many times it’s second nature.

There was pretty much no one around the path Natalie had marked, but Donovan always had this instinct to check the area before moving on.

At every intersection, Donovan stayed sharp, never dropping his guard even with drones watching from above.

As they moved, Daniel noticed Donovan had a method: he always kept an eye on the rear and James's weak side. At every crossroad, Donovan would step ahead before James passed, covering James's weak spot.

The coolest part? Donovan’s gun was never aimed the same way as James’s. He seemed obsessed with creating a crossfire. Whenever James slowed down, Donovan would adjust his steps to keep that crossfire going.

Daniel couldn’t say if Donovan was a badass, but he tried to copy Donovan’s moves, keeping his gun aimed to James’s right side as they followed.

Since James held his gun at his right hip, always pointing a bit left, if an enemy popped up on the right, James would be a split second slower to react.

Daniel wasn’t sure if he was nailing it, but Donovan’s silence and the smoother movement made him think he might be on the right track.

The three-man squad started to get a bit of a rhythm during their quiet sneak.

It wasn’t like James and Daniel turned into pros overnight, but doing this gave them a weird sense of security. Hard to explain, but it was there.

Maybe that’s the magic of teamwork!

Donovan’s presence made them realize how comforting it was to "never worry about danger from behind."

After winding through the tight paths for 20 minutes, they finally reached an alley between two shops, right across from the inn.

In the dark alley, Daniel peeked out. The main road of the small town was pitch black, except for a few lights in the inn.

Two armed guards stood inside the inn’s entrance near the windows, while three others were chilling against the east wall of the lobby.

There were some lights on the second floor of the inn, but they couldn’t see inside.

Donovan pulled Daniel and James back a few steps, and once they were hidden in the alley, he pointed to the inn and whispered, "The Mori Family’s security works in two shifts of seven guys each, with one dude on 24-hour close protection.

There are five guys in the lobby now, and two in the backyard.

The inn’s power comes from a diesel generator. I can sneak around back, take out those two guards, and kill the generator.

The moment the lights go out, you guys can storm in. It takes a few seconds for people’s eyes to adjust to the dark, which is enough time for you to take them all out."

"I'll head up to the second floor from the back. If the other guards get spooked by your assault, I'll hit 'em from behind.

Remember, this place is crawling with Mori Family goons. No civilians, just bad guys."

Daniel shook his head, "Nah, leave the ones in the back to Komodo. He's a ghost when he moves."

Handing two grenades to Donovan, Daniel said, "Take these. You'll make better use of 'em in tight spaces than I would."

Donovan weighed the grenades and nodded, "Defensive grenades aren't great indoors, but better to have 'em than not."

Daniel peeked out again and whispered, "Try not to use the grenades if you can help it. Most folks around here haven't heard a silenced gun. If we play it right, we can be in and out before anyone knows what hit 'em."

Turning to James, Daniel asked, "Komodo, you ready?"

James nodded and, like a snake, slithered out of the alley, hugging the building's walls and slipping into the alley beside the inn.

The whole move was silent. Without night vision goggles, Daniel and Donovan wouldn't have seen a thing.

As James moved, Donovan looked at Daniel, baffled, "Who is this guy? Where'd he get his training?"

Daniel shrugged, "He learned in the chaos of Afrilon. No formal training, but he's the best warrior I've seen."

Donovan nodded, whispering, "I believe it. Never seen anyone carry 30 pounds of gear and move like that. Damn, I lost sight of him. Where'd he go?"

Daniel couldn't see James either. He instinctively flipped the safety off his HK416, pushed the quick-flip sight to the side, and aimed his gun at the inn, ready to move.

Donovan took position on the other side of the alley, raising his gun to create a crossfire with Daniel, then made a calming gesture and whispered, "Once the lights go out, we move in before shooting. They won't have time to react.

You take the windows; I'll take the door."

In the darkness, Daniel tensed up, adrenaline kicking in.

With his senses on high alert, Daniel felt like he could hear the guards chatting inside the inn, and the positions of the guards replayed in his mind.

Donovan noticed Daniel's tension. Just as he was about to remind him to stay cool, the lights in the inn went out.

Before Donovan could speak, Daniel darted out. Instinctively, Donovan followed, rushing towards the inn's entrance.

Just as Donovan was about to kick the door to draw attention and let Daniel shoot through the window, he heard a crisp sound like a spoon tapping on glass.

Four subsonic bullets shattered four heads. The last guy, hiding in a corner and trying to fight back, got shot in the thigh first, then had his head blown off as he bent sideways.

As Donovan kicked open the door and rushed in, Daniel had already climbed through the window and was heading towards the stairs with his gun.

Donovan was stunned by the incredible shooting skills. Just as he was about to follow, he saw a gunman appear in a room inside the lobby.

He was about to shoot to cover Daniel, who was preparing to go upstairs, when he saw Daniel, holding his gun in his right hand in an attack stance, draw a silenced M9 from his back with his left hand and shoot the gunman in the head, all without breaking his stride.