Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Before Diana could fully process what was happening, she suddenly caught sight of a dozen fully armed figures rappelling down like ghosts from the high-rise facing the police station.
Every single one was an elite sniper. Each held a rifle gleaming with cold metallic light, poised like leopards ready to strike.
Seeing these heavily equipped snipers, Diana froze on the spot.
Unbidden, Jack's half-mocking words from the office echoed in her mind:
"Before you pull that trigger, I guarantee you'll see your own head explode first!"
At the time, Diana had been consumed by indignant rage, convinced Jack was just bluffing.
Now she realized—it hadn't been a bluff at all. It had been death's verdict, delivered in advance with surgical precision.
A bone-deep chill shot up from her feet, racing along her spine and freezing her limbs. Even her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.
Cold sweat slid down her temple. She didn't even dare breathe too deeply.
She understood with crystal clarity: if she'd made even the slightest move to shoot Jack back then, her head would've been blown to smithereens by this concentrated firepower.
So when Jack forcibly took her gun and stopped her, he hadn't been trying to humiliate her—he'd saved her life.
That realization hit Diana like a sledgehammer to the chest...
Jack and Joseph escorted Jeremy toward the military base, their procession massive and imposing.
This time, they'd mobilized nearly the entire Marine contingent stationed in Viridis State.
There was no avoiding it.
After all, Jeremy was Viridis State's police chief.
Powerful. Connected.
Arresting him would inevitably meet resistance.
Even though Jack was Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he couldn't take chances—he had to deploy the troops.
Fortunately, things had gone smoothly so far.
Jeremy was already secured in the vehicle.
Once they reached the base, no one could save him.
---
Just as the armored convoy rumbled past the final intersection like a steel beast—less than a mile from base—everything changed.
A muffled, sharp crack tore through the air like thunder on a clear day.
The sound came so fast, so suddenly, that even the fully armed soldiers around them hesitated for a split second.
The bullet ripped through the air with searing heat, grazing so close to the back of Jack's head that several strands of hair drifted down in its wake.
Jack could actually feel death's scorching breath brush against his scalp.
But Jack didn't move.
Because that bullet's target wasn't him at all.
It was Jeremy in the back seat.
The shot had punched through the car door first, throwing off the trajectory—missing Jeremy but nearly taking Jack's life instead.
"Shooter!"
In that split second, Joseph—who'd maintained razor-sharp vigilance the entire time—demonstrated reflexes that would make any spec-ops commander proud.
Point-one seconds after the gunshot, his elite soldier's instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation, he launched himself like a leopard, throwing his full weight over Jeremy and slamming him down.
The second shot came immediately after, punching straight through Joseph's left shoulder.
The massive impact threw him backward, but he clenched his teeth and locked his arms around Jeremy, refusing to let go even as blood soaked through his tactical vest.
"Shooter! Take cover! Protect the target!"
Joseph forced out a hoarse roar through the pain, his voice crackling over the comm channel.
"Hostile! Hostile! Nine o'clock, abandoned water tower!"
"Teams One and Two, suppressing fire! Team Three, flank!"
The smoothly rolling convoy exploded into chaos.
Screeching brakes, the acrid smell of burning rubber, and the deafening roar of automatic rifle fire wove together in a cacophony.
Countless eyes locked onto the abandoned water tower on the convoy's left. A torrential rain of bullets hammered into it, riddling the structure with holes as chunks of concrete and clouds of dust filled the air.
Inside the armored vehicle, Jack's expression turned ice-cold.
He looked at Joseph—shoulder streaming blood but still shielding Jeremy with his body—then at Jeremy himself, pale as a ghost and trembling violently. A flash of lethal intent crossed Jack's eyes.
"Looks like whoever's behind this finally ran out of patience." Jack's voice dropped to a terrifying register, like freezing wind from the depths of hell.
His original plan had been to bring Jeremy to the military base—interrogate him slowly in the absolute security of a military installation, then systematically root out the entire network of corrupt officials in Viridis State.
To see exactly who was colluding with The Illuminati.
Or if they were Illuminati members themselves.
Jack had suspected for a long time that William's death involved people in official positions.
Jeremy's appearance only confirmed that suspicion.
But now, someone had the audacity to deploy a sniper for a broad-daylight assassination.
Right in front of Jack's face. Trying to kill Jeremy.
What did that tell him?
It meant whatever was in Jeremy's head—or Jeremy himself—had become a threat someone absolutely couldn't tolerate.
They'd rather risk exposure than let Jeremy live another day.
"Joseph, how bad is it?" Jack gripped Joseph's shoulder, checking the wound.
"Flesh wound. Missed the bone." Joseph's teeth were clenched, cold sweat beading his forehead, but his eyes burned with feral intensity. "General, I'm fine. But we can't rule out a second wave."
"Outstanding work, Joseph." Jack clapped his shoulder, then whipped around to face the street where gunfire still raged.
"Stay here. Protect Jeremy. Don't leave his side for a second. I don't care if the sky falls—as long as he hasn't seen the inside of a courtroom, you keep him breathing. Understood?"
Jack's tone left no room for argument, carrying the absolute authority of the Commander-in-Chief.
"Sir!" Joseph didn't waste words. He immediately drew his sidearm, eyes scanning every shadow outside the window.
Jack shoved the door open and ghosted out of the armored vehicle.
"General!" Several special forces soldiers immediately converged on him.
"Lock down the scene. I want that sniper alive!" Jack's eyes were glacial. "Someone tries to take out my prisoner right under my nose? I'm damn well going to find out who."
"Sir!"
At Jack's command, the entire Viridis State Marine contingent unleashed their terrifying combat capabilities.
Three infantry fighting vehicles smashed through obstacles on both sides of the street, sealing it completely.
Fully armed special forces soldiers surged toward the abandoned water tower like a black tide.
In barely three minutes, the intense gunfire gradually died down.