Chapter Forty-Two: This Is Going to Be Bad

Sheriff Brick had already called for backup, but was unable to reach anyone. Moreover, it would take about an hour for reinforcements from Paso City to arrive, and the house next to Qiu Fengyu was already engulfed in flames. The explosions had startled many residents, but they kept their doors and windows tightly shut.

“My God, is this going to be a world war—” Coffin exclaimed as she watched the inferno from afar. Just then, two armed men suddenly emerged ahead, wielding automatic rifles and opening fire on Sheriff Brick’s car at the front of the convoy.

With a deafening bang, the police car was struck repeatedly. The steering wheel jerked as the tires exploded under a hail of bullets, causing the vehicle to roll several times before coming to a stop. The three cars behind immediately slammed on their brakes.

The officers exited their vehicles, taking cover behind the doors, and drew their pistols to return fire. However, the automatic firepower of the attackers was overwhelming. Just two men unleashed a relentless barrage that pinned down the three remaining cars, leaving Coffin and her team immobilized.

“What do we do?” a portly officer shouted at Coffin from behind their cover, panic in his voice. “We’re going to die here—their firepower is too strong!”

Coffin yelled back, “Stay put! Wait for your chance and use your weapon to fight back. Don’t move!” She signaled for the officers to remain still, but her own concern was fixed on Sheriff Brick inside the overturned vehicle, his fate uncertain.

“I have to save Brick,” Coffin murmured to herself.

“What? No, Coffin, you can’t do that—it’s too dangerous,” the fat officer beside her hurriedly tried to dissuade her, “Brick might already be dead. These people are ruthless killers.”

“I can’t just stand by,” Coffin ignored his protests. As the attackers paused to reload, she seized the moment, sprang up, and raised her pistol.

She had barely risen when she saw one of the men had already finished reloading and was aiming his rifle straight at her. In a flash of dread, she thought it was over—when suddenly a dark figure leaped from the side, tackling the attacker to the ground.

A series of muffled gunshots followed.

The other gunman was startled by the unexpected turn of events and instinctively swung his rifle toward the assailant. Coffin didn’t hesitate; she squeezed the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang, bang… Four shots rang out. The man was hit, staggered backward several steps, and collapsed. Coffin rushed forward and saw Qiu Fengyu draw a knife from beside the fallen man’s leg and slash his throat. Blood sprayed out as the man clutched his neck and convulsed. Qiu Fengyu collected their automatic rifles, magazines, and pistols, wiped the knife on the corpse, and tucked it into his belt. He then took their radios, tossing one to Coffin and keeping the other for himself.

“Qiu, is that you? What is going on?” Coffin crouched down beside him, lowering her voice. “Who are these people?”

“They’re here to silence witnesses,” Qiu said. “You’d better find a place to hide.”

“I need to check on Brick!” Coffin replied, bending low and heading toward the overturned police car. Qiu guarded her from behind, alert. By the light of the flames, the searchers had finished their sweep; a firefight had broken out there moments ago but quickly subsided, suggesting the battle was over.

“Viper Ten, Viper Ten, adjust your position. There’s been a firefight here; the people we’re looking for might be in this area,” came a voice over the radio, and soon figures approached.

“Hurry, Coffin, we’re out of time. Tell your people to withdraw. Their firepower is overwhelming,” Qiu whispered urgently.

“Sheriff Brick is dead. Both of them are dead,” Coffin said with sadness.

“This isn’t the time for grief. We need to leave!” Qiu moved swiftly to Coffin, dragging her—still shaken—back toward the rear. As they ran, he signaled to the other officers, “Withdraw now, withdraw, fall back to the station and use it for cover!”

Qiu took command in Coffin’s stead, but the officers still looked to her. She was now the highest-ranking leader on site, responsible for directing operations.

Coffin composed herself, nodding, “Do as Qiu says.”

The remaining three police cars retreated, but soon gunfire erupted from behind as pursuers opened fire on them.

With a loud bang, the station doors slammed shut. Coffin turned to the portly officer, “Open the weapons locker. We need stronger firepower. Let’s hope we can hold out until backup arrives. Ryan… try to contact Paso PD again. We need as much armed support as possible!” she said to another hefty female officer.

Now Coffin’s leadership shone through. Once calm, she had an unwavering composure—a true commander’s quality.

“Miles, Wallace, each of you take someone and guard the side doors. Mundo, Caleb, you two cover the rear. Qiu and I will hold the front.”

Qiu gave her a thumbs-up, then raised an automatic rifle, peered through the scope, and scanned outside through the window. Five or six figures were already closing in. He guessed there were more on the sides and at the back.

“They’re about to make their move! If they haven’t found April and Anthony, they’ll assume they’re here with us. This will be a tough fight—are you ready?” Qiu glanced at Coffin.

“We can hold them off for an hour,” Coffin replied. The portly officer brought out a cache of weapons, and others carried in ammunition.

The officers began selecting their arms and ammo, each donning a bulletproof vest—even Qiu, who had no intention of playing hero under these circumstances.

“Boss, I can’t get through,” the chubby woman told Coffin, “All signals are jammed here. Our phones and internet are dead. We can’t reach headquarters.”

“Damn it!” Coffin slammed the table in frustration.

“Don’t worry, they won’t last long,” Qiu continued his surveillance, now using the station’s binoculars equipped with night vision—far superior to the rifle scopes.

“I’ve confirmed the numbers out front. I’ll check the back,” he said, moving off. “Turn off all lights.”

No sooner had he spoken than the communications officer, standing under the light and facing the window, suddenly collapsed—the attackers had fired, bullets piercing the glass and striking her shoulder, missing the carotid artery by a few inches.

The bullet’s trajectory was altered as it passed through the glass, sparing her from a fatal wound. Still, the shock nearly killed her. She fell to the ground, trembling and sobbing at the sight of her blood. “Am I going to die? Am I going to die? Oh God, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die—”

“Quiet, you were hit in the shoulder.” Coffin crouched beside her, tearing off a piece of shirt to bandage the wound.

“Why do I feel short of breath? I can’t breathe.”

“Relax, relax!” Qiu returned from the back, soothing her gently. “It’s nothing, you’re doing great. Stay here, keep quiet. Can you move? Find a corner and take cover. We can handle them.”

The woman nodded, said nothing, and crawled to hide behind a wall, lying motionless on the ground. She was truly terrified. Qiu’s reassurance helped calm her.

Returning to the window, Qiu raised his binoculars and then his automatic rifle, whispering to Coffin, “Their communications are down—probably because they know we took their radios. Everything depends on our own judgment now. Listen to me… when I fire, you fire!”

“Do we have signal flares? If so, once the shooting starts, fire one off and wait for rescue.”

“Yes, I know where they are,” Coffin replied, rushing to the weapons locker.

Qiu adjusted his scope, and in the hazy night vision, a figure became clearer—a leader, presumably commanding the operation. At that moment, Qiu faintly heard the sound of helicopter blades.

This was truly disastrous. He knew the station’s weapons locker certainly didn’t contain anti-aircraft missiles.