Chapter Forty-Three: The Promise

“Sir, our radar has detected two aircraft at this location.” In the border air defense radar station, a sergeant stared at the blips on the screen and reported to a major standing not far away. “There are two aircraft operating near Abilene, a small town on the border of Paso City.”

“Have we dispatched any patrol helicopters recently?” The major walked over, gazing at the screen as he asked.

“No, sir, there are no records of any helicopters on duty. Nor has any agency reported that aircraft would be passing through tonight. My assessment—these are unidentified intruding aircraft,” the sergeant replied.

“Lock onto the targets immediately. Initiate the emergency protocol. Dispatch two Apache gunships to that area,” the major said, stroking his chin and frowning at the blips on the screen. “Order them to identify themselves and arrest all involved. If they resist, shoot them down on the spot.”

“Yes, sir!” The sergeant promptly contacted the local Apache attack helicopter squadron. “They’ll take off now and reach the area in about fifteen minutes.”

Two Apache gunships lifted off, roaring toward Abilene.

Fifteen minutes. Chu Fengyu and his companions had no idea that was all the time they had before the helicopters arrived. He was still lost in his own world, relying on his keenest senses—hearing and observation, the only laws for survival in battle.

Through binoculars, he could see that these were not typical attack helicopters, but they’d mounted heavy machine guns at the cabin doors—three of them fixed on sturdy rigs.

Chu Fengyu had seen weapons like these before, witnessed their power. In Ukraine, so-called American “volunteers” had used them against the militia. With a firing rate of eleven hundred rounds per minute, “terrifying” was the only word for it.

He could only hope the sluggish American border patrol would arrive quickly after Coffin fired the signal flare. Otherwise, they wouldn’t last an hour.

“We have only five minutes to attack. If we don’t succeed, we retreat at once,” the commander below checked his watch and addressed his team. “Good luck to you all.”

His words had barely faded when the two helicopters unleashed a hailstorm of bullets—two thousand rounds per minute—ripping into the police station.

“Find cover—!” Chu Fengyu hurled himself at Officer Coffin, who was crouched with binoculars at the window. The moment they hit the floor, a storm of steel rained down, shredding everything in the station. Chaos reigned—shattered glass and flying debris cut several people.

“Damn it, I’m hit…” someone screamed.

“Medic… medic…”

“Shut up, for God’s sake! Do we have a medic here?”

“There’s blood on my neck—I don’t know if it’s the artery… God, am I going to die here?” someone sobbed quietly.

Clearly, these rookie cops were no match for the killing machines outside.

“Hold your positions—they’re coming!” Chu Fengyu lowered his voice urgently, patting Coffin on the shoulder. “You cover the rear. I’ll handle things here.”

Coffin hesitated, then nodded. “Be careful.”

Chu Fengyu said nothing more, focusing all his attention on the figures outside.

“Listen for my shots…” he murmured, then squeezed the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Two shots—one man trying to approach the window was hit and dropped instantly. The two beside him ducked, flattening themselves against the wall for cover.

The moment Chu Fengyu fired, the room erupted in gunfire. Despite the chaos, the police—disciplined as they were—still followed his orders.

The surprise counterattack caught the attackers off-guard, felling three or four. The rest slowed, seeking cover and advancing cautiously. The police, however, had revealed their positions and one was promptly shot in the chest.

“Mundo’s hit…” someone whimpered, voice trembling.

“Eyes on the windows! Damn it, forget him for now—watch outside!” Chu Fengyu barked in a hushed tone. Suddenly, he spotted someone hefting a rocket launcher.

“Come on, baby, I’ve been waiting for you,” Chu Fengyu whispered, adjusting his scope as the man raised the launcher. The instant his finger squeezed the trigger, Chu Fengyu’s gun fired.

Bang! The bullet struck—the man’s body jerked, the launcher veered, and the warhead exploded less than ten meters away, blasting three or four of his own men off their feet.

The first assault had failed. The leader crouched, fists clenched. The entire attack force halted. Over the radio, the pilot’s voice came through: “We have to leave. If you don’t take the station in three minutes, we must retreat.”

The leader hesitated just two seconds before ordering the withdrawal. Instantly, the attackers rose, covering each other as they fell back to open ground. The helicopters landed, loaded them up, and the sound of rotors quickly faded into the distance.

Five minutes later, the sky was quiet again—until the unmistakable thunder of helicopters returned. Chu Fengyu raised his binoculars. These were different—Apache gunships. That meant the U.S. border patrol had detected the disturbance.

“Sir… we’ve made contact. Reinforcements are on their way,” the wounded, heavyset woman said to Coffin, not forgetting her duties even now.

Once she confirmed the attackers had truly retreated, Coffin nodded. She hadn’t even had time to fire the signal flare before they left. Her nerves finally relaxed a little.

“Don’t mention me,” Chu Fengyu whispered to Coffin, then slipped out of the station under cover of darkness. Back at his rented house, he saw the door ajar. Instinctively, he reached for the pistol at his waist and edged cautiously inside.

Suddenly, the light flicked on. Chu Fengyu saw a man sitting at the dining table, looking exhausted.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you,” the man said.

“Damn bastard, I ought to blow your head off. Look what you’ve done. Because of you, three officers are dead—including Chief Braking. Several more are wounded.” Chu Fengyu strode over, fist raised to strike Anthony—but his punch stopped in midair.

“I’m wounded. I can’t protect April any longer,” Anthony said weakly.

“You have to take her away now—get her out of here.”

“Why?” Chu Fengyu scoffed. “She’s just a witness. Your people are here now—the military, border patrol, the FBI, the police. Isn’t there anyone who can protect her?”

Anthony shook his head with difficulty. “That’s exactly why we have to leave. There’s a traitor—one of our own. That’s why we ended up in this remote town.”

“You must have someone else,” Chu Fengyu replied, refusing without hesitation.

“My boss only trusts me. And right now… you’re the only one I can trust. I don’t trust any outsiders.” Anthony’s voice was strained. “Our target is a congressman—a munitions dealer.”

Chu Fengyu fell silent.

“Are you scared?” Anthony managed a faint smile, though there was no mockery in it.

“No. I just think it’s not worth it,” Chu Fengyu replied simply.

“You’ll find it’s worth it. Once we bring that bastard to justice, you’ll get a hefty reward—one million dollars. The victims’ families posted a bounty,” Anthony said, then suddenly collapsed to the floor.

“Promise me. Take her far away. This phone…” Anthony’s pain was obvious—he’d been shot in the abdomen, and it looked bad.

“Damn it, you can’t die here or I’ll never clear my name…” Chu Fengyu quickly rolled Anthony over, found the wound, and wrapped his abdomen tightly with a towel.

“No, I’ll call Coffin…” Chu Fengyu took out his phone.

“No—please, for God’s sake…” Anthony pleaded. “It won’t be long. As soon as I recover, I’ll contact you myself. Call this number, and you’ll return safely—and the million dollars will be yours.”

“Ten days. If you don’t call in ten days, I’ll kill April myself, I swear!” Chu Fengyu gritted his teeth. Clearly, he knew that whether he agreed or not, he was already entangled in trouble.

He had come to America hoping for a peaceful life, only to find himself treading the old path from Ukraine once more.

Take the money, solve the problem.