As the saying goes, "you can't quit just before the finish line." Jack decided to go all in and contacted Frank Reagan, pulling together a massive operation. The ESU sent two additional SWAT teams along with two "BearCat" armored vehicles—one leading and one trailing the convoy—to escort Vargas to the Federal Building with an FBI SWAT team.
Hearing that the officer-killer had been personally taken down by Jack, Frank Reagan was visibly relieved. He gave Jack a few words of caution about staying safe at the scene before hanging up.
The earlier infrared readings had shown four heat signatures, meaning there were at least four individuals in the warehouse. With only two accounted for, Jack decided to stay on-site with Hannah to continue the search, assigning Aubrey to personally drive Vargas to headquarters.
Transporting such an important suspect was the perfect task for the rookie. Aubrey had performed admirably in the anesthesiologist kidnapping case, showing quick thinking and sharp reflexes. His shooting and hand-to-hand combat skills were solid, and he had proven himself trustworthy.
As for the incident where a suspect under Jack and Hannah's watch was sent flying into another dimension by "Optimus Prime," that was sheer bad luck. Even Jack couldn't have done much to prevent it. He couldn't exactly shoot every fleeing suspect in the leg just to stop them from jaywalking.
With such a heavy escort, the chances of anything going wrong were almost zero. Jack had triple-checked Vargas's face earlier—it wasn't familiar enough to attract any major threats.
If anything, Vargas vaguely resembled the lead character from the long-running British series Poirot, but only if you swapped his odd mustache for a scruffy gray beard. The vibe was completely different.
Watching the convoy disappear into the distance, Jack and Hannah returned to Vargas's office. A team of SWAT officers was busy securing the scene, primarily collecting accounting ledgers, which were crucial evidence.
Both the District Attorney's Office and the DEA would undoubtedly salivate over these records. While Vargas's Durango Cartel (fictional) wasn't as powerful as the Doza Cartel that Jack and the SEALs had dealt with in Mexico, it was still one of Bolivia's top drug-trafficking organizations.
Cocaine and its derivative, crack, once dominated the Latin American drug trade. While synthetic drugs had since overtaken them, Bolivia remained part of the "Silver Triangle," one of the most cocaine-rich areas in Latin America. Over 10% of Bolivia's labor force was still tied to coca leaf production and trade.
Coca leaves are the raw material for cocaine. In other words, one in ten Bolivians (excluding children and the elderly) grew coca, and one in a hundred was a drug trafficker.
A few SWAT officers cheerfully carried out several boxes of documents, while Jack and Hannah continued their search, updating their positions in real time. Meanwhile, NYPD ESU officers stationed nearby were growing impatient.
The ESU had come for vengeance, but seeing the FBI claim the glory left them restless.
The warehouse district was divided into five zones, numbered 1 through 5. The FBI took responsibility for Zones 2 and 3, closer to the inner circle, while Zones 4 and 5 on the perimeter were handed to the NYPD.
In Zones 4 and 5, the ESU had already discovered packaged or disguised drugs, with an estimated weight of at least half a ton. The team waiting outside Zone 3 repeatedly requested permission to move in.
"Have them hold position. We'll clear our assigned area first before letting them proceed," Jack instructed after glancing at a tactical tablet carried by a SWAT officer.
Zone 3 was less than 15 meters from their location, separated by a small warehouse. With two suspects still unaccounted for, Jack wasn't about to risk anything at this critical stage.
"Maintain open communication channels. Everyone stay alert and watch your step. We have intel suggesting the suspects favor IEDs. We're in no rush—the two who escaped are small fry. The big fish is already caught. Priority one is our safety," Jack reminded his team over the channel.
Two SWAT officers took point as usual, with Jack and Hannah following close behind. They methodically cleared the remaining warehouses.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
When they entered the final warehouse, rounding a row of shelves, everyone froze. Hannah couldn't help lifting her night vision goggles and switching on her tactical flashlight to survey the scene before exclaiming, "Jackpot!"
The rest followed suit, turning off their night vision and illuminating the room. Smiles spread across their faces.
In front of them were five or six large wooden crates, each packed tightly with bricks of drugs wrapped in blue plastic. They had stumbled upon the cartel's cocaine reprocessing and repackaging facility.
Hannah eagerly pulled out a testing kit, which resembled a panel of connected pregnancy tests, with each slot corresponding to a different common drug. She dissolved a sample of the white powder in water and dropped it into the slots.
"Cocaine, high purity," she reported, her dimples showing. This meant that even if Vargas refused to talk, he'd never leave federal prison.
Jack quickly estimated the haul—these high-purity cocaine bricks weighed at least two tons. Combined with the finished products ESU had already seized, this was shaping up to be a major national case.
However, the contents of another table nearby were far more unsettling. Stacked like oversized chocolate boxes were packages labeled with bold red warnings: explosives. C4 and electric detonators were piled high.
"Alright, no one move! We've got C4 and detonators here. Jubal, call the bomb squad," Jack reported to the operations center.
"Everyone, stay put. Prepare for an orderly retreat. The C4 here could send us all sky-high."
"Someone's been moving the floorboards here. There might be a hidden passage!" one officer said excitedly, stepping forward.
"Hey! Hold it! Didn't you hear the order?" Hannah yanked him back by his tactical vest.
"Damn it, don't move! There's a trap!" Jack barked, his heart racing as every hair on his body stood on end.
He carefully switched off his tactical flashlight and lowered his night vision goggles. A faint red laser beam emerged from behind a wooden panel leaning against the wall, stretched taut across the supposed passageway.
The others quickly realized the danger and switched off their lights, following Jack's lead with their night vision goggles. Cold sweat broke out as they saw the laser. The reckless officer who had stepped forward nearly collapsed, his legs trembling.
If not for Hannah's absolute trust in Jack's orders, yanking the man back just in time, they'd all be flying into the stratosphere right now.
"What's next, Jack?" Hannah's voice trembled slightly.
"Turn around. We're backing out of here," Jack replied before switching to the general channel. "Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Everyone, withdraw immediately. We've found infrared tripwire IEDs on-site."
"Jubal, two suspects escaped, and there's a significant amount of C4 here. Notify all teams to fall back immediately!"
"Copy that! Calling in additional bomb squads. All units, maintain safe distances and hold positions!" Jubal's voice came through, calm but urgent.
The public channel erupted with affirmations. But amidst the replies, a distorted, static-filled voice cut through: "Copy. Moving into position."
Jack and his team had just reached open ground when they heard the reply. Jack froze and turned to look back.
Before he could react, a deafening explosion shook the air. A massive wave of heat and debris surged toward them.
(End of Chapter)
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