Owen hadn't expected those men to arrive so quickly, and the timing was eerily perfect—just as Alex slipped out of their control, they showed up.
He twisted the throttle hard, lowering his body as the bike surged forward toward the vehicle ahead.
At the same time, another group of off-road vehicles appeared, tires screeching as they roared around a corner, now tailing Owen from behind.
Just as he was considering whether he had fallen into a pincer attack, his phone suddenly rang. He answered, and Jack's voice came through the receiver. "Owen, we're here, right behind you…"
It was CTU. Owen glanced back and saw Jack Bauer in the first vehicle.
Up ahead, a gunman leaned out of the front passenger seat and began firing without hesitation. The shooter was using a UMP submachine gun, and bullets clanged loudly against Monica's car, making it shudder.
Owen accelerated. He hadn't expected Monica to be targeted so quickly. He closed in on the vehicle with the shooter. His primary weapon was still slung across his back—no time to reach for it—but that didn't matter.
As he overtook the off-road vehicle, Owen suddenly grabbed the shooter's head with one hand and slammed it against the doorframe. Caught off guard, the gunman was momentarily stunned. Owen swiftly snatched the gun from his grasp, turned it around, and fired into the front passenger seat and the driver's side.
The gunman in the passenger seat was torn apart by the bullets. Owen released the trigger, accelerated past the vehicle, then twisted back and fired at the driver. The driver took several hits, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and crash into a roadside shop.
The entire vehicle plunged into the storefront, triggering screams from bystanders, but the CTU convoy didn't even slow down, roaring past one after another.
Boom! Boom!
The roar of the engine beneath Owen continued as he zeroed in on another vehicle.
Behind him, the rapid bursts of an MP5 rang out. A hail of bullets shattered the rear window of the SUV ahead.
Owen glanced back—Jack Bauer was driving, and in the passenger seat was that punk "Heartbeat." He was the one who had just opened fire.
"You go ahead, we've got this one!"
Heartbeat yelled over the rushing wind, his mohawk ruffled by the turbulence. As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled the trigger again.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
With CTU handling that car, Owen didn't hesitate. He sped past and focused on the next target.
Inside the enemy vehicle, the front passenger returned fire at Heartbeat, bullets flying in both directions. Even Jack Bauer's windshield now bore several bullet holes.
The road ahead widened, and a second CTU vehicle pulled up alongside the fleeing SUV. But unexpectedly, the suspect's driver suddenly swerved, ramming the CTU vehicle off course. Right ahead was a construction truck, and the CTU driver couldn't brake in time—he plowed straight under the truck's rear.
The gunfight between the off-road vehicles and CTU continued, but Owen didn't pay attention to the chaos behind him. He had locked onto the third vehicle.
He accelerated to its side, raising his gun for a burst, but the front passenger had anticipated it and fired first.
Owen braked hard, causing his motorcycle to drop from view as bullets whizzed past the empty air where he had just been.
Swinging around the rear of the vehicle, he repositioned on the other side.
Just as he prepared to accelerate again, the driver aggressively swerved toward him. Clearly, the enemy was an experienced driver. Owen decided not to rush past. Instead, he matched their speed, trailing steadily behind them.
In the earlier skirmish, he had lost his UMP. Now, with the SUV just ahead on his right, Owen reached back, drew his handgun, and fired at the rear tire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck the bumper, missing the tire. The driver was clearly skilled in evasive maneuvers, making it difficult to land a precise shot.
Without hesitation, Owen activated "bullet time," squeezing off another round.
This time, it hit.
Boom! White smoke erupted as the left rear tire burst. The sudden loss of a wheel threw the vehicle into chaos. The car swayed violently, then spun out before rolling over several times on the road.
Owen holstered his gun, twisted the throttle, and shot past the wreckage.
Behind him, Jack Bauer's vehicle was catching up. Clearly, they had also taken care of their target.
Owen pressed on, with CTU following closely.
Screech!
Ahead, tires squealed as Monica took a sharp turn, with several enemy vehicles swerving after her.
Alex had jumped off the tourist tram at an intersection, sprinting toward a parallel street. It was a riverside tourist district, with roads flanking a scenic waterway filled with tour boats and speedboats.
Alex was heading straight for a docked speedboat.
The boat's owner was standing at the dock, advertising rides. Alex leaped aboard, kicked the owner into the river, and slid into the driver's seat. With a push of the throttle, the engine roared to life, and the boat carved a sharp arc across the water before speeding off into the distance.
Along the riverbanks, cars made sudden, reckless turns to continue the chase.
The narrow roads weren't meant for vehicles; it was a pedestrian promenade lined with souvenir stands and street vendors. The sudden invasion of speeding SUVs sent terrified pedestrians jumping into the river, with countless stalls knocked over.
Despite the chaos, the onlookers weren't frightened. Instead, many stopped to watch, some even taking pictures.
"Hollywood is amazing! Wow, this has to be a movie shoot!"
Excited murmurs spread among the crowd.
Ahead, the abrupt turns led to multiple collisions. Seeing a small pedestrian bridge, Owen lifted the front of his bike, jumped onto the sidewalk, and bypassed the congestion. He crossed the bridge, reaching the opposite side of the river ahead of the others.
On the water, Alex's speedboat was pulling away, while Owen raced down the left-side road in pursuit.
Meanwhile, Monica's white SUV was still in the thick of it, black SUVs on her tail, gunfire erupting constantly.
Up ahead, another black SUV had somehow made it onto the riverside path. The passenger leaned out, firing a PP-2000 at Monica across the river.
Bullets pinged against her car, making Monica flinch, but she floored the gas pedal even harder.
She was closing in on Alex's speedboat but was under heavy fire.
This time, Owen didn't go for the shooter. Instead, he gunned his bike alongside the SUV, moving up its left side.
The driver, focused on the right, suddenly noticed a shadow looming to his left. He turned—and saw a gun pointed right at him.
Just as he opened his mouth to react—Bang!
A bullet punched through his temple. His head slumped onto the steering wheel, and the SUV veered out of control, crashing into the river. The gunman in the passenger seat barely had time to scream before being submerged.
With the obstacle cleared, Owen's vision opened up.
Just 100 meters ahead, a bridge spanned the river—his perfect chance to cross and cut off Alex's escape route.
_________________________
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Hello, if you enjoy mythology novels, I invite you to check out "I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother", a story inspired by Norse mythology