Chapter 22: Ambush Alley (Part 3 of 5)
The industrial park was a maze of rusted warehouses, the late afternoon sun a harsh orange slicing through gaps in corrugated walls, casting jagged shadows across cracked asphalt. Alex Thorne and Jax Reed moved through a narrow alley, their boots crunching gravel in a rhythm that matched their tense silence. The recon mission targeted a cartel-linked drug route, but Alex's 16x senses caught a tremor in the ground, a faint vibration signaling trouble. He fiddled with a burner phone, its plastic slick in his hand, a deliberate act to seem distracted while his senses screamed. They're coming. Another test. Jax, a shadow in his faded tactical jacket, kept his hand near his combat knife, his gray eyes scanning rooftops with paranoid precision. The distant thump of a broken ventilation unit pulsed like a warning drum, the air thick with old oil and sun-scorched asphalt.
Four hitmen erupted from behind a rusted dumpster, their boots pounding, guns drawn, their faces twisted with grim intent. "Get down!" Jax barked, his voice a low, hard whip that cut through the chaos.
Alex surged forward, his 16x strength a primal force. He slammed into the nearest hitman, a broad-shouldered brute with a skull tattoo, his hands impacting the man's chest with a thwump that echoed like a car crash. The hitman flew five feet, his head cracking against the dumpster, his rifle clattering uselessly to the ground. One down. Jax was already moving, his knife a blur as he slashed a second hitman's arm, blood spraying in a crimson arc as the man's gun dropped. Their synergy was electric—Alex's raw power, Jax's surgical precision.
The third hitman fired, the rattle of automatic fire deafening in the narrow alley, but Alex sidestepped, the bullets grazing air, their heat brushing his cheek. He brought his fist down on the man's arm, bone snapping with a sickening crunch, the pistol sailing into the shadows. "You guys didn't check my Yelp reviews," Alex quipped, his voice calm despite the chaos, his candor a sharp jab of absurdity. "Four on one? You're outmatched, morons."
The blunt words made the remaining two pause, their eyes flickering with doubt. Got you. Jax capitalized, dropping into a crouch and firing his suppressed pistol, the round thudding into the fourth hitman's shoulder, spinning him down with a muffled cry. But the third, recovering, grabbed a dropped pistol and fired wildly, a bullet grazing Alex's side, the sting sharp but dulled by his 16x stamina. Baseball hit, not bullet. Blood seeped, warm and sticky, but the pain faded fast, his healing already kicking in. The system flashed, its tone urgent.
[SYSTEM: Status Warning: Gunshot graze, healing active. Wound minor (thanks to Pay to Will). Limits approaching. Don't press your luck, hero.]
Alex grabbed the shooter by his vest, hurling him through a wooden shed's wall, the splintering crash drowning the man's cry as he collapsed in a heap of debris. He leaned against the dumpster, catching his breath, the graze already clotting, his jacket sticky with blood. Jax scanned the rooftops, his breathing steady but heavy. "You're hit, Thorne. Let me see."
Alex waved him off, adjusting his jacket, the zipper catching. "Already healing. Fast metabolism, bad habit. We got one escapee, two down, one… structurally unsound. Let's move."
They slipped out, the dust settling around the groaning thugs, their teamwork overwhelming. We're a machine now. An hour later, in Alex's bland apartment, the air cool with the ozone hum of an old AC, he sat alone, typing on a burner phone. The fight's adrenaline lingered, but his protective instinct for Jesse Pinkman burned brighter. He's walking into a cartel deal. Not today. He crafted a cryptic message, his fingers precise, avoiding timeline shifts while steering Jesse clear of a Season 2 trap.
The side gig's a bust, man. Listen to the quiet guy, not the loud one. Exit stage left.
He sent it, snapping the phone in half with a satisfying crunch, his 16x strength making it effortless. Sipping lukewarm water from a plastic cup, its rim slightly cracked, he muttered, "Just another day as Jesse's shadow hero. If only he knew his guardian angel's a sarcastic nerd with a God-Mode glitch."
The tip would keep Jesse safe, their bond growing without exposing Alex's role. Timeline's intact. Jesse's golden. Evening fell, neon signs casting a sickly glow through the apartment's window. Jax sat across a scarred wooden table, cleaning his knife with a flannel square, his focus absolute. Alex opened the system interface, its blue glow a private beacon, reviewing the ambush.
"The team's first real skirmish," Alex said, leaning back, the chair creaking. "Four guys, zero brains. Impressive casualty count."
Jax looked up, his eyes piercing. "Sloppy thugs, overconfident. They knew our route. Means a scout, probably on the rooftops."
The system's evaluation flashed, boosting their resolve.
[SYSTEM: Challenge Evaluation: Squad takedown, A-Rank. Not bad for two humans and a super-lite. Focus on the source, not the fodder.]
"System's got a point," Alex said, pushing a stray hair from his forehead, a nervous tic. "We nailed the muscle, missed the puppet master. A scout, mid-level, thinking they're clever."
Jax nodded, ignoring the pretzels Alex slid his way. "Route was shared with Saul, then me. Saul's a sieve, not a rat. They've been watching for days. A ghost."
"Ghost, scout, wannabe mastermind," Alex said, tracing a virtual map line, his voice sharp with wit. "Time for some noble hunting, Jax. We'll track this scout and have an honest chat about their paycheck."
Jax picked up a pretzel, twirling it without eating. "Lead the way, Thorne. I prefer the snake's head anyway."
Their success fueled a new goal: hunt the scout. Alex closed the system, his eyes glinting with determination. The fight was done, but the chase was on, the team's ops growing sharper with every move. Cartel's about to learn we don't just survive—we strike.
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ Breaking Bad : Noble System ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ Breaking Bad : Noble System ] with exclusive access to 35+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [Grimm, Teen Wolf ,blacklist,Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!