At Pepper's repeated insistence, the leader of the security team, a Moroccan-American female soldier who had served in the Middle East for six years, agreed to her request. However, she also demanded that Pepper's car must be in the middle of the convoy to ensure her safety.
"Everyone, be careful. This is playboy Stark's female secretary!"
The female captain pulled out her Alats45 pistol from her underarm holster and checked its condition. As security personnel, they could only use self-defense weapons like pistols. However, pistols are generally used for close-range engagements within 20 meters.
To ensure the security personnel's firepower advantage, Fisher decisively equipped his subordinates with the Atlas .45 caliber pistol, named after the same company. The Atlas, with its front-mounted magazine, was like a small carbine. When paired with hollow-point bullets, its effective range was 50 meters, a distance comparable to some submachine guns. The only problem was the limited number of bullets.
"The New York team can carry KF5s and AMP9s, why can we only have this?" The driver started the car and drove out of the gate.
"Because this is Washington. Using heavy firepower here, are you trying to get on Uncle Sam's bad side?"
The three-car convoy merged into the bustling streets, driving along the Hudson River towards Maryland.
"Are you relieved now?" Happy casually grabbed a piece of chocolate and stuffed it into his mouth. He had been driving all day and hadn't eaten anything. Pepper's nervous demeanor had indeed startled him.
"Yes!" Looking at the formation escorting her, a warm current flowed through Pepper's heart. Although she used to be very dissatisfied with Stark's nightly escapades, she never said much, but rather diligently helped him clean up the aftermath.
She never expected Stark to care so much about her when she was in danger.
However, no one noticed that as they passed the entrance of a hotel with a camera, the camera suddenly shifted its view and followed them.
"Found the woman, but it looks like she has escorts!"
Less than a block away from Pepper's location, a white van slowly drove out of an alley.
This was a very standard hitman crew: a Mexican driver, a white gunman, a Black technician, and a brown-skinned woman responsible for luring targets. The Black technician cast a wide net in Washington through his hacked network cameras and surprisingly found Stark's Maybach.
"Let's go, two million is waving at us!" After learning the target's location, the white gunman waved his hand, and the van whined as it followed.
Not only this van, but also a bunch of other assassins, using various methods, learned Pepper's location. However, not many of these assassins knew that Pepper had escorts.
"What about those escorts?" In the white van, the Mexican driver asked his boss while chewing on a chicken wrap.
"Mary, it's all up to you!" The white gunman, who was assembling a Lova, said without looking up.
"No problem, leave it to me!" The brown-skinned girl grinned and took a folding bicycle from the side of the car.
"Juan, stop at the intersection ahead!"
Before the car had fully stopped, the brown-skinned girl leaped out of the car on her bicycle, and the van changed direction, then disappeared into the vast traffic... "Twenty more miles. This money is so easy to earn!"
"The easier it is, the less we can relax our guard. Let's not ruin our reputation!"
"Understood, Captain!"
At this moment, the convoy was approaching the outskirts of Washington. Vehicles and pedestrians had greatly decreased, and even traffic lights were much fewer. Therefore, the convoy's speed increased significantly.
However, just as the lead car turned a crossroad, a bicycle abruptly darted out. A lightly dressed, brown-skinned girl on the bike, who looked like she had just exercised, frantically fell over with her bicycle in front of the car.
"Alert!" The female captain pulled out her pistol and vigilantly watched the continuously screaming girl.
"Go check it out!" The driver gave a look to the co-driver.
"Miss, are you alright?" The co-driver lifted the back of his suit jacket, placed one hand on his lower back, and slowly approached her.
"I think my leg is injured! How do you drive?" The brown-skinned girl yelled loudly, even raising her fist to hit the car's bumper.
"Madam, we are in a hurry, please leave. If you have any issues, you can speak with our lawyer. Now, please do not block the road!"
"What if I do block the road? You look down on us brown people, don't you? Did you white people build this road? This is racial discrimination, I'm going to sue you!"
"Number Three, what's the situation?" The security personnel in the tail car were still unaware of what was happening.
"A minority, looks like she's trying to extort me!" The security personnel, called Number Three, spoke in a cold tone. "Please leave immediately, otherwise I guarantee that within three days, immigration will be knocking on your door for a chat!"
"Hey, you're threatening me, fuck you! &#*..." A string of Spanish curses spewed from the brown-skinned girl's mouth.
Number Three was not to be outdone; he opened his mouth and retorted with a string of Spanish as well. At the same time, he prepared to reach out and drag the woman out of the car's path.
Seeing the other party reach out, the brown-skinned girl named Mary's eyes flashed with delight. Her right hand casually brushed against her denim shorts, and then a small dagger appeared in her palm.
Closer, closer. Looking at the man within arm's reach, the brown-skinned girl didn't hesitate, grabbing the knife and thrusting it towards his chest.
But to her surprise, the blade didn't give the feedback of touching flesh. Instead, it felt like it had struck a steel plate, vibrating slightly.
"Bulletproof plate?" These words flashed through the brown-skinned girl's mind. She wanted to shout a warning to her companions, but it was too late. The white van had already driven up, and the security personnel's fist was already in front of her eyes.
"Attack! Protect the VIP!" Number Three's reaction was also very swift. He shouted a warning while swinging his fist and smashing it into the brown-skinned girl's eye socket, causing her to see stars.
Then, he delivered another punch to her nasal bone, knocking the brown-skinned girl unconscious with blood flowing from her mouth and nose.
At this moment, the white van also stopped beside the Maybach. The door slid open, and the white gunman, holding a Lova, grinned menacingly as he aimed the muzzle at Pepper, who still didn't understand what was happening.
"Bang bang bang!"
The crisp gunshots broke the tranquility of the sky and also indicated the direction to the nearby assassins.