Seeing Davis's surprised expression, Liu Yutong walked over from behind and said to him, "Officer, I just made some minor preparations to ensure the safety of my people."
"You call this minor preparations?"
Davis pointed at the absurdly thick armor plate on Chu Yang's chest and said loudly, "Level IV body armor, and that helmet, is it OPS-Core? The kind with omnidirectional noise-canceling communication and augmented reality displays? Our department doesn't even have these, and the SWAT team only has a few. Now every single one of you has one, and you call this a minor preparation?"
Yun Cheng chimed in with a sharp remark, "Our young lady said that staying alive is what matters, money is not an issue."
"This isn't about money!"
Davis was practically going crazy. "With this gear of yours, it's more than enough to go to the neighboring country and hunt down drug lords!"
Chu Yang stepped forward, patted Davis on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Detective, relax. It's just that our gear is a bit better than yours, no need to get so worked up."
Davis: "I'm not getting worked up. I'm just saying, why can't I meet such a great boss!"
Liu Yutong smiled faintly and said, "Do you want it? If you do, there's an extra set in this box. I can give... no, donate it to your police department."
"Give it to me... I mean, donate it to me?"
Davis's expression instantly turned serious. "Miss Liu, this doesn't quite follow protocol. Our police force has strict discipline; we can't just casually accept equipment gifted by others..."
Even as he spoke, he couldn't help but look at the brand-new set of gear in the box. His tone suddenly shifted, "However, Miss Liu is so enthusiastically supporting our law enforcement work, actively providing necessary equipment to assist the police in rescuing victims more safely and effectively, and cracking down on crime... This spirit of international law enforcement cooperation is truly admirable! In that case, I won't decline."
As if afraid Liu Yutong would change her mind, he immediately started changing into the gear.
At a critical moment like this where a firefight could break out at any second, better equipment meant a higher chance of survival. It would be foolish not to use it!
After changing into the gear, Davis looked at his high-end outfit, identical to those of the men in black. He visibly felt much more energized, and that slight feeling of unfairness in his heart vanished into thin air.
"The operation plan remains the same. We will lead the main assault, and you will provide support in the designated area. Unless absolutely necessary, do not cross the police line to initiate fire."
"OK!" Chu Yang nodded.
After giving the instructions, Davis turned around with Chu Yang and marched proudly toward the front lines.
Yun Cheng and the others also prepared to move according to the plan. Perhaps because it was their first time wearing such heavy combat suits, everyone was slightly unaccustomed to it, and someone couldn't help but complain a bit.
"Brother Yun, the heat dissipation on this vest seems average... it's a bit stuffy."
"Just bear with it. The young lady said life is more important than comfort. Do you want to feel a cool breeze through a bullet hole, or stay alive and feel a little stuffy?"
"Uh... actually, being a bit stuffy is pretty good..."
...
Outside the cannery, after the police shouted warnings several times to no avail, they decisively launched the operation.
Dozens of fully armed police officers formed up and launched an assault on the cannery's main building.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tongues of fire also spewed from the windows on the second floor of the cannery as they fired wildly outside, trying to stop the police advance.
At this moment, inside the factory, Wang Hai, the boss of the Snakehead Gang, was swearing fiercely at his subordinates.
"Damn it! How did the cops find out about this hideout? And those reporters, fuck! Who brought the reporters here!"
Through the window, they could see at least four or five media broadcast vans parked outside in the distance.
A pockmarked lackey asked tremblingly, "Boss, what do we do now? Kill the hostages?"
"Kill your ass!"
Wang Hai slapped him across the face and roared, "Can't you see the reporters are here? Do you want the whole United States to know we massacred twenty civilians? How would we be any fucking different from terrorists then?"
"Then... then surrender?"
"Surrendering means spending the rest of our lives in prison. How many years do you think we'll get for the things we've done?"
Wang Hai scratched his head in frustration, suddenly remembering something. "Where is Boss Zhao? Didn't he say he was coming over tonight? Hurry and tell him to send backup!"
"Boss Zhao called just now and said the situation has changed, telling us to handle it ourselves."
"Fuck! That bastard! He definitely knew the cops were coming and slipped away first!" Wang Hai gritted his teeth in anger.
Just then, another shout came from outside.
"Listen up, people inside! You are surrounded! Release the hostages immediately, drop your weapons, and walk out of the building with your hands behind your heads!"
Wang Hai was now completely caught in a dilemma. He hadn't received even a whisper of a warning before his lair was surrounded by the police.
This meant there was a mole among them.
Of course, now was not the time to catch the mole, but to figure out how to fight their way out.
Thinking of this, a ruthless glint flashed in Wang Hai's eyes.
"Brothers, herd all those hostages to the entrance of the west warehouse! Make them block the door and hold off the cops! Pick one and bleed him a little to warn the police outside not to act rashly."
"The rest of you, follow me and retreat from the east side!"
"As for that bastard Zhao Weixiang, once I escape, I'll settle the score with him!"
The thugs immediately used their guns to herd the group of human trafficking victims toward the west warehouse.
In the crowd, a blond young man with bandages still wrapped around his head had an expression worse than if he were crying.
He was none other than Ah Wei, who had previously shouted "Long live freedom" by the sea.
He was now thoroughly doubting his life choices.
A while ago, he was first beaten into the hospital by a group of black men, racking up over fifty thousand dollars in medical bills. Then, while eating a burger on the street, he was tased by the police who mistook him for a gang accomplice. After finally being bailed out of the police station, he discovered that the people who bailed him out were actually a gang specializing in illegal underground businesses...
He truly felt like a rag that fate had repeatedly wrung out and then casually tossed aside when it was ruined. He was incredibly unlucky and utterly miserable!
Just as he was on the verge of despair, he suddenly heard the voices of people from the Dragon Kingdom outside, and his eyes instantly lit up.
Reporters from the Dragon Kingdom! The voice of the motherland!
Ah Wei's eyes grew moist.
At this moment, freedom and opportunities were all bullshit!
The motherland was the best after all!
"Police brothers, reporter brothers, I am from the Dragon Kingdom! I am from the Dragon Kingdom! Hurry and save me!"
This shout startled the other victims beside him and also caught the attention of the Snakehead Gang members.
"Fuck! What the hell are you yelling for!" A gang member slammed the butt of his rifle into him.
Ah Wei seemed to be risking it all this time, or rather, his mental state was already semi-collapsed. Even after being hit, he still dared to continue shouting outside.
"Help! I am a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom! I am being illegally detained! These bad guys want to kill me! Motherland, save me! Boohoo..."
He spoke in the Dragon Kingdom language; this was the first time he had spoken it since coming to the United States.
The reporters outside the warehouse clearly heard it, and their cameras immediately turned toward the source of the sound.
"Damn it, you're asking for it!"
The thug immediately raised his gun and fired a shot right into Ah Wei's kidney.
Bang!
"Ahhh!!!"
Ah Wei shrieked like a stuck pig, clutching his side with both hands.
"My kidney! My kidney!"
"I worked so hard to finally make it to America, and before I could even start my new life, my kidney is gone, boohoo..."
He was pretty tough, though. After he was shot, the men from the Snakehead Gang simply tossed him out the front gates.
Soon, paramedics arrived and loaded him onto a stretcher.
However, that single gunshot from the Snakehead Gang completely infuriated the police and all the reporters on the scene.
The police perimeter rapidly tightened, and all sorts of reinforcements were continuously pouring in...
