Chapter 28: The Villain's End

Thanks to the Phantom Pain Squad for the reward. This is the first time I've been rewarded in my life. Thank you for your affirmation. To commemorate this, I'll post an extra chapter. For those who think what I write is passable, please help promote it more. Thank you, everyone.

...

The blond man and Owen were scuffling on the ground, and at this point, there was no semblance of technique left in their fight. The two of them were like two ruffians, resorting to biting and scratching.

Through the sniper's scope, Owen was seen being pummeled by the blond man who had grabbed his hair, while the blond man was punched in the groin by Owen, gasping in pain. The two were intertwined, separating and rejoining in their struggle.

Owen managed to trip the blond man and went to strangle him, but before he could exert force, he was overpowered and flipped over by the blond man grabbing his hair. However, as the blond man lunged at him, Owen kicked and flipped him over.

Owen, holding onto the tactical vest, pulled the blond man up and slammed his knee into his stomach. The blond man, not defending himself, instead pounced on Owen, and they both rolled on the ground together.

After the fight, both were gasping for breath, exhausted, their punches slow and sluggish, like two drunkards. Owen staggered towards the blond man, grabbed his chest, and gasped for air. His punch aimed at the man's stomach was slow and blocked, so he immediately switched to a headbutt.

The blond man staggered backward from the headbutt, blood flowing from his mouth, several front teeth knocked out. As Owen let go of his hand, he heard a metallic sound and felt something extra in his hand. He opened his palm to find a grenade pin.

The blond man saw the pin in Owen's hand, his eyes widened in shock, and he frantically searched his chest for the grenade among several, not knowing which one it was.

Realizing he was holding a ticking time bomb about to explode, Owen, with unexpected strength, kicked the blond man in the chest, sending him falling out of the building.

"No~~~~~~~"

Boom~~~~~ The explosion shattered the windows of several floors below, sending blood and flesh flying up, landing on Owen. Shaken, he was too close to the explosion and was affected by it.

"Rustle rustle rustle," chaotic footsteps approached. Owen, wary, attempted to rise but collapsed upon seeing the uniformed figures in black combat gear, feeling as if all his strength had been drained, and he lay back down.

...

Underground level two, the garage.

Due to the lockdown caused by the bomb on the first floor, the garage was deserted and silent. In one corner, a group of people hid behind pillars. One person pressed a switch, and after a slight explosion, a regular-shaped large hole appeared in the garage wall, leading to another garage filled with cars.

Hans waved his hand to clear the smoke and led the way through the hole. The group didn't walk far before stopping in front of a large box truck. The rear door of the container was opened, and everyone entered.

Soon after, a SWAT assault vehicle drove out, with no sign of the robbers. Inside were assault team members in uniform. Hans put on a head mask, patted the vehicle, and it started, exiting the garage after making a couple of turns.

Feeling the vehicle move, Hans smiled smugly, amused that no one would guess the wall led to the adjacent building's garage, nor that they would choose such a means of escape.

"Screech," Karl, monitoring the barricade and watching hostages glide between the buildings, noticed an assault vehicle stopping at the barricade. Recognizing the vehicle's markings and the masked driver, he wisely lifted the barrier to let them pass.

Ten minutes later, Owen, now safe and rescued by CTU agents from the opposite building, met with McClane and Holly, who had received minor treatments.

"Pal, I owe you one."

The two, having narrowly escaped death, shared a laugh, and Owen hugged McClane, who winced in pain. McClane had insisted on waiting for Owen's return, despite needing to be evacuated due to his injuries, and was relieved to see Owen safe.

McClane and Holly left first, as they were injured. Owen, feeling weak, refused police assistance and rested on the ground before feeling strong enough to leave the building.

As he approached the building's entrance, he saw McClane beating up a man, undoubtedly the reporter. Surrounded by reporters, McClane didn't mind their cameras as he cursed and kicked the man, with Holly helping.

Noticing Owen, reporters swarmed him, nearly blinding him with their flashlights. Without the barricade, Owen might have been overwhelmed by them.

At an intersection, Hans instructed the driver to stop, as they were at the maximum range for the remote bomb's signal.

He looked back at the ex-robbers, now unmasked and smiling with joy, soon to be rich. Opening several bags, cash and bonds were scattered inside the vehicle like snowflakes.

The joyous atmosphere was cut short when one of them found a hard object in a money bag.

As Hans began counting down, panic spread when they realized what the object was.

"No!!!"

"Boom!!!"

The explosion startled the reporters around Owen, with flames bursting from the 18th floor and shards of glass raining down. Strangely, not only the 18th floor but also an assault vehicle at the intersection exploded.

Owen, understanding the situation, soon reunited with his mother and sister, embracing them warmly.

"I'm okay, I'm fine. See, I'm right here, safe and sound. Don't worry, Mom, Amanda, you too." Owen comforted them.