Chapter 5: First Firefight - Mozambique Shooting Technique

Owen picked up the receiver and dialed. There was complete silence on the other end. He hung up, picked up the phone again, still no sound. Frustrated, Owen threw the receiver aside. A foreboding feeling crept over him. He tried several more phones, all with the same result.

Unwilling to accept it, Owen appeared on the 22nd floor minutes later. The phones here were in the same state. It seemed the hijackers had cut off the entire building's communication lines.

With phones out of order, Owen couldn't think of an alternative. He had to play it by ear.

Carefully exploring this floor, 22 was not as dark as 21; some lights were still on.

Owen cautiously searched around. Just like the previous floors, there was no sign of anyone. However, he discovered something promising—a fire alarm.

As he walked towards it, preparing to activate the switch, he suddenly heard a faint "click" sound. Owen's instincts kicked in – the lock on the fire escape door.

Someone was coming in! Owen crouched low, silently moving behind a pillar, hiding in the darkness. He didn't dare peek but focused on listening.

Soon, a rustling sound, like footsteps but subtly different, reached him. Owen slowly unholstered his Glock handgun, peeking around the pillar. The dark figure approaching him was unclear, but he could see it was moving stealthily.

Owen retracted behind the pillar, holding his breath. The figure passed without noticing him, heading in the opposite direction. The footsteps faded away.

Relieved that the danger passed, Owen decided this place was no longer safe. He intended to leave, go upstairs, and avoid any encounters with the hijackers.

Just as Owen made up his mind, the elevator's bell rang, and the light turned on.

The sound was glaringly obvious in the quiet space. Owen had no choice but to hide again, watching discreetly.

The elevator doors opened, and two men armed with submachine guns stepped out. Both dressed in camouflage combat gear, undoubtedly hijackers.

Owen's heart sank. These two seemed to be on patrol, not very vigilant. Their loose grip on the guns suggested they were more relaxed. They chatted while approaching his direction.

Owen concealed himself well; this chosen spot was indeed hidden. The two hijackers walked past without noticing him.

As they passed the pillar, Owen even heard one hijacker's name – Max. They continued chatting, and suddenly Owen heard another "click" sound. The lights in the nearby area all turned on.

In the rush, Owen thought he might have been discovered, almost pulling the trigger. However, he forced himself to stay calm; even if the lights were on, the chances of them seeing him were minimal from this position.

But then, someone shouted, "Who? Who's hiding there? Come out... rat-tat-tat... rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"

The two hijackers started firing.

Owen's heart sank. He quickly crouched down, realizing the bullets weren't aimed at him but at another location. He understood – the dark figure had been discovered.

Indeed, not far from him, the two hijackers fired wildly at someone in a corner, splintering the table with bullets and sending wood chips flying.

Across from them, a pistol occasionally fired back. The shooter remained hidden, preventing the hijackers from advancing.

If Owen didn't intervene, the person was doomed.

Owen decided to take a risk. He wasn't a hero or overly brave, but he was a cop. He couldn't stand by and watch someone get shot in front of him.

Taking advantage of the distraction from the gunfire, he moved from behind the pillar, silently approaching.

The two shooters displayed strong military skills, alternating their shots. The person taking cover was under intense pressure.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Owen knew he couldn't get too close. Humans have a sense of biological detection; getting too close might make the person sense him, even if they didn't see him. It was better to wait and shoot from a slightly safer distance.

About ten meters away, Owen adhered to his shooting habits, firing two shots at the torso of each hijacker.

However, the bullets only made them step back a couple of paces. The gunfire shifted towards him. Owen quickly realized the hijackers were wearing bulletproof vests.

Ah... Taking advantage of Owen's distraction, the dark figure broke cover, rushing towards one of the hijackers. Before the hijacker could react, they collided, and the two wrestled on the floor.

Owen noticed the newcomer was a young white man in a white vest. He probably ran out of bullets, staying hidden until now. The appearance of the vest signaled an ally, not another hijacker.

The presence of the newcomer diverted the attention of the other hijacker. Owen, still at a distance, fired two more shots, this time targeting their thighs.

"Ah~" One hijacker went down, the pain too much. Owen quickly closed in, grabbing the barrel of the gun.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat~~~~~" The submachine gun was lifted by Owen, and the bullets sprayed into the ceiling.

Seeing the weapon under control, the hijacker named Max didn't resist, giving up the submachine gun. He stepped back, drawing a handgun. Just like Owen, he activated bullet time.

Everything around them slowed down. Owen maintained his position, not raising his arms, just adjusting the gun's angle downward.

"Bang, bang." Two shots hit the hijacker's thighs. The pain compounded, and he couldn't hold on. Groaning, he fell to the ground.

Normal time resumed.

Damn~~~ Pain made the criminal lose his composure. By the time he reacted, a dark gun barrel was already in front of him.

"Bang." Another shot, and the hijacker's forehead had a new hole. In an instant, he became a lifeless body.

Owen had killed the hijacker, wasting no time. He turned around, gun raised, aiming at the other hijacker.

In front of the man in the white vest, the situation was dire. Despite wrestling back and forth, he was losing to the hijacker, who landed successive punches on his face, breaking his nose, and causing a flow of blood.

The remaining hijacker was struggling with the newcomer for the weapon. Seeing Owen's actions, the hijacker made the same choice as his fallen comrade, letting go of the submachine gun and stepping back while pulling out a handgun.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang~~~~" Owen rolled forward, avoiding the bullets aimed at him.