62 Chapter 62: Pursuit

Owen hid behind a piece of furniture, returning fire during the pauses in the enemy's shooting. Seeing Curly aiming at him again, he quickly dodged.

Facing an AK, the furniture here couldn't serve as cover. The 7.62mm bullets easily pierced through the furniture, hitting anyone hiding behind.

Each burst from the AK either left several large holes in the furniture or shattered it completely.

Owen reloaded his gun, appreciating the Mozambique shooting technique's effectiveness, though it did consume a lot of ammunition—killing a person required at least three shots.

The AK ran dry, and Owen seized the opportunity to move out, just in time to see Curly reloading his magazine, using a makeshift quick-change mag taped together.

"Bang Bang"

"Ratatatat~~~"

Owen managed only two shots before being suppressed again. The two exchanged fire wildly, with bullets flying erratically. Thankfully, there was a solid wall; the bullets kicked up dust as Owen crouched awkwardly behind it, only able to blindly return fire.

Curly's hurried shots mostly went upwards, creating large holes in the ceiling, as the AK's powerful recoil was too much for one hand to control.

Seeing Owen temporarily suppressed, Curly didn't linger and turned to run. Owen, hearing the footsteps, peeked from behind cover and gave chase.

The mall was crowded, and the gunfire had already caused panic. Americans, being highly conscious of crises, were either fleeing in chaos or crouching behind nearby obstacles with their hands over their heads.

The sight of the two armed men emerging intensified the panic, causing the crowd to scatter, leaving a clear path around Curly.

Gunfire sounded again.

"Ratatatatatatatata~~~"

Curly fired into the air, causing the already tense crowd to scatter in terror, screaming and running, nearly losing control of the scene.

The chaotic crowd blocked Owen's view, while Curly took advantage of the confusion to dash towards the escalator.

He hadn't expected the CTU agent to be so hard to kill. With two of his men down and himself in danger, killing Owen was no longer the priority; escaping was.

Seeing Curly taking the escalator, Owen, in desperation, fired two shots into the air to clear his path.

Owen sprinted and jumped onto the escalator, not to ride it but to slide down its middle divider.

He slid down quickly and leaped at the end, landing a kick on Curly's back.

Curly tumbled forward, crashing into a display. The previously crowded area was now deserted due to the gunfire. Curly couldn't find any hostages even if he wanted to.

Owen got up, ignoring Curly's discarded makeshift AK, and pursued him on foot.

Curly staggered into a display area, where a motorcycle was being showcased as a prize. He jumped on it, ignited the engine, and, with a rear wheel spin, charged towards the nearest glass display.

Seeing Curly trying to escape on the motorcycle, Owen took a shortcut and, in a last-ditch effort to catch him, dove towards Curly just as he broke through the display, missing him by inches and crashing to the ground.

Curly, lifting the front wheel, smashed through the glass window onto the street amid screams of panic. Owen could only watch as the motorcycle escaped, then got up and followed on foot.

Owen chased the motorcycle through the broken window and saw Carlos outside.

Curly's dramatic exit surprised everyone. Owen, spotting Carlos, yelled, "Follow that motorcycle!"

"I'll get the car."

Carlos stowed his gun and ran to his vehicle, while Owen, attracted by the sound of another approaching motorcycle, flagged down its rider.

"CTU, I need to commandeer your bike~~~"

Before the rider could react, Owen forcibly pulled him off the speeding motorcycle, leaving him sprawled on the ground. Owen picked up the bike and yelled to the bystanders, "Call the police, there are two officers shot inside…"

Without waiting for a response, Owen revved the motorcycle, chasing the shadow ahead, followed by a Chevrolet SUV.

Seeing Curly disappearing into the distance, Owen pushed the throttle to its limit, finally spotting him again. Owen checked his position and, without hesitation, veered into a park.

Taking the shortest path, Owen raced across the grass, causing alarm among the park-goers. Carlos, unable to follow through the park, continued on the road. Both were determined to catch Curly.

Approaching the exit, Owen nearly caught up, keeping a close eye on Curly outside. The commotion attracted Curly's attention.

As Owen exited the park, Curly changed direction, spoiling the plan for a pincer attack. Owen continued the chase.

Pedestrians on the streets stopped to watch the pursuit. Carlos' SUV caused several accidents in its frantic chase, running red lights to avoid collisions.

Owen was now behind, with Carlos out of sight.

"Mark Street intersection," Owen's voice came through the earpiece.

"Got it, I'm on my way."

Carlos let out an excited cry, steering aggressively and alternating between the gas and brake, the car drifting and overtaking like a drunk driver on the road.

The West Hollywood precinct, just back from a CTU operation, mobilized at Carlos' call, hearing that Owen might be targeted by terrorists. They joined the pursuit with patrol officers from both the East and West Hollywood precincts.

From above, the chase scene with motorcycles and a convoy of police cars converging with flashing lights was a sight even seasoned reporters found astonishing.

Ahead, Curly tried to turn at an intersection, but a Chevrolet SUV blocked his path with a drift, sealing off the exit.

Curly braked hard, with Owen close behind. Curly turned onto another road, only to be greeted by more police lights.

Turning again, he faced the same sea of police lights. Curly braked, trapped like a cornered animal, as police from both precincts arrived, with Owen and Carlos blocking the remaining exits.

Cornered, Curly saw no choice but to surrender. He glanced around, spotting an unfinished building with a parking lot blocked off by tape and a "Under Construction" sign.

With no way out, Curly charged towards the parking lot.

Owen saw Curly break through the tape into the parking lot and accelerated to follow. Carlos and several police cars also entered, closing in on Curly.

…

Sorry to inform you that I've fallen behind on updates. After considering feedback, I've decided to make significant changes to the manuscript, discarding tens of thousands of words to start anew.

Today, there will be only two updates. I hope for your understanding and promise to do my best. Thank you.