[Chapter 483: Heavy Fire Raid]
It was late at night when Brian received a call. He quickly changed his outfit and arrived at the hilltop villa in Beverly Hills. Hawke and Erica, along with others, had already returned. Everyone gathered in the study, where Hawke and Campos detailed the whole situation.
Brian was also a target, being tracked and searched for weaknesses.
Hawke tapped lightly on the desk to draw everyone's attention and said, "The other side has already reached out, and we've now cut off their hand, but it's not enough."
He analyzed, "Hillary decided to run in the next election. Her base is women's rights, and one of her main political platforms is to promote the women's movement. We've been pushing the LGBTQ movement. These two organizations and social movements have become irreconcilable enemies."
Brian recognized this deeply: "Both sides are after privileges, but there aren't enough privileges in society to share. When faced with the bait we threw out, they can only fight and scramble."
Within less than two years, from initially not interfering with each other, these two sides evolved into mortal enemies in public opinion and clashed brutally in real society -- a result largely driven by Hawke.
Hawke's marginalized groups plan had achieved some success.
As is often the case, there were gains and losses. Supporting LGBTQ inevitably meant becoming deadly enemies with the fundamental women's rights base.
Hillary's side once cooperated with Hawke. Before Hawke fell out with them, they fabricated the Hudson River helicopter landing incident and framed him, directly leading to the attack from African assailants.
The situation with Puff Daddy and Loli Island hadn't unfolded yet, but Hawke intended to sever the other side's hand decisively: "They were the first to hire mercenaries, breaking the tacit understanding."
"What's your plan?" Brian asked.
Without hesitation, Hawke said, "Take out those mercenaries!"
Erica, always supportive of such plans, said, "I agree."
With enemy mercenaries sneaking behind their backs, Brian had no hesitation: "How do you want to proceed? Our external mercenaries will cooperate fully."
Hawke nodded at Edward, who turned on the projector, displaying a map of the southeast border between Honduras and Nicaragua. The border city of Waspam was located there.
Using a laser pointer on the map, he explained, "According to Adams, their base is at a small wooden dock outside Waspam. The buildings are mostly wooden, with no permanent fortifications."
After all, they were mercenaries, not a formal army.
Hurricane Company's base in Costa Rica was similar until Hawke invested and upgraded it with reinforced concrete.
Hawke said, "Our mercenaries from both companies will raid this camp. If possible, we should try to bribe a unit from the Nicaraguan or Honduran army."
Brian interrupted, "Relying on them in combat is pointless; their training level is very low."
He knew the Latin American situation better than Hawke. "Forget about the armies of those two countries. After the raid, retreat immediately. Based on their usual handling, they will only check after the shooting is completely over and the danger is gone."
Campos, originally from Latin America, agreed: "Don't hope too much from their armies."
Hawke agreed: "Then we attack together with our people."
Brian said, "Sounds good."
"You coordinate."
Hawke didn't let Campos leave and continued: "There are three more things to do."
He instructed, "Squeeze all the information from Adams and the others, then eliminate them."
Erica interjected, "Recently, media reported that some great white sharks appeared offshore California, and animal protection groups worry they lack food."
Campos acknowledged, "I saw that too."
Hawke went on, "Colonel Flynn, who Adams mentioned, went to Frederick, Maryland to visit family, contracted an infectious disease, and is quarantined in the hospital. Send someone to investigate."
He paused and added, "Hillary's assistant Huma Abedin is her key external contact. Get detailed information on her family background and relationship status."
Campos reminded, "Our people have been investigating and will soon report back."
Hawke recalled he had ordered this before and said, "Good. Let's move quickly."
Brian contacted the Ferguson family's overseas mercenary companies. As the new political hope of the Ferguson family, he had gained much power from Paul Ferguson.
Hawke used an encrypted satellite phone to contact Bosque. Hurricane Company's headquarters in Costa Rica was on high alert. The preliminary reconnaissance team had departed for Waspam.
---
Mexico, Cozumel Island.
The Golden Shield Private Security Company had contracted island defense from the Quintana Roo state government. A convoy of vehicles arrived. Lynch, the company manager, called all the military supervisors for a meeting and assigned tasks.
Minutes later, several supervisors left to mobilize their private security teams. The company weapons depot opened, showing not only standard issued rifles and pistols but also RPGs and AT4 anti-tank rocket launchers.
Meanwhile, at the island's port, two of the three armed patrol vessels, operated by Golden Shield, were refueled, rearmed, and had their markings removed and painted over.
The vessels weren't large, but each was equipped with Gatling guns and M2 heavy machine guns. Another supply ship would accompany them south.
The Ferguson family, with decades of operation, had built a strong financial base.
Two hours later, many military vehicles quietly entered the port at night, boarding the ships in an orderly manner.
The three ships departed, heading southeast.
...
Almost simultaneously, in Limon, a coastal city on Costa Rica's eastern shore, several container trucks entered the port to load cargo on a freighter.
A gantry crane loaded containers one by one.
Soon, Bosque led security personnel who boarded the freighter by legitimate means. This was one of Hurricane Company's main operations in Costa Rica.
The Miskito Islands northwards often had pirates, so the passing cargo ships usually hired professional security.
The freighter left port and opened containers to retrieve the weapons that exceeded legal limits.
Besides weapons, there was an armored pickup truck welded with a mounted gun.
Regarding RPGs and such, with ample financial backing, storage was sufficient.
The freighter wouldn't stop until Waspam.
---
After a long night, dawn was another unbearably harsh day for Adams.
The 16 captured people, including him, only wished for a quick death.
But even death was not easy.
The twisted sadist with the scalpel tortured them in various ways to extract information they wanted, even things they didn't want to know.
Not only his subordinates, but Adams even disclosed things like what color underwear his mother liked.
Everyone was the same.
Only those whose spiritual beliefs were forged like steel could endure such torture.
The 16 had already spilled a lot of information, especially about the Waspam base, which was quickly summarized by Campos.
...
Elite soldiers from two private security companies were rushing to Waspam.
Campos combined information gathered by Hurricane Company and prepared to go personally.
Before departure, these prisoners needed to be dealt with.
...
At dawn, Campos called Guti and asked, "Are they still useful?"
Guti washed his face; the basin water was red.
He wiped off blood with a tissue and said, "I've squeezed them dry. They didn't know much about Hillary's side, which was what the boss wanted most."
Campos nodded and instructed, "I'm going to Waspam. You handle them here. The boat's ready."
"I'll take care of it now."
...
Guti gathered men, bound the 16, gagged them, put black hoods over their heads, and threw them into several vehicles.
The convoy left the warehouse, soon reaching the Butterfly Company, and boarded a yacht docked at the pier.
At first light, the yacht filed a voyage report and headed out to sea with a group of "fishermen."
Night fell, with no other ships nearby. Hundreds of miles offshore, the 16 mercenaries, weighed down by heavy iron balls on their ankles, gagged and blindfolded, were thrown overboard into the deep sea.
Maybe one day, earth's crust will shift, and they'll see daylight again.
---
Waspam.
Hurricane Company's early-arrival team had not only scouted but also rented a container warehouse near the port.
Just after noon, container trucks arrived and unloaded into the warehouse.
Half an hour later, the main force from Limon came.
These troops were highly trained, silently exchanged weapons and gear, and prepared to move.
Bosque took the chance to personally visit the Waspam security company camp, led by Ramon, one of the early advance team.
When he returned, Campos had arrived. Soon after, Lynch and deputy Redondo entered the warehouse area.
Bosque laid maps and photos on a wall and said, "I just came back from the camp, about five kilometers outside Waspam. There are no army troops nearby, similar to this city."
Lynch and Campos weren't surprised; private security companies usually avoided military garrisons to reduce unwanted troubles.
Bosque pointed at photos and said, "The Waspam camp isn't big. The outer wall is brick and wood. It controls a main road into town, wide enough for three to four vehicles side by side. The Rio Coco River, one of the largest in Central North America, runs nearby. I checked local hydrological data; 1000-ton ships can navigate it. The camp built a dock by the river, making water supply and goods transport easy."
Lynch said, "Our ships are less than 200 tons, but someone is currently on a local vessel of the same capacity sailing upstream to check the river."
Without understanding the river, running aground could be fatal.
Bosque found these temporary allies trustworthy: "They'll finish by early morning."
"OK," Lynch replied, seeing the dock wasn't far from the river mouth.
Bosque asked, "Plan the attack at dawn, just as light breaks?"
To maximize enemy casualties, night attacks weren't ideal, besides unfamiliarity with terrain.
"I agree," Campos produced two copies of intelligence from captured enemies regarding camp and guard conditions, handing them to Lynch and Bosque.
Lynch skimmed them and said, "Much easier now."
He proposed, "We have two modified armed patrol boats. We'll attack upriver from the dock."
They hadn't coordinated before, so splitting tasks was best. Bosque agreed, "We'll attack from land."
Lynch added, "We'll mark helmets, arms, and legs with white tape for identification."
Bosque nodded, "Code words will be Panama and Mexico, in Spanish."
Campos asked, "What's the attack plan?"
Bosque grinned fiercely, "We brought heavy firepower. Of course, the plan is a silent approach, then a heavy fire raid!"
Lynch added, "You start the fight; we move quickly to the dock."
---
Lights lit up in the Waspam private security training camp.
After a day of training, mercenaries and guards dropped gear and went to the wooden bathhouse.
Someone cursed, "That Scar's gang is in the big city on a mission, probably enjoying themselves now."
A bald man poured a basin of water over his head, "Big cities got pretty girls and gourmet food and drinks..."
A black man with a burned right arm said, "I'll buy a house in the city when I've made enough money and get ten girls at once."
The bald man snorted, "You'll be broke soon enough."
Bardez, the first speaker, said, "I heard a rumor about a southern security company recruiting elite soldiers with high pay."
The black man put down the basin, "Is the info reliable?"
Bardez took a towel to dry his wet head, "That company is in Costa Rica. We need to ask our middlemen for the exact name."
The bald man warned, "Don't spread this around. If the colonel hears, it'll be trouble."
"Colonel?" Bardez laughed, "He hasn't appeared for months. People say he might be dead."
Clearly a small team, the black man said, "Let's go. I'm on duty only in the second half of the night. First, let's drink at my place. Last time in town, I got some good liquor."
"Sounds good!"
They dressed and entered the black man's barracks.
...
Lights shone in the camp; guards posted watch on towers, with bright and dark shifts. Including logistics, there were fewer than a hundred men.
Though Colonel Flynn hadn't returned, four military officers stood equal to Adams.
Security rules and watch arrangements had been in place for years. Since the camp's founding, no accidents had occurred.
Whether civilians or gangsters, seeing the three towers equipped with M249 machine guns usually deterred any bad ideas.
The night was very quiet, no changes, with a watch shift.
The new watchman was diligent, watching outside.
As dawn approached in the east, the black man yawned and pulled a minty green Arrow gum from his pocket, chewing hard to wake up.
...
Several assault teams approached the camp under the last bit of night cover to within 300 meters.
Wearing camouflage and body armor, carrying RPGs and AT4 rocket launchers, they picked pre-set targets waiting for orders.
Nearby, soldiers with active weapons were ready to deploy.
Hundreds of meters away, Bosque sat atop an M2 machine gun-mounted Hummer, watching the light grow and checking his watch, ordering on radio, "Attack!"
At the front, three AT4 launchers fired almost simultaneously.
On the outermost watchtower, a black man chewing gum spotted something dragging a trail of exhaust toward him.
With a conditioned reflex, he slapped the alarm button.
Just as the electronic alarm blared, a high-explosive rocket hit the top half of the watchtower.
The blast hurled the black man and countless wooden debris from the tower.
In his dying moments, he heard two more explosions.
Two other towers also lost their tops to rockets.
The shrill alarm echoed throughout the camp.
The security military officer grabbed the barracks microphone, yelling, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Activate Plan Bravo! Activate Plan Bravo..."
His voice amplified across all barracks.
Trained mercenaries quickly armed and equipped themselves, preparing to take defensive positions in the barracks.
The armory opened its underground vault for heavy weapons, but soldiers couldn't get there fast enough.
Explosions continued; the camp's main gate crashed down.
Walls shattered and left huge breaches.
Outside, Bosque in the Hummer ordered, "Suppress with light machine guns. Sweep the barracks with heavy machine guns! Fire RPGs!"
AT4 launchers were single-use.
RPGs could be reloaded; five more rockets launched.
A large portion of the wall collapsed.
Eight pickup trucks charged in, machine guns blazing.
Light machine gunfire poured into the breach, shooting everywhere regardless of target.
Four pickups had M2 heavy machine guns operated by gunmen targeting exposed barracks.
Wooden rooms couldn't stop the .50 caliber rounds; soldiers inside screamed in pain.
Whizz--
An RPG rocket blazed into the nearest barracks, reducing it to rubble.
*****
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