Reborn: The Rookie Detective Chapter 19 19: 19-Building(1)

"Haha, I just can't imagine how you'd draw this pistol when you need it." Now that he was very familiar with Angela, Jack joked without restraint.

The Beretta 950 was quite cute; this miniature pistol was practically a self-defense weapon exclusively for won, which didn't fit the girl's usual strong, tomboyish image at all.

"If you like it, I don't mind trading it for that Python. I'll teach you how to draw it then." Angela nonchalantly bounced her chest, not treating Jack like an outsider at all.

"Maybe I'll borrow it from you soday when I wear a dress." Jack was completely unaware of the trouble he was setting himself up for, responding in what he thought was humor.

Three police cars drove into the building's parking lot one after another. Six officers got out and readjusted their equipnt. Tim tossed Lucy a bulletproof plate, indicating she should equip it. Seeing everyone looking like they were facing a major threat, the girl was clearly a little confused.

"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?" Lucy asked doubtfully as she struggled to insert the bulletproof vest.

Tim asked her seriously, "Do you know why people call this place 'Bronson Mansion'?"

"Isn't it just a building built by soone nad Bronson?"

Angela, who was beside her, also inserted the bulletproof vest, glanced at Jack, whose waist was full of revolver speed loaders, and then at the innocent Lucy, secretly shaking her head, and explained, "No, have you seen that old 70s movie *Death Wish*? It was based on the stories here, and the lead actor was nad Charles Bronson. So for a long ti, police officers who dared to co here on duty were considered to be the protagonist in the movie."

"Bruce Willis starred in the remake of this movie this year. You can go check it out; it's a very good action movie." Tim shrugged and closed the trunk of the police car.

The six left the parking lot and headed towards the building entrance. Tim, the most senior mber, readily assigned tasks: "Chen (Lucy) and I will start from the third floor. Stephens (Hannah) and Bishop (Talia) will handle the second floor. Tavelor (Jack) and Lopez (Angela) will check the first floor. Maintain radio contact and stay alert."

"Will this kind of checking even work?" Jack couldn't help but ask, having knocked on five or six doors. Either the residents slamd the door shut, or they just stared at him silently. They didn't have a search warrant. The building was mostly inhabited by low-inco residents who were hostile to the police, leaving him with no room to argue.

Angela rolled her eyes, signaling him to continue. She didn't have a better plan; she could only hope for a lucky break.

Not long after, a call ca through the walkie-talkie. Lucy and Tim had found Cecilia Olivier — the mistress of drug dealer Vance Marcus — in room 365 on the third floor. Angela breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to head towards the elevator. Jack's nerves tightened; one hand reached for his Glock holster. He knew things wouldn't be this simple.

Sure enough, before Angela's hand even touched the elevator button, a burst of gunfire erupted from upstairs — the sound of automatic rifles firing, mixed with a few crisp Glock shots.

Jack's heart skipped a beat. The gunfire was clear; it was coming from the second floor. Hannah and Bishop were in danger.

Angela picked up the walkie-talkie and called out, "Hannah, we heard gunfire. What's the situation on your end?" There was only a jumble of electronic buzzing on the radio; no one answered. She assud the walkie-talkie was broken and turned to look at Jack.

"The radio's jamd, and there's no cell phone signal," Jack said, shaking his head while holding his phone.

"Fuck, the firepower upstairs is too strong. Let's go up the stairs to provide support." Angela imdiately drew her pistol. Using the elevator now would make them easy targets if they were blocked at the door.

Just as they turned the corner, with the stairwell right in front of them, Angela, who had been leading the way, was pulled back by Jack: "Watch out." Before he finished speaking, two figures appeared in the opposite hallway. A burst of bullets swept across the corner of the wall, kicking up a large amount of concrete debris.

From the mont the gunfire started upstairs, Jack's adrenaline began to surge. With heightened concentration, every blade of grass and tree in his surroundings was within his observation range. Just as he turned the corner, he keenly noticed the unusual lighting in the opposite hallway; clearly, two people were lying in ambush on either side. He decisively moved to save Angela.

After a burst of intense gunfire, the crisp tallic clang of a firing pin hitting empty air ca from the opposite side. Jack decisively leaned out and fired five or six shots in quick succession.

"Fuck, they have body armor." Jack couldn't help but curse. The other side also had body armor, and his aim was too good; several bullets hit the man in the chest. Although the assailant who tried to approach was knocked to the ground, he was still trying to reload his Uzi submachine gun.

Fortunately, Angela, who was crouching on the ground, peeked out in ti and fired a shot right between his eyes, killing him. The other assailant following behind, seeing his companion killed, scread in terror, frantically pulling the trigger while retreating, trying to return to his starting position and use the doorway for cover.

The Uzi submachine gun's rate of fire was terrifying, both an advantage and a disadvantage. This assailant was clearly inexperienced; he emptied the remaining bullets in less than two seconds. Jack and Angela, one above and one below, attacked simultaneously, knocking him down at the corner of the corridor.

"Reloading." Jack ejected the magazine with three rounds remaining and put it back into his tactical vest, then replaced it with a new magazine, while Angela maintained her firing position to provide cover.

After reloading, Jack was about to peek out when Angela pulled him back. A few steel balls grazed his cheek, and an irregular semicircle of pellet marks appeared on the wall behind him, giving him a fright. The assailants had reinforcents!

Angela fired blindly with her left hand, emptying a magazine, then pulled Jack back. "We need to get out of the corridor," she said. "There's more than one shotgun on the other side."

Jack nodded. A shotgun duel in the corridor was terrifying; body armor couldn't protect his head, limbs, or lower body. He imdiately turned and crept towards the other end of the corridor.

The building had many rooms on each floor, and the corridors were a maze. The two carefully took turns providing cover, navigating several turns and temporarily shaking off their pursuers.

"Cover ," Angela said, crouching down in front of a room at the end of the corridor. She pulled out two small, wire-like tools and fiddled with the lock.

"You have this skill too? When are you going to teach ?" Jack was amazed; Arican police officers were truly multi-talented.

"Let's get out of here alive first." Angela deftly opened the door, and the two entered the room. Just as Jack gently closed the door, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.