Tang Ziyi looked over the GPS map on the screen again to confirm their path while she radioed Su Ruomei's Aegis to take the lead.
The fastest route had been chosen under Athena's guidance. Although she informed Tang Ziyi about several obstacles, the calculation showed it was the fastest her convoy could reach.
According to Athena's video feeds which she watched through her spectacles, Tang Ziyi discovered trucks and construction teams, or were so pretending to be, blocked off the road from other traffic users, sealing the area while effectively trapping the police inside.
She praised those gangs for having a conscience to not involve civilians in the exchange. Perhaps, in order to appease their control area, they persuaded the civilians to leave.
That was one good news for Tang Ziyi, as she no longer required her team to focus on avoiding collateral damages. On the other hand, the gangs' actions showed this area wasn't fully controlled by the government apparatus and they made the last decisions.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A beating sound knocked Tang Ziyi out of her thoughts and her eyes drawn to the source.
Her pupils constricted after seeing her driver's hand beating the steering wheel. Worried she might have been injured from the prior crash, Tang Ziyi asked anxiously: "What's the matter? Does your hand hurt?"
Even though they were riding on a huge armored truck, the way the vehicle maneuvered to disable the two police sedans might have strained her subordinates' fingers.
After all, even if Aegis was very strong, its performance had been only tested in realities, which could be in contrast to the experiments under variable conditions.
"Uh-h!" The driver was stunned for a moment before she replied. "No, Instructor Tang. Nothing happens. My hand's doing fine."
"Then, why were you beating the steering wheel?" Tang Ziyi furrowed her brows, lack of trust in her driver's answer.
"Ah! That!-ha-...I was merely excited."
"Excited about what?" Tang Ziyi narrowed her eyes at the answer.
"It's so cool. That ram-whack and smash moment is the most exciting I've ever experienced." The driver replied.
"So, that's what made you excited." Tang Ziyi's eyes turned weird.
"Next time we're riding this vehicle, I hope Instructor Tang will let me drive. I gotta drive. That was so comfortable!"
Tang Ziyi could even picture, her driver hopping ups and downs, if not for her being on the steering wheel.
Her driver added: "Oh! How much I hope there're more obstacles ahead waiting for me to ram!"
Both men and women were included in the casualties. 4 were minor wounds but they couldn't fight. One was in a critical condition, needing immediate medical treatment.
Two other officers were tending to his aid, pressing the wounds of the immobilized or totally incapacitated officer.
Although the current silence gave them a rare respite from the fierce engagement, everyone understood it wouldn't be long before they faced perils.
The two men and women serving as part of the sentry could even hear shouts and cheers mobilizing across a distance.
Luckily, the vacant building near the ambush provided a stronghold to resist a wave-like relentless assault by the gangs.
The policewoman asked in a whispering tone. "Sir, are you certain, help will arrive? I heard from the radio mess, that the other teams were also in chaos."
"Of course. Our Chief Yang, isn't someone who'll leave behind her subordinates." The man who was asked, replied taking his eyes off. Only his breathing and his hands showed he wasn't calm.
"But it's been so long." The woman stammered but she held her voice from becoming loud.
The man was quiet and didn't speak. He also lacked confidence that Chief Yang might still have units at her disposal to send help to their location, especially for someone who understood the situation more.
He was the leader of Team One while the incapacitated officer was the leader of Team Two. Now, the situation called for him to be responsible for both teams.
Everybody was injured to a degree and treated their wounds themselves. Each took their post, scanning their sector for enemies. Even the girl who inquired wasn't spared from injuries as he could still see bleeding across her cheek.
And she was the least injured officer, the luckiest among the team members. He was also shot in the shoulders but a tourniquet saved him from becoming useless and to remain in a fight.
Others were also in a similar situation. A mere rough first-aid treatment was sufficient to keep going. It wasn't false to say they felt like in a war zone.
This was supposed to be a simple arrest warrant mission and things went sideways after Sierra One resisted with a gun. Fortunately, Chief Yang's reminder saved the team from worsening the progress.
The mission was to get in, apprehend Sierra One, and evacuate before anyone noticed. But it appeared their suspect was vigilant and opened fire at them on sight.
To make matters worse, they had to provide treatment for the injured suspect as part of the protocol, elongating their stay and alerting possible troublemakers.
As the command expected, their presence wasn't welcome in the area. Seeing more and more gunfire toward their groups and increasing sight of gangs, he reported the drastic change instantly and the two teams were allowed to retreat, carrying the wounded Sierra One.
On the journey, they were warned the other teams were under attack and ambushed on the returning path. So, as one of the leaders of the team, he decided to change the path and made the convoy destination, unable to predict.
Sadly, the gangs seemed to be well-informed their route was to return to the City N Police Station. Although their teams were the last ones to encounter ambush, he wasn't proud because they were trying to cheat death miserably without helps compared to other's ease.