HA1 13.4 - Retreat
Six SUVs and a sedan stopped between the rows of fir trees. In front of the lead SUV, Sawamura looked at 12 Claymores neatly arranged on the hood.
"This many?"
"Yes, and they're ours. Meaning, they have captured the villa." Yoshi paused for a moment before continuing, "If they are still at the villa, they must have seen us."
Sawamura nodded slightly and then asked, "How do you find these claymores?"
“They are too greedy. For the sake of getting a maximum effect, they placed it one meter above the ground on fir trees’s trunk." Yoshi turned his head to Sawamura as he continued, "If they put it on the ground and covered it with camouflage, I definitely wouldn't have seen it."
"Maybe they thought we'd be driving fast."
"Maybe." Sawamura then tapped his finger on the SUV's hood as he asked, "Do you have other info?"
"There's only one trail on the ground, and the knots he uses indicate he's an ex-mil from Americ’s army."
"White Mutt?"
"Yes."
"What's your suggestion?"
Yoshi turned his head towards the villa in the distance and asked, "Do you know the pattern of Claymores' distribution around the villa?"
"Of course not, I only know Chief Koji spread it 50 meters from artificial creek and he used all of our Claymores. So, there are still 38 pieces we have to watch out for."
"In that case, we can only enter through the front gate." Yoshi suggested.
"It seems so."
"They must have anticipated it. But as long as we can get through the gate, we can do fire and maneuver if versus contact occurs. We will lose some people, but we have a good chance to reach the main building."
"Let's do it that way," Sawamura firmly said.
Whether it was coincidentally or not, at the same time all the lights in the villa went out.
---
Once she saw the Green SUV, Shizuka immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally, we arrived."
"Yeah."
Sweat was pouring down from Anya's forehead and her breathing was heavy, but she was desperately trying to look tough. Without delay, Shizuka lifted and carried Anya to the Green SUV, where Takeo had already opened the passenger door.
After putting Anya in the Green SUV’s passenger seat, Shizuka gave her a bottle of Ponary Sweet. Then, she turned her gaze to Takeo.
"Are we really going to leave him?"
"Yes, I trust in Apple's judgment."
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"Maybe I can help him?"
"I think you'll only become a burden. We should also take our VIP away immediately."
As she gently wiped out sweat on Anya's forehead Shizuka said, "Her name is Anya, and Apple wants us to take a shelter in Pine Abode."
"Let's go over there then."
Takeo and Shizuka then got in into Green SUV. A moment later, the Green SUV was leaving the rest area at full speed.
---
Six SUVs and a sedan were moving slowly in tight formation to villa’s front gate, without turning their lights on. The roof of every SUV was widely open, where a shooter armed with M4CQB was ready to launch suppressing fire as soon as muzzle flash was seen in the villa. Meanwhile, the other QRF personnel walked behind the SUV door with great vigilance.
Behind the left door of the leading SUV, Yoshi walked while making calculations. The guards were equipped with a 200-meters thermal scope and 300-meters NVG PVS-117. Therefore, by using the loot they took from the guards the opposing side could open fire at QRF personnel as soon as they arrived at the gate.
'I hope they don't have an MG Gunner,' Yoshi muttered inwardly.
When the leading SUV reached a position five meters from the front gate, Yoshi raised his left hand and the convoy immediately stopped. He then sneaked into the guard post with one QRF personnel as an escort.
Yoshi was worried that the opposing side would set a booby trap at the guard post, so he decided to check it himself. Carefully, he checked every inch of the guard post. Then, after he made sure that the guard post was clear from any danger, he allowed his escort to come in.
'So far everything is good.'
Without delay, Yoshi approached the panel which controlled the 800 kg crossbar and operated it. A moment later, the crossbar was slowly going up and pulled twelve trap wires tied up to its lower end.
The twelve wires were braided together until they touch the ground, before spreading and connecting to Claymores' safety ring without passing the road where the QRF team stopped. And, even though the crossbar had just lifted for 20 cm from its original height, the trap wire already tightened and pulled the safety ring on each Claymore.
When one of the QRF personnel saw twelve trap wires suddenly appear from the grass field in front of him and tightened up, it was already too late.
"Get dow----"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Ba-ba-bang!
Twelve Claymores exploded simultaneously. Each one was spewing 700 grains of 3.2 mm steel balls at a speed 1,218 m/s toward the guard post. Even if the QRF convoy was not at the center of the explosion, more than 80% of the steel balls rained heavily on their position.
In a blink of an eye, the windshield shattered, hundreds of small holes formed on the car body, while the QRF personnel slumped to the ground, and pools of blood immediately formed near their bodies. QRF personnel who were lucky enough got instant death. As for the survivors, they could only lay on the ground while groaning and whimpering.
It would take about 10 minutes before they lost consciousness due to blood loss, and then went into a coma, and finally crossed over to afterlife.
Inside the guard post, Yoshi and his escort also experienced a similar fate. The guard post was only made of wooden planks and ordinary glass. So, the steel ball pierced it along with two people inside it easily.
"Bastards!" Yoshi cursed softly.
Even in his wildest dreams, Yoshi would not have expected the opposing side would move the Claymore to the front gate and sacrifice the defense on the other side. Moreover, they installed the trigger wire on the lower end of the crossbar without any camouflage. Unfortunately, it was too late to realize it and Yoshi could only wait for his last breath while cursing in silence.
---
On the command post balcony, behind one of the gaps in the guard rail, Hide knelt while holding MP5-PDW with both hands. He carefully looked at the front gate and the area around it. After making sure that no threat remained, he then got up to his feet and jumped down onto the roof of the SUV next to the balcony.
'Time to go home.'
Without delay, Hide jogged towards the garage. After changing his clothes he took out Elder Moruyama's smartphone. First, he sent a message 'Stop Sakura Project or more deaths will follow!' to all contacts in the phonebook, followed by the last picture of Elder Moruyama.
Not long after that, he had driven the Black Van away from the burning Villa Tigera. He and Shizuka left too many forensic traces, so he had to wipe them as cleanly as possible. Fortunately, the villa had a large number of alcoholic beverages. Apart from a few most expensive bottles and a few boxes of Leginon white wine, Hide used the rest as fuel.
As he passed through the front gate, Hide saw that there were a few QRF personnel who were slightly moving or groaning, but he ignored them. He didn't have time to ease their suffering. Moreover, the sun was about to arise.
'I have to hurry,' Hide muttered as he stepped on the gas.
*****