Chapter 16 — End of Line Bus 08

The ear-splitting gunshots echoed throughout the scrap yard, bouncing off the rusted corrugated iron walls, creating harsh, chaotic sounds. The smell of burning gunpowder mixed with the smell of burning rubber rushed straight into my nose, making the air stuffy and difficult to breathe.

Lieutenant Phong, with the combat skills of an experienced criminal soldier, moved quickly on the roofs of rows of containers. Each of his K59 bullets found the right target, pinning the heads of the gangsters behind the old bus carcasses. But the bullets in the K59 gang are limited, while Vu's juniors are equipped with sawed-off shotguns, which fire lead bullets with wide area damage that are very dangerous at close range.

Taking advantage of the moment Phong's firepower forced them to lie down, Huy leaned forward and crawled on the ground full of gravel and sharp broken glass, towards the iron pillar where Tue was tied up.

"Turn your back!" Huy gritted his teeth, pulled out a folding knife, and clumsily cut the rough ropes that were tight around Tue's wrist.

As soon as the last loop of wire was cut, a series of grenades exploded, plowing the ground right next to where they lay. Lead shrapnel pierced the steel shell of the bus right above their heads.

"Hide inside!" Tue's reflexes were extremely fast. As soon as he was untied, he grabbed Huy's hand and pulled him under the chassis of a large bus that had all its tires removed and lay flat on the ground.

Vu hid behind a pile of old truck tires, his face pale with anger. He did not expect that a journalist who did not tie a chicken tightly would have someone supporting him with military guns.

"Call more people! Block all the exits! Damn it, I have to skin that journalist!" Vu shouted at his junior who was holding a machete next to him. This guy took out his phone and dialed the number to call for reinforcements.

On the roof of the container, Phong loaded the last magazine. He stuck his head out and fired two shots into the air to attract fire. "Huy! There are too many of them! Find a way to retreat to underground sewer number 4 in the northwest corner of the scrap yard! I'm out of bullets!" Phong shouted down.

Under the car, Huy and Tue lay panting. Dirt and blood mixed on both of their faces.

"We're being squeezed. If we get out from under this car, they'll blow our brains out," Huy said, glancing out. The gangsters had spread out in an arc, slowly approaching their position, black gun barrels pointing straight towards the undercarriage. Vu walked in the middle, carrying a backpack containing paper documents in his hand.

Tue squinted at the faint words written on the side of the bus they were hiding under. Her eyes suddenly lit up with a reckless hope.

"Brother Huy," Tue whispered, her voice urgent. "This is a Class C scrap area. The factory often leaves cars waiting for liquidation here. Sometimes, the lazy mechanics don't drain the fuel from the bottom of the tank, and the damaged batteries still have some charge left."

Huy immediately understood her intention. "Are you going to blow it up?"

"There must be enough smoke and chaos to get to the underground sewer that the policeman said," Tue crawled towards the rear of the car, where the fuel tank and electrical system were located. "Do you have a lighter?"

"I don't smoke!" Huy bit his lip.

"What about a folding knife? The blade is steel, right?"

"Correct!" Huy threw the folding knife to Tue.

Tue reached up to the tangled electrical wiring system under the car, used a folding knife to peel off a large power cord connecting with battery. Then, she used the sharp end of the knife to poke hard at the old synthetic plastic fuel tank. A thick, black stream of diesel oil leaked out, giving off a pungent smell.

Outside, the sound of the gangsters' footsteps crunching on gravel was getting closer and closer.

"Lam Huy! Get out here now! Or I'll throw a torch under the car and kill both of you!" Vu's voice growled less than five meters away from them. The sound of his footsteps was pounding and the sound of reloading bullets was terrifying.

"Prepare to run, run as hard as you can, don't look back," Tue whispered, mother and child sweat pouring out in streams on her forehead. She wrapped the exposed copper wire around the steel blade, took a breath of air thick with the smell of oil, and then slammed the metal surface of the knife handle against the rusty iron frame of the car.

*Whoosh! Swoosh!*

Blue sparks flashed in the dark space under the car, illuminating the extremely tense faces of the two people. Diesel is not as easy to ignite as gasoline with a small spark, but Tue cleverly lit the spark on the greasy rags that mechanics often stuffed under the car.

The rags burst into flames. The flame licked up the oil leaking from the fuel tank, burning fiercely, emitting a terrifying hissing sound. The heat spread instantly, burning the narrow layer of air.

"Fire! Car fire!" A gangster shouted in panic.

"Run!" Tue roared, pushing Huy hard out of the car from the other side.

As soon as they rolled out from under the car, the fuel tank ignited the oil trapped in the sealed compartment, creating a dull but extremely powerful explosion.

*BOOMMM!*

The pressure of the explosion blew away the corrugated iron shell on the side of the bus, sending a cloud of fire, thick black smoke and thousands of pieces of broken metal towards the approaching gangsters.

Horrible screams rang out. Vu's two juniors received the full force of the pressure, were thrown dozens of meters away, and lay motionless. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Vu fell to the ground and escaped death, but was also stunned by the pressure. The backpack slipped from his hand and fell on the ground.

Thick black smoke billowed up and covered the entire scrap yard, creating a perfect shield.

Huy had just staggered up and was about to run after Tue when his eyes caught sight of a black backpack lying a few steps away, right next to the edge of the fire. It is proof of steel. Without it, Bui Thanh Long can deny all digital sins.

Without thinking for another second, Huy turned around and rushed straight into the smoke.

"Huy! Don't!" Tue turned around and shouted, but he was already hidden behind the smoke.

Huy slid on the gravel and reached out to grab the strap of his backpack. At the same time, Vu also staggered to his feet, his red eyes streaked with blood. Seeing Huy holding a backpack, he frantically pulled out a K54, aimed it straight at Huy's head and pulled the trigger.

*Dang! Bang!*

But Vu's two bullets did not hit Huy. A figure swooped down from the air and crashed into Vu the moment he pulled the trigger, deflecting the bullet. That's Phong. The police lieutenant jumped from the roof of the container to save you.

Vu and Phong rolled at each other on the ground, fighting hand to hand. Vu was stronger and bigger, he threw Phong on his back, raised the butt of the gun, intending to smash it down on the policeman's face.

But Phong was one beat faster. With a skillful Judo armlock, he twisted Vu's wrist, forcing him to drop the gun, then threw a powerful right hook to the chin, causing the assassin to stagger.

"Run, Huy! Go to the sewers!" Phong screamed.

Huy hugged his backpack tightly and rushed like an arrow cutting through the wind, through the blinding smoke and fire. Each step stepped on a pile of clattering metal fragments, his lungs burned from inhaling toxic fumes from burning tires, but his feet did not dare slow down for a second. The sound of gunfire was still booming in the background, the sound of lead bullet fragments hitting the corrugated iron tearing the air apart.

Tue was waiting at the large concrete manhole cover hidden behind a pile of industrial waste. That is the old wastewater outlet of the bus station, which has been discontinued for a long time. The two of them joined forces, using all their strength to dig their blood-scratched fingers into the gap, pulling open the heavy rusty manhole cover. A strong stench arose, but at this moment it was the smell of life. Tue jumped into the black wastewater stream below first, Huy threw his backpack down and followed right behind.

A few seconds later, Phong also rushed forward, slipped and jumped into the sewer. At the manhole, the remaining gangsters rushed forward, frantically firing guns blindly. A few lead bullets grazed the concrete wall, sparking and falling into the water. Tue and Phong lifted the manhole cover from below and slammed it shut, blocking out all the light and noise of the scrapyard, trapping them in a dark, smelly and cold underground world.

Three people dragged themselves through the stuffy sewer pipe. Huy gasped, clutching his backpack to his chest like a treasure. He turned to say thank you to Phong, but the dim light from the vent made him pause.

Phong was leaning against the concrete sewer wall, his face pale, his hand clutching his left shoulder. A stream of dark red blood was pouring out through his fingers, dripping into the black wastewater.

"You got hit!" Huy exclaimed in horror.

Phong gritted his teeth and exhaled a distorted smile. "The bullet grazed the shoulder when Vu shot. You can't die. But we... have to get out of here before we lose too much blood."