Wasting no time, three Venoms immediately launched suppressing fire on opposing force who tried to approach the downed Viper. Door gunner and assault personnel do whatever they could do to prevent the opposing force from seizing Viper’s crew.

At the same time, the last Venom calmly hovered above the downed Viper. As soon as ropes on both door were ready, six assault personnel immediately executed fast rope in rapid pace. In less than ten seconds, they had landed on the rooftop just about four meters from the downed Viper.

Five men immediately formed a close-in defensive perimeter. Meanwhile, Sergeant Serrano approached Viper’s cockpit and opened it from outside. Seeing Captain McClintock was looking at the sky with half empty gaze, he immediately shocked his shoulder gently.

“Capt, do you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Captain McClintock replied weakly. “but my head is still ringing.”

“Do you feel some nausea?”

“No, but the ringing is annoying. It’s faint, but it doesn’t go away.”

There was a possibility that Captain McClintock lost one of his hearings from the impact. Sergeant Serrano didn’t know how it could happen, but it would be considered as not so bad if it was the only damage that Captain McClintock suffered.

Wasting no time Sergeant Serrano continued the examination, “Can you feel your back?”

“I can.”

“Can you feel your thigh and leg?”

“It’s fine. I don’t think I have broken bone.”

Sergeant Serrano then showed his finger just about 30 cm before Captain McClintock’s face. “How many finger I have?”

“One.”

“Very good.” Wasting no time Sergeant Serrano took Scorpion Evo that was strapped to the left side of the cockpit, just next to Captain McClinctock’s left leg. After cocking it and made sure one round was properly inserted into firing chamber, he immediately handed it over to Captain McClintcok.

“Capt, help us defend this perimeter until we can extract you.”

“Copy.”

Captain McClintock swiftly took the Scorpion Evo. Then, with the help of Eotech 553 he started nailing opposing bowman at the rooftop across the street. Meanwhile, Sergeant Serrano went to Viper’s gunner on the front seat.

Lieutenant Tanaka, the Viper’s gunner was unconscious. His head bowed sluggishly above his chest, but he was still breathing.

Sergeant Serrano immediately leaned his head back to the chair. Then, he checked his pulse on his neck. After finding that his pulse was deep and stable, he immediately slapped Lieutenant Tanako’s cheek gently.

“LT, wake up.”

A moment later, Lieutenant Tanaka groaned before turning his head towards Sergeant Serrano. From his expression, it was easy to tell that Lieutenant Tanaka immediately grasped the situation around him. However, Sergeant Serrano continued slapping his cheek.

“LT, wake up.”

“Stop slapping my check.” Lieutenant Tanaka said in annoying tone.

“Then open your eyes. Why it’s still closing?”

‘This bastard!’ Lieutenant Tanaka couldn’t believe that Sergeant Serrano still had a time to joking around when they were in the middle of shitstorm. “I already opened it. My eyes are naturally thin and you know it, asshole.”

“Ah my bad,” After a slight smile Sergeant Serrano then asked, “Do you feel some nausea?”

“No,” Lieutenant Tanaka firmly replied, “I can’t feel my left calf. It seems I also have couple of ruptured rips. But other than that, I think I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you have no other trauma?”

“I’m. Just give me my submachine gun. I can’t reach it with my ruptured rips.”

“Aye.”

Wasting no time, Sergeant Serrano helped Lieutenant Tanaka to get his Scorpion Evo. Not forgetting, he also put all Scorpion Evo’s spare magazines into Lieutenant Tanaka’s lap. After that, he joined the other assault personnel to defend the perimeter.

In one glance, Sergeant Serrano could tell the situation was not good. Even though three Venoms supported his squad with heavy close air support, the number of opposing force was too big.

Some of them had already escaped the suppressing fire and managed to put a dozen iron ladders to the edge of the rooftop. At the same time, the opposing force’s war cries became louder and louder as time went on.

‘This is not good,’ Sergeant Serrano muttered as he nailed a head that popped up from one of iron ladder, just five meter in front of his position. ‘We are toast if we don’t leave this shitstorm immediately.’

---

As soon as he heard the distress call from Captain McClintock, Captain Russel immediately took his Viper to gain safe altitude. After he received the info about the location of fire spear that took Red Duck down to the rooftop, he immediately approached the mansion in nose dive. Then, Black Duck’s gunner accurately sent three Hydra rocket to its third floor.

Bla-Bla-Blaaaaarrrr!!

After three explosions in succession, the third floor of the mansion turned into giant campfire. A moment later, two human torches jumped out of its window while shouting a heart wrenching screams.

‘I hope civilian is not present on that floor,’ Captain Russel muttered as he made sharp bank to Dovar River.

Then, as soon as he arrived above an empty area on Dovar River, Captain Russel immediately ditched away all unnecessary loads. In total, he put two external fuel tanks, three Hellfire missiles, and twenty four Hydra rockets down to the bottom of Dovar River.

Wasting no time, Captain Russel then took his Viper flew to the downed Red Duck in full speed. In a few breaths of times, Red Duck was already visible in the distance. It was deeply stuck on a rooftop made of tiles. However, miraculously the bird was still fully intact. Even its four rotor blades didn’t bend or broke into pieces.

‘What a tough birds,’ Captain Russel muttered as he shifted his focus to six assault personnel who put their life on the line to defend Red Duck

Every assault personnel made a small fox hole on the rooftop, and used the ceiling below them as foothold. That way they could use tiles around their shoulder to hide two-third of their body. However, the number of opposing force was too big and kept increasing.

Countless dead bodies that littered on the street around Red Duck’s location didn’t deter the opposing force. Instead, it amplified their bloodlust. It was easy to tell that the opposing force would breach their perimeter soon.

Wasting no time Captain Russel immediately contacted the assault personnel on the ground, “Black Duck to boots on the ground, do you copy?”

[Spear 4-1 to Black Duck, I read you loud and clear, go ahead.]

“Spear 4-1, be ready for sling load attempt, I’m coming from east.”

[About the time, my men are already in bad shape, let’s do it fast.]

“Receive and understood.”

A moment later, Black Duck had already hovered above the Red Duck. While his gunner was firing 20 mm M197 three-barreled rotary canon at opposing force, Captain Russel calmly lowered sling cable from Black Duck’s belly.

One of assault personnel immediately received the sling cable. He swiftly put it along the sling line that circle Red Duck’s airframe, and then putting it together on above Red Duck, just right on its median line and anchored it with the hook on the end of sling cable. After that, he folded and locked Red Duck’s four rotor blades while continued ignoring incoming arrows.

“He has nerve of steel.”

From his cockpit, Captain Russel deeply admired the courage displayed by assault personnel who single handedly connected the sling cable to Red Duck. A moment later, he received a radio call.

[Spear 4-1 to Black Duck, sling load is ready, please have a safe return.]

“Copy, Spear 4-1, I will never forget yours and your men courage.”

[No worry, you chair boys also save our ass in many shitstorm before, we just return some favors.]

“Understood, beer and steak on me tonight, Black Duck over and out.”

Slowly but surely, Black Duck was gaining altitude and pulling over Red Duck out of the rooftop. Tiles and some wooden frames were also uprooted before falling all over the place. Fortunately, assault personnel on the rooftop had already taken some cover.

Before long, both Black Duck and Red Duck reached an altitude where ballista and fire spear wouldn’t bother them. Then, they calmly flew to Jack Sparrow. In this return flight, both Viper basically were sitting duck. However, it was not a problem as the opposing side didn’t possess manpads or surface-to-air missile.

Also, it was not uncommon for AH-1 Cobra to sling load downed Cobra and carried it back to the base. US Army had done it in Vietnam in many occasions. It might be a bit more difficult to apply it on a heavier and more sophisticated Viper. However, Air Combat Group and Logistic and Support Group had already done whatever they could do to make it as easier as possible.

At the same time, one of Venom picked up the assault personnel on the rooftop. It smoothly lowered its altitude until its landing skids slightly touched the highest point on the rooftop.

Without delay Sergeant Serrano pressed PTT button and gave an order that his men had already been waiting for. “We are leaving. Now now now !!”

Wasting no time, the assault personnel on the rooftop took their remaining high-frag grenades, pulled the safety pin before tossing it just slightly over the edge of the rooftop.

Blam! Blam! Bla-bla-bam!!

A series of explosion was heard, followed by a heart wrenching screams, but the assault personnel didn’t bother to check it out. They had already leaved their small foxhole and on their way to the half-hovering Venom.

They ran as fast as they could as if Demon King was whipping their sorry butt. Then, they boarded the Venom from both sides. A moment later, as soon as they reached the safe altitude, they immediately took a deep breath. Then, their adrenalin level slowly dropped while throbbing and painful sensation started to appear.

Of six assault personnel who fought in the rooftop, two had only suffered scratches and bruises while the rest got one or two arrows stuck on their shoulders or arms. Even so, they didn’t whining or complaining. Instead, they started laughing their ass off when one of assault personnel proudly showed a scratch from an arrow on his butt.

The assault personnel did indeed seasoned veteran of deadly fight. However, escaping a shitstorm without fatal casualty was a luxury even for this battle-hardened veteran. So, they enjoyed the sensation to the fullest. Even Venom’s pilot and co-pilot couldn’t hold back their chuckles.

Then, finally all Venoms and Viper arrived on Jack Sparrow and they were welcomed by medic personnel.

*****