Chapter 14 New York, 40° 39′ 39.6″ N, 73° 56′ 38.4″ W FR Bank

The Gulfstream landed smoothly at New York's JFK airport. Andalas was ordered by the ATC tower to park his plane at the terminal 5, which was the apron of private planes with special hangars rented by individuals.

Andalas and the rest got off inside the hangar where a Chevrolet SUV was waiting there. There was no one in the hangar, but as soon as Lian Xi drove the car out of the hangar, the hangar door closed. It meant that there were actually people who supported them. But the man didn't want to reveal himself.

Andalas was guessing who Luigi was.

FR Bank was located at downtown Manhattan. With such heavy traffic, they would get there around 2pm. Banks would still be open. Andalas wanted to get his business done right away.

New York seemed unaffected by the pandemic. Crowds were visible everywhere. Even though it was obvious that they were implementing disease disaster mitigation procedures by wearing masks, gloves, and jackets. Or at least a long-sleeved shirt. Only part of the face was exposed.

Even though the fatality rate was quite extreme, the Ice Virus and Tropical Bacteria were quite easy to mitigate by avoiding open wounds. Or by closing tightly if you were suffering from a wound. The simplest way was to wear gloves, masks, jackets, long sleeves, and if possible, a face cover. Both dangerous diseases were transmitted through bloodstream. Even a slight open wound on the body could get infected, as it would open the door for transmission and infection.

Therefore, on average, countries in the northern hemisphere affected by the Ice Virus pandemic didn't quarantine their cities or regions. The Ice Virus didn't cause aggression. In contrast to Tropical Bacteria, which caused infected people to become violent and tended to behave aggressively. The Ice Virus was the opposite. People who got infected were mostly ended up killing themselves.

Most of the big cities in the Southern Hemisphere had implemented quarantine or at least limited mobility. Tropical bacteria were much easier to spread because their aggressive behavior increased the chances of getting hurt, which meant that the transmission process was easy.

Andalas opened his X-One. The X-One was very multifunctional. This gadget could be used on a limited basis between MS-BA-30 internals but could also be used as a normal device. Something extremely rare just happened, the Consultant texted him.

Andalas, be careful! You said you were going to New York the other day, didn't you? I have just received reports that Zov Tigra and Abdelahi were in New York at the invitation of the Executor.

Thanks. I really didn't expect the Consultant to worry about me.

I don't want to lose Killer Hunter. You're 1 in 100 million.

Andalas smiled faintly. It seemed that the Consultant was in a precarious situation.

Akiko nudged Andalas's arm. Her eyes asked what was wrong. Andalas showed his chat with the Consultant. Akiko was wide-eyed. Whoa, this is bad!

Cecilia and Lian Xi had the same reaction. They worried that they would be stuck in New York for a while because their adversaries had gathered there. Helda and Isamu could be in New York too?

Lian Xi parked the car across the street from FR Bank in parallel. Andalas exited and walked to the traffic light to cross.

Akiko watched using the small high-power binoculars from the gear bag. She had also shared an MP5 with Lian Xi and an FN for Cecilia. She gripped the handle of the AK 47 comfortably.

If it was true that the Executioner had gathered his hired men here, the situation could turn very dangerous in seconds. They must be vigilant.

Akiko saw Andalas crossing with several passerby as a motorcycle roared through traffic with a man dressed all in black and a full faced helmet. One hand gripped the gas, and his left aimed an Uzi at Andalas.

Lian Xi acted quickly. The MP5 barked before the Uzi could fire. The rider fell over with a body covered in blood. He died instantly in the middle of the street which eventually led to a commotion of people screamed and shouted and ran. Akiko got out of the car while asking Lian Xi to stay behind the wheel. Akiko took up her position behind the large pole of the streetlamp.

Apparently the attack didn't stop there. This time it wasn't just a motorcycle. From two directions of the road, half a dozen motorbikes with people dressed in all black and holding Uzis, stormed Andalas who was trying to take cover behind the police post which happened to be empty.

A series of gunfire indiscriminately hit the wall of the police post. Andalas felt the shards of the wall raining down on him. He squeezed his body against the wall to reduce the chance of getting shots. The attackers were only after him. Little did they know that their friend had died during the opening attack after being shot by Lian Xi who was in the car across the street.

Akiko didn't shoot the attackers right away. She quickly moved away from Lian Xi's car. Trying to lure the invaders away from Andalas who was unarmed.

After finding a strategic place behind a wagon that was parked in front of a bakery, Akiko opened fire. The AK 47 was the number 1 assault weapon that was very famous for its accuracy. A rider fell over with a broken helmet. Another person followed with a 7.62 mm caliber bullet pierced through the chest.

Lian Xi deliberately didn't interfere because her position would be easy to spot, and this car would be an easy target for attackers. Moreover, this car was the only means of their fastest escape later.

After Akiko intercepted the attackers, then Andalas took a breather. Seeing an opportunity when the remaining four men rushed their motorbikes toward where Akiko was hiding, Andalas quickly ran and entered the FR Bank office where there were two armed men on guard.

While dusting his coat, Andalas headed for customer service who was looking down behind her desk.

The sound of gunshots echoed outside. The customer service heard Andalas spelled 131-AA1212, and she didn't dare to move. But she complied as Andalas gently grabbed her arm and ran behind as if Andalas was looking for shelter for the two of them.

The people in the bank room didn't dare to move at all because the gunshots outside were getting louder and louder. Afraid that a stray bullet would hit them. Everyone fell to the floor. No one paid attention as Andalas continued to bring the customer service into the door towards the back and asked that the iron door to the deposit room be opened.

The customer service didn't think long. The door to the deposit room opened and she quickly walked in, taking turns pulling Andalas by the hand. After all, this man had already mentioned a special code that only super important people had and had to be served immediately under any circumstances.

Andalas received a small safety deposit box and put it in his coat pocket. He looked gratefully at the woman who was greeted with a respectful nod even though her face still had a frightened look.

Amazing! Even in situations like this they responded with respect to the owner of this small deposit. Doctor Aslan was indeed a highly respected official. But was he really just a plain vanilla official?

Andalas put aside his thoughts. They must quickly escape the chaos on downtown street. Judging by the style and type of the attack, without a doubt they were Abdelahi's men.

Andalas pressed the second coat button from the top.

"Akiko, I'm done. Is it safe to cross the street?" Andalas thought the situation was safe because he couldn't hear any gunshots.

"Wait! One more person. He's hiding in front of the bank behind a red car!" Akiko responded.

Andalas peeked through the glass door. He flashed an FBI ID card to the security guards who tried to stop him.

Andalas counted. Then gave orders to Akiko.

"Akiko, distract him! I'll try to ambush him."

Akiko didn't answer. Only a series of gunshot was heard. The sound of car windows breaking, and the screams of panicked and frightened people echoed again. Andalas saw a perfect opportunity.

As soon as Akiko stopped shooting and the attacker was about to return the shooting, Andalas rushed out. Jumping and lunging at the black clothed man who was not expecting anything like that to happen.

It was too late for him. Skillfully, Andalas twisted the man's neck, and he was dead.

"Akiko, get in the car! I'm crossing!"

Andalas sprinted across the deserted street because all the cars had stopped since the attack started. He saw that Akiko also ran from her hiding place and jumped into the car that Lian Xi had already started.

Just as Andalas threw his body into the back seat of the car, from a distance a convoy of three cars were heading towards them. All the windows of the cars were open. The people inside were pulling out their hands gripping the M-16.

Andalas's face changed.

"Lian Xi! Drive! The Killing Squad from the Baltic is here!"