Chapter 20: The Sniper

"Ah~~~~~"

As he plummeted, Owen felt as though his soul was being scared out of his body. He had parachuted before, but this experience was wholly different.

When parachuting, the rig on his back was his reassurance, but now, the fire hose he was tied to was a poor joke. He enjoyed extreme sports, but only with safety measures in place. This time, he found no joy in the extremity.

Just then, that damned sensation kicked in, slowing everything around him as adrenaline surged through him, but it was sporadically effective. What use was it now?

Suddenly, a force yanked him by the waist, accompanied by a crisp sound. Miraculously, Owen found himself dangling in mid-air.

His first thought was whether his waist had broken; he recalled news stories about people becoming paralyzed from bungee jumping accidents. Testing his mobility and finding he could still move, Owen sighed in relief.

"I'm not dead! Haha, I'm not dead~~"

While he was celebrating, a creaking noise came from above. Looking up, he saw half of the fiery helicopter hanging off the rooftop, swaying in the night breeze.

Panic surged through Owen. This was a series of calamities. He looked around, finding only smooth glass walls with no handholds, and began futilely pounding on the glass curtain wall.

But hanging suspended, he couldn't muster enough force, fearing the hose might give way. The glass, likely tempered for strength, didn't even crack despite his efforts.

"If only I had a gun," he thought. As the helicopter above made alarming noises, Owen decided to go all out; what did he have to lose? Using his weight, he swung and crashed against the glass repeatedly.

"Quickquickquickquickquick~," Owen occasionally glanced up at the helicopter wreckage, racing against time. The glass made a "thudthudthud" sound but remained intact despite increased efforts. "Damn, this quality is too good," Owen thought in desperation.

Just then, "snap, snap" sounds made cracks appear in the glass, originating from a bullet hole.

"Snap, snap" again, and more cracks formed. Looking back, Owen saw a sniper on the rooftop of a building across, level with him. The sniper, upon catching Owen's gaze, waved.

Ignoring the gesture, Owen focused on the imminent danger as the helicopter threatened to fall. With all his strength, he leapt, crashing into the glass curtain wall.

"Now!!!" Owen roared inwardly as the helicopter lost balance and fell from the building.

"Quick!!!!"

With eyes wide and legs pushing hard, Owen broke through the glass wall just as the helicopter descended, tumbling into the building.

Landing wasn't the end; the helicopter could still pull him down. Ignoring the falling debris, Owen hurriedly unfastened the hose.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Time seemed to slow, but Owen's hands moved at normal speed. The moment he freed himself, the slack hose snapped taut and flew out the breach.

Sweating profusely, Owen felt a rush of adrenaline-induced fatigue. Collapsing, he curled up, gasping for air, yet an urge to laugh overcame him, grateful for his narrow escape.

Suddenly, footsteps approached. Owen anticipated his fate.

Through the sniper scope, Bob saw Owen shouting and pointing towards the door. Even without hearing, Bob understood and aimed at the door as robbers appeared.

One, two, three.

As Bob counted, the robbers fell one by one, each shot in the chest, their bulletproof vests no match for the sniper's bullets.

Exhausted, Owen lay among the bodies, saved again by the sniper.

"Thank you!"

Though he knew the sniper couldn't hear, Owen expressed his gratitude, knowing he owed his life twice over.

"Officer, I don't know if you're McClane or Owen, but my colleagues saw more robbers heading your way. I advise you to leave immediately."

The voice over the radio was music to Owen's ears. "Thank you, I'm Owen. Thanks, I'll leave now."

Owen quickly gathered his gear and waved to the sniper before making a swift exit.

Bob, watching from the opposite building, saw Owen scavenge equipment and run out the door, a smile briefly crossing his otherwise stoic face.

Unbeknownst to Owen, his rooftop ordeal was filmed by a brave cameraman, capturing both the helicopter's downfall and his and McClane's actions.

As the footage played on TVs across America, viewers watched this real-life action unfold, riveted by the Hollywood-like drama.

In a room within the Centennial Building, Hans watched the replay, seeing the "two mice" he'd only known through calls for the first time.

Meanwhile, as the rooftop assault unfolded, another SWAT team faced heavy casualties in a ground assault, thwarted by the robbers' ambush and pre-planted explosives.

The plan, meticulously prepared for any police response, included using surface-to-air missiles, a costly but effective measure.

The tactical team's ambush inside the building led to their annihilation, marking a significant loss for the police.

Despite interruptions from Owen and McClane, the rooftop battle met its objectives, eliminating police air support and ensuring no immediate threat from above.