CH 59: THE ‘LITTLE PUSH’ THAT STARTED A WAR

This is a passion work. So, I would really appreciate it if you leave behind a review when you're done reading.

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CH 59: THE 'LITTLE PUSH' THAT STARTED A WAR

Moments Earlier.

Korede had headed to a location close to the gangs' hideout. From the previous time he had been here, he had noticed a suitable sniping position. The only snag was that it was about two kilometres away from the hideout.

A good rifle and a lot of skill were required to pull off such a shot. This was probably why the gangs ignored the possibility of a sniper.

Well, maybe they just didn't think of it. They were gangsters after all, not security specialists.

As Korede made his way to the vantage point, he received a call from Special Agent Ndike.

"You're on-site?" Special Agent Ndike asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to mess up their discussion. There'd be no peace to be gotten at the end of their talks."

"Alright." Special Agent Ndike said. The line went quiet for a while. "Ok. We've successfully intercepted the call between the Duke and the gangs. Do you want me to patch you in?"

"Yeah, please do. Send it to the comms." Korede said.

He brought the case of the wireless earpiece from his bag. He put the earpiece in his right ear.

"Comms check. Homebase, do you read?" He said.

"Loud and clear, Operator." Special Agent Ndike replied. "Patching you in."

"Copy." Korede responded.

Thanks to the NDI, Korede could listen to the conversation between the gangs in real-time. There were still five minutes before the talks started. He quickly set up his rifle. He had chosen to bring along an L115A3 sniper rifle (1). He took a measure of the distance with the range finder.

"1,847 meters."

He took note of the wind speed and direction before adjusting the scope. From the scope, he could see the gang leaders in the room. He watched as Oziomo answered the phone. He could hear the conversation through his comms.

He didn't do anything. He was waiting.

Waiting like an eagle that had marked its prey from a distance.

Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As he continued to listen to the conversation, from the attitude displayed by Ada Adesuwa, Korede knew the meeting would not end well just as he expected. The only problem was Oziomo Okoh who looked like he was contemplating something.

From the start, Korede had marked Oziomo Okoh as the only person he was worried about. As a conservative, the man wouldn't spark off a war unless it was absolutely necessary. The war plans had only gone this far because he was under the influence of Korede's intent as well as his need to answer to his men who were calling for war.

From what Korede could see, now that he had the chance to talk to the Duke, Oziomo Okoh was beginning to have second thoughts about the war. Korede instantly decided who his target was. He was just waiting for the right moment. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long because the Duke gave him the perfect window with his last statement before he ended the call.

"I'll make you regret this." The Duke said before hanging the phone, causing Korede to smile.

It was like he had been given the green light to attack.

He had long locked on Oziomo Okoh.

Enhanced Eyesight from {Sense Boost}, {Combat Master}, {Increase Speed} and Zone.

All of these Will abilities were activated simultaneously to the fullest. Immediately the man looked like he wanted to open his mouth to say something, Korede squeezed the trigger.

In moments, the bullet penetrated through the target's skull. He quickly ejected the Lapua magnum shell casing before aiming and firing again. However, this time the shot didn't hit anyone.

Korede stood up from his sniping position and looked at the hideout in the distance.

"Headshot at 1,847 metres. This gun lives up to its reputation" Korede said as he looked at the L115A3 rifle in his hand.

He packed up his things and made his way back to the car before speeding off.

[Why did you miss on purpose? You could have killed both gang leaders and the others present there and then.]

'Simple. They aren't a threat. Unlike Oziomo Okoh, the others are easy to predict and manipulate. Leaving them alive means we can predict their actions and make the war go how we want it to. Taking them out now will mean the gangs would have to choose new leaders. Leaders that may be unpredictable variables.

I missed the shot on purpose to agitate Adesuwa. Now, with his temper, there's no way he will let the war end until he gets a pound of flesh from the Duke and the NDz.'

[With how scheming and manipulative you're being, I'm starting to think you are the villain here, Korede.]

'Maybe I should take that as a compliment.' Korede responded with a shrug.

Back at the hideout, the occupants of the room had scampered for cover. The bullet had passed very close to Adesuwa's cheeks. He was stunned and shocked by the near-death experience. It took him and the others a while to realise that no more shot was coming in. They stood up cautiously from their cover positions.

When Azuka stood up, he saw the lifeless body of Oziomo.

"Brother!!" He shouted in horror, pain and grief. He hugged the body as tears flowed from his eyes.

Ada Adesuwa placed his right hands on his shoulder to comfort him. He gripped his left hand into a very tight fist.

"Who could have done this?" Azuka asked as he cried.

"Who else? If not the Duke, who wants to kill your brother and has access to a sniper rifle. The Duke is definitely responsible for this. He wanted to takeout the leaders of the two gangs before the war started. There's no longer any doubt about his guilt."

"Duke!!! I'll make you pay for this. It's either I kill you or I die trying. I'll not stop until my dying breath." Azuka swore as he hugged his brother's body tight.

Due to the country's strict gun laws, it was very hard to find someone with pistols, not to mention assault rifles. Sniper rifles were even more unheard of.

Only the military and special groups in law enforcement could dream of having access to them legally.

Of course, however, there were always those who could get them illegally. The NDz happened to be such a group who could possibly be in possession of them.

Ada and Azuka had reasoned that the military had no reason to kill Oziomo while law enforcement wouldn't operate this way. That left only the Duke who had motive and means. Hence, the two gangs were now committed to the war no matter what anyone says, no matter the price.

"This location is already known to the NDz, we have to change location again." Ada said to Azuka who was still wallowing in his grief.

"Alright." He replied.

The two opened the door. The Saints members were surprised to see their leader's dead body. When the two De facto leaders explained the situation and their thoughts to both gangs, the gang members were riled into anger. They called for the immediate commencement of the war.

Though Ada was a muscle-head, he wasn't stupid. He knew some sort of planning had to go into it before they start the war in its entirety.

"Everyone, calm down. I know you're angry. So, am I. However, we can't start a war without knowing anything about the enemy. So, I want some people without obvious or noticeable signs of being members of our two gangs to go and gather as much information on the NDz as you can. Their favourite spots, their business both legal and illegal. Only by knowing these, would we be able to hit them where it hurts.

For now, hold your anger. I promise you, you will soon have a place to vent it on. For Amadin! For Okoh! For A4! For Saints."

"For A4!! For Saints!!" Answered the members.

Azuka didn't say anything throughout. After the crowd dispersed, he made plans for his brother's body to be taken back home. He would make arrangements for his brother's funeral after he had put the Duke down.

Meanwhile

The Duke, who was completely oblivious to the situation with the two gangs, was seething in anger in his office. He kept banging and throwing things in his study. Chike wisely stayed outside the door for a while for his boss to vent his anger and calm down.

After a while, the sounds from the study died down. He entered.

"You better tell me you found them." The Duke said.

"We are very close to finding them, sir. We should find their current location soon enough." Chike said.

"Better sooner rather than later. My patience wears thin."

"Of course, sir."

"For now, double the security around our establishments. Tell the men to be more cautious and observant. Finally, gather some men for a strike team. Immediately the gangs' base or bases are found, stomp it to the ground. Kill every living thing alive there.

Since they want a war so much, I'll give them one."

"Alright, sir."

Chike left the office to carry out the order. Soon, there was more security at the NDz establishments. Even ordinary people could tell something was up.

In the background, both sides were trying to gather as much information about the other as they could. Dark clouds filled the sky of Onitsha's Underworld. Everyone in the know waited with baited breaths for what was to come.

Due to the current problems plaguing the NDz, the number of men looking for Peter and Esther had thinned out, almost becoming non-existent. Noticing this, Peter arranged for the couple to meet.

They were to meet at a house in a quiet, little village not far from the outskirts of Onitsha. Peter had secretly built the house in the village as a retreat from the troubles of the NDz, Onitsha and life in general. It was one of the few places he could be at peace.

Most importantly, this little house was where Esther and Peter could spend their time peacefully without having to worry about being seen by NDz contacts. Peter made sure the NDz didn't spread its tentacles into this village. You could say the village was his own little domain.

Peter waited anxiously for Esther to arrive. He had been directing her to different places to make sure the NDz didn't find her. Now that he knew things were slightly better, he wanted her by his side.

Esther pulled up in an old model Volkswagen Beetle.

Peter had instructed her to dump her car at a location where she also found this car. He had prepared the car for her because he knew it would be easier for the NDz to track her down if she was still driving her old car.

Immediately she got out of the car, Peter walked up to her and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug. Their hearts seemed to connect as both of them felt the other calm down in their embrace.

They made their way into the house. The house was a small two-bedroom bungalow with a small compound. The couple sat down on the sofa in each other's embrace.

"Are you sure he knows?" Esther asked.

"I pretty sure. I don't trust the source but I also don't think he was lying when he told me." Peter responded.

"How did he know? We were so careful. We were so close."

"I don't know how but two DSS agents found out about the house. They staked it out and were able to record a video which one of them later sold to my brother.

"What?!" Esther exclaimed in horror.

"Everything we talked about that day was recorded. My brother probably knows everything by now."

"Are you sure?"

"It was the other agent that told me. He gave me a warning since he couldn't stop his partner from selling the video"

"Why would he do that? Are you sure he wasn't lying?"

"I am pretty sure he wasn't. He warned me because he wants to give me a chance to start a fight with my brother. While the two of us fight, the DSS can easily pounce on any openings we show."

"What should we do now? Are we going to give up and run away? After everything?" Esther asked sadly.

Peter pulled her in his embrace. "Of course not. We are going to fight."

"But the DSS…" Esther said.

Peter interrupted her with a kiss.

As their lips separated, he said. "Don't worry about that. Leave them to me. Right now is our best chance to attack my brother. He has gotten himself into some trouble with the A4 and Saints. They've called a gang war on the NDz. The gang would be focused on their two enemies and won't see us coming."

"How did a gang war start?" Esther asked, surprised.

"According to my guys, the two gangs claim that my brother knowingly tried to sell them a bad product. When they found out, he wanted to silence them. Something my brother denies doing." Peter replied

"Really? That happened? Do you think he did it?"

"No, he didn't. If he did, my brother is so arrogant that he would tell the gangs to their faces that he did it. Since he is denying it now, it means he didn't have anything to do with it. Besides, I would have known if he had such a plan in the works."

"Then, luck must be on our side for this to happen at this time." Esther said, causing a disturbing thought to flash through Peter's mind.

'Luck, huh? Is that really true?'

Of course, he didn't voice his doubts. He didn't want to worry his lover. He just embraced her.

"When are we going to attack?" Esther asked.

"We? No! You're staying here. I'll call you when things are over."

Esther stood up from his embrace. "Absolutely not. If you are doing this, we are doing this together. If not, why have you been training me all this time? Am I also a 'flower vase' to you? Don't you think I can handle myself?" She sobbed.

Peter drew her back into his embrace. He knew he had accidentally touched her sore spot. The reason all this happened was that Jonathan thought she was a good flower vase to put on display as his wife. She had worked so hard to prove to herself that she wasn't. She wanted to be there when Jonathan fell from his throne.

"Alright. You'll come along but you must never leave my side. That's non-negotiable. I can't lose you again."

"Alright." She agreed.

"We will attack as soon as possible." Peter announced.

Thus, the water of war in Onitsha's Underworld became muddier as a new participant joined in. Much to the delight of the architect of all this, 'Grand schemer Korede' as Aon called him. Like this, preparation went on by all sides involved. Those in the dark and those in the light. And so, the sun disappeared into the horizon for the moon to take its place.

Soon came the end of Day 4 of Operation PythonSlaying.

[A.N: Please, don't forget to leave a review of the work to encourage me. Your opinion matters to me.]

AUTHOR'S NOTE/RAMBLINGS.

1 L115A3 Sniper Rifle.

Weight: 6.8kg

Length: 1.3m

Rate of Fire: Bolt Action

Effective Range: 1500-2475m (.338 Lapua Magnum round)/ 1100m (.300 Winchester magnum round)

Muzzle Velocity: 936m per sec.

Calibre: .338 Lapua magnum/ .300 Winchester magnum

Magazine: 5 round detachable box magazine.

[A.N: Please, don't forget to leave a review of the work to encourage me. Your opinion matters to me.]