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Within seconds, multiple single shots rang out through the air.

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

There were screams and panicked shouts behind me. The mercenaries had stopped shooting at my tree – but I still couldn’t come out from cover. They would have chewed me up.

Valentino, Roberto, and the foot soldiers continued their deadly onslaught –

And then I got the surprise of my life:

Niccolo emerged from the tunnel, hit the dirt, and began firing.

Holy fucking SHIT!

Within a few more seconds, I heard the helicopter on the ground take off.

I was afraid it might come towards us and fire more LAWs –

But the sound of the rotors seemed to be getting farther away.

In fact,allthe helicopters sounded like they were leaving.

I finally took a chance and peeked around the tree trunk.

Two hundred feet away, the ground was littered with black-clad corpses.

The helicopter whose windshield I’d shot out (followed by the pilot’s head) was still on the ground –

But there was nobody inside.

At least, nobody living.

And the other three Bell 412s were flying away.

I guess after losing two choppers and twenty-odd men, they decided they weren’t being paid enough for this shit.

Valentino and the foot soldiers screamed in jubilation.

They came rushing over to me –

“Make sure they’re all dead first!” I yelled.

“You heard her!” Valentino shouted at the foot soldiers.

They all stopped short, raised their rifles, and started putting rounds into the bodies on the lawn.

I watched from behind the tree trunk for any signs of life – for anybody to react or make a run for it –

But nothing happened.

The mercenaries were dead.

But it didn’t hurt to be 1000% sure.