Brazil: Criminal Empire - Chapter 169: The Mercenary Group Strikes (Patreon)

Prudencio first called Eye of God’s office in affluent Leblon to report that the Turquoise Bar had raised the alarm and that members of the mercenary unit had been attacked.

As for who the people at the office were or what they looked like, Prudencio had no idea.

He had never met them in person.

He understood that this was a precaution used by a hitman brokerage organization. If the two sides never met, there was far less chance of betrayal or other unexpected problems.

Prudencio normally contacted the office only by phone to give periodic reports.

So when the crisis began, his first move was to call the same number and warn them so they could prepare.

The office ordered Prudencio to organize a counterattack immediately and told him to determine exactly why the enemy had attacked.

They also insisted that he recover the USB drives from the safe inside the Turquoise Bar.

They said they would contact several nearby gang factions for support and promised every mercenary a $50,000 bonus once the situation was resolved.

Prudencio did not expect much help from the nearby gangs.

But after several years of comfortable living, he knew this was the moment when he had to earn his keep with his life if necessary.

He firmly promised the office that he would retake the Turquoise Bar and recover the safe and its USB drives.

After ending the call, Prudencio put on the body armor and tactical vest beside him.

He took an HK G3 assault rifle from the gun rack and filled the pouches on his vest with magazines.

With Eye of God’s backing, his mercenary unit primarily used weapons from the HK and FN families.

Those weapons were familiar and comfortable for mercenaries accustomed to both Western and Soviet-pattern firearms.

Armed and grim-faced, Prudencio headed into the unit’s underground training area.

More than twenty mercenaries were already waiting there.

One of his trusted men reported that twenty-one were present. Three others were on leave and would not be able to return anytime soon.

Prudencio did not waste time on unnecessary talk.

He swept his gaze across the room. “Brothers, the organization has ordered us to retake the Turquoise Bar and kill the people who attacked us. Fill every magazine and bring all the heavy weapons...”

At the end, Prudencio told them that if they handled the mission cleanly, Eye of God would pay every man a $50,000 bonus.

That was exactly what the mercenaries had been waiting to hear. Cheers erupted, and their morale surged.

Prudencio divided the men into teams and warned them that enemy snipers might be covering the exits.

They would use a plan they had practiced before. An armored vehicle would lead the breakout, then the vehicles would split up and leave in different directions.

They would circle around to a designated rendezvous point and regroup before launching a concentrated counterattack on the Turquoise Bar.

In addition to one HK21 general-purpose machine gun per squad, the mercenaries brought four RPG launchers, each with six rockets.

The men split among six vehicles. With an armored SUV in front, the convoy charged straight out of the base.

To their surprise, no attack came during the breakout.

In Prudencio’s eyes, missing such a perfect opportunity suggested that the enemy snipers were not particularly capable.

That gave the entire mercenary unit even more confidence that it could win.

When they reached the rendezvous point with everyone unharmed, Prudencio’s confidence rose as well.

“Brothers, move by squad. We’ll push straight in along the road west of the Turquoise Bar.”

They were only two blocks from the bar.

The area was still inside Vidigal, so a convoy of armed mercenaries carrying rifles and heavy weapons attracted little direct interference.

The roof hatches on four vehicles were open, with HK21 general-purpose machine guns mounted above them.

The mercenary unit charged toward the Turquoise Bar like a pack of wild boars.

People along the route hurried into shops and took cover. They knew a major gunfight was about to begin.

...

Because Rock’s special operations squads did not know which direction the enemy would approach from, most of their strength was concentrated around the intersection.

No matter which road the enemy used, they would be exposed to crossing fire from both sides of the street.

Kaká and Death No. 5 occupied high ground near the corner, ready to strike the enemy from above.

The remaining assaulters held positions on the southwest and northeast sides of the long street.

Rock lay quietly on a concrete rooftop overlooking one corner of the intersection.

This was the first genuinely difficult battle the special operations squads had faced since their formation, and even Rock did not know exactly how they would perform.

The enemy approaching now would be a serious whetstone for them.

It was time to see just how sharp the Battle Angels’ newly forged sword really was.

The seconds passed one by one.

Fortunately, the enemy did not seem interested in delaying either.

Before long, six vehicles came racing down the road west of the Turquoise Bar. Four had machine guns mounted on their roofs.

The other two carried gunmen on top with RPG launchers shouldered and ready.

“All squads, attention. Snipers and marksmen, prioritize the machine gunners and RPG operators.”

Rivaldo’s voice came through the earpiece.

The assaulters on the southwest side had already brought their rifles into position. The moment the first shot rang out, they would use their fastest, most accurate fire to kill the enemy drivers.

Rock judged the vehicles’ speed, set down the M40A1, and picked up his HK417.

Against targets moving this quickly, rapid follow-up shots would be more useful than a bolt-action rifle.

“Fire!”

At Rivaldo’s order, a shot cracked out. The machine gunner atop the lead vehicle snapped backward as Kaká put a round through his head.

Kaká would not get the machine gunners and RPG operators on the vehicles behind it.

Before he could shift his aim, Rock fired a rapid series of single shots, putting rounds through the heads of the other three machine gunners and one RPG operator.

The final RPG operator seemed to sense the danger and ducked at the last moment. Several of Rock’s rounds struck the roof, punched through it, and hit the gunman in the back seat instead.

The first shots were like a starting signal. In the next instant, gunfire erupted from every direction.