Invasion of America

Chapter 103 Failure
When Monica walked out of the museum's viewing corridor
The pilot, Orno, had just removed the battery from the electric cart and was preparing to load it into the cargo hold of the transport plane.

The DC-3 in the museum's collection is a later model. To facilitate ground maintenance, the starter battery was moved from the engine compartment to the floor at the rear of the cabin.

You can see the battery installation location by opening the pull-type hatch.

Pushing the driver's seat of the electric scooter reveals two lead-acid batteries underneath, each 24 volts, connected in series to power the scooter.

Others are also working against the clock.
Wearing glasses, Philip drove another electric cart through the exhibition hall, towing aside the old-fashioned fighter planes that were blocking the way to make room for the DC-3.

The army lieutenant colonel lay on the wing, opened the engine compartment, and poured dark red lubricating oil from a cola bottle into the oil filler.

Another escaped teammate was doing the same thing on another engine—the museum drains the lubricating oil for long-term preservation, but now, to get the engine working, it had to be re-lubricated.

They even had to strain the propellers to make the Pratt & Whitney engines of the DC-3 clang and clatter.

The engine pistons were turning with difficulty in the cylinders, squeezing viscous lubricating oil into the dried-out oil lines.

Beside the gangway, elderly people and women helped each other prepare to board the plane and enter the cabin, hoping to end this painful journey.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't know anything about technical work, but his keen hearing made him notice the noisy footsteps coming from behind him. In the instant he turned his head, he saw Monica, her eyes gleaming, standing twenty or thirty meters away.

As the general's daughter across from him spoke smugly, his hand had already reached for the short-barreled assault rifle behind him.

He yanked the sling, pointed the gun straight ahead, and reached for the trigger guard. He shouted to his fleeing companions, "You guys do your thing, I'll handle these guys."
-
Following Monica's gaze, Jaeger also saw the escape team opposite him—five or six industry elites who, with their wild imaginations, led a dozen or so elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in a game of 'reverse thinking'.

It has to be said that coming to the aviation and aerospace museum was a brilliant idea. As long as they are not hindered and have enough time, these people will definitely be able to escape.

Both sides encountered each other unexpectedly.

As a former Secret Service employee, Jaeger's instincts, honed through years of training, kicked in. The moment he saw Zhou Qingfeng, he instinctively tackled Monica to the ground, narrowly avoiding the opponent's precise three-shot burst.

The bullets hit a Spitfire fighter jet in the same exhibition hall, making three holes in the fuselage skin.

As he tackled the guy, Jaeger shouted behind him, "Tusi, take down that kid over there, and you can become president."

The burly, dark-skinned man followed behind Monica, in a state of high excitement, holding an M240 machine gun and ready to engage Zhou Qingfeng in a firefight.

However, the two beneficiaries of the 'X' enhancer possessed equally matched physical abilities.

Tusi's dynamic vision was on par with Zhou Qingfeng's; with just one glance, he could tell that the other side's gun was aimed at him first, and that forcing a shot would only result in mutual destruction, so he had to dodge quickly.

The moment their eyes met, both felt a tremendous threat.

Zhou Qingfeng's fingers pulled the trigger quickly but steadily, maintaining a three-round burst, not giving the opposing M240 a chance to fire.

However, his assault rifle was severely underpowered, and once he emptied the magazine, his opponent would inevitably seize the opportunity to counterattack.

At this moment, the outcome will be decided.
teammate!
-
As soon as the gunshot rang out, the dozen or so guards who came with Monica dropped to the ground at lightning speed, crawling like cockroaches across the smooth floor, retreating one by one to the observation corridor.

When Jaeger, having tackled Monica, turned around, he wanted to direct his soldiers to take initiative and employ tactics like 'flanking maneuvers,' 'outflanking maneuvers,' and 'crossfire.'
The soldiers' first reaction was to grab their radios and start yelling, "Attack! We're under attack!"

"The third squad of Company B has been attacked by deserters and requests backup."

"The enemy has heavy firepower and they possess explosives. Be aware that the escapees also possess explosives."

Jaeger dragged Monica behind a Curtiss, but then felt the Curtiss's wheels weren't secure enough, so he looked for other cover.

He also hoped that the soldiers could cover him, fire a couple of shots, scare the enemy, and show their presence.

Unexpectedly, those soldiers ran away faster than rabbits, and their reasons were quite valid—wearing protective suits was not suitable for combat, and being able to hold a rifle and fire half a magazine of bullets at someone's head was considered quite respectable.

Jaeger was so angry that he suffered a stroke.

“You bunch of idiots, who can you call with a platoon-level radio? Your superiors are two or three kilometers away right now. Do you expect them to fly over?”
Also, when you call for backup, could you please stop cramming into one channel and shouting all the time? Even if you do shout, at least tell us where you are!

"The National Guard is less effective than a squad of police officers!"
-
On the fleeing group's side, the moment the gun went off, the army lieutenant colonel, who was lubricating the engine, didn't hesitate at all; his oil-stained left hand was already on the ivory grip of the python revolver at his waist.

Another key member who had fled also reached for a gun, showing no intention of letting Zhou Qingfeng take on the entire group of people on the other side by himself.

Pilot Orno's back was soaked with sweat. He grabbed a battery and scrambled up the ladder into the cabin.

There was no time for delicate work, so he had to call over a housewife who had entered the cabin and used both hands to connect the starting circuit and the two terminals of the battery together.

"Make sure there's a good connection, give me half a minute to start the piston engine. Starting it will only take a few seconds, and you can throw the battery away after that."

The housewife who took on the task looked serious. She used her own clothes as an insulator to press the starter wire and the two terminals of the battery together.

“Great, a very good idea.” Olno saved at least a minute, turned around and ran to the cockpit, sat down and vigorously turned the rusty brass switch on the control panel.

The old machine, silent for decades, started working again, its yellowish fluorescent pointers on the dashboard twitching.

Suddenly, a hail of bullets came from outside the hatch, pounding the riveted skin like drums. A 7.62mm bullet pierced the bulkhead and shattered the radio headset hanging on the front side of the cockpit.

But as the current was switched on, the starter motor began to turn, and the piston engines on both sides of the DC-3 emitted black smoke, while the propellers made a 'creaking' sound.

Orno then shouted excitedly, "Get on the plane, get on the plane, we can depart now!"

Outside the cabin, Lucy glanced at Zhou Qingfeng at most, but didn't shout or yell. She helped a housewife carrying a child climb the ladder, organized the escape team to board the plane quickly, and didn't cause trouble for her companions.

Even old man Hammer joined in, finding the remaining few pieces of 'sugar dynamite' on the electric scooter and throwing them at Zhou Qingfeng's feet.

Zhou Qingfeng kicked the explosive charge more than 20 meters away, detonated it in a burst, and blew a P-47 fighter jet on display on the ground to smithereens.

During the lull in his firepower when he emptied a magazine, his comrades opened fire with two M16s, rhythmically suppressing any enemy attempts to provoke them into suicide, thus controlling ammunition consumption while maintaining sufficient deterrence.

But that's far from enough because the other side has an M240 with a 200-round ammunition box.

The burly, dark-skinned man named Tusi pinpointed the approximate location of Zhou Qingfeng and his group solely based on the sound of gunfire. He then opened fire with a machine gun across an old airplane.

The fuselages of old-fashioned aircraft are very thin and light, and the aluminum skin cannot withstand continuous fire from 7.62mm full-power bullets.

The burly, dark-skinned man's weight of over 100 kilograms provided excellent stability during the recoil. In just one second, a dozen bullets pierced through the two small planes parked side by side in the exhibition hall.

Even after penetrating, the bullets remained powerful, sweeping across the area where Zhou Qingfeng and the others were located.

Zhou Qingfeng reacted quickly. He still remembered the threat he felt when he first saw the burly, dark-skinned man—his thick build and fierce eyes made him look just like a looter roaming around in the apocalypse.

While changing his magazine, he moved his position and tried to find a better angle to attack his opponent.

But those around Zhou Qingfeng weren't so lucky.

The M240 fired fifty or sixty rounds in one go, sweeping across a large area.

Among the escapees, Philip, who wore glasses, was shot on the spot and collapsed without uttering a sound. His wife, carrying their child, entered the cabin and saw him covered in blood through the porthole. She broke down in tears on the spot.

In the cockpit, Orno pushed the accelerator, and the engine started smoothly, bursting forth with a whooshing, swirling gust of wind. He leaned out of the cockpit window and shouted to his companions outside:
"Remove the wheel chocks, quickly remove the wheel chocks." The army lieutenant colonel turned around, bent down against the fierce wind from the propeller, and removed all the wheel chocks that acted as stoppers under the wheels.

The wheels, which had been parked for decades, were long out of air. The DC-3 passenger plane began to move shakily, crushing the debris on the ground, and headed toward the museum's glass curtain wall that had been blown open.

Lucy helped her grandfather Hammer into the cabin, turned around at the foot of the stairs, and called out to Zhou Qingfeng, "Victor, get on the plane."

However, Zhou Qingfeng had his back to the DC-3 that was taxiing towards the museum and showed no intention of boarding the plane immediately. Instead, he pointed his gun at the direction where the dark-skinned, muscular man was and continued to attack.
-
Hearing the dense gunfire overhead, Monica, who had been tackled, finally realized that she had almost been killed again.

But her reaction wasn't fear, but rage. She struggled to get up and fight Zhou Qingfeng to the death.

As a professional special agent, Jaeger held Monica down firmly and said angrily, "That's enough. What's wrong with letting that kid go? There's no need to keep chasing after him."

Monica slapped Jaeger without hesitation. "You bastard, don't pin me down. You have no right to enjoy yourself on me."

Jaeger was stunned by the slap and almost shot the extremely narcissistic and brain-dead woman.

Just then, Blackie Tusi emptied more than half of his 200-round ammunition box. This guy had excellent physical abilities but liked to pull the trigger and fire indiscriminately.

Many bullets were fired, but the extent of the damage caused remains to be seen.

Holding a fully loaded M4A1, Zhou Qingfeng acted as a bodyguard for the DC-3, following the taxiing plane and slowly moving towards the gap in the museum.

Beside him, an elderly army lieutenant colonel emptied his beloved ivory revolver, switched to an M16A2, and calmly pointed to the possible location of the black-skinned Tusi.

Ruby from the Agency for International Development was somewhat flustered. As she watched the passenger plane about to leave the museum, and then looked at Zhou Qingfeng and the army lieutenant colonel who were standing still, her breathing became increasingly rapid.

After hesitating for a moment, the guy gradually quickened his pace and turned to run towards the boarding stairs of the passenger plane.

As he turned around, the army lieutenant colonel shouted a warning: "No, don't move, this will create a defensive gap."

But it was too late.

Ruby's turn gave Monica a great opportunity to shoot with confidence.

The woman quickly peeked out from her hiding place to confirm the situation, then fired five or six shots at the target with both hands, instantly blowing his head off.
-
The DC-3's wheels rolled over the shattered glass curtain wall, the jagged glass shards scraping against the rubber tires with a screeching sound.

The old transport plane swayed like a drunkard as it glided toward Independence Avenue on the south side of the museum, its wings almost scraping against the bronze statues on the roadside as it turned.

Inside the cockpit, Orno's face was tense, his eyes fixed on the instrument panel—the fuel warning light was on, the tire pressure gauge was at zero, and some of the gauges were unusable due to their age.

But none of this could stop his innate instinct to fly.

“Turn 30 degrees more,” he gritted his teeth and turned the steering wheel. As long as he aligned it with Independent Avenue, he was confident he could get his old buddy airborne—even if it could only fly a few dozen kilometers.

But just then, Monica, watching the DC-3 gradually turn, suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs: "Tusi! Shoot through that cockpit! Don't let anyone get away from me."

Black Pi Tusi was facing off against Zhou Qingfeng across several small planes. Neither side could see the other's exact location, and neither dared to open fire easily.

The 'X' enhancer did make them physically formidable, but not to the point of being immune to bullets. Both sides possessed means to threaten each other's lives, and neither dared to let their guard down.

"Do you still want to be president?!" Monica's second scream was hysterical and trembling.

Tusi's pupils suddenly contracted. The word struck his nerves like an electric current, and the muscle fibers beneath his dark skin instantly tensed.

"Fuck!" the 'monster' roared, suddenly turning its gun around and swinging the heavy M240 in an exaggerated arc with its thick arm muscles.

The DC-3 cockpit, a hundred meters away, was locked onto by the crosshairs, and more than a dozen bullets flew out.

Half of the bullets penetrated the thin cockpit skin of the DC-3, and the cockpit glass was already turning into a shower of crystals when it was hit.

Orno's body convulsed violently in his seat as a bullet ripped off his left ear and another pierced his lung.

Blood splattered on the rudder, turning the yellowed dashboard a glaring red. He tried to raise his trembling hand to continue the turn, but only grasped a handful of warm, frothy blood.
-
"No!"

The plane went out of control, and all plans came to naught.

"Damn it, we just want to live. Why can't you let us leave?"

The army lieutenant colonel, whose wife and daughters were on the plane, also suffered a mental breakdown. He voluntarily left his hiding place and fired wildly at the location where Tusi was.

Tusi's gun barrel swung rapidly, his muscular body moving with remarkable agility through the exhibition hall. He hid behind the landing gear of a B-25, yet his gun was still aimed at the attacking opponent.

A series of gunshots rang out.

The lieutenant colonel was riddled with machine gun bullets, his flesh torn apart, and he fell to the ground with a thud, dying with his eyes wide open.

The continuous killings made the dark-skinned 'monster' extremely proud, but as a ferocious smile appeared on his face, he also heard gunshots behind him and heard blood gushing from his chest.

As the burly man struggled to turn his head behind him, Zhou Qingfeng, who had also moved to a different position, appeared behind him and blew his head off with a short burst of fire.
-
After Monica gave the order, Jaeger realized things were going to get worse.

When the lieutenant colonel charged at him recklessly, he was still thinking about dragging his protected target away and back to the dozen or so guards.

Then Tusi died too quickly, and Zhou Qingfeng arrived too quickly.

When Jaeger saw the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at him and Monica, he instinctively shouted, "Victor, you've won. We give up."

Monica's mother is an admiral, the Chief of Naval Operations. You can take her hostage and go wherever you want.

The situation changed too quickly. Monica glanced at the dark-skinned corpse not far away, then at Zhou Qingfeng who had suddenly approached her, and arrogantly raised her head, saying defiantly,

"I just won't accept it. The colder you are to me, the more I hate you."

"Shut up, Monica, you're the dumbest woman I've ever met." Jaeger snapped, then tried to persuade Zhou Qingfeng.

“Victor, be rational. This woman has been spoiled since she was a child. She’s mentally ill and doesn’t know right from wrong. Think about yourself and don’t act impulsively.”

Monica turned around and yelled at Jaeger, "You're the one who's out of your mind."

Zhou Qingfeng turned his gun around and fired a shot at Jaeger's head. "I agree with this view."

Jaeger's blood splattered all over Monica's face, startling the woman. She turned her head and continued to shout at Zhou Qingfeng, "Even if you capture me, I will not bow down to you."

Another shot rang out, and Monica's head exploded.
-
Just when Zhou Qingfeng thought the escape was about to fail, the DC-3 suddenly turned and began to accelerate on Independent Avenue. After taxiing for over a thousand meters, it took off.

Inside the cockpit, the original pilot lay on the floor, while Hammer, suffering from dementia, was steering the wheel.

Lucy stood at the cockpit door in surprise and asked, "Grandpa, you can fly a plane?"

Hammer grinned and turned to look at his granddaughter with surprise: "Lucy, how did you grow up so much?"

"Grandpa, you've lost your memory again? Oh no, Victor didn't get on the plane!"

(End of this chapter)