Police in America

"What is this?" Jack asked in confusion as he took a small piece of paper from Hondo. The paper had a string of incomprehensible Greek letters written on it.

While the four of them were breaking through Zone B, Hondo and his team, with the support of the quickly arriving Team B, pushed into Zone C and rescued two missionaries.

However, Gunnar Cade managed to escape with a few of his close associates, forcibly dragging along Sister Carmelita, who was critically wounded with a stab wound to her abdomen.

They had gathered all the semi-automatic rifles they could find in the armory, making their firepower quite formidable. Unfortunately, a member of Team B was hit by a bullet.

Luckily, although the bullet penetrated the bulletproof vest, it shattered into fragments in the process, and the remaining kinetic energy was insufficient to cause serious harm. The injured officer was already sent out of the building to receive treatment at the hospital.

"Gunnar Cade and his men have barricaded themselves in Zone D, using a welding machine brought in by the construction workers to seal the iron gate."

"I know he's trying to buy time, but I don't know what he's planning. So, I searched his cell and found this note."

"It must have been a message passed to him through underground channels, but there's no time to find someone to decipher this nonsense right now."

"Huh? This doesn't seem too difficult." Jack glanced at the note, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was used to the thrill of overpowering others with force, but it was rare for him to experience the satisfaction of outsmarting someone. The two had a different kind of pleasure.

After spending so much time with Reid and listening to his ramblings every day, Jack had picked up some knowledge of cryptography.

"It's a simple letter substitution cipher, using Greek letters to replace English ones, and then writing it out in English. Give me a pen."

Jack took a pencil handed to him by the deputy team leader, Deacon, and began writing on a piece of paper while speaking.

"Delta is δ, representing D; Alpha is α, which stands for A; and Mu is μ, meaning L."

He quickly wrote down two words on the paper: "Dale DeGroote? This must be it. Gunnar Cade is looking for a particular prisoner."

However, the joy of solving the puzzle didn't last long before it was overshadowed.

"The prison database doesn't have this name," Deacon said, showing the tactical tablet on his arm.

"That can't be!" Jack stubbornly took his arm and re-entered the name. Sure enough, nothing came up—Dale DeGroote was neither a prisoner nor a guard.

"Calm down, calm down. The name must be correct; otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence."

"Zone D... What are they hiding in Zone D?" Hondo suddenly seemed to realize something, patting Jack on the shoulder as he gave him a hint.

"Do you remember what that contractor, Ash Jones, said when you asked about your two missing buddies?"

Jack suddenly understood. "He said there were a few separate rooms in Zone D, which are actually solitary cells for special prisoners."

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"Dale DeGroote? I know who that is, Mr. Jones. We need to have a talk."

Jessica Cortez, who had been stationed in the command center outside the building, turned to the prison contractor Ash Jones as soon as she received Hondo's report about the name. After a round of intense questioning, she soon got results.

Dale DeGroote was a prisoner under protective custody, an important witness involved in a major drug and arms trafficking case.

He had reached a deal with the district attorney, and a few weeks ago, he was transferred to this prison. His testimony could bring down Gunnar Cade's entire criminal network on the outside.

"Those cells in Zone D have separate security measures. I spent a lot of money on them. The prisoners under protective custody are supposed to be very safe inside. I never expected the riot would reach them," Ash Jones tried to explain, still attempting to justify why he had kept this information secret.

"We'll discuss this matter in detail once this situation is resolved," Jessica Cortez angrily cut off his excuses and relayed the information to everyone inside the building.

"Let me guess, those construction workers who came into the prison just happened to bring along a small generator, welding machine, and acetylene cutter. And these items just happened to be exchanged by the 'Bahama Triceratops Gang' in Zone B for weapons, which they then gave to Gunnar Cade," Jack immediately connected all the dots.

"Gunnar Cade incited two other gangs to riot with him, getting police uniforms and gear from the '19th Gang' in the process."

Hondo continued, picking up where Jack left off.

"He's been stalling for time to find Dale DeGroote in Zone D, break open the cell door, kill him, and then disguise himself as a guard to escape. Sister Carmelita is his bargaining chip. If things go south, he can use her to negotiate."

"This guy is smart."

"Yes, definitely not dumb."

"There's probably quite a few moles among the guards. Maybe even that contractor, Ash Jones, is involved."

"This prison leaks like a sieve."

The SWAT officers listening to their analysis chimed in with their own opinions.

"Alright, let's save these discussions for after we get out of here. The priority now is to stop Gunnar Cade's plan and make sure he doesn't kill anyone to silence them," Hondo said, waving everyone towards the passage between Zones C and D.

"This is the updated map of Zone D. The solitary cells are here—there are six in total. Dale DeGroote is in the third cell in the middle. Jack's two colleagues are in one of the remaining rooms."

"Gunnar Cade has five men with him, including himself, making six in total. They're all armed with rifles. Three of them are stationed in the passageway sealed by the welded iron door, separated from the solitary cells by a hallway and two corners."

Hondo's expression was grim. Judging by the current setup, a standoff was highly likely if SWAT forced their way in.

If it came down to a standoff, the last remaining hostage, Sister Carmelita, would undoubtedly become a human shield.

The sister was of Latin descent, and no one could guarantee what a white supremacist like Gunnar Cade would do when cornered.

The most troublesome part was that no one knew how much longer it would take for these guys to cut through the thick door of the third cell, meaning SWAT didn't have much time to come up with a plan.

Everyone was at a loss for a moment—was a direct assault really the only option left?

Using tear gas or stun grenades to subdue Gunnar Cade and his men wasn't impossible, but these typically non-lethal weapons could be deadly to the already severely injured Sister Carmelita.

"Uh, are all of Gunnar Cade's men wearing those guard uniforms and gear? They're all wearing helmets, right?" Jack suddenly asked out of nowhere.

The full set of prison guard armor was designed for close combat. Not only were the helmets non-bulletproof, but the seemingly impressive plastic armor, similar to that worn by football players, was also not bulletproof.

"Are you thinking?" Hondo hesitated.

"If they want to pose as guards to escape, then I can do the same."

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