After the motorcade turned, Jimmy overtook again and sped toward the USSS motorcade ahead. By the time he arrived, the three-car convoy had been reduced to two; one had driven into the farmland on the east side and was chasing after an SUV that was moving away.
Jimmy stopped the car, got out, and watched the two distant vehicles. His car was a Victoria Crown, unlike their SUVs and off-road vehicles, it couldn't chase through the fields, so he could only watch them drive away.
After a few faint gunshots, the leading off-road vehicle veered to one side and, after traveling only a short distance, came to a halt. The USSS SUV approached, someone got out to check, and then they got back in and turned around, heading back toward the highway.
The other two cars, seeing the SUV return, didn't wait to regroup but instead started their engines and drove on. Jimmy got back into his car and followed.
Jimmy observed the USSS personnel methodically checking as they went along the road; they stopped to investigate any place on the roadside that seemed abnormal.
While inspecting a damaged roadside trash can, an agent noticed something amiss, looked around, and once again startled a person hiding in a nearby pit, who was, of course, chased down and caught by them.
This person was controlling a roadside bomb; a wire ran from under the trash can, hidden in the grass, all the way to his hiding spot in the pit. After the USSS cleared the danger, Jimmy also breathed a sigh of relief.
This situation isn't right; improvised explosive devices are involved now—what kind of people am I dealing with?
The motorcade didn't move quickly, mainly because the people from the USSS leading the way had reported irregularities, so it took quite a long time to travel through Highway 87 and turn onto Highway 96, eventually returning to Highway 365 and arriving in Woodson.
The arrival of the Vice President directly caused several streets in Woodson Town to be closed by the police; those who hadn't gone out were asked to stay at home. Those outside were checked and then gathered outside a church, waiting for the Vice President.
The motorcade stopped outside the church, the Vice President got out, and gave an impromptu speech before proceeding to the final destination, Woodson Cemetery.
For politicians, showcasing their faith or friendliness toward religion is an effective means of canvassing votes. Actually, famous religious congregations attract numerous politicians' stunts every year, a win-win—except, of course, for those congregations with lesser reputations.
The motorcade stopped on the road, and the Vice President's party walked to the cemetery and put on another show, with reporters on the side taking photos and recording.
The unexpected happened just then.
The cemetery was surrounded by a circle of woods, and the USSS had already posted guards along the edge of the forest. However, for the sake of appearances, they were not very densely placed; instead, there was an agent standing every few meters.
All of a sudden, two camouflage nets on the forest floor flipped open, and two persons emerged from beneath, running toward the Vice President's party. They were strapped with something, holding something resembling bicycle handle brakes in their hands, connected to their bodies with a wire. It was clear they were up to no good.
The sudden appearance of the two figures stunned everyone present. The nearby Special Service Bureau agents immediately intercepted and opened fire. Still, the two managed to get close to the Vice President's party. Jimmy and other officers were on the outer perimeter, so when the gunfire sounded inside, the police swarmed toward the cemetery.
Watching one perpetrator get within about ten meters of the Vice President's party, Jimmy didn't continue running. He drew his revolver and speedily fired six shots. At this moment, collateral damage was not his concern—preventing their approach was paramount.
Jimmy was approximately 20 meters from the man. At this distance, his accuracy was still quite good. Despite stopping to shoot while running, Jimmy managed to hit his target, striking the side of the suspect as he charged forward, then he stumbled and fell to the ground.
While that happened, Jimmy quickly reloaded his revolver with a speed loader. Before he had the chance to fire again, there was a loud bang, and the person exploded on the spot. The other one rushing towards the Vice President was also affected; he was blown sideways and also detonated, bringing the event to an end with two explosions.
After the scare, the Vice President and his entourage were quickly escorted to their official car to leave. Jimmy's attention was entirely on the two attackers; he didn't even notice if anyone else was injured.
The reporters who came along snapped a few random photos and then left in their cars. Their photos and videos definitely couldn't be broadcasted directly and were likely to be forcefully retained by the USSS. Only a few police officers and some USSS agents were left at the scene to manage the aftermath.
After conducting a scene investigation, everyone present couldn't help but exhale deeply. The two individuals strapped with explosives had been torn to pieces by the blasts. Thankfully the interception was timely; had they gotten any closer, given the amount of explosives they carried, today there would surely have been people meeting God on the spot. Now, only the two attackers were affected, and no one else was seriously involved—the outcome wasn't too bad.
Two USSS agents were injured in the explosions, but that wasn't Jimmy's concern. Having successfully resolved this significant case, Jimmy finally relaxed. The USSS took over everything, leaving no room for him to intervene.
Jimmy and a few other police officers watched the agents collect evidence at the scene and photograph, as well as check the two pits where the attackers had hidden.
This was certainly a premeditated ambush, knowing in advance the Vice President's itinerary. The camouflage nets that covered their bodies were like the ghillie suits worn by snipers, with sticks and leaves, which at a distance didn't look very different from the rest of the ground. That's why the agents hadn't detected them beforehand.
Now I just hope this doesn't involve Justin and his crew; these cases attacking public figures, when investigated, could end up implicating countless people.
After the site examination ended, Jimmy and the others returned to Little Rock. As for the Vice President, he left on a special plane after the checks.
This was the first time Jimmy had encountered a case involving explosives. The most he had dealt with before was drug traffickers throwing a grenade, affecting DEA personnel, and Jimmy wasn't at the scene.
If something as dangerous as explosives or bombs were to appear in a case Jimmy was handling, he would definitely contact the ATF to deal with it immediately; they had a professional bomb disposal team, far superior to handling it himself.
After returning, Jimmy didn't go straight to Justin but continued his duty at the police station. After such a significant incident, waiting for investigation results and responding to inquiries was inevitable. Jimmy had also opened fire, which was one of the key matters the Special Service Bureau agents were focusing on.
Jimmy had also received a real name, John Butler. Damn, that guy actually was called John. I thought John and Tom were just fake names they threw out the first time we met.