“We should leave here to avoid any unfortunate events,” Tony said, pulling Young to a safer place away from the town square.
The two Alaska dogs, along with Bear, followed them, occasionally stopping and looking back towards the ongoing gunfire with vigilance.
In a relatively safe gathering spot with many people, Tony's eyes focused on the police station, trying to observe the situation even though he couldn't see much.
After more than 10 minutes of continuous gunfire from the police station, Tony felt a bit worried about Henry.
At this moment, a group of men carrying hunting rifles and shotguns suddenly appeared from the crowd.
People around didn't panic and run, knowing that these men were all locals.
One of them spoke to the crowd, "There's an armed criminal group attacking the police station. Their target is several criminals being held inside the station. They are equipped with automatic weapons, and their firepower is strong. The police inside the station are being suppressed. They won't hold out until backup arrives."
"My younger brother, Henry, is a cop inside the station, and most of you know him. He called me for help; he said they were unexpectedly attacked, and most of the police are injured, with some in critical condition needing immediate medical attention. Otherwise, it could be life-threatening."
"We've organized a team of seven people to provide assistance to the town's police station. If anyone intends to join us, please speak up. This is very dangerous, and there's a possibility of casualties, so think carefully before deciding."
The speaker was Kenneth, Alex's father and Henry's brother.
"Now is the time for the people in the town to unite. I'm in," said the owner of a shop near the square, loading his hunting rifle as he spoke, ready to fight against the attackers.
"I'm in," a man from the crowd stepped forward, holding a handgun.
After a minute, with no one else volunteering, Kenneth said, "If no one else is joining, let's prepare to support the police from the outside. Help them relieve some pressure."
Hearing the conversations, Tony understood what was happening at the police station.
He approached Kenneth and said:
"Uncle Kenneth, how can I help?"
Kenneth looked at the young man approaching and recognized Tony, his son's close friend.
He said, "Tony, what are you doing here? It's very dangerous. You should quickly go home."
"Uncle Kenneth, my dogs are smart and obedient. They're no less capable than police K9 units. Let me bring them along; they might be able to help."
Tony gestured towards the dogs standing behind him as he spoke to Kenneth.
Kenneth was about to refuse and send Tony back home when Tony interrupted, "Uncle Kenneth, I know this is very dangerous. But Henry is inside, and he needs our help. I won't just stand by and do nothing. Even if you don't agree, I'll still move closer to the police station with the dogs."
Seeing Tony determined, Kenneth reluctantly agreed to let him join. Having Tony by his side would allow Kenneth to take better care of him than if Tony acted independently.
Concerned, Young asked Tony, "Tony, is it too dangerous to do that?"
Tony looked at Young and said, "Uncle Kenneth is Alex's father, and Henry is Alex's uncle. I can't just stand by and not help."
Hearing this, Young didn't try to stop Tony.
She knew Alex was a close friend of Tony, similar to Max. Young said, "Just be careful then."
Tony followed behind everyone as they approached the police station.
They quickly approached the police station within about 60 meters.
At this moment, outside the station, there were about four gunmen guarding while their accomplices attacked from inside.
As they noticed armed civilians advancing, the criminals began to open fire.
Kenneth and the others took cover behind nearby tree containers to avoid bullets and fired back.
The gunfire outside surprised the criminals inside, who calculated that the backup would arrive in more than 15 minutes. At that point, they had already left.
One of them, seemingly the leader, spoke into a walkie-talkie, "What's happening outside?"
A criminal outside, who had stopped shooting, replied, "There's a group of about 10 armed civilians with hunting rifles and handguns advancing towards the police station. These foolish civilians probably want to play heroes. Boss, don't worry, I'll handle them."
Hearing this, the boss breathed a sigh of relief. Initially, he thought the police were coming for reinforcement.
If it was just a group of ordinary civilians, there was nothing to worry about.
The gang leader said, "Be careful, don't be complacent."
The criminal outside responded, "Boss, rest assured."
The gunfire inside the station intensified after the discussion among the criminals. Although it was just a small group of civilians, the criminals wanted to expedite the process because they didn't want any unforeseen situations like before.
Kenneth knew the criminals were trying to speed things up, realizing that the police were already on their way.