Salute To The General

Chapter 962 A Phone Call

Anxiety roiling in his stomach, Jaime turned to his deputy and voiced the question on everyone's minds, "What happened? Why's the siren blaring in the middle of the night? Has a drill been arranged for Channing recently?"

The deputy was in the dark as well. Perplexity apparent on his face, he answered, "Not to my knowledge. According to the norm, we, the Armed Forces, would be the first to know about an air force training drill if it has been scheduled."

Jaime's face flushed with anger and bewilderment. "If that's the case, what set the siren off? Did the people in charge mess up and trigger it by accident, or are we in the midst of an emergency?"

The deputy hurriedly replied, ‘Til call the mayor's office to find out what's going on..."

Before he could make the call to grasp the situation, two fighter aircraft of the latest model appeared in the sky overhead. Both fighter jets were flying at a low altitude. The roar of their engines was deafening as they passed over the crowd. Following closely behind was the tut-tut-tut of chopper blades cutting through the air.

In the distance, the blinking lights of military helicopters speckled the night sky with flecks of white. A swarm of helicopters rose above the skyline and headed towards Riverside like a cloud of doom.

Vroom!

few light tanks designed for city defense purposes rolled up at Riverside. Main guns at the ready, the tanks steadily closed in

tens of armored jeeps equipped with high-speed machine guns, all of which were handled by skilled gunners. The barrels were aimed at Jaime and his soldiers, ready to shoot

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

in unison echoed down the emptied roads as droves of soldiers wielding submachine

with the intimidating aura surrounding the soldier, ignited awe and reverence among the masses. Jaime's little party was no exception. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, they gaped at

color. He could not control the quivers that overtook his body as he stumbled over his

Jaime, too, was aghast.

his forehead, he muttered in a trembling voice, "How

a

man stood on top of the vehicle, dressed in full military uniform and bearing the Major General's

a military loudspeaker to his

numbering in the twentythousands, moved with trained precision and agility. In a blink of

on his feet, his swift actions belying his age. He jogged briskly

at the sight of Franklin and