At ABC's Burbank headquarters, a director hurried into the newsroom.
"Bill, cut the current news broadcast!"
The director grabbed the mic and quickly informed the anchor, "We're interrupting with breaking news. The entertainment team and an outside broadcast van are on the scene!"
The news anchor named Bill, though puzzled as to why an entertainment segment was being shifted to the news channel, didn't question it. He immediately announced, "This is ABC News with breaking news just in. Let's go live to a report from one of our colleagues on the scene."
As soon as he finished speaking, the signal switched to South Broadway in Burbank, where the sound of continuous gunfire could be heard.
At the Century City Mall, in the third-floor TV sales section, a crowd of people was lounging in the air-conditioned space, casually watching various TV shows while chatting about which male star had dated which female star and which actress had hooked up with which director.
Suddenly, the room went silent as most eyes turned to the scene unfolding on the screens.
"This is a live report from ABC Entertainment reporter Sigurdson on South Broadway..."
The voiceover quickly explained, "Today, Matthew Horner was attacked by gunmen while visiting Angel Agency."
The viewers could see Matthew Horner and a man covered in blood hiding behind a Mercedes van. Gunfire rang out, and bullets visibly struck the van, though thankfully, the vehicle's sturdy frame kept the shots from penetrating.
"No way," someone gasped. "Matthew Horner under attack? This must be a movie scene, right?"
The people around him shared that belief, given that Matthew Horner often starred in such films.
But the voiceover from the ABC reporter kept reminding everyone that this was no movie—it was a real attack!
A middle-aged man chimed in, "It's over. The attacker's got a modified semi-automatic rifle. If the guy next to Matthew can't hold on, he's done for."
"Can't be," a young man responded. "Matthew's a badass—he's a martial arts expert and even had professional military training. They say two or three guys can't take him down."
The older man shook his head. "You believe that? Movies aren't the same as real life." He pointed to the screen, where Matthew was curled up behind the van. "Look at him now, he looks like a coward. Action movie star? Martial arts expert? Bet he's wetting his pants right now..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he froze, just like the ABC reporter's voice, which suddenly cut off as well.
On the screen, Matthew Horner, who had been hiding, suddenly rolled forward with relentless determination, charging a burly thug and swiftly taking him down.
As Matthew smashed the thug's head into the ground, the young man proudly said, "See that? Even when it's not a movie, Matthew's the real deal."
The thug's head hit the concrete, splattering blood, leaving the middle-aged man speechless.
"Nice hit!" someone yelled. "Matthew, take down those terrorists!"
"Yeah! Kill them!" others echoed.
Since the 9/11 attacks, any act of terrorism had the power to stir up the nerves of the American public.
Suddenly, someone started clapping, and without warning, the entire crowd erupted into applause.
Even the previously skeptical middle-aged man joined in the applause, as did the younger folks.
"So, a hero on the screen can be a hero in real life too," the older man muttered. "I really underestimated Matthew Horner."
The younger man smiled and said, "Watch more of Matthew's movies and news, and you'll see how awesome he really is."
The middle-aged man didn't say anything but slowly nodded in agreement.
Moments later, the room fell silent again as the live broadcast switched to a higher vantage point. With a picture-in-picture display combining footage from multiple cameras, the scene at the location was captured almost in its entirety.
There were still two gunmen left—one bald, clearly armed with an AK-series rifle, and another Latin man, advancing under the bald man's cover, aiming to reach the Mercedes van.
Matthew's bodyguard seemed to have either bled out or run out of bullets, as his gun suddenly fell silent.
None of the people watching had military experience or had ever been to a battlefield, but they all knew Matthew was in danger again.
In the parking lot outside Angel Agency, Matthew glanced at John, who was trying to reload his handgun with one hand, a task that took precious time.
He then looked at the handgun he had taken—a common M9 in North America.
Matthew was very familiar with firearms. Over the years at the shooting range, his accuracy was among the best. He might not be on the level of elite military personnel like Brown Williams, but among amateurs, he was definitely top-tier.
However, he had only ever shot at targets, never at people.
In this critical moment, there was no time for hesitation. Matthew immediately stood up, ready to fire, but quickly crouched again, moving slightly to hide near the front tire of the Dodge.
Almost simultaneously, bullets struck the Dodge.
The attacker likely had a modified semi-automatic rifle capable of automatic fire. Matthew, having spent time at gun clubs, knew there were plenty of devices that could modify semi-automatics to shoot automatically.
He didn't believe his M9 could compete with an automatic AK-series rifle.
But doing nothing wasn't an option. Earlier, the two thugs had been using the Ford as cover while shooting at John. In that brief moment, Matthew had seen one of them about to break from cover, ready to charge forward under the bald thug's cover.
Waiting passively wasn't Matthew's style. As he quickly dropped back down, an idea formed in his mind.
Counting silently to three, he suddenly lay flat on the concrete, aiming the handgun through the gap under the Dodge at the approaching thug's legs.
Then two legs appeared, running.
Matthew immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang—
A shot rang out, and the Latin man screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground. Before he could figure out where the bullet had come from, Matthew fired again.
Bang—
Despite Matthew's strong composure, his hand still trembled slightly as he fired at a person for the first time.
The second shot missed its mark, but luck was on Matthew's side. The bullet hit the man's right arm, the one holding the gun.
The man screamed again, his handgun flying out of his grasp.
The sudden gunfire startled the bald thug, who turned to see his companion lying on the ground, confused as to where the shots had come from.
He raised his rifle, ready to spray bullets toward the two vehicles.
But before he could pull the trigger, another gunshot rang out, and a searing pain shot through his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground.
As he hit the ground, the bald thug realized his leg had been shattered by a bullet.
Lying there, he could see through the Dodge's undercarriage. Spotting Matthew and the gun, he ferociously dragged his rifle over, intent on firing back.
But the sound of the M9's gunfire rang out again, and the thug felt something hit him before he lost consciousness.
Matthew let out a deep breath, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he held the gun. A wave of nausea surged through him, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
It seemed all the calm and focus he had felt while shooting had evaporated.
In movies, he had fired guns and killed many people, but this was entirely different from acting.
However, as a great actor and a star with an unshakable persona, Matthew quickly regained his composure after just a few breaths.
Instinctively, some deeply ingrained habits resurfaced.
Before even getting up, Matthew turned to the reporters and shouted, "Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance! Save them!"
Both bodyguards had been injured because of him, and he had to show enough concern in front of the media.
But the journalists seemed frozen, as if they hadn't heard a word.
"Is it over?" Bourne asked his companion in disbelief. "Three armed thugs, and Matthew Horner took them down by himself?"
His colleague leaned forward, eyes wide. "It looks like it."
The ABC reporter was the first to react, quickly dialing for emergency services.
At the Century City Mall, the live footage continued to play on every screen, with every TV set in the sales department now tuned to ABC News.
The gunfire had stopped, and Matthew Horner, still holding a gun, lay on the ground, looking rather disheveled.
Yet suddenly, a cheer erupted from the crowd. Watching a familiar hero take down three terrorists one by one was enough to send the mall's patrons into a frenzy of excitement.
Many people began discussing Matthew's sharpshooting skills and his remarkable combat prowess.
No secondhand stories could ever match what they had just witnessed with their own eyes.
Matthew slowly sat up, leaning against the Dodge's front tire, and glanced at his watch. From the moment he had exited the Mercedes van, less than ten minutes had passed.
What's up with the LAPD? Can't they handle a case? Sure, they might not catch every panty thief, but shouldn't they at least show up for a shooting?
Half a minute later, the sound of sirens finally echoed from the distance. However, before the police cars could arrive, a few officers who had been nearby rushed over and quickly secured the scene, tending to the injured and taking the wounded thugs into custody.
Only then did Matthew learn that there had been more criminals, who had staged a car accident on South Broadway to delay the police response.
This was likely the most severe case Los Angeles had seen since the North Hollywood shootout.
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