The team left the furthest cell for the last of their plane trips. Davao City was over 1,500 km from their current location, or over 970 miles. The range of the Waldron’s Cessna Grand Caravan EX was around 1,200 miles, so they were nearing the high end of its range. His plane would certainly need a refill before the trip back to Woodland Airpark. The flight time was also close to five hours each way, depending on the prevailing winds. The distance made Waldron a little nervous, but he had alternative landing sites to stop and get a refill if he got dangerously low in fuel.
Davao City has a total land area of 2,443.61 km2 (943.48 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area. It is the third-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City and Manila, respectively, and the most populous city in Mindanao, in the Davao Region, and outside of Metro Manila. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,776,949 people. The city serves as the main trade, commerce, and industry hub of Mindanao, and the regional center of Davao Region. Davao is home to Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines.
While working out their strike plans for each cell, each site presented its own unique problems. The Davao house was no different. Luckily, they were able to find the right equipment for the job. Since Devon was the only one who had fired a crossbow, he was chosen to take out the look-out on the third-story balcony. He would be dropped off one block from the house. When he had dispatched the lookout, he would radio the rest of the team to bring their jeepney up to the front of the house. The house had a big gate for the driveway. However, during their previous reconnaissance, they found that there was only a chain wrapped around the gate latch; there was no padlock present. However, things can change, so they picked up a pair of bolt cutters at a local hardware store, just in case. The team leader became security-conscious. There was only one entrance to the house, so they would all have to rush in once the door was breached. Each man would take a different floor. Devon, being the youngest, would take the third floor, with Thomas getting the second floor, and the oldest, Andres, would take the first floor, like he used to say, age before beauty.
The lookout was bored out of his mind because he was leaning over the railing and yawning as he did his best not to fall asleep, and was easily taken out by Devon and his crossbow. The distance the bolt had to travel was less than 50 yards, so the force with which it hit the unsuspecting guard in the throat was considerable. It actually stood him up briefly before he slumped back over the railing. Devon was afraid that he would fall over the railing. But some part of his outfit must have gotten snagged on the railing because he did not fall over the railing to the ground below. After the lookout was disabled, Devon radioed the Jeepney. Meanwhile, Devon ran up to the gate to open it. As he suspected, Murphy had worked his magic because the chain now had a padlock securing it. He pulled out his pair of bolt cutters from a holster on his back and made quick work of the lock. He then unwound the chain and opened the gate just as the Jeepney pulled up to the house. As Andres ran up to the front door to place the shaped charge on it, for shits and giggles he just tried the door knob and it opened up. What the hell? The gang members must have felt like they didn’t need to lock the door, what with the gate being locked and a guard on watch on the third story.
After Devon took out the guard, only four men were left breathing in the house. They were able to dispatch all of them in record time. They were getting pretty good at this. Paul Amaro, the Jeepney driver, helped them load their gear, and they quickly hit the road. They could not torch the house because of its proximity to the neighboring structures. However, they were confident they had not left any traces or evidence behind. Devon made sure that the crossbow bolt had been wiped off before he loaded it.
When they arrived at the airport, Andres paid the driver $1,000 USD for his work. He was good but not great, so he didn’t deserve anything extra. The flight home was long but uneventful. Waldron had, of course, refueled his Cessna for the return flight. As per usual, the men were quiet as they either slept or became lost in their thoughts. Taking out this house had brought them to their halfway point. So far, everything had gone according to plan. Maybe they would get out of this alive. This flight would also mark the last flight they would take with Waldron. The rest of the cells were around the Manila Metro area.
You may be wondering about poor Octavio? Well, the more weight a plane carries, the more fuel it uses, so they decided to let him chill a little longer before he was reunited with his comrades.