-Please don't kill me! -shouted the merchant from inside the chariot, hugging a cloth sack as if it could protect him.
Ryan sighed heavily.
-I'm not going to kill you.
-Liar! -You attacked me, you destroyed my life!
Ryan was about to respond, but a small hand touched his arm.
Lia, with her notebook in hand, quickly wrote a few words and showed them to the merchant.
"We will not harm you."
The merchant stared at the sheet. Then at the girl.
He drew in a shaky breath.
And finally, he calmed down a bit. Slowly, he stepped out of the carriage, though his face still showed distrust and fear.
But as soon as he regained his composure, his expression changed completely.
-Because of you, I lost everything!!!
-I know. - Ryan closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
-You have no idea how much it cost me!
-I know.
-AAARGH!!! -You have to make it up to me somehow, you fucking bastard!
Ryan nodded.
-That's why..." He pulled out a small bag of coins and held it out to him. This is for you.
The merchant frowned and took the bag roughly. But, to Ryan's surprise, the man immediately threw it to the ground.
-This doesn't matter anymore. -
Ryan arched an eyebrow.
The merchant sighed and looked at him with a calmer expression.
-The truth... losses can become future rewards. -
Ryan looked at him in silence, not understanding.
-If I think about it, you did me a favor. - The merchant smiled slightly.
-I beg your pardon. -
The merchant crossed his arms.
-The bastards I did business with had me trapped. I couldn't get out of their deals without them killing me, but now they're all dead.....
Ryan analyzed him carefully.
The merchant nodded.
-And that means I'm a free man. -
Ryan took a while to process it until he understood that he was controlled by the merchant who commissioned him to destroy his chariot.
-My name is Nobu. - Finally, the merchant extended his hand.
Ryan looked at it for a moment.
Then, he shook his hand.
-Ryan. -
The merchant smiled.
-Your name is strange. I've never heard it before. -
-Just like yours. - Ryan simply shrugged his shoulders.
-My name means "Trust," Nobu said with a smile. And now I know I can trust you.
Ryan didn't respond, but inside, he knew Nobu wasn't a bad man.
With everything ready, Ryan and Lia stowed their belongings in the carriage and got on it. Lia was excited; It was the first time she was leaving Tanzaku.
For Ryan, however, the feeling was different. He was nervous. The last three days had been hell, and now, he was going to a place he didn't know at all.
As the coach set off, Nobu tried to talk to Ryan.
-Tell me, how did you end up in a place like this?
-Long story. - Ryan replied.
-Well, it's a long trip too. -
Ryan sighed.
-Let's just say I'm just looking for answers. -
Nobu nodded with understanding. Soon after, they looked at Lia and noticed that she was sound asleep.
-She must be exhausted," Nobu muttered.
Ryan watched her silently. To think that just being a child, only a couple of days ago, she was an object to others... and now she was free and could be a normal child.
-She's strong," Nobu said quietly.
Ryan nodded.
Hours passed, and Ryan inadvertently fell asleep too.
Nobu didn't say anything; he knew Ryan had been through a lot, he could see it in his wounds, and he also knew that, if something happened, Ryan would wake up and help him; he knew he was a strong man.
After being knocked out that day by Ryan, when he woke up, he saw the bloodbath that surrounded him, something that was not normal for a normal human. Besides, if only he could end the corruption of that merchant in the markets.
He was also aware that if he had wanted to kill him in the first place, he would have done it without hesitation, but he let him live that time, so he only muttered to himself before continuing to drive the chariot:
-You're not a bad man either, Ryan.
_____________________________
The icy water hit his body like needles piercing his skin. Ryan woke up with a start.
But it wasn't adult Ryan, it was child Ryan; he was soaking wet, shivering on the stone floor of his military compound.
-Ryan, wake up!!!
The caller was his childhood friend, Cedric.
-What... what's going on? -Ryan asked in a weak voice.
-They're attacking the compound!!! We have to go!!!!! -
Ryan blinked, disoriented, watching as Cedric extricated his hand, and while his other hand was covered in blood, then, alarms sounded, Red lights flashed everywhere, and the screams of soldiers echoed in the distance.
It was chaos.
-Come on, now!!! -Cedric shouted, pulling him along.
They both ran through the dark corridors, dodging bodies and debris.
For a moment, they thought they would make it.
Until a full armada of soldiers appeared in front of them.
-STOP THERE! -
Ryan and Cedric stopped dead in their tracks.
-Escape is treason. - A voice echoed behind them.
The two boys were surrounded, and there was no escape.
After that moment, the punishment for acts of treason against the compound and the guard began.
First, they were beaten with jets of cold water under pressure while they remained completely naked for hours until their bodies were covered with bruises.
Then, they were forced to run for miles barefoot over rocky terrain, until their feet bled.
And finally, they were forced to do push-ups on a bed on tiptoe, while whips fell on their backs.
Days... weeks... years... The training and torture never ended. They never escaped, and in time, they accepted their fate.
By the time they reached the age of almost 25, they had no more hope.
Then, one of the high command called them, promised them something they had never expected to hear, Freedom.
But every good proposal comes with a problem in between; if they really wanted to be free, they would only have to complete one last mission.
An impossible mission, one where they didn't know if they would survive, but if they succeeded... they would be free.
Ryan looked at his friend. His friend looked at him, and without hesitation, they accepted the mission; they would rather try than be left with the bittersweet taste of not having done it.
A few weeks later, in the complex.
MISSION: ELIMINATE THE COMPLEX
Objective:
☑ Infiltrate the complex.
☑ Destroy the operations center.
☑ Eliminate the commanding officer.
☑ Execute the scientists.
☑ Activate the self-destruct.
☑ Get out alive.
Mission day- Dark night, thick jungle.
Seven shadows advanced in complete silence, hiding in the undergrowth and moving with the precision of predators.
Ryan and Cedric led the mission, followed by the other five soldiers in their squad.
The enemy compound was a well-protected fortress, with watchtowers, armed patrols, and motion sensors.
But it didn't matter; they were ghosts.
-Once inside, we split up groups," Ryan whispered over the comm. Cedric and I took the boss.
-The rest of you, make sure no one gets out of here alive," Cedric ordered.
Silence on the line. Then a series of affirmative responses.
The infiltration began. The first to fall were the guards at the entrance, two shots with silencers. Heads pierced.
Bodies were dragged into the darkness before anyone noticed their absence. They advanced with stealth, slipping between the corridors like shadows.
Each encounter was lethal: A hand covering the mouth, A dagger slashing the throat, Bodies falling without a sound, A sigil specialist.
No one raised the alarm until... A misfired bullet echoed off the steel. One of the soldiers missed a shot, giving enough time for the guard to scream, a few seconds before he was killed.
The compound fell silent, and for a moment, they thought the others hadn't heard, but they didn't. The alarms went off.
-The alarms went off. -growled Ryan.
-Quickly, accelerate! -Cedric shouted.
The corridors were filled with enemy soldiers.
The massacre began, and little by little, they fell one by one. The first soldier was eliminated, shot in the head when he tried to cross a corridor. The second soldier is eliminated, a Grenade explosion in the stairway. The third soldier was eliminated, shot while covering the rear. The fourth soldier, eliminated, was killed defending the laboratory door.