Chapter 173 - 169: Surrounded

Ryder entered the underground hallway and closed the opening.

Ryder has covered his body with a large oversized coat hiding his bloodied clothes.

He stood behind the crowd glancing at people, trying to get an understanding of the situation to see who the leader was. 

The leader of this small gathering was named Okala. He was one of the core members of the organization, according to the FBI information that Ray was given. 

Okala was a thin and weak-looking man who had no hair over his head, but his beard was long and white.

He looked like he was in his 70s from his skin. He wasn't hiding his face, which made everyone see it clearly.

"I smell blood," Okala let out as he glanced at the people present in the room.

Ryder didn't stay behind, though. He subtly continued walking forth since he had realized that Okala was probably the one in charge here since he was standing at the front, and everyone was looking at him.

Ryder was amidst the crowd moving forward when Okala spoke another sentence, which alerted everyone.

"There is an uninvited guest with us here today. Please step outside so that we can talk," Okala let out as he realized that there was one extra person here than the ones that should be here. He didn't know that amongst the infiltrators, one was from the FBI while the other was Ryder, whom he had invited.

****

Something massive was happening outside, as well.

Over ten armored vehicles arrived near the flyover, and over 50 cop cars arrived in the cop cars. The cops were prepared with bulletproof vests and guns while the Special Ops guys looked even more prepared with their heavy weapons. The leader of the cops and the leader of the special ops team shook hands with Riya and asked her for an update about the situation.

After getting updates, they commanded their men to follow after them as they moved toward the back of the flyover with their guns aimed at the front, ready to fire.

As Riya and the others reached behind the Flyover, the first thing they saw was a dead body. 

Riya couldn't help but frown as she saw the body.

"Cheh, these criminals can't even assemble peacefully. They shot one of their own," The Police Captain let out as he shook his head.

They commanded their men to surround the entrance. Their initial plan was to tell the people that were inside to surrender as Ray had already conveyed the information that this was the only way to get out.

****

"Since you have come to our meeting, there's no need to be shy anymore. Come out and let's have a chat," Okala said as he glanced at the masked members.

"Everyone, our guest, is a little shy. Can I ask the masked members to take their mask off?" Okala said with a subtle smile on his face.

'Well, I guess that was all for sneaking in,' Ryder thought.

He was about to step out when something strange happened.

One of the masked people inside the hall pulled out a gun and pointed it towards Okala.

"This is it for your dark syndicate. No one will move, or I'll blow his head off," Ray declared as he aimed his gun at Okala.

"So you are our guest. Don't worry. No one will move. Why don't you come forth and tell me who you are?" Okala didn't look scared. He looked more casual as if he wasn't worried 

Ray was about to move forward when Riya opened the entrance and made the announcement.

"The FBI has surrounded this place. Step outside with your hands above your head, or we would be forced to enter. You have 1 minute to step outside!" Riya declared using a loudspeaker.

The cops and the special ops agents were ready to enter at a moment's notice.

"Now, you know who I am? There are hundreds of agents outside. If you don't follow my commands and surrender, you would be killed. There is no escape," Ray declared.

Ryder, on the other hand, had a wry smile on his face. He wanted to take Okala with him to get his answers, but the news that he was surrounded by the FBI shocked him. Leaving this place was not difficult for him, but leaving this place while keeping Okala alive was more difficult.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think the FBI can arrest me with the strength that they have," Okala shook his head as his smile disappeared.

The ground below, Ray started shaking, which made him lose his balance, but he still stayed standing. One of the men present there utilized this opportunity as he jumped towards Ray in front of the gun.

Ray fired a shot that penetrated the forehead of the men that had jumped towards him, but more people jumped over him. It seemed as if they didn't care for whatever happened to them.

The strangest thing was that the person that was shot in the forehead was still standing. It was as if he wasn't hurt.

The man was previously wearing a cloak and a mask which hid his face, but now the mask had fallen. Ryder saw the face of the men, which looked as pale as the dead body. There was no shine in his eyes. In fact, it didn't seem like he was even breathing.

Ray was captured, and his gun was taken.

"Guys, Please get ready for battle. It's time to fight for the dark glory," Okala commanded the members that were in the hallway.

The people there brought out their guns as commanded. Only now did Ryder saw how heavily armed people were. Each of them was holding two guns.

'That man... was he an undead?' Ryder wondered as he glanced at the pale man whose head was penetrated. There was a big hole in his head, but no blood was coming out of it.

There were 20 people in the hall that were wearing the same grey mask. Ryder wondered if all of them were like this person.

'This world is turning out to be too creepy,' he thought as he looked towards Okala.

The FBI raid and now the Undeads? Ryder's whole plan was turned upside down today.

Ryder continued walking towards Okala slowly.

"Are you the person I talked to on the phone?" Okala asked as he saw Ryder coming towards him.

"I must say, I was genuinely fooled. If I hadn't found out that number 23 was caught, I would never have realized that I gave someone else the information." He added.