Alex and Andrei had a silent ride out of the city, their minds preoccupied with worry and urgency. The bustling cityscape gradually gave way to the serene countryside, and after about twenty minutes, they arrived at a sprawling ranch.
The land stretched for miles, a beautiful expanse dotted with grazing horses and cattle. Fields of neatly tended crops lined the horizon, and the organized beauty of the place was striking, with well-maintained fences and the occasional barn or farmhouse adding to the idyllic setting.
Despite the tranquility surrounding them, Alex and Andrei were far from at ease, as each passing minute made them feel like they were suffocating, and the serene landscape did little to calm their troubled thoughts.
The car stopped at the entrance of the main building, and by following the road, the duo entered a spacious courtyard and there, they were greeted by the sight of Zero, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, standing beside a large grill.
Zero was flipping burgers, and several chairs and a table were set up nearby, ready for an impromptu gathering.
"Please, take a seat," Zero said with a smile, motioning to the chairs.
Alex's mind was clouded at the mont because he did not know whether the people who kidnapped Venedikt were after him for a specific reason or they had discovered their real identities and were after the organization.
It was clear that the kidnapping was not an accident, it was done by trained individuals who were awakened themselves and saw that they killed eight people in the store maybe because they did not wish to leave witnesses or it was to send a ssage to him.
Alex had checked the store caras and knew they caught nothing but white screens, confirming that the kidnappers had sothing that prevented the surrounding caras from working.
At this point, Alex was not even questioning how soone found them when their real nas were known by no one, not even Saahira or Ravyn and their physiques had changed too much to be traced.
However, all of that did not matter at the mont because his top priority was to get Venedikt back to his side and deal with whoever kidnapped him.
"Na your price and tell who kidnapped Venedikt and where he is at the mont," Alex said, wasting no ti in greetings.
"I would love to take you up on that offer, but you see, I have a few rules that I need to follow. Giving you that intel in detail would break those rules, which I cannot do." Zero looked at Alex with a calm expression.
"But I can still help you," Zero said, casually flipping the burgers on the grill. The sizzling sound and the aroma of cooking at filled the air, but the tension remained thick.
"I am listening," Alex replied, controlling himself from lashing out at Zero, reminding himself that at this point, only Zero could offer the help they needed.
"Before I tell you anything, answer sothing first," Zero began, looking Alex directly in the eyes.
"How far are you willing to go to get your brother back? Because if you venture into bringing him back yourself, it could possibly co with insurmountable trouble for you."
"However, if you leave everything to , I can promise you that your brother will be back safe and sound in a few days to a few weeks."
"Obviously, that would co at a cost," Zero said, his rchant-like, ugly smile creeping across his face.
"The people who kidnapped him, they didn't do it because they are after my organization, nor do they know about our in-ga identities?" Alex questioned, not missing the implications of Zero's offer.
"You are right about those people not being after you because of your in-ga identity but if you get involved in this matter too much then it would not be long before unwanted people do know about your identity," Zero said, with a serious tone.
"You did not answer my question, How far are you willing to go to save the man you call your brother."
"Think very carefully before you answer because I am asking what if saving your brother ans declaring war on the very powerful people who could destroy your life and the life of your family."
"The only way to save yourself would be to enter a very bad deal or you might not be given a chance to make a deal and the consequences of your action would be suffered by those around you."
"I am asking how much do you care about these people whom you t a little over a year ago and call them brothers," Zero asked as he walked face to face before Alex.
'I will burn everything I have for them, this is what I wish to answer, but will I do it if it endangers my family?' Alex thought, not taking the question lightly.
The answer he ca up with was not sothing that he liked but that was the only choice he would have in a situation when his family's well-being was on the line.
Alex would give away his life for his family which included Venedikt and Andrei and he knew the two brothers would do the sa but even then the safety of family ca first, but that did not an he would abandon them, not even if he had to burn all he had to the ground for them.
"I will make a bad deal if I have to, but my first choice will be to blackmail you into giving us protection," Alex said, after monts of silence, reminding Zero that he was not a nobody.
While Alex did not know what Zero was capable of doing in the ancient world, he knew that with his importance he could make entire empires co to a halt and if needed he would not shy away from using that influence.
"I am here helping you, and you're just blatantly threatening my work," Zero said, his eyes narrowing slightly showing his displeasure only for him to laugh it off.
"When I first ca to your world I made deals with powers of your world in exchange for their help in building the Ancient world technology, and in return, I gave them things of many kinds and one of those kinds is legacies and items in the ancient world."
"I gave them special rings that were connected to the said item, and whoever has that ring, with its previous owner being dead, will gain that item in the ancient world."
"The people who took Venedikt are after one such ring and at that mont the ring is in the possession of a man nad Slavik Makarov."
"Those people will not stop until they get the ring back and Slavik is dead, and I think your brother would not want that to happen since the man is their father," Zero said, leaving both Alex and Andrei baffled.
"You will not find peace with them by offering a deal, so the only option you have is to erase those people but by doing so, you will be inviting very troubleso people into this matter."
"My advice would be to leave everything to , and I will bring your brother back safe and sound, and you guys can go back to your life as it was going, forgetting this incident as a bad dream."
"But I can only advise," Zero said before he returned to his grill and began flipping burgers.
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