Holden had a grim look on his face as he stared at the abandoned warehouse in silence. Then, the voice from the loudspeaker called out, "Come on, Holden, step up to the front, right up to the warehouse door."

When Sonia saw Holden and Adrian, she quickly made hand signals to warn them about the gunmen waiting on the other side, urging Holden not to move forward.

Mitchel also said to Holden, "It's clear they're targeting you. Don't fall for it. If they capture you, we'll lose, and saving Ariana won't be possible.”

However, Holden just scoffed and replied, “Don't worry; I actually want to see what they're planning."

Resolute, Holden walked steadily to the indicated spot and called out, “Zayden, enough with the games. Come out."

The broadcast responded with a sinister laugh, and then, Zayden's voice taunted, "Ah, cousin, couldn't you be a little less clever? I was hoping to keep this going a bit Longer."

Realizing it was indeed Zayden, Sonia couldn't hold back her anger.

She grabbed the megaphone and shouted at the loudspeaker, "Zayden! You bastard! You and Sadie are nothing but despicable, shamelessly playing with other people's lives. You'll get what's coming to you!"

Zayden's dismissive chuckle echoed. "I haven't killed anyone. Ariana just had bad luck to die young. Don't make accusations without proof. Did any of you actually see me harm her? Remember, you need evidence to make claims."

Holden had no time to waste on idle talk with Zayden. His only concern was finding Ariana.

“Where's Ariana? Release her now," Holden said. He hesitated, then added, "Return Ariana to me, and I'll agree to do anything you ask."

Zayden's laughter resonated through the speaker. As his laughter faded, he remarked slowly, “It's really something to see you so desperate, Holden."

With a mocking tone, Zayden continued, “If I told you to kneel and call me ‘dad', would you actually do it?"

Before Holden could answer, Adrian lost his patience. He snatched the speaker from Sonia and yelled, "Cut the nonsense! What do you want? Stop playing games and just tell us!"

Zayden responded with a dismissive snort, "I want my cousin to join me for a little game." He paused, his tone turning playful. "As for Ariana, she's still alive. But her fate is no longer in my hands now.”

Holden's face darkened, and he asked coldly, "What do you mean by that?"

A snap of fingers echoed, followed by the sudden flicker of a projector coming to life. Holden and the others watched as a video began playing on the wall before them.

The dimly lit room in the video revealed Ariana, unconscious within a cage, while roars of wild beasts filled the air.

Besides that, outside her cage, grotesque figures prowled.

These figures, barely human, moved on all fours with their eyes glaring red and lips quivering in a silent snarl, fixated on their captive.