CUS 9; Cinco Encounter

ENCOUNTER 11

The sudden disappearance of Blade sent shockwaves through the camp. Sab, Simon, and Garen gathered in the command tent, their faces etched with immeasurable concern and suspicion.

Sab paced restlessly, his Scottish brogue tight with worry. "I don't like this, lads. After everything that happened, for her to just vanish..."

Simon stood motionless, his masked face unreadable. "Could be connected to the murders."

Garen's imposing figure loomed in the corner, his blue eyes narrowed in thought. "We're not sure if she's just around or something...but I don't like this. It worries me."

Sab who was tensed with worry, turned his unsettled gaze to the two, "what if she's been abducted? Fck! I can't imagine her being beaten like that..."

The image of the murdered soldiers lingered in his vision, his stomach churning with indescribable wariness.

"It couldn't be—"

"Don't think like that. Blade must be somewhere..."

"As much as I want to, but damn it's killing me!" Sab couldn't compose himself. Worries etched on his face.

As the three men debated their next move, the camp buzzed with rumors and speculation about Blade's disappearance and its possible connection to the recent murders.

Meanwhile, in a hidden hideout several kilometers away from the camp. Blade was bound on the chair. Her entire form was disheveled as two men standing in front of her, their gaze mischievous and deadly.

While she was having her secret training, the men showed up. Blade fought them but was captured.

Countless images flooded her vision, followed by excruciating pain that she felt her head was going to explode. Blade lost her focus and had the enemies capture her.

One of the men leaned in close, his breath hot on Blade's face. "Well, well. Looks like we caught ourselves a little tough soldier," the man sneered.

The other man circled behind her, his fingers trailing along her shoulders. "Boss will be pleased. Maybe we'll finally get some answers about that meddling brother of yours."

Blades eyes glimmer with threats. The man mentioning her brother's relativity to this incident.

Confused,

Blade's eyes blazed with defiance, but she remained silent, her mind racing to find a way out of this predicament. The room was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and rusted metal.

The first man grabbed her chin roughly. "Start talking, sweetheart. What do you know about the recent... activities in your camp? And where is that thing that your brother steals us?"

The first man's grip on Blade's chin tightened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Not feeling talkative, eh? We have ways of loosening tongues."

The second man chuckled darkly, producing a wicked-looking knife. "Maybe a few cuts will jog her memory. What do you say, sweetheart?"

Blade's defiant glare didn't waver, but her mind raced with the sudden flashes of vague memories, assessing her options. The ropes binding her were tight, but she could feel a slight give in them. She just needed to buy some time.

The hideout crackled with tension, the air thick with the promise of violence. As her captors prepared to escalate their interrogation, Blade steeled herself for what was to come, her resolve to uncover the truth about her brother's death burning even hotter in the face of this new threat.

The first man's frustration grew at Blade's continued silence. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back. "Playing the weak little girl act, huh? We know better than that."