The old man barely acknowledged them with a flick of his gaze.
Then, with a tone cold enough to silence the air around him, he gave his command.
"Open the carrier."
At once, the guards obeyed, moving to unseal the truck.
The metallic clanks of locks being undone echoed in the stillness of the night. Hunter tensed, his breath catching as the heavy doors began to creak open.
From his perch high in the trees, Knight muttered through the comms, voice tight with anticipation.
"Hunter… what do you see?"
But when the carrier finally opened, both men—Hunter hidden in the shadows and Knight watching through his scope—were struck silent by the sight before them.
They never imagined it would be humans.
As the heavy steel doors of the carrier creaked open, the stench of sweat, blood, and fear spilled into the night air, so pungent that even the guards instinctively covered their noses.
