"No..... No..... Stop it! Please... "
"Oh God... Please no, make them stop!"
"Noooooooooooo!"
Keira gave a long, loud and piercing cry before she opened her eyes and burst out sobbing as she shrunk herself at the corner of her bed, her knees curled up to her chest in a fetal position. She was trembling and her body was bathed in cold sweat.
’It was only a dream... Oh God, thank you, it’s not real...’ Keira kept mumbling to herself as her sobbing continued.
Her dream was so vivid, it felt so real.
In her dream Zach was all wounded and bleeding, suffering and writhing in what seemed to be unbearable pain and agony. He was in such poor shape that she could no longer recognize his bruised face. In that dream, he was tortured by Leon and one of his men. They were showing him no mercy as they kept kicking and punching him even after he collapsed onto the ground. She wanted to run to him and save him but her legs wouldn’t move. They were heavy, as heavy as lead, and all she could do was stand there and watch and scream.
"Oh God.... Please... Let us find him soon." Keira murmured in between her sobs. Her heart tore at the thought of her husband being racked with pain from all the sufferings he might be going through right now. Just like in her dream. As her distress grew stronger, even more desolate tears ran from her eyes and dripped into her pillow.
’I’m coming soon, please wait a bit more... I will find you and bring you back.’ How she hoped Zach could hear her thoughts somehow.
Her phone rang and she immediately answered after seeing it was John.
"Madam, we have picked up a signal and they are tracking it right now," said John from the other line.
Keira immediately jumped out of her bed and ran towards the room where the team which had been assigned by her father to monitor Zach’s tracking devices was operating. The team had rotating shifts and was always available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.
"Where is he?" Keira asked while panting hard as soon as she barged inside the room.
"It was the signal from his bracelet, Madam, but it faded so fast so it was not enough to track his exact coordinates. But the thing is..." John said but hesitated if he should continue or not.
"What? Dammit John, just say it!" Keira snapped at John as she was already on pins and needles from anxiety and anticipation.
John scratched his head and said, "The signal came from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean..."
Keira’s knees weakened... She knew what John was thinking. It was a vast ocean and John was thinking that the signal might have come from Zach’s dead body that had been tossed into the sea and carried by the current into the vast ocean.
She was breathing deeply, trying to compose herself. It took her a few moments before she started talking again, "Make sure to keep a close watch on the signal. Don’t miss a single second. He is alive, John... He must be inside a ship. Chin mentioned before that Leon was in the middle of building another ship that would resemble the previous Ghost Ship for more of his business dealings. Call Chin and Jeru now."
John nodded. He really admired Mrs. Lim’s resilient spirit and optimistic attitude. He should work hard and not let her down. Mrs. Lim was right, it was not impossible that General Zach was still alive. ’I will definitely make sure your signal is well monitored, Sir...’ John mused as sympathy for his Mrs. Lim filled up his heart.
.......
"Boss, many were asking when the fighting tournament will finally start," Draco remarked to his Boss who was busy watching his men torture Zach.
Leon’s mouth twitched seeing Zach’s toughness and perseverance as he endured each and every blow he was receiving with an air of stubbornness and refused to show any signs of defeat. "Acting so tough, huh?" he mumbled, feeling somewhat irritated.
After a few more minutes...
"Halt!" he shouted to his men. Then he gave Draco an evil grin and said, "Well, we need more money... Tell the boys it will start soon."
He shifted his gaze back at Zach and murmured, "Let’s put this bastard to good use while we’re laying low... Let’s see if he could bring us more money."
"Go bring that General to the infirmary and have his injuries treated!" shouted Leon who suddenly had a change of plan for Zach. As he had already noticed, Zach was a tough cookie to crack and one hell of a fighter. And Leon knew exactly the kind of thing which he could use him for. He looked at Draco and said, "Prepare him for a fight... Give him the alias ’The General’ and line him up with the other cage fighters for the tournament."
At the end of the day, money had always been his prime concern and it had precedence over any other plans. Money was his God, as it was the one thing that would bestow him great power and allow him to do anything and everything he wanted.
Apart from all of his other illegal business dealings, Leon had already been planning to start a new business venture. It was going to be an underground fight club where he would host an exclusive tournament of illegal cage fighting matches. It was going to be a site of leisure for the uber-rich who like their entertainment brutal and gritty. Only the greatest fighters from all over the world would be allowed to participate and they would battle each other to the point of serious injury and/or death.
He had his own group of fighters who were carefully selected and trained. Other great fighters would be allowed to participate in exchange for a high participation fee.
He had another location in mind where he would host the illegal tournament, but it was on land, and considering the hunted fugitive status that he had now, it was no longer secure to host the tournament there.
Using his second ship as a temporary spot for the tournament was his best option for now. Unlike on land, it would be harder for the authorities to capture him there.
"The underground fighting tournament would be held onboard for now. Prepare the space for it," he instructed with an excited smirk while he massaged his chin. Maybe he should tweak the rules of the tournament a little bit, so he could torment Zach while still able to use him to earn money.
He knew Zach was a good and an upright man.
"Let’s see how good and righteous you could still be, if your life was put on the line..." he said, followed by an evil laugh.