71

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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John stepped forward and kicked the man in the ribs after removing him from the trunk of his car, waking him up from his unconscious state. The man groaned in pain, his eyes slowly opening as he tried to focus on his surroundings.

"Who is in charge of the RED?" John demanded, his voice cold and menacing.

The man blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the bright light and the pain coursing through his body. He groaned again, then spat at John, defiance in his eyes.

John's expression hardened, and he delivered another swift kick to the man's side. "I asked you a question," he said through gritted teeth. "And I expect an answer."

"I... I won't tell you anything," the man spat out, his voice hoarse from the beating he had endured. "You'll never find the bases, and you'll never defeat the RED."

Banner stepped forward, his face a mask of controlled anger. "You're willing to die for them? Is that it?" he asked, his tone cutting through the air like a knife. "Tell us what we want to know, and we might consider giving you a chance at redemption."

The man's face contorted into a sneer. "I'd rather die than betray the RED," he said defiantly. "You can do whatever you want to me. I won't break."

Tony stepped in, his voice calm but firm. "Listen to me," he said, his eyes piercing through the man's defiant gaze. "We don't want to hurt you. But we need to stop the RED before they cause more harm. You can help us. Tell us what we need to know, and we can offer you protection and a chance to start over."

'What a good lie. Even I was fooled in believing him,' John wondered as he listened to Tony.

The man's expression wavered for a moment, doubt flickering in his eyes. But then he shook his head, his resolve strengthening once more. "I won't betray my people," he stated, his voice filled with unyielding determination.

John crouched down, his eyes locking with the man. "I understand that you're loyal to your cause," he said softly. "But think about the suffering you would be going through now. The RED's actions have caused so much pain to me. I just hope that you won't be the person to bear all the responsibility for what the RED did to me."

John tired his best to act all the way like a person whose parents were killed by the organisation of whom this person was actually a part of.

The man's eyes held a glimmer of doubt, and for a moment, it seemed like he might waver. But then he shook his head once more, his jaw clenching in defiance. "I won't betray the RED," he repeated, his voice unyielding.

Anybody who saw this manay think that although evil, he was quite a loyal person. But John knew that behind the tough exterior of this man, a lot of fear was hidden. John's Observation Haki enabled him to understand the true feelings of this man who seemed to have a good control over his expressions.

Tony let out a frustrated breath and paced back and forth. "Fine," he said, his tone heavy with disappointment. "If you won't cooperate, then we have no use for you."

He motioned to Banner, who nodded grimly and approached the man. With a swift movement, he injected a serum into the man's arm, causing him to wince in pain.

"What did you do?" the man asked, panic creeping into his eyes.

"It's a truth serum," Tony explained. "You won't be able to lie under its effects. So you might as well save yourself the trouble and tell us what we want to know."

The serum began to take effect, and the man's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the compulsion to speak the truth.

"The remaining bases are scattered across the country," he started to say, his words spilling out uncontrollably. "The leaders are stationed in a heavily fortified facility in the mountains. They have a network of loyal followers and advanced weaponry. You'll never be able to defeat them."

John leaned in, his eyes fixed on the man's face. "What about their leader? Who is it?" he demanded.

The man hesitated for a moment, but then the truth spilled out. "The leader goes by the name of General Volkov. He's a ruthless and cunning strategist, and he'll stop at nothing to ensure the RED's agenda succeeds."

After hearing about the person's name from the man's mouth, Tony decided to make a quick search regarding this General.

As the truth serum's effects began to wear off, the man slumped back, exhausted and defeated. But there was a flicker of something else in his eyes – a hint of regret and hope.

Tony who was doing something on his phone, suddenly opened a hologram showing the picture of the man and dome information below which Tony started reading out loud.

As Tony began to read out the details from the search results, it became evident that the man was not just any ordinary criminal. He was known as Mikhail Ivanov, a high-ranking member of the RED, a notorious criminal organization that had wreaked havoc across the city for years.

Mikhail Ivanov was a man with a dark and twisted mind, responsible for a litany of heinous crimes that had struck fear into the hearts of the city's inhabitants. He was known for his brutality and ruthlessness, showing no mercy to those who dared to defy him or stand in the way of the RED's agenda.

One of the most infamous crimes attributed to Mikhail Ivanov was the bombing of a government building that had resulted in the deaths of countless innocent civilians. The act of senseless violence had shocked and horrified the entire city, leaving a scar that would take years to heal.

But that was not the extent of his cruelty. Mikhail Ivanov was also implicated in a series of kidnappings, extortion, and drug trafficking, all carried out with a chilling efficiency that made him a feared and despised figure in the criminal underworld.

He was a wanted person person all over Russia and there was also a high reward for people who have any information of the location about him. Moroeover the Government wanted to capture the person dead or alive in order to appease the hearts of the common people.

"Now, you tell me what should we do with you?" Tony asked although his eyes gleamed with determination that he was not going to let this person live anymore.

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