Learning the situation in Mali, Alexander rushed to the Command Ops and gave his words to Captain Vasili, assuring him that they'll get his family back at all costs.
Now, watching the large LCD screen mounted on the wall, Alexander rapped his fingers on the table as he waited for the Special Forces they deployed in Hanseong to find Captain Vasili's wife and daughter.
Ralf Hietela was captured and thank god they did, but Alexander didn't expect the prices that came with it, a family of the soldier who apprehended the notorious arms dealer. He empathizes with Captain Vasili, putting himself in his shoes and imagining what if it's his children and wife.
Although the Special Forces were instructed to not harm Ralf Hietela, he understood Vasili's rage at the moment, where he stood in front of the man who was threatening to take his family away. So in that case, he wouldn't punish him.
"So what is the news that we had so far?" Alexander asked.
"Your Majesty, our men went into the Royal Palace and asked the staff there. According to the staff, Vasili's wife didn't come to the office today, which they found odd, as she was never late before."
"And what about their child?"
"Their child is not in the house, nor does the caretaker that is watching over the child," Sergei replied.
"This is kidnapping," Alexander muttered under his breath. "Are there any witnesses who have seen the kidnapping?"
Sergei shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. It seems that whoever took Captain Vasili's family took great care to make sure that there were no witnesses."
Alexander leaned back in his chair, a sense of frustration and helplessness washing over him. He had promised Captain Vasili that he would do everything in his power to bring his family back, but with no leads and no witnesses, it seemed like an impossible task.
He took a deep breath and looked at his advisors. "We need to expand our search. Contact the police and military forces in the surrounding areas. We need to find any information that can help us track down the kidnappers."
"We are coordinating with the police forces of the Choson Empire as we speak, but Your Majesty, if the kidnappers were to notice a huge force of police scouring the area, they may become more cautious and could harm the hostages," Sergei said with concern.
Alexander nodded, understanding the delicate situation they were in. "We need to be careful, but we cannot just sit here and do nothing. We need to find a way to locate them without alerting the kidnappers."
Just then, the door to the Command Ops room burst open and a young officer ran in, out of breath. "Your Majesty, we have a lead!"
Alexander and his advisors turned their attention to the officer, eager for any information that could help them in their search.
"What is it? What have you found?" Alexander asked, his voice tinged with urgency.
The officer took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "We received a report from a local shopkeeper in a nearby village. He said that he saw a suspicious group of men with a woman and a child matching the description of Captain Vasili's family. They were seen getting into a car and heading north,"
"When was it?"
The officer quickly checked his notes. "It was about an hour ago, Your Majesty."
Alexander stood up, his heart racing with hope. "If it's an hour ago, then we might as well have a chance to find them…though with a large search radius, it will be a huge undertaking, as they could be anywhere within a 60-kilometer radius. But I promised Captain Vasili that he will get his wife and daughter back. So under the power vested in me, I ordered all necessary personnel of the Ruthenia Empire to conduct a massive search within the 60-kilometer radius. We will not stop until we find Captain Vasili's family and bring them back safely," Alexander declared with determination.
The officers and advisors in the room nodded in agreement, all sharing the same sentiment as their emperor.
Alexander turned to Sergei. "Contact the police and military forces again. We need all the help we can get."
Sergei nodded and quickly got to work, making the necessary calls and coordinating with the authorities in the surrounding areas.
***
At Hanseong military air base, the soldiers stationed in the bases were alerted and spurred into action as soon as they received the order from the High Command. The alarms were blaring as military personnel got to their helicopters and vehicles. Their movements were swift and efficient,
As they flew over the vast terrain, scanning the area for any signs of the kidnappers or Captain Vasili's family, Alexander couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What if they were too late? What if they couldn't find them in time? He pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand.
"What was the color of the vehicle according to the witness?" Alexander asked, turning to the officer who had brought them the lead.
The officer consulted his notes. "The witness said it was a dark-colored SUV, Your Majesty."
Alexander nodded, making a mental note of the information. "Keep an eye out for any dark SUVs in the area."
The search continued for several hours, with the soldiers combing through every inch of the designated search radius. Just when it seemed like they were running out of options, a soldier radioed in with a breakthrough.
"Your Majesty, we've spotted a dark SUV matching the description near the edge of the search radius. We're moving in to investigate."
Alexander's heart raced as he watched the live feed from the soldier's helmet camera. They approached the SUV cautiously, weapons at the ready, and as they got closer, they could see a figure sitting in the driver's seat.
"Freeze! Put your hands up!" the soldier shouted, aiming his gun at the driver.
The figure slowly raised its hands.
"Get out of the vehicle slowly!"
The figure complied, slowly stepping out of the car with their hands still raised.
"Are they the kidnappers?" Alexander asked and the soldiers on the ground searched the vehicle.
"There are no signs of the package but we found a pistol inside the vehicle, they are probably the kidnappers, Your Majesty," the soldier said.
"What about that wooden house over there? Is it possible that they are inside that house?"
"They could be, Your Majesty but going in without information of their numbers would be dangerous. We are going to set up a perimeter, making sure that they can't escape and wait for backup," the soldier said.
"Thank you, I'll have all the forces near your location and await further instructions," Alexander replied.
He turned to his advisors. "We need to act fast. We can't risk the safety of Captain Vasili's family."
Sergei nodded in agreement. "We can send in a team of trained negotiators to try and communicate with the kidnappers and negotiate for the release of the hostages."
"No, I don't think they will be the type of men to negotiate with. They are under the instruction that if they haven't heard from Ralf Hietela, they are going to harm his family, which is something I don't want to happen."
***
Meanwhile, inside the house, one of the kidnappers looked out of the window and saw Ruthenian soldiers surrounding the house.
"Sir, we are being surrounded."
"How did they find us?" the lead kidnapper asked, his voice laced with frustration.
"I don't know, sir. Maybe someone saw us," the kidnapper replied, his eyes scanning the room nervously.
The lead kidnapper cursed under his breath. They had been careful, so careful. They had chosen a remote location and made sure that there were no witnesses around when they took Captain Vasili's family. How had they been found?
"Well, don't worry, we still have our leverage against them," the lead kidnapper looked at Captain Vasili's wife whose mouth was gagged and hands tied. Her baby inside the crib next to her was crying loudly.
"Tell them that if they do something funny, we will kill these two," the lead kidnapper paused, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "And we'll make sure they suffer before we do."
Captain Vasili's wife struggled against her restraints, her eyes wide with fear. Her baby's cries grew louder, and the lead kidnapper looked over at the crib with annoyance.
"Shut that kid up!" he barked at one of his accomplices.
The accomplice moved towards the crib, and Captain Vasili's wife struggled harder against her restraints, tears streaming down her face.
"Please, don't hurt my baby," she begged, her voice muffled by the gag.
The accomplice picked up the baby, who continued to cry and held him at arm's length. "One more sound out of you, and I'll make sure you never cry again," he threatened.
Captain Vasili's wife sobbed, her heart breaking at the sight of her baby in danger. She looked towards the window, hoping and praying that the soldiers outside would be able to save them.
