<h4>Chapter 386: Culprit?</h4>


    "Good. Let’s leave. We have a few bones to break," Ryder said as he stepped inside the helicopter. Shu and the other guards also entered.


    Shu shared the location with the pilot who started flying.


    The helicopter took to the air and started moving south.


    Ryder finally looked at the location in Shu’s phone after taking it from his hand.


    "This ce is Esmi’s house. Was she the one behind it? Someone is really going to die today," he muttered as he frowned.


    "You know this ce?" Shu asked, hearing Ryder’s words.


    "Yeah. This is Esmi’s Mansion. I mean, it’s where Bastion lives," Ryder replied, confused himself.


    "Bastion? I remember him. Isn’t he your best friend? Why would he kidnap your sister?" Shu asked in confusion.


    "I have no idea. I don’t believe he would do something like this, but this location is actually his house. I really hope he didn’t do this," Ryder muttered, clenching his fist.


    The helicopter soon reached Esmi’s Mansion.


    Ryder and Shu stepped out of the helicopter with the guards.


    The Guards of Esmi’s Mansion also stepped to the front, taking aims as they saw a foreign force in front of the Mansion doors.


    "Wait! Lower your Weapons. It’s Mr. Ryder. He is a friend of the boss," the leader of the guards told the others to lower their weapons as he walked towards Ryder.


    "Mister Ryder, why did youe with so many guards?" The leader of Esmi’s security asked Ryder, still being a little wary.


    "Don’t mind then. They are apanying my friend who dropped me here. They will stay outside. Only I’m here to meet Bastion. After that, I will leave with them," Ryder replied, gesturing to Shu’s guards to step back.


    Understanding Ryder’smands, Shu also told his guards to step back.


    The forward followed the same as that stepped back.


    "Alright. Come inside," the leader said as he opened the door, allowing Ryder to enter.


    "Ryder?" Shu called out to Ryder, wondering why he was willing to go alone inside.


    "I’ll be right back. You so wait for me," Ryder said, waving his hand as he stepped inside the premise.


    He walked towards the mansion with big strides and soon entered.


    "Bastion! Esmi!" Ryder called out as soon as he entered the mansion.


    "Oh, Ryder? Were you missing me? You came at the right time. Bastion left half an hour ago. I’m all alone," Esmi let out as she came down the stairs while smiling.


    " Where is Alice?" Ryder asked straight away.


    "Alice? Why would I have her? What do you mean? Was sheing here?" Esmi asked in confusion.


    Ryder opened the phone and noticed that the signal was still showing inside the house.


    "Alice was kidnapped. I think she is here. The people that kidnapped her are here after all!" Ryder called out as he walked towards the closest room and opened the door.


    Bargain inside the room, he started checking everywhere. Not finding anyone, he left and moved over to the next room.


    Esmi stayed on the stairs nkly for quite some time, nkly.


    After a long time, she opened her lips. She shouted angrily. "Are you doubting me? Do you really think that I can do this?! How can you even doubt me!"


    "I don’t have time to exin. I’ll exinter, but I’m promising you, if you have a hand in it, it won’t be good for anyone," Ryder let out as he continued checking the rooms.


    "Fine! Don’t trust me! Check everywhere! I will prove that I’m innocent, and then I’ll see how you exin." Esmi said as she folded her arms. She also looked furious now as she was being doubted.


    Ryder checked everywhere on the ground floor; however, he didn’t find anything.


    He walked towards the stairs and went upstairs, walking past Esmi, who didn’t even look towards him in her anger. Ryder didn’t care about her. He was more concerned about Alice at the moment.


    He went upstairs and started checking the rooms there as well.


    He walked towards Esmi’s room after checking the other room.


    "You didn’t find anything in other rooms. Do you still think you can find her here? But you don’t trust me anyway. Go and check, or your suspicions won’t be over," Esmi let out, sarcastically.


    She couldn’t believe that Ryder didn’t trust her. She didn’t intervene, though. She let him do whatever he wished.


    Ryder stepped inside the room, opening the door only to find something that stunned him.


    Alice was tied. Her mouth was covered with tape, and two masked men were pointing their guns at her, gesturing to her to stay silent.


    Fortunately, there wasn’t any wound on her, and it didn’t seem like she was harmed. Her friend was also sitting beside her as tears kept falling from her eyes.


    "You bastards!"


    Ryder pulled out two guns that were tucked inside his clothes and fired the shots.


    One of the shots prated the head of the man, killing him instantly.


    The other bullet hit the hands of the second man, making the gun fall from his hands.


    Ryder ran towards the man, who was roaring in pain as his hand was shot.


    He grabbed the man by his neck and raised him in the air before he thrashed him on the ground.


    "How dare you!" Ryder let out, failing to control his strength as he started choking the man.


    "W-wait..." Alice called out despite being scared after seeing Ryder kill one man right before her eyes.


    Ryder heard her words and removed some of his strength, just enough to give the man pain but not to kill him.


    Esmi had heard the gunshots, and she barged inside. Her face turned pale as she saw two girls in her room and a dead body.


    She went nk, not knowing what had happened.


    "Tell me who put you to it! Tell me who!" Ryder thundered.


    "Aa..." The man struggled to breathe.


    "C-can’t breathe!" he said after some struggle.


    Ryder removed his hand from the man’s neck and stood up.


    Aiming his gun at the man, he shot again, this time hitting the other hand of the man.


    The man roared like a dying pig as his second hand was shot as well.


    "I’m running out of patience! You have three seconds! I want names, or you’ll die!" Ryder said, aiming the gun at the man’s chest this time.


    Esmi stood in the back, frowning.


    "How did you even enter my house?" She asked the man.


    "I’m interrogating him! Don’t interfere!" Ryder roared, turning Esmi silent. He was furious to know that his friend and Esmi could do something like this, but he still gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited for an answer from the man.