Chapter 173

Chapter 173

"Then guess where my people are now?" Soren growled at them through gritted teeth.

Just then, a sharp roar cut through the air above them.

"Helicopters. They came well prepared." Zachariah narrowed his eyes, watching the aircraft overhead. "William, what's your plan?"

William crossed his arms and said calmly, "I came here alone. You don't seriously expect me to jump from here onto the helicopter and take out the pilot, do you?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Zachariah would never believe that from anyone else. But coming from William? He believed it one hundred percent.

Because this guy had shocked them way too many times before.

"You're giving me way too much credit. I'm a person, not Superman." William waved at him. "Got a gun?"

"A handgun should do the job, right?" Zachariah handed it over.

William turned the handgun over in his hands, eyes narrowed, watching the helicopter descend lower and lower.

Soren let out a cold laugh. "What a bunch of idiots." Did they really think they could blow up a helicopter? That was a top-of-the-line aircraft. No handgun was powerful enough to take it down.

Zachariah kicked Soren hard in the jaw, knocking him out cold. "Shut up. Nobody asked for your opinion."

Now all they had to do was wait for William to make his move.

William looked up, tracking the helicopter's distance, then slowly raised his arm and locked his eyes on the fuel tank. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

A rapid series of shots rang out. Every single bullet hit the exact same spot.

"What is that guy doing? Tickling our helicopter?"

"Is he out of his mind?"

"Forget him for now. Get the rescue team down there fast and bring the target up— wait, the fuel tank's been hit!" The pilot grabbed his head, staring at the instruments in disbelief. The fuel gauge was dropping fast.

"Last one." William pulled the trigger. The bullet flew and the friction inside the tank struck a spark.

The helicopter exploded in midair and began plummeting to the ground.

"Run!" Zachariah grabbed the unconscious Soren and sprinted for cover. William did the same.

By the time they reached cover, the helicopter had already hit the ground and exploded a second time. Shrapnel flew in every direction, tearing apart what had once been a grand villa.

When the explosions finally died down, William and Zachariah stood up from behind cover and stared in silence at the wreckage in the distance.

Zachariah closed his gaping mouth and turned to William. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a monster?"

Blowing up a helicopter with a handgun — was that really something a human being could do?

"Heard it a thousand times. Their backup is gone now. Report back to headquarters when you get a chance, then have someone transfer him to Celestial Prison."

"What about you?" Zachariah asked.

William was already walking away. "My job here is done. Isn't cleaning up the scene what you FBI guys are for?"

"Always making more work for people." Zachariah pressed a hand to his forehead, then grabbed his radio. "Target area is clear. Come in and clean up."

"That fast?"

"With Celestial Prison's Warden here, it'd be weird if it wasn't."

"On our way."

"Copy."

Not long after William left, a large number of FBI agents had gathered at the scene, and every one of them was stunned by what they saw.

Two people took down a helicopter? They were shocked, but this wasn't the time for questions. They got to work clearing the area.

Three hours later, a team member walked up to Zachariah. "Captain, most of the area has been cleared."

"Good work, everyone. Is the helicopter ready?" Zachariah asked.

"Ready and waiting on the roof of the hotel across the street. You can take him straight to the prison from there."

"Got it. Thanks, everyone." With that, Zachariah dragged the still-unconscious Soren away from the scene.

The trip from Washington to Celestial Prison normally took three days, but by helicopter, it could be cut down to four hours.

By the time Zachariah and his team reached the rooftop, Soren had started to come around.

"I knew I picked the right people. I actually got away!" Soren burst out laughing and ran straight toward the helicopter. "Open the door! Now!"

Then he heard Zachariah's voice behind him. "Soren, if you wanted to go to prison this badly, you could've just told me. Would've saved me a lot of trouble hiding all this time."

Soren spun around in disbelief. "Impossible. How are you here?" Hadn't he already escaped?

Zachariah walked up to him, grabbed his head, and turned it toward the Bennett Villa. "Simple. Take a look over there."

"How is this possible?" The helicopter that had come to rescue him had crashed. Nothing left but wreckage.

A terrifying thought crept into his mind. William did this? How?

"I know what you're thinking, so let me give you a straight answer." Zachariah held his head firmly. "William did it."

"What kind of monster is he?" Just what kind of person had he gotten himself mixed up with?

"So don't even think about running. You'll be spending the rest of your days in Celestial Prison." Zachariah paused, then corrected himself. "Actually, that's not quite right. A place like that isn't exactly going to let you live comfortably, is it."

The pilot called out, "Captain, we're running short on time. We need to go."

"Alright, let's move." Zachariah quickly got everyone on board and they lifted off toward the prison.

Celestial Prison was the most notorious and brutal prison in the world. The people locked up inside were either the most dangerous killers imaginable or powerful governors and senators who had once been untouchable.

On the outside, they had ruled their worlds and answered to no one. Inside these walls, they were worth less than an ant.

"That was a long flight. My back is killing me." The helicopter touched down, and Zachariah led his group through the checkpoint on the prison's landing pad. "This place hasn't changed at all. Still smells like blood."

Then he spotted a figure in the distance and stopped cold. That woman — the FBI's rising star. What was she doing here?

"What on earth happened to her?"