23.Rescue

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cityscape, Shiv's mind churned with a mix of determination and trepidation.

He knew that confronting his vice developer, Vashu, would be no easy feat, especially considering the stakes involved. With a heavy heart, he made his way to Vashu's office, steeling himself for the battle that lay ahead.

Upon entering the dimly lit room, Shiv's gaze fell upon Vashu, who sat hunched over his computer screen, a faint glow illuminating his features. There was a palpable tension in the air as Shiv squared his shoulders and cleared his throat, preparing to confront the man who had betrayed him.

The air in the office felt heavy with tension as Shiv stood before Vashu, his eyes ablaze with determination. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down upon him, each heartbeat echoing in the silence of the room. But he refused to back down, refusing to let fear or doubt cloud his resolve.

Shiv's voice was steady, despite the turmoil raging within him. "Vashu, we need to talk."

Vashu's eyes narrowed, a flicker of unease betraying his facade of confidence. "What is it, Shiv? I'm rather busy at the moment."

Shiv took a step forward, his gaze piercing through Vashu's mask of indifference. "This can't wait, Vashu. We have a serious issue to address."

Vashu's expression hardened as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine, Shiv. Speak your mind. But make it quick."

Shiv's jaw clenched as he struggled to contain his anger. "You injected malicious code into our firewall, didn't you? You betrayed us; you betrayed me."

Vashu's smirk faltered, replaced by a look of feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Shiv. You're grasping at straws."

But Shiv wasn't fooled by Vashu's facade. He could see the truth lurking behind those calculating eyes, a truth he had long suspected but refused to acknowledge until now.

Shiv's voice was laced with accusation as he pressed on. "Don't play dumb, Vashu. I know it was you. You sabotaged our firewall, putting our entire company at risk."

At this moment, Vashu knows there is no need to keep the façade.

Vashu's eyes flickered up from the screen, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "Ah, Shiv, what a pleasant surprise, and where did you get the information?"

Shiv with rage "Don't be oversmart; have you not had the courage to accept what you do?"

Vashu's expression remained unchanged, but there was a glint of something dark in his eyes. "And what if I did, Shiv? What are you going to do about it?"

Shiv's hands clenched into fists at his sides as he fought to control the rage boiling within him. "You think you can just walk in here and destroy everything we've built? You think you can threaten my personal assistant and her family?"

Vashu's grin turned predatory as he leaned forward, his eyes blazing with malice. "Oh, Shiv, you have no idea what I'm capable of. You should have known better than to trust me, just like you trusted your old friend who betrayed you in the past."

After a pause, Vashu stands near the window, then faces Shiv.

Vashu's smirk returned with a cruel twist of his lips. "I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want, Shiv. And if that means using your personal assistant as leverage, then so be it."

Shiv felt a surge of fury coursing through his veins, threatening to consume him whole. But he forced himself to remain calm and to think rationally in the face of such blatant betrayal.

Shiv: "You may have betrayed me once, Vashu, but I won't let you do it as you please. You may have threatened my personal assistant and her family, but I won't let you hold them hostage now. I will stop you, no matter what it takes."

Vashu's grin faltered, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. "You think you can stop me, Shiv? You're just one man against the might of my power.

Shiv, step forward and stand close to Vashu, with a smirk on your face.

Vashu starts to feel uneasy about Shiv's smirk and instinctively tries to create some distance.

Out of nowhere, Shiv grabs Vashu by the neck and locks eyes with him.

In his mind, Shiv instructs Reng, "Reng, start searching his memory to find out where he's kept them, along with any videos and pictures of Lily."

Reng extends his power towards Vashu's head and begins to delve into his memories. As Reng reads his mind, Vashu's eyes lose their color, and he falls unconscious.

After a few minutes, Reng announces, "I've obtained the information."

Shiv nods and says, "Let's keep him restrained in my office for now. First, we need to rescue Lily's family. Then we can decide what to do with him."

Stepping out of his office, Shiv calls Lily and informs her that he's on his way to bring her family back.

Lily joins him, and Shiv drives her car towards a warehouse located far outside the city.

It takes them a tedious two and a half hours to reach their destination.

Stopping the car at a safe distance from the warehouse, Shiv asks Reng to survey the area.

Reng can go up to 500 meters away from Shiv, enabling him to gather information about the surroundings.

After 5 minutes, Reng returns and reports that the house is locked from the outside and that there are four people held captive inside. There doesn't seem to be any guards present, so all they need to do is break the lock and free the prisoners.

Shiv sits in his car and heads towards the warehouse. Standing in front of it, he throws a large stone to break the lock, repeating the process a few times until it finally gives way.

Both Shiv and Lily enter the warehouse and find four individuals tied to chairs, unaware of their surroundings.

Due to their dire condition, the captives haven't had any food or water for several days.

Without wasting any time, Shiv quickly unties them and escorts them to his car. He then drives them to the nearest hospital and admits them for immediate treatment.

Lily expresses her gratitude to Shiv and rushes towards her family.

Shiv turns to Reng and inquires about the videos and pictures.

Reng solemnly informs him, "The videos and pictures have already been circulated on the internet; Lily just isn't aware of them."

Not just that, I also planted sneaky malware in the uploaded ID. If, by any chance, they use that ID to log in, we can track their whereabouts.

Now, when it comes to the folks behind Vashu, guess who? It's your old pals! They've returned and are responsible for all your mishaps. But here's the catch: There's someone among them who doesn't appear in their memories. This mysterious person was inquiring about your old book.

When Shiv heard this, he was taken aback. No one, not even his own family, knew about the old book.

Who on earth is searching for a book? And if they are, they must not be ordinary humans. Maybe they're some kind of cultivator.