Chapter Seven: The Tight Circle
926 Words
Inspector Omar knelt beside Colonel Yasser's body for several seconds, the sound of the waves mingling with the whistling of the cold wind in the deserted port.
Blood slowly spread across the metal floor, and the last words still echoed in his mind:
"The traitor… is in your team…" Omar quickly looked up at the iron cranes, but the sniper had vanished, as usual.
He stood, gripping his pistol tightly, his eyes filled with rage. This was no longer just a smuggling case.
It was a hidden war where the truth was being killed before it could be spoken.
An hour later, the police had established a security cordon around the port.
But Omar hadn't told anyone the whole truth, not even Ali.
The sergeant stood near the ambulance, watching the colonel's body being removed.
"Did he say anything to you before he died?" he asked, his voice strained.
Omar hesitated for a moment.
Then he replied, "Nothing clear."
Ali watched silently, and for the first time since the beginning of the case… Omar felt suspicious of even the person closest to him.
Yasser's words echoed in his mind: "The traitor is on your team, but who? Ali? Adham? Or someone else he hasn't seen yet?"
In their secret hideout above the old shop, Adham paced nervously.
When Omar entered, he jumped to his feet.
"What happened?"
Omar replied coldly, "Colonel Yasser was killed."
Adham's expression changed instantly.
"So they've started cleaning up."
Omar approached him slowly.
"Or silencing those who know the truth."
Silence fell. Then Omar took out a picture of General Hamza and placed it on the table.
"This picture is fake."
Adham looked up quickly.
"How do you know?"
"Yasser told me before he died."
The tension was palpable on Adham's face, and that's when Omar noticed something important: fear. But not the fear of an innocent man.
The fear of someone who knew more than he was saying.
That night, Omar began examining the memory card files again. There was an encrypted file that hadn't been opened yet, and it took Ali hours to c***k its protection.
Finally, a short, shaky video recording appeared. The camera was inside an arms depot, and Vladimir was standing surrounded by armed men.
But what made everyone's blood run cold was the person who entered the frame moments later: Adham.
He was clearly visible, shaking hands with Vladimir.
Silence fell over the room. Ali looked at Adham in shock, while Omar remained motionless, as if he had been expecting this all along.
"It's not what it seems!" Adham said quickly.
Omar immediately raised his weapon at him.
"Then explain."
Adham breathed heavily.
"I was embedded within the network."
"Liar!" Ali shouted.
But Adham continued quickly. "I was working with a secret intelligence agency to monitor the gang."
Omar's eyes narrowed.
"Which agency?"
Adham hesitated.
Then he said, "If I tell you…they'll kill us all." Before he could finish… Omar’s phone rang. An unknown number. He cautiously picked up the receiver.
A cold Russian voice, one he knew all too well, answered: Vladimir.
“Good evening, Inspector.”
Omar’s expression hardened.
“Where are you?”
Vladimir chuckled softly.
“Very close to you.”
Then he added,
“You’re wasting your time with the wrong people.”
“You killed Yasser.”
“And Yasser was going to expose someone important.”
There was a moment of silence, then Vladimir said,
“If you want to know the truth… come alone to the old base in the desert.”
“And why should I do that?”
The Russian replied with chilling calm,
“Because someone you’re trying to protect… will die tonight.”
The line went dead.
Less than an hour later, Omar’s car was speeding across the desert.
Ali sat beside him while Adham remained in the back, handcuffed.
“We shouldn’t trust him,” Ali said.
“I don’t trust anyone,” Omar replied without looking up.
That was the only certainty now. Omar pulled the car over to the side of the road for a break, and Ali untied Adham's hands.
They started eating hamburgers and crispy fried chicken.
After finishing his meal, Adham drank Pepsi, took a rug from the back of the car, spread it out on the ground, and began to pray.
Half an hour passed, and they set off again, crossing the desert.
They arrived near an old, abandoned military base, half-buried in sand. The towers were destroyed.
Barbed wire swayed in the wind. But the place wasn't completely deserted.
There were tracks of modern vehicles, and dim lights inside the main building.
The three of them approached cautiously.
Then they heard a muffled scream, and Omar ran toward the source until he reached a dark concrete room.
He flung the door open and froze. Osman was tied to a chair, his face covered in bruises. He raised his head with difficulty and said,
"It's a trap…" Suddenly, all the lights went out, and the iron doors slammed shut with a terrifying bang.
Vladimir's voice boomed through old loudspeakers:
"Welcome to Phase Two."
Red lights flashed inside the base… then a countdown began to appear on a large screen above the wall.
1:00:00
0:59:59
0:59:58
Ali's eyes widened.
"What is this?!"
Vladimir's voice came back cold and clear:
"You have less than an hour before the entire base explodes."
He paused briefly before adding,
"But only one of you knows how to stop the countdown."
Omar immediately looked toward Adham.
Adham… seemed to already know the place.
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