Chapter 245 - The Islet Mystery 61

Yanyan saw the warning lights beaming near the islet where they lived. It was the warning signal that would alarm them whenever the guards observed something threatening or suspicious coming into their territory. Whenever the light was on, he would take the hidden entrance to their hideout. Seeing that the alarm at the moment was at their main entrance, he quickly turned around to make it to the back. The guards oriented him to this sign, and at this tender age, he understood that Mr. Te hid them from an enemy. His grandparents may not have explained to him the details; all he knew was that he should take a detour whenever the pulsing light blaze on.

Today, it wasn't only the light giving a hazard warning but the fleet of boats coming in his direction. It never happened before that a fleet would go together to their place except for some cases where the search and rescue operation team operate in their area. During such times, the guards wouldn't turn the alarm light on. The number of boats alone warned him to make a brilliant move.

Yanyan grew up with his grandparents inside the cave on a rocky and uninhabited islet. Nobody else chose to live there because of two essential factors. It lacked drinking water sources, and the soil is sandy, disabling crops or vegetables to thrive. However, the guards built a hut outside the cave's entrance as their guardhouse.

They used to live in a beautiful house inside a cove, but when Ryan returned to the Philippines and bought an islet close to their place, Mr. Te hid them in this place. The location of this islet allowed the guards to look out on any invaders coming to their territory because they were isolated. On a map, the entire area shaped like a tree; the other islets formed the branches and foliage while their hideout was at the root part. Behind them was the vast expanse of the sea leading to the Pacific Ocean.

As Ryan and the men approached the place, the district captain saw the alarm light and understood at once that something was not right. No one except the guards who worked alongside Mr. Te and the island guards would turn it on. Since none of the men from Isla Uno could probably do it because they were all here with him, it could only mean one thing. Someone betrayed them, causing this unannounced arrival of Mr. Te's men. At this time of the day, Mr. Te's men outside this territory would seldom come. They preferred coming at dawn or during night time.

He glanced up ahead, and his eyes fell on Alvin. His steady posture looking at the light was a contrast to the reaction of the rest of the men who suddenly became restless. They stopped rowing and looked at each other, passing on the message silently that someone must have informed the head guard about their plan.

Before anyone of them made a move, the head guard and his men lined up on the edge of the islet across them, zooming an intense light to let them know they lost their cause. Then a voice sounded from a megaphone, causing a chill to run down their spines.

"Everyone of you knows that the management will not forgive any move against them," announced the head guard with a loud and threatening voice.

Most of the men cringed in fear, thinking that the next thing would happen would be the raining of bullets against them. Though the lush mangroves hid the team from their view, they could tell that in their hands were riffles or pistols as they stood alert against their possible moves.

The district captain responded quickly by raising his arms in surrender, and the rest of the men followed. Yet, before anyone could return to their senses, the captain's voice floated into the air.

"Sir, forgive me for voicing out my thoughts, but please allow me to ask. What makes you think that we go against the management?" dared the captain in straight and non-faltering gaze. His voice was as loud as the guard's on a megaphone.

"How dare you ask me? You know what you are doing behind our back!"

"You know we are doing our job far better than you expect because our job has become our way of life. We work like we have no tomorrow, and we work like we don't own our lives. What's wrong with that?"

"Captain, how nice of you. You don't need to speak like a fool because you know what I mean."

"And what exactly do you mean? Forgive our minds that become dull already due to lack of rest and food. Reminding our boss about our salary would help us quicken our minds."

The men couldn't help it but laugh to themselves despite their fear. The indirect insult the captain threw proved that they indeed started defying against their long-time oppressor. After a few more heated exchanges, which resulted in the c.o.c.king of their hand-held guns, Ryan made a move.

"Stop if you still want to hold on to your dear life!" Ryan yelled out, and a sound of a warning gunshot coming from the fishing boat nearby shattered their ears. 

All of them turned to the fishing boat, and to their great horror, they saw a troop of armed men pointing their guns toward the head guard and his team.

"Eyes here, everyone!" announced someone from the fishing boat. "Mr. Te's activities have been under our surveillance for quite a long time now. I'm giving you a chance for a peaceful talk according to the request of Mr. Yu. If you are not cooperating, then you know the consequence."

The head guard and his team saw that they were outnumbered. They also knew that their resources were nothing against the high- powered explosives and gadgets these police officers may have brought with them. Should they fight back, they knew that their chance of survival was feeble. They also could not assure themselves that whatever may happen, their families would be cared for by Mr. Te's administration. They admitted to themselves that the daring claims of the island captain awhile ago were, after all, valid. He and his men, too, had long suffered the same negligence from the administration. And that was, of course, under the order of Mr. Te. They stayed, not because they got special treatment but because they all feared him.

"Call boss right now!" one of the head guard's men urged him.

The head guard gave him a quick stare before pulling out his phone and riveting back his eyes towards the fishing boat. He was a bit hesitant but nevertheless, he scrolled down his contact list with rapid shifts of his gaze. He then called him up, and after a few rings, Mr. Te answered.

"Sir, the surveillance team is here. What shall we do?"

"What do you say? Who's this?" 

The head guard sighed and felt frustrated. He already noticed these changes in Mr. Te before he and his team decided to fly here.

"Sir, this is Marco, you're head bodyguard. I am here on the island where you keep your parents. I came here because..."

"What? Who is Marco? Boy, don't waste my time if you are bored!" yelled Mr. Te, cutting the head guard off in his mid-sentence and dropping his call right after, leaving him hanging his mouth open.