I Sell Bottled Water for Gold in Another World!-Chapter 223: Extraction Complete

Reddy strode confidently through the mountain darkness, his steps steady and measured. The woman in his arms still lay unconscious from the sleeping gas, her breathing slow and even.

He worked his way back the same way he had come in. Fifteen minutes of cautious walking found him back in the staging area from which the operation had been started.

Equipment lay just as he had left it, neatly arranged in military rows.

As Reddy approached, a figure emerged from behind the large boulders at the edge of the staging area.

Alex.

"Well done, Reddy," Alex said, stepping forward into the moonlight. His voice conveyed real appreciation. "The footage is excellent. It was truly beyond our whole crew expectations."

Reddy laid Lucy carefully on the ground near the pile of equipment, on her side in the recovery position. Many years of medical training made the movement instinctive.

"Nine minutes, barely," Alex praised with impressed admiration. "That is incredibly fast."

"No...it’s not just me, but the sleeping gas and the other equipments worked wonders. I never used the smoke canisters as good as them in my whole life before this," Reddy said, stripping off his night vision goggles and letting them dangle from his vest.

He looked down at the unconscious form of Lucy. "Unfortunately, she inhaled some of the gas. Not as much as the others, but enough. She will be unconscious for at least another two to three hours, possibly longer depending on her body weight and respiratory rate."

"How are you?" Alex asked. "Wounded? All okay during the operation?"

"As fit as I can be. No complications whatsoever." Reddy rolled his shoulders, loosening muscles that had been tense during the operation. "The equipment performed flawlessly. The goggles, the smoke grenades, the gas canisters—all top-quality gear. Whoever supplied your production with this equipment are excellent in their works, give me a contact. I would like to commission them too."

"Sure... sure," Alex said. After a brief pause, with carefully chosen words, he continued, "And yes... from the equipment, I want to talk about our future work. We need to discuss something."

Reddy eyed him with professional attention. "Discussion of what? Didn’t you say I performed well?"

"No... instead, you worked wonders. The network executives watched the rough footage from the body camera you wore during the extraction," Alex said, his tone suddenly much more business-like. "And they were very impressed. The realism, the tactical proficiency, the way you took control... it’s exactly what they had in mind for the show."

"Glad they are satisfied," Reddy said neutrally, sighing in relief.

"More than just satisfied," Alex went on to say. "They want you for another challenge. A follow-up episode. Triple your current rate—they are willing to pay triple."

That drew Reddy’s attention immediately. An eyebrow slightly raised. "Triple?"

"Triple your base rate of five million," Alex confirmed. "Fifteen million guaranteed for the next challenge, with possible bonuses if the footage tests well with focus groups, which I am sure it will." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Reddy said nothing for a moment, digesting this. Fifteen million dollars for what had essentially been ten minutes of work. The money was almost absurd.

"What’s the catch?" he asked, because there was always a catch to an offer that generous.

"The catch is timing," Alex said. "They want to leverage the momentum just now. Which means we need to send you back to Mumbai tonight on an urgent basis. Sorry, buddy—no rest for you. Have to go through sedation again."

"Tonight," Reddy repeated, his voice very deliberate. "That is rather sudden, but I am fine with that. With that much money, I can do as you say."

"I know this is sudden, but the schedule for television production can get crazy, especially when network executives get excited about preliminary footage. They want you back in Mumbai tomorrow morning to start negotiating contracts for the next challenge."

Reddy looked over at Lucy once more. "What about her? She needs medical attention. Those rope burns on her wrists are real, not makeup. Whoever tied her used actual hemp rope, not the theatrical kind. The binding was much tighter than necessary for a show."

"I noticed that too when reviewing the footage," said Alex, entering concern into his voice. "The actors playing the hostiles took their roles a bit too seriously. Those are actual injuries that would require proper treatment."

"She should see a doctor within a few hours," said Reddy with professional judgment.

"Already arranged," Alex assured him. "Medical helicopter is inbound as we speak. ETA is four minutes."

"And the sedation protocol for my transport?" Reddy asked.

"Same as before. Standard security procedure to protect the location. You wake up back at the facility."

Reddy gave this some thought. The money was good. His job was done.

"When does my transport leave?" he asked, his mind finally made up.

"When you’re ready. The sedation takes effect in about ninety seconds. You’ll wake up back in Mumbai at our facility, probably in about four hours according to the dosage."

"Very well," he said finally. "Let us proceed."

"Good," said Alex.

Alex moved to the pile of equipment and drew out a medical kit. From this, he pulled out a sealed syringe and a small vial of clear liquid.

"Same sedative as before," he said, preparing the injection. "Medical-grade propofol. You’ll be drowsy in sixty seconds, unconscious in ninety. Sweet dreams, no side effects."

Reddy rolled up his sleeve, baring his arm. Alex gave the injection with efficiency, his thumb moving on the plunger with ease.

"There," he said, withdrawing the needle. "Done."

It wasn’t long before Reddy felt the familiar warmth spread up his arm—it was a fast-acting drug.

The edges were already beginning to blur around Reddy’s vision. His legs felt heavy, the strength draining out of his muscles with surprising rapidity.

And then... nothing.

Alex waited two full minutes after Reddy’s eyes closed, observing the rise and fall of his chest as a way to confirm deep sedation.

Only then did he move.

He checked Reddy’s pulse: strong, steady. He was breathing regularly. The man would remain unconscious for hours, just as planned.

Alex stood and looked around the empty mountain staging area. No medical helicopter was coming. Where would he find a helicopter in this world anyway?

All of it had been lies, carefully constructed to get Reddy to cooperate with the second sedation. Triple the reward can work wonders—it can make men do anything.

He walked over to where Lucy lay unconscious and knelt beside her. Her face was dirty and tear-streaked.

But she was alive. That was what mattered.

"I am here," he said softly, though she could not hear him. "You are safe now."

He looked at her wrists; the rope burns looked painful and raw. The three days of captivity had marked rope burns on her pale skin.

He saw those marks, and all he felt was the anger welling up in his chest. But he didn’t have time for that right now. He would have to deal with his rage later.

Time to get out of here.

First, get Reddy. Bring him back to the current world, back to the very spot from which he was sedated the first time. The guy would wake up thinking he was safely deposited back to Mumbai as promised.

Alex had already planned a follow-up approach to cover all his lies. He would actually start that reality show production and give Reddy the starring role his skills deserved. No one would find out about any of this. Everything would work out fine.

He closed his eyes and focused on the transition.

And then white light began to surround both him and Reddy, brightening with each second that passed.

A moment later, they were gone altogether from the ancient world.

The private clinic room in Mumbai was exactly as Alex had left it. The medical gurney, the IV stand, the monitoring equipment—all still in place.

Alex appeared with the unconscious body of Reddy and laid him straight onto the gurney. He positioned him well, making everything appear like Reddy had just been sleeping there all this time under medical attention.

The cameras on Reddy’s tactical vest were still running. Alex reached in carefully and powered them down, removing the memory cards and pocketing them. That footage would have to be destroyed later. No evidence could remain.

He took off the tactical gear piece by piece: the vest and its mounted cameras, the night vision goggles, the pouches with their untouched grenades and rations.

Reddy was lying on the gurney in just his base layer clothing; he looked every inch like a man who had just undergone some sort of procedure which involved being sedated.

Perfect.

Alex glanced at his watch. 3:47 AM. Reddy would not wake for at least another six hours based on the dosage Dr. Patel had given him.

One last glance was thrown at the unconscious commando, then he turned and left the clinic room, carefully locking the door behind him. Time to go back for Lucy.