The drizzle that had fallen almost all day finally stopped. Even the dark clouds obscuring the stars and the waning crescent moon had thinned considerably.
Under cover of darkness, several assault teams used the trees and undergrowth on the abandoned farm as cover, cautiously advancing toward the main house.
"Our turn." Nick waved behind him. Several ERT officers wearing navy-blue tactical vests and carrying M4 carbines or MP5 submachine guns crouched low as they passed him and Hancock, creeping toward the brightly lit Stable.
Their targets were clearly unprepared. They had not even posted a lookout and probably had little military training, but Nick still instructed the tactical officers to keep noise to a minimum before the assault. They would surround the building first, then move in.
According to the Vulture named Tom Daniels, at least seven or eight homeless people were still being kept in the Stable as blood bags, having their blood drawn roughly once every three days.
Once their bodies weakened past a certain point, he and the female doctor named Levin would cut them open and remove their organs while they were still alive. Their bodies would then be thrown straight into a deep pit behind the Stable, doused with gasoline, and burned.
The gang had fifteen members in total, but only five were Vultures, all occupying key positions. Tom Daniels, Levin, and another woman who served as their accountant usually worked at the Free Clinic, handling its daily operations and selecting victims.
Of the other two Vultures, one handled deliveries, while the other made the "herbal medicine."
Precisely because the remaining members of the group were ordinary humans, they had no choice but to produce their "herbal medicine" elsewhere to avoid frightening their accomplices.
After all, murdering people and harvesting their organs for illegal transplants