The underground chamber was dimly lit, the faint light from the glowing crystals casting eerie, flickering shadows on the stone walls. The captured syndicate members were still bound, their eyes wide as they tried to make sense of their surroundings. The room was filled with an unsettling silence, only broken by the soft, rhythmic clicking of the chimera ants' mandibles. The cold air and the strange noises seemed to sink into the men, creating an atmosphere thick with tension.