**Episode 17: The Old Guard**
The Ahsan estate, once silent with grief, now stirred with purpose.
Farhan Ahsan stood alone in his father's private study, surrounded by relics of a legacy built over decades — photos, ledgers, hand-written letters, and a rusting key to a private vault. The air smelled of wood polish and memory.
A door creaked open behind him.
It was Ziaul Ahsan — weak, but awake. Watching his son in silence.
"He's done it," Ziaul said softly. "He's started the war I should've finished years ago."
Farhan turned, tension in his face. "He's too exposed, Abbu. Reza won't stop until Ayaan is in the ground."
Ziaul nodded grimly. "Then it's time to summon the old wolves."
---
**Three Days Later — A Secret Gathering in Rajshahi**
They came in silence, one by one, answering a message that hadn't been used in nearly a decade — a phrase encrypted in an old radio broadcast: **"Dust wakes where the lion walked."**
**General Mahmud**, retired intelligence chief.
**Nayeem Chowdhury**, former corporate enforcer turned whistleblower.
**Shahana Rizvi**, underground journalist who once unmasked a cartel king.
**Imtiaz Karim**, hacker and former surveillance tactician, now off-grid in the hills.
All had once fought beside Ziaul in the silent wars of industry, espionage, and betrayal. All had disappeared into the shadows when Ziaul stepped back.
Now, they stood in an abandoned train depot, facing Farhan and Ziaul.
"We're not the fighters we once were," Shahana warned. "But we know where the bodies are buried."
Farhan nodded. "We don't need an army. We need leverage. We need reach. And we need to protect my son."
Imtiaz stepped forward, sliding a drive across the table. "You're going to need this. Reza's network is vast — but not invisible."
The screen flickered to life, displaying live movement across Reza's web of shell accounts, contacts, and foreign outposts. Surveillance photos, intercepted calls, and a whisper of his next move: **he was activating his most dangerous asset — "Shadow Vulture."**
Ziaul's voice cut through the room.
"Then we act first."
---
**Back in Dhaka — Ayaan's Hideout**
Elina was stunned. "They actually came?"
Ayaan nodded, eyes scanning the secure message sent by Farhan. "They're rebuilding the network. We're not alone anymore."
For the first time, he allowed himself a moment to breathe.
But just a moment.
Because in the shadows of the city, **Reza Murad had already begun moving his pieces.**
And the real war was only beginning.
**To be continued…**