As Aarvansh stepped off the metro, his bag slung over one shoulder, the bustling streets of Delhi buzzed around him. Yet, his mind was somewhere else—fixed on the television screen that had broadcast Albert Lam's disappearance.
"How can a man like him just vanish? And why does it feel like… there's more to him than what meets the eye?"
As he approached his home, Aarvansh fished his phone out of his pocket. In the process, something thin and stiff slipped out and fluttered to the ground. He paused, staring at the object now lying by his feet. It was a card.
Aarvansh bent down and picked it up. His eyes widened as he realized what it was.
"Bhalla Singh… How did I—wait, he must've dropped it back at the SUV when we met after Albert's speech!"
The card was surprisingly polished, its black and gold lettering gleaming faintly in the dim lights. It read:
"A.G.N.I – Senior Assistant Bhalla Singh."
Aarvansh's brows knitted together as confusion clouded his mind. He thought for a few minutes about it, his clever mind getting closer to the truth.
"A.G.N.I… what is that? Government agency? Intelligence? No…this can't be ..... why would someone like Albert Lam and Bhalla Singh be connected to something like this?"
But the card suggested otherwise. It clearly belonged to some government agency.
The letters stared back at him, cold and foreboding. Aarvansh hurried into his room, shutting the door behind him and booting up his laptop. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he searched: "A.G.N.I secret organization India."
Most results seemed vague—random conspiracy theories, forums speculating on secret military groups—but one thumbnail caught his attention. It was an interview clip featuring the President of India.
His heart pounded as he clicked on it.
Reporter: "Sir, the terrorists from the recent attack on In Sri Nagar were reportedly neutralized by a highly skilled group. Our sources claim they are called 'A.G.N.I.' Is this some sort of secret government organization?"
President: (visibly composed, but his eyes flickered with a hint of unease) "We do not know anything about this... No more questions, please."
The video cut abruptly, leaving behind a deafening silence. Aarvansh leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.
"The President outright denied it. But that hesitation... it said everything. Bhalla Singh isn't just some ordinary assistant. And Albert Lam… he's tied into this too. There's no way he's just an entrepreneur."
He clutched Bhalla's identity card in his hand, his knuckles whitening.
"If there are answers, they're at Albert Lam's mansion. And I need to return this card anyway… maybe I'll find something there."
But then, Aarvansh paused. A thought crossed his mind—the regular web wouldn't have the answers he needed.
His gaze sharpened.
"If this is as classified as it seems… the surface web won't help me. I need to go deeper."
With a steady breath, Aarvansh enabled a VPN on his laptop, masking his IP address. His fingers hesitated for a moment before typing into the browser: "Access Dark Web."
The screen dimmed as he entered the underbelly of the internet, navigating through shadowy forums and encrypted websites. Every step was cautious; every click calculated. After what felt like hours of sifting through rumors, conspiracy theories, and fake leads, two reports caught his attention.
Operation 1: Pulwama Shadows
The first document was partially redacted, but the details were chilling.
"In February 2019, after the tragic Pulwama terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, an unidentified tactical force executed a retaliatory strike. The report refers to this force as 'A.G.N.I' – Advanced Guardian Network of India. Satellite images revealed precise ground incursions into terrorist strongholds in remote forested areas. Bodies were recovered, but no evidence of the attackers was ever found. Witness accounts spoke of operatives moving like phantoms, eliminating threats with surgical precision. One chilling line stood out:
'No survivors. No traces left behind. Operation Shadows complete.'
Aarvansh's breath hitched as he processed the information.
"They're not just an agency… they're something far more dangerous."
Operation 2: Smiling Buddha's Shadow
The second report was even more cryptic.
"In May 1976, following India's first nuclear test in Pokhran, A.G.N.I operatives played an instrumental role in securing classified data and ensuring no foreign intelligence agencies could intercept critical information. Some accounts claim A.G.N.I agents operated deep behind enemy lines, sabotaging surveillance systems and planting false leads. One operation codenamed 'Smiling Buddha's Shadow' resulted in the permanent neutralization of a spy ring that had infiltrated Indian scientific research labs."
A single line at the end of the report left Aarvansh frozen:
'The cost of silence is often paid in shadows.'
His hand trembled slightly as he closed the laptop.
"These aren't just operations… they're stories of ghosts. Albert Lam and Bhalla Singh aren't ordinary men. They are part of something far bigger, something woven deep into the fabric of this nation."
Aarvansh's mind still wasn't ready to believe it but atlast he controlled his emotions and realised the fact that the articles on dark web , the interview , Bhalla's ID card , all point to this being the truth. He quickly left for Albert's mansion.
Aarvansh stood frozen outside the towering gates of Albert Lam's mansion, the cold wind biting at his face as he stared at Bhalla Singh's identity card in his hand. The golden letters spelling "A.G.N.I Senior Assistant" glinted faintly under the moonlight.
"How could someone from such a secretive organization be so careless? Dropping an identity card like this.
Aarvansh clenched the card tighter, his breath steadying as he whispered to himself, "Whatever this is… I'll find out."