Suman entered the room with unmistakable authority.
Black goggles covered her eyes, her posture sharp and unyielding. The moment she stepped inside, she ignored Venkatesh completely—as if he didn't exist at all.
She walked straight to the board, rotated it slightly, and addressed the team.
"No one is going inside the village," she said firmly. "The locals are already hostile toward the army. One wrong move, and the entire area explodes."
Venkatesh finally spoke.
"Then how do we find out what happens in the meeting?"
Suman replied without hesitation,
"We intercept Maksood on the way. Detain him. Interrogate him. Whatever we need to know, we get it directly from him."
After saying that, she folded her arms and finally looked at Venkatesh.
The rest of the team nodded silently, accepting the plan.
Venkatesh said nothing.
---
A few hours later—
Army personnel were deployed on the outskirts near Sultanpur.
Suman stood there with binoculars, scanning the village from a distance.
Venkatesh stood beside her. His wounds had mostly healed by now, though the fatigue still lingered in his eyes.
Without looking at him, Suman spoke.
"So… I heard you're getting a divorce."
Venkatesh replied dryly,
"News travels fast around here."
Suman lowered the binoculars slightly.
"Interesting. When you left me, I didn't think you'd marry someone else just two months after our breakup."
She finally turned toward him.
"And that too a love marriage," she continued coldly. "You told me you'd wait for me forever. Instead, you got married in two months… and had two kids within two years."
Venkatesh scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I… compromised," he said, forcing a sheepish smile.
Then, quickly changing the subject, he added,
"So… are we really not going inside? I mean—if we disguise ourselves, we could blend in."
Suman answered calmly,
"We could. But if we get caught, the peace there will collapse instantly."
Venkatesh seized the opening.
"But if we don't get caught?"
Suman looked at him.
"That would be extremely dangerous."
Venkatesh smirked.
"I've always had a long relationship with danger."
---
Not long after—
Both of them entered Sultanpur in disguise.
They stopped at a small roadside eatery—a modest dhaba serving seekh kebabs and other non-vegetarian dishes.
Venkatesh and Suman stepped inside.
The owner, a young man around twenty-eight, froze the moment he saw Suman.
"N–Hello, ma'am," he said nervously. "What would you like to eat?"
Suman replied calmly,
"We want to attend the wedding."
The man blinked.
"Why?"
"Don't worry," Suman said. "Nothing will go wrong. We just need some information."
The man glanced at Venkatesh, who was carefully scanning the restaurant, observing every corner.
"And who is he?"
Suman replied flatly,
"He's a madman."
The man frowned.
"This madman wants to go to the wedding too?"
"Yes," Suman said. "He's coming inside as well."
The man swallowed hard.
"That's difficult. Security is extremely tight. If anything goes wrong, no one will even find my body."
Suman met his eyes steadily.
"Relax," she said. "Nothing will go wrong."
But the man still shook his head nervously.
"No… no. This is still too dangerous."
Venkatesh suddenly snapped.
"What a coward," he said coldly. "The girl you loved is marrying someone else, and here you are—grilling seekh kebabs like a scared dog."
The man froze.
"H–How do you know that?" he stammered.
A slow smile spread across Venkatesh's face.
Even Suman looked at him in surprise.
Venkatesh casually pointed toward a steel plate lying on the counter.
"Reflection," he said lightly.
Everyone glanced down.
In the shiny surface of the plate, the reflection of a young woman could be seen—watching them from a distance.
The man swallowed hard.
---
A few hours later—
Venkatesh and Suman were inside the village chief Altaaf's mansion.
The nikah celebrations were in full swing. Lights, laughter, music—everything screamed joy.
Suman leaned toward Venkatesh, her voice sharp with irritation.
"You shouldn't have brought us inside."
Venkatesh replied calmly,
"Why are you so worked up?"
Suman shot back,
"When your own love life is ruined, why are you so eager to ruin everyone else's? Why did you blackmail him?"
Venkatesh shrugged.
"We had to get inside somehow."
Then he added quietly,
"Stay with the bride. I'll find out where the meeting is happening."
Venkatesh moved through the corridors, greeting people with polite nods and casual salaams. Since the bride herself had introduced him, suspicion was the last thing on anyone's mind.
After a while, he spotted Maksood entering through the main gate with several men.
Altaaf rushed forward to welcome him, embracing him warmly.
Soon, both men headed toward a private room.
Venkatesh followed at a distance, blending into the crowd.
Outside the room, servants were busy with hospitality—tea, snacks, constant movement.
Venkatesh stayed close.
Then—
At the entrance gate, he saw a familiar face.
Wasim.
The moment Venkatesh recognized him, he stepped back quickly, hiding behind a pillar. Slowly, carefully, he moved closer to the same room where Maksood and his men had gathered.
---
Inside the room—
As Wasim entered, Maksood stood up immediately, smiling wide.
"Wasim… my favorite soldier," Maksood said, pulling him into a hug.
"It's good to see you again," Wasim replied.
Maksood turned to Altaaf.
"He's one of our most loyal men."
Altaaf smiled and embraced Wasim as well.
Maksood continued,
"For our next mission, Wasim will be the most useful asset."
Then, looking at Altaaf, he added with conviction,
"The day isn't far when our people—and our nation—will become the strongest."
Altaaf hesitated.
"But brother… what is the objective?"
Maksood's voice dropped.
"In a few days, there will be a major meeting in Delhi. Political leaders from nearly twenty countries will be present. Imagine… if an explosion happens there."
Altaaf's face turned pale.
"But brother, that would bring disaster upon our own people."
Maksood's eyes burned red with intensity.
"No. The damage will be India's. The location will be India. The security will be India's."
Then he smiled darkly.
"And the one who carries out the blast… will also be Indian."
Altaaf frowned.
"Indian?"
Maksood placed a hand on Wasim's shoulder.
"Wasim is from India."
Wasim's voice trembled with hatred.
"My entire family was killed in riots. This country gave me nothing but tears. Now it's time to make them cry tears of blood."
Maksood looked at Altaaf.
"He's been here since the beginning. He's our sleeper cell. And he's not alone—there are others like him across India."
He paused.
"Or rather… there were."
The smile vanished from Wasim's face.
"Why…?" Wasim asked hesitantly.
Maksood turned toward him, his voice rising with anger.
"Because you exposed yourself."
He grabbed Wasim by the collar, squeezing his throat.
"I told you—your job was to take Venkatesh's family hostage. Nothing more. We needed leverage. Instead, you ruined everything."
Wasim gasped.
"I'm sorry, sir. Somehow they found out about me. We had no choice but to act."
Maksood shoved him back.
"And you failed. Many of my men died. So tell me—why should I trust you with this mission?"
Wasim replied without hesitation,
"Because I have a purpose."
Maksood laughed softly.
"Fine. I'll trust you one last time."
Then he turned to the others.
"Listen carefully. This is what we're going to do."
---
"Chemical blast… in Delhi?"
SP Satyamurti's voice trembled on the phone.
Venkatesh stood alone in a distant corridor, staring at the room where a meeting had just taken place—one that could shake the entire world. A global catastrophe planned quietly in a small village.
"Yes, sir," Venkatesh said. "You heard it right. During the G20 summit."
Satyamurti inhaled sharply.
"Are you certain? This is huge. Security will be airtight. Are they really that reckless?"
"Yes, sir," Venkatesh replied. "We need to stop this immediately."
"You have full authorization," Satyamurti said firmly. "Do whatever it takes. But those chemical bombs must not leave this network."
"Thank you, sir," Venkatesh said, ending the call.
---
Venkatesh headed toward the bride's room.
A few women giggled softly as he passed.
He smiled politely and said to one of them,
"Could you please call my wife out?"
In this wedding, Venkatesh and Suman were posing as husband and wife. Suman was introduced as the bride's college friend.
A few moments later, Suman stepped out.
Venkatesh immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her into a corner.
"We need to leave," he said urgently.
Suman frowned.
"Is your work done?"
"Yes," Venkatesh replied.
"And tell the bride—if she wants to run, now is the time. If she waits… she won't get another chance."
The celebration continued behind them.
But the countdown had already begun.
Suman looked at Venkatesh and smirked.
"Wow… look at you. You could run away with someone else's bride, but when it came to your own life, you stepped back."
Venkatesh sighed.
"Is it really necessary to dig up old graves now?"
Suman replied coldly,
"Well, you did something that deserved it."
Venkatesh shook his head.
"You know, understanding women is really difficult. When I told you I love you, do you remember what you said?"
He glanced around, then lowered his voice.
"You said… your wedding was already fixed."
"So what exactly was I supposed to do?"
Suman shot back instantly,
"You should have run away with me."
Venkatesh stared at her.
"You wanted me to kidnap the only daughter of one of India's richest families? And then run away—where exactly?
And don't forget, you never actually said yes. How was I supposed to run away without confirmation?"
Suman opened her mouth to say something, but then fell silent.
Venkatesh broke the pause.
"Let's talk about this later."
---
A while later, Suman was alone in the bride's room.
Both of them were wearing burqas.
They slipped out through the back window and quietly walked toward the outer gate.
Suddenly, a guard stopped them.
"Hey—excuse me. Where are you going?"
Suman replied calmly,
"Yes?"
The guard said,
"It's not safe for women to go out alone at this hour."
Just then, Venkatesh walked in casually.
"Hello, brother."
He hugged the guard warmly and said with a grin,
"Our wives want to visit the market and buy a few things."
He discreetly slipped a note—local currency—into the guard's hand.
The guard nodded and let them go.
A short while later, they met near a meat shop, then moved past it and quietly exited the village.
Soon after, they reached a military security checkpoint.
Venkatesh instructed the soldiers,
"Take them to headquarters."
Then he turned to the man with them.
"From there, leave for Goa. That place will be safe for you."
He handed him a card.
"Once you reach, call this number. They'll help you settle down."
Both of them folded their hands in gratitude.
Venkatesh placed a hand on their heads.
"Stay happy."
And sent them away.
---
SK arrived just in time and saw everything.
"Wow, my brother," he said sarcastically.
"When I ask you to arrange my marriage, you suddenly go blind."
Venkatesh replied calmly,
"Why should I commit the sin of ruining a girl's life?"
SK scoffed.
"Wow. You really know how to show your limits."
Venkatesh cut him off.
"Enough. Let's focus on work."
He continued,
"In the next five hours, a truck will pass through the main road. We have to stop it at any cost—and destroy whatever it's carrying."
SK frowned.
"Destroy what exactly? What's inside the truck?"
Venkatesh replied casually,
"Nothing special. Just some chemicals."
Suman folded her arms.
"What kind of chemicals?"
Venkatesh rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the sky.
"Chemical bombs. If they explode, they'll release poisonous gas—enough to turn a two to four kilometer radius into a graveyard."
SK's eyes widened.
"Damn… what are these bastards planning?"
Venkatesh said grimly,
"They've completely lost their minds. They plan to detonate it during the G20."
SK placed both hands behind his head, thinking.
"Then we have to stop it. No matter what."
Venkatesh nodded.
---
A while later, everyone took position on the main road.
Venkatesh and Suman sat in the same car.
Breaking the silence, Venkatesh asked softly,
"Why didn't you ever get married?"
Suman glanced at him sharply.
He added quickly,
"Just curiosity."
Suman suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.
"Listen to me, Venkatesh. I was the fool. I thought you would wait for me.
I even broke my engagement… thinking you'd come for me."
Her voice trembled.
"But you didn't. And I was stupid enough to believe you would."
Venkatesh whispered,
"So… you didn't get married because of me?"
Suman laughed bitterly.
"When I came to confront you after breaking my wedding, I found out you had already married someone else."
Her eyes burned with anger.
"I was so furious, I wanted to kill you.
After that, I dedicated my life to the country. I never had time to think about anyone."
Venkatesh listened quietly, then spoke.
"After we broke up, I was sitting in a bar one night, drinking… remembering our days.
I drank so much that I started hallucinating."
He swallowed.
"I got close to someone else. When I woke up, everything had already happened.
So I took responsibility… and moved on."
Suman grabbed his throat.
"I'll kill you."
Her voice shook with rage.
"I'm sharing my trauma here—and you're explaining how you had sex?"
Venkatesh muttered,
"By the way… I'm single now."
Suman snapped,
"And also the father of two! Have some shame!"
She turned away angrily.
"People are right. You can never trust men."
Just then, SK cleared his throat loudly.
"If you two are done revising your entire past lives… maybe focus on the mission?"
Both Venkatesh and Suman looked up.
SK was standing right beside the car.
Venkatesh asked,
"What happened?"
SK replied,
"The truck is about to arrive."
Hearing this, Venkatesh and Suman stepped out of the car.
The past ended there.
And duty took over once again.