A little while later, Yash, Venkatesh, SK, and Aarav were sitting together at a nearby restaurant.
Aarav picked up a piece of dosa, dipped it into the sambar, and casually took a bite.
Venkatesh, however, wasn't nearly as relaxed.
"Stay away from this case."
Aarav paused mid-chew.
He looked at his father with genuine confusion.
"Which case?"
Venkatesh folded his arms.
"Don't act innocent."
Aarav continued chewing.
Venkatesh narrowed his eyes.
"You wouldn't randomly meet Anamika without a reason. And coincidentally, she's connected to our case."
He leaned slightly forward.
"Someone put you into this. Who was it? Was it Satyamurti?"
Aarav shook his head.
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about. It really was a coincidence. I happened to be at that gym, and she happened to be there."
SK looked at Venkatesh.
"Come on, Venky. Maybe it really was a coincidence."
Venkatesh glanced at Aarav for a few seconds before finally sighing.
"Fine. I'll assume it was a coincidence."
His expression immediately became serious again.
"But stay away from that girl. She's dangerous."
Aarav nodded casually.
"Alright."
He took another bite of his dosa before suddenly remembering something.
"By the way, weren't you going to arrange a flat for me?"
Venkatesh sighed.
"Son, eat your food first. By the time you're old enough to get married, you'll have a flat too."
Aarav stared at him.
"Seriously?"
Venkatesh shook his head with a tired expression.
"Anyway, when are you coming back home?"
Aarav answered casually,
"I'm in Delhi."
Venkatesh's expression softened.
"Are you angry with your mother?"
Aarav shook his head.
"No. I just want to live alone for a while."
He paused before adding,
"If there's any problem, let me know. Even if you two are divorced now, you're still my parents."
Venkatesh was silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Yeah."
Aarav nodded as well.
For a brief moment, there was an unusual silence between father and son.
Then—
Ring! Ring!
Venkatesh's phone started ringing.
He looked at the screen.
Satyamurti.
"One minute."
He stood up and walked outside the restaurant before answering.
"Yes, boss?"
A serious voice came from the other side.
"We have intelligence on Wasim."
Venkatesh's expression instantly changed.
"What?"
"He was spotted in Delhi."
Venkatesh didn't waste another second.
"I'm on my way."
He ended the call and returned inside.
"SK, we need to go."
SK immediately stood up.
Venkatesh then looked at Aarav.
"There is a chance we'll have to stay out of town for a few days. Go back home."
Aarav gave him a playful salute.
"Yes, sir."
Venkatesh shook his head with a faint smile.
Then he turned toward Yash.
"Find everything you can about Rukma."
He paused.
"And figure out that code as well. Keep me updated."
Yash nodded.
"Understood."
Venkatesh and SK then left the restaurant and headed toward their headquarters.
Aarav watched them leave.
His expression slowly became thoughtful.
Wasim is in Delhi…
That meant things were moving faster than expected.
---
Delhi — An Abandoned Location
Several kilometers away, in an isolated room on the outskirts of Delhi, a man sat sweating nervously.
His hands trembled as he worked on a complicated device.
He connected the final wire.
Then he stopped.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the device.
Nothing happened.
He slowly exhaled in relief.
"Sir…"
His voice trembled.
"The bomb is ready."
A man sitting nearby raised a gun toward him.
He simply nodded before speaking into his walkie-talkie.
"The bomb is ready."
The door opened.
Wasim stepped inside.
"Good."
He looked at the terrified man.
"Now we need your access to the factory."
The man's face immediately went pale.
"No… please. Don't do this."
His voice shook.
"Thousands of people could die. They'll call me a traitor. They'll call me a terrorist…"
Wasim smiled.
"That's exactly what we want."
The man stared at him in horror.
Wasim continued calmly,
"And don't worry."
His smile widened.
"After you die, you'll supposedly go to heaven."
He suddenly began laughing.
There was something disturbingly cold in his laughter.
Wasim then looked toward Afzal.
"Is the bait ready for Venkatesh?"
Afzal was looking at something on his tablet.
"Information has already reached Rai."
He glanced up.
"Hopefully, he'll make sure this case lands directly on Venkatesh's desk."
Wasim nodded.
"Good."
He turned toward Afzal.
"Then you head to Mumbai as well."
His eyes narrowed with anticipation.
"I want to see Venkatesh break."
---
Aarav's Home — Mumbai
Meanwhile, after several days, Aarav finally returned home.
When he entered, the house was unusually quiet.
His mother wasn't there.
Aarav looked around before noticing someone lying comfortably on the sofa.
Kirti.
She was watching television, completely absorbed in some daily soap.
Aarav walked over and sat beside her.
"Where's Mom?"
Without taking her eyes off the television, Kirti answered,
"She went to work."
Aarav nodded.
"Okay."
He picked up the remote, leaned back against the sofa, and started watching the television with her.
For the moment, everything seemed ordinary.
But somewhere far away, the pieces of a much larger game were already moving into place.
And Aarav had no idea that the next move would bring those pieces directly toward him.
Kirti glanced at Aarav.
"Want some pizza?"
Aarav immediately nodded.
"Who says no to pizza?"
Kirti reached beneath the pillow beside her and pulled out a pizza box before sliding it toward him.
"Don't tell Mom."
Aarav picked up a slice and took a bite.
"Where did you get the money?"
Kirti casually took another slice.
"Dad paid me for giving him information about Mom."
Aarav's chewing stopped for a moment.
His expression turned strange.
He quickly suppressed his laughter.
"Dad is seriously weird."
Kirti sighed.
"Not just Dad. Mom too. I don't know what happened to both of them."
Aarav remained silent.
The Will of the World? The plot? Or the story itself?
Whatever happened, I obviously can't explain any of that to her.
Kirti looked at him.
"I honestly thought you weren't coming back. I thought I'd have to deal with Mom all by myself."
Aarav gave her a small smile.
"As your brother, how could I just leave you to struggle alone?"
For a moment, Kirti smiled.
Neither of them noticed the shadow that had already begun moving toward their family.
---
The Next Morning
The following morning, Aarav once again left for the gym.
At almost the same time, Kirti left for her dance class.
She stopped an auto-rickshaw and climbed inside.
"V-Mall, please."
"Sure, madam."
The auto started moving.
Kirti casually looked outside, completely unaware that someone was watching her.
After traveling some distance, the auto suddenly stopped near a relatively isolated area.
An unfamiliar man approached and climbed inside.
Kirti glanced at him but didn't think much of it.
Then—
The man suddenly pulled out a syringe.
Before Kirti could react, he injected it into her wrist.
Her eyes widened.
"What the—what are you doing?"
But within seconds, her eyelids became unbearably heavy.
Her vision blurred.
And she collapsed into unconsciousness.
---
At the MMA gym, Aarav was repeatedly punching the heavy bag.
THUD!
THUD!
Suddenly, he stopped.
A strange sensation passed through him.
Danger.
Aarav slowly looked around.
What was that?
Dong Lee noticed his sudden change.
"What happened?"
Aarav shook his head.
"Nothing."
He turned back toward the punching bag.
But his mind was no longer focused on training.
Why did I suddenly feel like something was wrong?
He couldn't explain it.
And that bothered him.
---
Nearly an hour later, Aarav finally left the gym.
Anamika walked out alongside him.
"Hey, Aarav."
He turned.
"Yeah?"
"Wanna grab something to eat? My treat."
Aarav checked the time on his watch.
11:00 AM.
He nodded.
"Sure."
The two headed toward a nearby restaurant.
They sat across from each other while eating breakfast.
After a few moments, Aarav looked at Anamika curiously.
"So, where did you learn to fight like that?"
Anamika raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"You're extremely good. How did you become so experienced?"
Anamika thought for a moment.
"Well…"
She smiled faintly.
"Life teaches you everything."
Aarav remained silent.
Anamika continued.
"My grandfather was a martial arts champion. You may have heard of him—Lakshman Aggarwal."
Aarav shook his head.
"No, I haven't."
Anamika looked slightly surprised.
"Really?"
She took another bite before continuing.
"He was considered an expert."
Then her expression became slightly softer.
"But he passed away four years ago."
Aarav nodded.
"I'm sorry."
He paused.
"I'd actually like to know more about him."
Anamika smiled.
"Sure."
She pulled out her phone and began showing him photographs and information about her grandfather.
Lakshman Aggarwal's life story was remarkable.
He had come from an ordinary middle-class family and eventually risen to become one of the country's most respected martial artists.
Later, he had also become an extremely successful businessman.
Aarav listened silently.
His life sounds like something straight out of an adventure novel.
For a moment, he wondered—
Was he perhaps the protagonist of his own story?
But before he could think any further—
A sudden image flashed through his mind.
A warehouse.
Several men.
And Kirti.
They were dragging her somewhere.
Aarav's eyes widened.
Then the vision disappeared.
Kirti!
He immediately stood up.
Anamika looked at him in confusion.
"Aarav?"
"Sorry. Something urgent came up."
He grabbed his belongings.
"I have to go."
"Wait, what happened?"
But Aarav was already walking away.
Within seconds, he rushed outside.
He jumped onto his bike, started the engine, and accelerated.
The motorcycle shot forward.
Aarav's expression became completely serious.
That wasn't an ordinary vision.
Kirti is in danger.
He tightened his grip on the handle.
"Just hold on, Kirti…"
The bike disappeared down the road at full speed.
The scene shifted to Delhi.
Deep inside a heavily secured secret office, Venkatesh and SK stood with an intelligence team that had been working around the clock on Wasim's terrorist network.
In front of Venkatesh was a large investigation board, covered with photographs, CCTV stills, maps, vehicle details, and every clue they had managed to collect.
Venkatesh studied the board carefully.
"Yesterday, a dead body was discovered near a garbage dump in Karol Bagh," he said. "Thirty minutes later, we obtained CCTV footage of the vehicle used to dump the body. And an hour after that, the same vehicle was spotted around the Red Fort."
Several photographs on the board showed Wasim and his associates repeatedly moving around the Red Fort area.
SK frowned.
"What the hell are they doing? They obviously didn't come to Delhi just to visit the Red Fort."
Venkatesh gave him a sharp look.
SK immediately fell silent.
"I mean..." he corrected himself. "What I meant was, they're moving around in public despite their pictures only recently being added to the wanted list."
"Exactly," Venkatesh replied. "That's what makes it strange."
He turned toward one of the officers.
"Any update on the victim? Do we know who he was?"
An officer immediately opened a file on his laptop and projected the information onto the screen.
"Yes, sir. We've completed the investigation into the victim. His name was Vaibhav. He worked as an assistant manager at a chemical factory."
The officer continued.
"Last night, Vaibhav and the factory's manager, Rakesh, left a bar together after drinking. After that, we have no confirmed information about either of them. Vaibhav's body was discovered later, while Rakesh has completely disappeared."
Venkatesh's expression hardened.
"Rakesh is missing too?"
"Yes, sir."
"His assistant turns up dead, the manager disappears, and Wasim's people are connected to the same chain of events."
SK looked concerned.
"Could Wasim be doing something with that chemical factory's manager?"
"I don't know what he's planning yet," Venkatesh replied. "But something about this feels wrong."
He stared at the photographs.
"My sixth sense is telling me that things aren't what they appear to be."
SK smirked.
"Your sixth sense says a lot of things."
Then he grinned.
"Alright, let's test it. Tell me what Bhabhi is doing right now."
Venkatesh slowly closed his eyes.
For a few moments, he remained completely still.
Then he opened them.
"She's having lunch at a beachside restaurant with her boss."
SK's expression changed instantly.
"How did you—?"
Before he could finish, he pulled out his phone and showed Venkatesh a photograph taken by one of his friends.
The photograph showed the same beachside restaurant.
And in the background, at another table, Shakshi could clearly be seen having lunch with a man.
SK stared at Venkatesh in disbelief.
"You're keeping surveillance on them?"
"Not just me," Venkatesh replied calmly. "RAW is monitoring her too."
His expression became serious.
"She is a suspect. Her connection with Wasim has already been established. Just because she was once my wife doesn't mean RAW will simply let her walk away."
He turned toward his team.
"Increase surveillance around the chemical factory. And put every available police unit on finding Rakesh."
The officers immediately began working.
Venkatesh then looked at the CCTV monitor.
"What about Wasim? What was the last location of his vehicle?"
One of the officers checked the database.
"Jafrabad, sir."
Venkatesh nodded.
"Use facial recognition. Search the entire area. Find out whether Wasim or any of his associates were spotted there."
Suddenly, a technician shouted.
"Sir!"
Everyone turned toward him.
The technician quickly rotated his laptop.
A CCTV feed appeared on the screen.
Wasim was visible in the footage, walking through a street while carrying a parcel. The same man had also been seen with him near the Red Fort.
The technician's voice became urgent.
"Sir, this footage is from barely one minute ago."
Venkatesh immediately reacted.
"Team of four. We're going."
Within minutes, Venkatesh and three officers were on their way to Jafrabad.
---
A short while later, they reached the area.
The streets were crowded, filled with small shops, pedestrians, vehicles, and narrow lanes.
Venkatesh looked at his team.
"Spread out. If anyone spots them, report first. Everyone gathers at the location. No one takes action alone."
He looked at each member.
"Got it?"
Everyone nodded.
"Yes, sir."
The team dispersed.
Venkatesh moved through the narrow streets, carefully scanning every corner.
Meanwhile, SK and the others searched through the surrounding markets and lanes.
Then SK suddenly spotted someone familiar.
His eyes narrowed.
It was one of the men they had been searching for.
SK immediately contacted Venkatesh.
"Found him."
Venkatesh answered through the communication channel.
"Don't approach him. Follow him and keep updating your location."
"Understood."
SK began following the man from a distance.
Gradually, the other members of the team moved into position around him.
The man entered a residential building and began climbing the stairs.
Venkatesh and the others followed.
They reached the upper floor.
Everyone drew their weapons.
The man disappeared through a doorway.
Venkatesh raised one hand, signaling everyone to stay ready.
Then he slowly opened the door, pistol pointed inside.
The moment he saw what was waiting for them, his expression changed.
The man stood in the center of the room.
He was wearing an explosive vest.
And he was smiling.
He looked directly at Venkatesh.
"Did you like the gift, Venky?"
Venkatesh's eyes widened.
The man suddenly shouted—
"Allahu Akbar!"
A deafening explosion shook the entire building.
BOOM!!!
---
Meanwhile, Aarav had finally reached the warehouse.
This was the same location where he had seen Kirti in his vision.
He stepped out of the vehicle and quietly approached the entrance.
Every step was careful and silent.
When he reached the door, Aarav slowly leaned forward and looked inside.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell happened here...?"
The warehouse was a complete disaster.
Several bodies were scattered across the floor, while broken furniture and debris covered the surrounding area.
Aarav stood frozen for a moment, staring at the horrifying scene.
Something terrible had happened here.
And judging by the destruction around him, whoever had done this was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Aarav's expression slowly became serious.
"Kirti..."
He stepped inside.
Whatever had happened here, he had a feeling that his sister was somehow connected to it.