Morning – Leaving the Plains
The sun was only beginning to rise when MC stepped out of his Dehradun home. The winter air bit at his cheeks, carrying the faint scent of smoke from cooking fires and roadside tea stalls.
A grey Toyota Fortuner idled at the curb, its exhaust forming little clouds in the cold air.
Inside, Aarya's voice came softly from the concealed earpiece:
> Aarya: "Weather forecast for Mussoorie hills: light fog, no rainfall until late evening. Visibility good for site scouting."
MC: smiling faintly "Perfect. Let's go hunting."
The driver—a man from a local transport agency—had no idea he was ferrying a billionaire in disguise.
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The Winding Ascent
As the car climbed the winding hill road, the landscape shifted from crowded bazaars and schoolchildren in maroon sweaters to towering pines swaying in the morning breeze.
A layer of mist clung to the valleys. Occasionally, a break in the trees revealed a drop so steep it seemed to fall into clouds.
The sound of the engine echoed against stone retaining walls, mixing with the cry of distant hill mynas.
MC kept the window slightly open, letting the cold wind sting his skin. For years in his first life, he had been too busy chasing survival to notice things like the smell of wet pine needles. This time, he savored it.
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The First Glimpse
Two hours into the drive, the driver slowed near a sharp bend. A dirt road, barely wide enough for a single vehicle, branched off into the forest.
The local land broker was waiting—a wiry man in his late fifties with a wool cap pulled low and a clipboard under his arm.
His smile was polite but guarded, the way hill men treat strangers who arrive with money.
> Broker: "Sir, this way. Not many people come here… no road, no village nearby. Just forest and valley."
MC: "That's exactly why I'm here."
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Through the Pines
They walked for nearly half an hour, boots crunching on frost-hardened earth. Sunlight speared through the tall pines in golden shafts, catching motes of dust that danced in the cold air.
Finally, the trees opened into a clearing. Beyond it lay a slope that rolled gently down to a cliff's edge—and from there, the view exploded into miles of green hills fading into bluish haze.
MC stopped.
In his mind, overlays from Aarya's analysis began to flicker—contour lines, underground water maps, soil quality reports.
> Aarya: "Elevation: 6,500 feet. Stable bedrock. Natural spring detected. Secluded, minimal human presence within a 5 km radius."
MC: "This is it."
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Broker's POV
The broker watched the young man standing silently at the cliff, hands in pockets.
Most buyers from the city would start asking about road access, power lines, cost per acre.
This one just stared into the horizon as if he owned it already.
The broker felt an uneasy curiosity.
People with this kind of calm either have nothing to lose… or too much to count.
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Sealing the Thought
As they walked back toward the waiting SUV, MC took a deep breath of the cold air.
This plot wasn't just land—it was the foundation for a fortress, a sanctuary, and the seat of something far greater than a home.
Aarya's voice cut through his thoughts:
> Aarya: "Shall I initiate corporate shell purchase protocols?"
MC: "Yes. Make it quiet. I want this land to be invisible on every radar that matters."
The SUV door closed behind him, shutting out the forest sounds.
By the time they began the descent, the gears of an invisible transaction had already begun to turn.
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Closing Beat
Far below, in the plains, winter sunlight touched the rooftops of Dehradun.
No one there knew that high in the hills, a man had just claimed a piece of earth that would, in time, become the nerve center of a global empire.
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