Anamika POV
Anamika was still trying to figure out why the kidnapper was laughing when the door suddenly burst open.
Bang!
Several men stormed into the room.
Black suits.
Black sunglasses.
Assault rifles.
Every single weapon was aimed directly at her.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Yet Anamika didn't move.
Her eyes calmly swept across the room, analyzing every possible escape route.
Then another figure entered.
Slowly.
Casually.
A cigar rested between his fingers.
Dark clothes.
Long black coat.
Sharp eyes that carried the weight of countless deaths.
The moment he appeared, even the armed men unconsciously straightened their backs.
Kaal.
One of the most dangerous figures in the underworld.
A man whose name alone was enough to terrify countless criminal organizations.
Anamika narrowed her eyes.
Inside her mind she immediately contacted her system.
"System, what's going on?"
"Is this also part of the plot?"
A brief silence followed.
Then the system answered.
[Host... I don't know.]
[This was not part of the original plot.]
[I am currently investigating the cause of the deviation.]
For the first time since receiving the system, Anamika heard uncertainty in its voice.
That alone was alarming.
---
Kaal took a puff from his cigar.
Smoke drifted through the room.
"Miss Anamika."
"I must admit."
"Your fighting skills are quite impressive."
His voice was calm.
Almost friendly.
Which somehow made him even more dangerous.
Anamika kept her pistol lowered but didn't relax.
"Who are you people?"
"And what do you want?"
Kaal smiled faintly.
"Nothing complicated."
"I'm sure you know a man named Rukma."
Anamika looked at him silently.
Not confirming.
Not denying.
Kaal continued.
"Before dying, he must have given you something."
"I only want the key."
Anamika frowned.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Kaal nodded thoughtfully.
"As expected."
He took another puff.
"It's an old copper locket."
"A sun and moon engraved on its surface."
The moment she heard the description, Anamika instantly understood.
The locket.
The one Rukma had shown her.
The one containing the hidden map.
But her expression remained unchanged.
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
---
Kaal simply pulled out his phone.
Then he showed her a photograph.
The moment Anamika saw the image, her pupils contracted.
Rukma's corpse.
A bullet wound in his forehead.
Blood spread across the floor.
The room fell silent.
Kaal carefully observed her reaction.
Then he smiled.
"Before dying, he called you."
"What exactly did he say?"
By now, Anamika had already calculated dozens of possible outcomes.
Every expression.
Every word.
Every reaction.
Everything was under control.
She intentionally allowed fear to appear in her eyes.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"He only said a number."
"Nothing else."
"I don't know anything about a key."
Kaal stared at her.
"What number?"
Anamika pretended to think.
Then she slowly answered.
"The call recording is still on my phone."
Immediately she pulled out her phone.
One of Kaal's men stepped forward and snatched it away.
The man searched through the files.
A moment later—
The recording began playing.
Rukma's voice echoed through the room.
"3214."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The recording ended.
Kaal glanced toward his subordinate.
The man nodded.
The recording appeared genuine.
---
For a few moments, Kaal remained silent.
Then unexpectedly, he smiled.
"I like your fighting style."
"Would you like to join my organization?"
The armed men around him remained expressionless.
But internally?
They were shocked.
Very shocked.
Nobody remembered the last time Kaal had personally invited someone into his ranks.
Especially a young woman.
Anamika calmly looked at him.
Her mind rapidly calculated possibilities.
Rejecting him directly seemed unwise.
Accepting wasn't an option either.
Before she could answer—
Her gaze shifted toward the man holding her phone.
"Give me my phone back."
She casually extended her hand.
The subordinate instinctively looked toward Kaal for permission.
But Kaal wasn't even looking at him.
His eyes remained fixed on Anamika.
As though he was studying something.
Trying to understand something.
---
Then suddenly—
His phone rang.
The ringtone echoed through the room.
Kaal glanced at the screen.
Private Number.
His eyebrows frowned.
Then he answered.
The moment the call connected—
A deep voice spoke.
Just one word.
"Kaal."
That was all.
Yet Kaal's entire body froze.
His eyes widened.
His breathing stopped.
The cigar nearly slipped from his fingers.
"T-Th... Thalaiva?"
The room instantly became silent.
Every subordinate present looked confused.
Fear.
Genuine fear.
They had never seen it on Kaal's face before.
A deep laugh came from the other side.
"So you still recognize my voice."
Kaal forced an awkward smile.
"O-Of course, Boss."
"Who could possibly forget your voice?"
The voice on the other end became cold.
"The girl standing in front of you."
"She's important to me."
"I trust I don't need to explain any further."
Click.
The call ended.
---
Silence.
Complete silence.
Kaal slowly lowered his phone.
Then looked at Anamika.
No.
Stared at her.
As if she had suddenly transformed into something terrifying.
Something he absolutely shouldn't touch.
A few seconds later—
His entire attitude changed.
Instantly.
Completely.
"Excuse me, Miss Anamika."
His voice became polite.
Almost respectful.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Coffee?"
"Cold drinks perhaps?"
The room froze.
His subordinates nearly suffered heart attacks.
What the hell just happened?
Anamika blinked.
Then laughed.
For the first time today.
---
Inside her mind she immediately questioned the system.
"System."
"What exactly is going on?"
The system replied almost instantly.
[Host... according to my investigation, the plot has already crashed.]
Anamika frowned.
"Crashed?"
[Not only your plot.]
[Multiple storylines appear to have merged together.]
[Several collapsing worlds and narratives are overlapping.]
Anamika's confusion only increased.
"But my story hasn't even properly started yet."
"How could it crash?"
The system remained silent for several moments.
Then finally answered.
[I don't know.]
[There may be an anomaly inside your story as well.]
Anamika immediately thought of one person.
"Aarav?"
The system instantly rejected the possibility.
[Impossible.]
[Aarav is merely a background character in your storyline.]
[He shouldn't possess enough influence to alter the plot itself.]
That answer somehow made Anamika even more suspicious.
---
She stopped talking to the system.
Then looked directly at Kaal.
Her fearful act disappeared completely.
"What locket are you looking for?"
"And what exactly is happening here?"
This time her tone carried confidence.
Authority.
Attitude.
Kaal's expression immediately became awkward.
Very awkward.
Unfortunately for him, there were certain secrets he absolutely couldn't reveal.
Especially after receiving that phone call.
So he simply stood up.
Without answering.
Without explaining.
Without threatening.
He turned around and walked away.
His men immediately followed him.
Within seconds, the room was empty.
Leaving behind only a very confused Anamika.
She sighed.
"Today's been ridiculous."
---
Then her phone rang.
Looking at the caller ID, a smile appeared on her face.
She answered immediately.
"Thank you, Dadu."
A deep laugh echoed from the other side.
"These small-time criminals are becoming too bold."
"How dare they trouble Thalaiva's granddaughter?"
Anamika blinked.
"Wait... what exactly are you planning to do?"
Her grandfather chuckled.
A dangerous chuckle.
The kind that usually preceded disasters.
Then he calmly replied.
"Nothing complicated."
A brief pause followed.
And then he said only four words.
"Tit for tat."
For some reason—
Anamika suddenly felt sorry for Kaal.
On the other side
The city had only just begun to wake.
Morning sunlight spread across the streets as people stepped out of their homes. Office workers hurried toward bus stops, children in neatly pressed uniforms waited for their school buses, while some parents personally drove their kids to school.
It looked like an ordinary morning.
Until a municipal garbage truck stopped beside a large roadside dumpster.
The sanitation worker casually climbed down from the truck and walked toward the container.
"Let's get this over with..."
He grabbed the heavy metal lid and pulled it open.
The moment he looked inside
His face turned deathly pale.
"W-What the...?!"
He stumbled backward in terror and fell onto the road.
Inside the dumpster...
A human corpse stared back at him.
---
Nearly an hour later.
The entire area had been sealed off.
Yellow police tape surrounded the crime scene.
Reporters shouted questions while photographers continuously captured images from every possible angle.
Curious civilians crowded behind the barricades, trying to catch a glimpse of what had happened.
No one was allowed near the body.
Then a black SUV slowly pulled over.
The doors opened.
Rahul Venkatesh stepped out first, adjusting the sleeves of his shirt.
SK climbed out from the passenger seat, stretching lazily.
He looked around before scratching his head.
"Venky..."
"I thought murder investigations were the police's job."
"Or maybe the CID."
"Or the CBI."
"So... why are we here?"
Venkatesh slowly turned toward him.
The look in his eyes carried only one message.
Idiot.
Without bothering to answer, he walked straight toward the officer in charge.
The inspector immediately stood at attention and saluted.
"Sir!"
Venkatesh returned a small nod.
He accepted a pair of latex gloves from the officer and put them on before approaching the body.
His sharp eyes examined every visible detail.
"Cause of death?"
"Estimated time?"
"Anything?"
The inspector shook his head.
"Negative, sir."
"So far we've only confirmed the victim's identity."
"Nothing else."
Venkatesh crouched beside the corpse.
Ignoring the blood stains, he began searching every pocket with practiced efficiency.
Nothing.
No weapon.
No documents.
No phone.
His gaze finally stopped at the bullet wound in the victim's forehead.
Clean.
Professional.
One shot.
One kill.
Execution style.
After silently observing it for several seconds, he stood back up.
"Any personal belongings recovered?"
"Yes, sir."
The inspector immediately handed over a transparent evidence bag.
"A wallet."
Venkatesh carefully opened it.
Cash.
Restaurant receipts.
A few miscellaneous bills.
Nothing unusual.
He flipped through them one by one.
Then...
His fingers stopped.
One receipt immediately caught his attention.
He pulled out another folded document hidden beneath it.
An airline ticket.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"He was planning to leave the country."
He unfolded the ticket completely.
"London."
Then, glancing at the corpse, he sighed.
"Poor guy."
"He bought a ticket to London..."
"...but ended up getting a one-way ticket to Heaven instead."
SK couldn't help laughing.
"You really have terrible timing for jokes."
Ignoring him, Venkatesh looked at the printed name.
"Rukma..."
His expression subtly changed.
So it was him.
---
Footsteps echoed behind them.
One of the senior CBI officers walked forward.
"That's precisely why this case falls under your jurisdiction."
"The victim wasn't an ordinary civilian."
Venkatesh looked at him.
"For example?"
The officer extended his hand.
"Inspector Yash."
Venkatesh shook it.
"Rahul."
Yash smiled brightly.
"I know exactly who you are."
"And your work."
"I'm actually a huge fan."
"You've always been my idol."
For the first time since arriving at the crime scene...
Venkatesh looked genuinely confused.
Very few people even knew his real profession.
Officially, he didn't exist.
Only RAI, RAW, and a handful of top-level government officials knew anything about his operations.
Yet this young CBI officer was speaking as though he already knew everything.
Seeing the confusion on Venkatesh's face, Yash chuckled.
He had already guessed what Rahul was thinking.
With a respectful smile, he finally explained,
"Sir..."
"My father is your boss."
He paused for dramatic effect before adding,
"SP Satyamurti."
For the first time that morning...
Even the usually expressionless Rahul Venkatesh blinked in surprise.
Venkatesh let out a long sigh.
SK scratched the back of his head, still looking confused.
"I still don't get it," he muttered. "What does this murder have to do with us? How did it end up under our jurisdiction?"
Both Venkatesh and SK turned their attention toward Yash.
Yash simply shrugged.
"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "The orders came directly from higher-ups. Maybe my dad knows something."
---
About an hour later...
The two of them walked through the underground corridors of the RAI Headquarters on their way to a meeting.
AK, who happened to be passing by, grinned mischievously.
"By the way... where's Aarav? He didn't even come home last night. Everything alright?"
Venkatesh sighed again.
"Yeah... everything's fine."
After a brief pause, he added,
"I think... maybe our divorce is finally starting to affect the kids."
But deep inside, another thought crossed his mind.
Or maybe it has something to do with his supernatural abilities...
He silently decided that he would have a proper conversation with Aarav once he found the time.
---
The moment they entered the meeting room, SP Satyamurti gestured for both of them to take the seats opposite his desk.
Once they sat down, he walked to the door, locked it himself, and drew a deep breath before speaking.
"I suppose you're wondering why a simple murder investigation has landed in RAI's hands."
Venkatesh met his gaze calmly.
"If the case has been transferred to our jurisdiction, then there must be a reason. We're just curious to know what that reason is."
For a brief moment, Satyamurti carefully observed Venkatesh's face, trying to read his expression.
As always...
Nothing.
The man was impossible to read.
Finally, Satyamurti spoke.
"Rukma was a brilliant young archaeologist."
"He worked as an assistant under Professor Narayan Rao."
"Around a week ago, the entire excavation team disappeared from an archaeological site in Bangladesh."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"At roughly the same time... Rukma secretly entered India."
Silence filled the room.
Venkatesh simply nodded, signaling him to continue.
"And two nights ago... he was murdered inside his apartment."
"According to our investigation, before his death he met two different people."
"And just moments before he died..."
"He made a phone call to one of them."
Another heavy silence followed.
Then Satyamurti slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"Last night," he said quietly, "someone anonymously sent me this video."
He pressed play.
The footage began.
Inside the apartment...
A masked man pointed a gun at Rukma.
A single gunshot echoed.
Rukma collapsed to the floor.
Blood spread across the room.
The video ended.
For the first time during the briefing...
Venkatesh's pupils visibly contracted.
Satyamurti noticed the reaction.
"Now you know everything we know."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Your mission is simple."
"Find out what exactly is going on."
"If Professor Narayan Rao is still alive..."
"Rescue him."
He paused before adding,
"Those are direct orders from the top."
Sliding a thick case file across the table, he continued,
"Everything we've gathered so far is inside this file."
"Victim profile."
"Timeline."
"Known contacts."
"Forensic reports."
"And every lead we currently possess."
He looked directly at Venkatesh.
"Good luck."
Without another word, Venkatesh picked up the file.
He silently nodded.
Then he and SK turned around and walked out of the meeting room.