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Chapter 7 - Main killer

Night had fallen heavily over the city. The dark sky above the headquarters was a velvety canvas, smeared with dim clouds that veiled the stars. The rain had stopped, but its traces still lingered in puddles on the ground and in the moisture on the walls. Arjun limped into the HQ building, soaked in sweat, blood, and exhaustion. The long chase, the brutal fight—it had drained every last ounce of energy from him.

His right shoulder throbbed violently from where he had landed during the chase. His lip was split, and his knee had bruised badly. Yet his eyes were sharp, breathing heavy but victorious. As he stepped into the main hallway of the building, one of the medics gently pulled him aside. "Sir, you need to take something for that swelling," the medic said, handing him a painkiller and antiseptic wipes.

Arjun nodded faintly and downed the medicine with some water. He sat down briefly on a bench near the corner of the room, catching his breath. His mind, however, was still racing. The memory of that sticker on his car's window, with the words: "Wow, so much improvement. You're getting close to death now," kept playing on loop. The audacity of it. The nerve. But he had the last laugh tonight.

Meanwhile, in the holding cell down the corridor, the killer—a thin, pale man with an eerie calmness in his eyes—was being treated by a jail doctor. The man had bruises along his ribs, a cut on his forehead, and several other minor injuries from the beatdown Arjun had given him. He sat quietly, eyes distant, humming an unknown tune as the doctor checked his heartbeat and cleaned the blood around his temple.

Arjun soon pushed himself back up and walked toward the main operations room. As he entered, Agent 2713, his superior, stood waiting. The room was quiet. A few of the team members looked up from their monitors and gave Arjun a small, respectful nod—some even saluted. It was subtle, but enough to make him feel something shift inside. A silent acknowledgment.

As Arjun walked down the hallway toward the holding cells, something changed in the atmosphere. Officers who had once doubted him—who had whispered behind his back when they saw that horrifying sticker on Rani's body during the first murder—now stood in silence. A few stepped aside, a few looked at him with respect, and one young officer saluted quietly.

Arjun glanced at them, nodded back. Inside, a whisper stirred. Now I belong here.

He reached the jail room and paused at the window. Through the glass, he could see the killer still being examined by the doctor. Arjun made eye contact with the doctor and gave a small hand signal to wait outside. The doctor looked hesitant but nodded and left the room.

Arjun stepped inside slowly, shutting the door behind him.

The killer didn't look at him immediately. His eyes were unfocused, still following something in the air. Arjun pulled a chair in front of him and sat down, his injured body creaking slightly with the effort.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Arjun leaned forward and asked, with a voice that was both calm and chilling: "So, who won the challenge?"

The killer blinked and turned to Arjun. A slow, eerie smile formed on his lips, followed by a chuckle that escalated into quiet laughter.

"Challenge?" the killer said, shaking his head. "You think this was about me? That message… it wasn't from me."

Arjun's smile faded.

The killer leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper, but filled with a venomous pride. "I was just a tool. A shadow in someone else's plan. I'm working for someone... someone much bigger."

Arjun's eyes narrowed. He felt a cold weight drop in his chest.

"Who?" he asked.

The killer smiled again, tilting his head back. "Ravindra Varma."

The name sliced through the air like a blade.

Arjun stared at him in disbelief. "What? Ravindra Varma? Why would he—"

The killer cut him off with a look of arrogance. "Don't try to understand things that are above your rank, officer. You found me. Good job. But the real devil… he's still out there, pulling strings. And you? You're just another pawn in his game."

Arjun's hands clenched tightly on his knees. His mind began to spin. Ravindra Varma— A ghost from the system. Supposedly clean. High-level. Untouchable.

The killer leaned back on the cold wall, his head resting lightly, his smirk unshaken. "Ask yourself, officer. What if the person you're protecting is the same one who's running this entire show?"

Arjun stood up slowly, his heart thundering in his chest.

He turned without a word and walked toward the door, the killer's laughter following him like a shadow.

Outside, the corridor seemed longer than ever before.

But Arjun knew one thing:

This case wasn't over.

It had just begun.

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