Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains of Veer's room.
The alarm had barely rung before he was already awake.
His eyes drifted toward the wooden wardrobe standing in the corner.
"Today's the day," he muttered.
Opening the wardrobe, he reached behind a stack of neatly folded school uniforms and pulled out a padded black bag. Inside rested an old DSLR camera with a long zoom lens, two spare batteries, and several memory cards.
He carefully checked the battery level before attaching the lens.
"Still working perfectly."
The camera wasn't expensive by professional standards, but it was more than enough for what Veer intended to do.
Blackmail.
No…
Insurance.
In a city where criminals, businessmen, politicians, and even police officers constantly crossed invisible lines, evidence was worth far more than bullets.
A gun could kill one man.
Evidence could destroy an empire.
Veer slipped the camera into his backpack.
"Time to collect some leverage."
Elsewhere in Mumbai…
Radhe stood alone on the terrace of an abandoned building while reading the coded message Veer had sent.
Gani Bhai arriving in India. Prepare accordingly.
His eyes narrowed.
"What?"
He read the message again.
Impossible.
For weeks he had risked his life earning Golden Bhai's Man's trust.
He fought.He killed.He bled.
Yet even he hadn't heard anything about Gani Bhai's movements.
But Veer…
No.
Jatin.
The boy had somehow learned the information first.A small smile appeared on Radhe's face.
"So that's why…"
Months ago Veer had insisted on placing Jatin inside King Hotel instead of using him elsewhere.
At the time Radhe thought the plan unnecessary.
Now he understood.
"The hotel wasn't for revenge…"
"It was for intelligence."
Radhe shook his head.
"You're frighteningly far ahead, kid."
Without wasting another second, he dialed a secure number from memory.
The call connected after only two rings.
"This is Khan."
Radhe spoke calmly.
"Gani Bhai is coming."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then the voice on the other end grew colder.
"Are you certain?"
"I received confirmation."
"From where?"
"I trust the source."
The man answering the phone was none other than DCP Ashraf Taufiq Khan.
For nearly two decades he had served the Mumbai Police.
He had survived gang wars.Political pressure.Bomb blasts.Encounter operations.Corrupt officers.Drug syndicates.
He knew almost every criminal network operating inside Mumbai.
He had buried good officers.Arrested hundreds.Shot dozens in encounters.Yet one stain remained on his career.
Gani Bhai.
The man always remained beyond his reach.Every operation failed.Every raid leaked.Every witness disappeared.Every trail went cold.
The criminal organization had become like a disease spreading beneath Mumbai's streets.
Ashraf had spent years trying to cut it out.Years of frustration.Years of failure.
Now…
For the first time…
The king himself was stepping onto Indian soil.Ashraf slowly stood from his chair.
His eyes burned with determination.
"So…"
"You've finally come."
He walked toward the large city map hanging inside his office.
Pins marked safe houses.Warehouses.Known gang territories.Shipping routes.
His mind immediately began forming plans.
Surveillance teams.
Airport monitoring.
Intelligence units.
Rapid response squads.
If everything worked…
This could become the biggest anti-gang operation Mumbai had ever witnessed.
Ashraf clenched his fist.
"This time…"
"I'm ending it."
Radhe quietly disconnected the call.
He remained standing on the rooftop for several seconds.
He knew Veer hadn't informed the police.
If anything, the teenager preferred solving problems his own way.
Still…
Radhe made his decision.
"Some battles need the law."
He slipped his phone away.
"I'll explain later."
Little did he know…
If Veer discovered this conversation, he would probably be furious.
Veer wasn't afraid of the police.
He was afraid of history repeating itself.
He remembered exactly how Gani Bhai's story ended.
A rushed operation.Unexpected interference.
His own plan had been different.
Patient,Calculated.
He intended to dismantle every layer protecting Gani Bhai before eliminating the man himself.
Now…
Unknown to him…
The police had begun moving first.
On the other side of Mumbai…
Traffic crawled through one of the city's busiest commercial streets.
College students laughed outside cafés.
Street vendors shouted prices.
Auto-rickshaws honked endlessly.
Among the crowd walked a young woman carrying a folder tightly against her chest.
Jahnavi Verma had just finished an interview and was heading toward the bus stop.
She kept her pace steady, hoping to avoid attention.
Unfortunately…
Attention found her first.
A police jeep screeched to a halt near the roadside.
Inspector Talpade stepped out with two constables following behind.
His uniform was spotless.
His smile wasn't.
He casually blocked Jahnavi's path.
"Where's the hurry?"
Jahnavi stepped sideways.
"I have somewhere to be."
Talpade matched her movement.
"So rude."
The nearby pedestrians slowed, watching from a distance.
Nobody interfered.
Everyone recognized the uniform.
Jahnavi frowned.
"Please move."
Talpade ignored her request.
Instead, he looked her up and down with shameless confidence.
"At least tell me your name."
"My name isn't your business."
One constable chuckled.
Talpade grinned wider.
"Temper."
He reached toward the folder in her hands.
"I'll just check your documents."
Before he could touch it—
Click.
A camera shutter echoed softly.
Talpade didn't notice.
From across the street, partially hidden behind a newspaper stand, Veer lowered his camera slightly.
The telephoto lens had captured everything.
Standing beside him beneath the shade of a tree was Jatin, wearing ordinary delivery boy clothes.
He glanced at the camera display.
"Got him."
Veer zoomed into one photograph.
Talpade blocking the woman's path.Another.His hand reaching toward her.
Another.The constables laughing.
A faint smile appeared on Veer's lips.
"Well, well, well…"
He adjusted the lens once more.
"…somebody can't keep his dick in his pants."
Click.
Another photograph.Shadow spoke in his mind.
"This much won't be enough."
Veer nodded.
"I know."
He continued taking pictures without haste.
"Men like him never stop after one mistake."
Another click.
"They get comfortable."
Another click.
"They think the badge protects them."
Another click.
"And people like him always leave a trail of evidence wherever they go."
Jatin watched Talpade carefully.
"So we wait?"
Veer smiled.
"We observe."
"We document."
"And when the time comes…"
He looked at another photograph displayed on the camera screen.
"…we make sure he never escapes."
Across the road, Talpade finally stepped aside after a passing traffic officer called his name.
Jahnavi wasted no time.
She hurried away without looking back.
Talpade merely laughed before returning to his jeep.
He had no idea someone had just started building a file against him.
Veer placed the camera back into his bag.
"One target at a time."
As the afternoon sun climbed higher above Mumbai, countless plans were already moving beneath the surface.
The police prepared for Gani Bhai's arrival.
Radhe strengthened his place inside the syndicate.
Jatin continued watching the powerful men entering King Hotel.
And Veer…