Meanwhile, Raghav was sitting under a faucet in a slum, bathing. The list Kapil Mehta had given him was also dirty and wet, making it unusable. Raghav was furious. After bathing, he entered a locked house, changed his clothes, and left. He borrowed a phone from someone and made a call. After waiting for a while, a man arrived to pick him up.
Raghav went directly to a new secret hideout of the Delhi wars. There, some people were sitting, but no gang leaders were present. Raghav told them, "Tell your bosses that Kapil has no intention of cooperating with us."
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu finished his school day and was heading home with Karishma when he spotted Himanshu.
Abhimanyu approached Himanshu and asked, "Himanshu, how are things? Have you decided to stay?"
Himanshu replied, "Actually, last night some goons came and forced us to sign a stamp paper. But then some other goons arrived, burned the stamp paper, and beat them up before taking them away."
Abhimanyu asked, "So what are you planning to do?"
Himanshu said, "Mom is very scared, so if my uncle comes back, she'll give him the restaurant."
Abhimanyu said, "I've heard there are some people keeping security at the project site, so you don't need to worry. Besides, you can also seek help from the police."
Himanshu asked, "But how will the police help us? We don't have any evidence against them right now."
Abhimanyu said, "Don't worry about that. My brother is in the police. He can arrange for two guards to be stationed outside your restaurant."
Himanshu said, "Thanks, brother."
To reassure Himanshu, Abhimanyu requested his brother to have two constables stationed outside the restaurant. Since Aakash had recently helped the police department, the commissioner quickly agreed to this small request and instructed the area's inspector to provide security.
Abhimanyu said, "Your issue is resolved. The inspector of that area will now be responsible for your security."
Himanshu said, "Thank you, brother," and hugged Abhimanyu.
Abhimanyu then said goodbye to Himanshu and left with Karishma.
After reaching home, Abhimanyu changed his clothes and headed to a location.
He arrived at a traffic signal where three roads intersected, and cars were passing by. Abhimanyu looked around when he received a call. Answering the phone, he received instructions on where to go. After walking for a while, he reached a small building with just one floor. The main gate of the building opened automatically, and Abhimanyu walked inside. There was no one present.
Suddenly, he received instructions to go left and turn a vase. When he turned the vase, a fingerprint scanner appeared on the wall.
Abhimanyu was instructed to scan his fingerprint. As he did, the floor slid open, revealing an underground path.
When Abhimanyu went inside, he found four people there, all wearing black hoodies and hacker masks.
There were many CPUs and several screens displaying footage of all the places Abhimanyu had been.
Abhimanyu looked at them and asked, "Will you keep wearing the masks, or will you tell me who you are and why you wanted to meet me?"
One person took off his mask, but Abhimanyu was shocked to see his face. Then another member also took off his mask, and Abhimanyu was shocked again because he knew him too. When the remaining two took off their masks, he was even more surprised because he recognized them as well.
Abhimanyu exclaimed in surprise, "Roshan, Rakhi, Shalini, and Sushant!"
Roshan asked in astonishment, "You know Sushant?"
Abhimanyu replied, "I once saw him receiving a packet from Shalini."
Shalini said, "And you managed to find out everything about it, how?"
Abhimanyu responded, "I have my ways. So, which one of you is the genius hacker who made all those pen drives?"
Roshan said, "There aren't multiple pen drives, we only made one."
Roshan and Rakhi were part of the student council from Abhimanyu's school, Shalini was an intern for the principal, and Abhimanyu didn't have much information about Sushant.
Abhimanyu asked, "Who made that pen drive, and how did you escape from the Grim Reaper?"
Roshan answered, "We all made it together."
He continued, "We were part of a large group of about 50 people led by a man named Jatin. He brought us together to work on a project aimed at changing the world. He formed this organization called 'New Reality' and his nickname was Dark Lord. He taught us all about hacking and software."
Abhimanyu asked, "Where is Dark Lord now?"
Roshan explained, "Dark Lord was working on a project to create a helmet-like device that could let us travel inside a virtual reality he called 'reality.' After some time, he successfully created the device, which is this VR set."
Abhimanyu listened carefully as Roshan continued, "However, the investors who funded the project tried to seize the device. These included several businessmen from Delhi, one of which was the Aggarwal family. To threaten them, Dark Lord made that pen drive containing all their illegal activities."
Roshan added, "All those businessmen then hired the Grim Reaper organization to eliminate Dark Lord and our team. Grim Reaper never spares anyone. They wiped out everyone in the lab, but we survived because we hadn't been to the lab for some time and were out testing the VR set. When we returned to the lab, everything was burned to ashes."
He continued, "I then went to Dark Lord's house, retrieved the pen drive from his locker, and left. Now, only four members of our group are left."
Roshan said, "In the locker, I found a video message where Dark Lord suggested spreading a rumor that he had made 10 pen drives before dying. He left us the responsibility of continuing his work. He also created a hacking software that can hack any device instantly, but we haven't found it yet. He hid it somewhere inside this VR set, accessible only to someone who can clear the final level."
Abhimanyu asked, "What do you want from me?"
Roshan said, "You were the only person who reached that locket after us, and you did it by following the rules. Dark Lord told us about the code, and we believe you can clear the level. After all, you are the Black Demon in the gaming world."
Abhimanyu said, "Look, that's just my gaming identity."
Roshan responded, "This is just another game."
Abhimanyu asked, "What do I get out of this?"
Roshan said, "What do you want?"
Abhimanyu replied, "I want a copy of that hacking software."
After thinking for a moment, Roshan agreed, "Alright."
Abhimanyu asked, "Fine. Are you launching this on the market? Who is funding you?"
Roshan said, "The Raijada family, specifically Yuwan Raijada. Grim Reaper had a contract to eliminate Dark Lord, not our company. Yuwan Raijada is quite influential in this city. But before we release different devices, we need to extract that hacking software from the VR set. Otherwise, anyone who clears the final level after the launch will get access to it."
Abhimanyu thought to himself, "So, I can access it after the launch."
He asked, "Does Yuwan know about you all?"
Roshan said, "No, but he knows the history of our company."
Abhimanyu said, "Alright, let's see how challenging your game is."
Abhimanyu lay down on a bed that was part of the VR setup and put on the helmet.
He still felt his body on the bed but saw darkness before a voice welcomed him to New Reality. An interface appeared with several applications, and he selected Arena. A loading bar appeared, and then he found himself standing in a location, feeling like he was inside the game rather than on a bed. The graphics were incredibly realistic. He had to create an ID, so he typed "Black Demon" in normal letters, had his brain scanned, and his ID was created. There were custom suits available for purchase. When Abhimanyu selected them, they all had prices, but once he selected "buy," the items were added to his account and equipped on his character.
Saily commented, "Its pricing isn't connected to banking yet; you could say it's a kind of glitch."
Abhimanyu smiled and bought all the dresses and gun skins, as well as a Royal Pass. Within seconds, his inventory was filled with numerous dresses and weapon skins, including swords and katanas.
Abhimanyu then noticed an option to level up.
He selected it and found two options: gain experience or pay to level up. He leveled up to 100, then saw that there was a diamond and coin system as well. Abhimanyu bought everything in huge quantities, turning his inventory into that of a wealthy person. There were two options: story mode and arena mode.
Abhimanyu chose story mode, where a level one monster appeared to fight him.
He saw many options for how to attack.
Abhimanyu conjured a basic fireball with a mere thought and threw it at the monster, killing it instantly. A message appeared: "Level up +1. Current level: 101."
Abhimanyu remarked in surprise, "But in the lobby, it didn't go beyond 100."
Another monster, a slime, appeared.
Abhimanyu threw another fireball and killed it. A message appeared: "Level up +1. Current level: 102."
He kept throwing fireballs, killing each monster one by one.
"Level up +1."
"Level up +1."
"Level up +1."
"Level up +1."
"Level up +1."
"Level up +1."
Current level: 190.
Abhimanyu yawned and said, "Maybe I shouldn't have leveled up so much."
Arjun remarked, "Well, being 100 levels higher makes you a lot stronger."
Abhimanyu killed another monster, and a message appeared: "Level up +1. Current level: 191."
After some time, Abhimanyu reached level 199.
Suddenly, the most dangerous monster appeared in front of Abhimanyu, a humanoid chimera. The monster roared at Abhimanyu, who threw a fireball at it, reducing its health to 90.
Seeing this, Abhimanyu said, "So that's why it's so hard to kill." He then unleashed his most powerful move, a massive energy blast, on the monster. Immediately, a "game over" message appeared, and an icon resembling an SD card appeared.
Saily said, "I can scan it properly now."
Abhimanyu approached the card and touched it, which brought him out of the game.
When Abhimanyu removed the helmet, he noticed Roshan and the others looking very worried.
Roshan asked, "Where is the file?"
Everyone was checking their screens, trying to find it, but the file was nowhere to be found.
Abhimanyu asked, "What happened? Couldn't find the file?"
Roshan replied, "I don't know, but it's disappeared from the system as if it was deleted."
Abhimanyu asked Saily, "Did you do something?"
Saily said, "While I was scanning, the file got transferred to my system. I'm writing a program to connect it back to my system."
Abhimanyu told Roshan, "Maybe the file is still in the game."
Roshan replied, "Perhaps, but tracking it won't be easy since Dark Lord hid it."
Abhimanyu asked, "When is the launch of this VR set? I can invest in it."
Roshan said, "Yuwaan Raijada is investing 700 crores and will share 20% of the profits."
Abhimanyu said, "I can invest 1000 crores and help with various aspects of the company, such as adding new moves and motions. Plus, I'm a streamer."
Roshan, surprised, asked, "You have 1000 crores?"
Abhimanyu replied, "Just tell me if you need it or not."
Roshan said, "With that amount, we can build a whole team, as it's quite difficult for the four of us."
Abhimanyu said, "Alright, seal the deal."
Roshan shook his hand and said, "Thank you, Abhimanyu."
Abhimanyu added, "And make sure my investment and other details remain confidential."
Roshan agreed, "Alright."
Abhimanyu immediately called Jasmine and instructed her to transfer 1000 crores to an account.
He then told Roshan, "If you need guards or security, let me know. I have a security company too."
After discussing some more details, Abhimanyu left.
Saily commented, "Aren't you trusting these people a bit too much?"
Abhimanyu replied, "You could say I know how to judge people."
Arjun added, "But won't they be tempted seeing 1000 crores in the account?"
Abhimanyu said, "They won't be able to escape from me even if they try, right, Saily?"
Saily replied, "Yes, though this system is amazing. Connecting it to myself is a headache, but I'll manage it before the day ends."
Arjun asked, "How did you get this computer knowledge?"
Saily replied, "It's pre-programmed in me, and I keep learning new things like languages and can access the internet anytime."
Abhimanyu was returning home, and it was 7 PM when he received a call from Kashmira.
When Abhimanyu answered the call, Kashmira asked him where he was.
Abhimanyu said, "I am near Nagloi right now, what happened?"
Kashmira said, "Meet me near Inderlok quickly, I am coming to pick you up."
Abhimanyu then took the metro to Inderlok.
Fifteen minutes later, he reached Inderlok, and as soon as he exited, he met Kashmira. Kashmira said, "Come on, we have to go to a family dinner."
Abhimanyu said, "So soon?"
Kashmira said, "Yes, there's a meeting about the wedding preparations, and we need to do something today itself."
Abhimanyu said, "Don't you think you should find someone your own age?"
Kashmira said, "Come on, or I'll fail you in internal exams."
Abhimanyu said, "This is strange blackmailing."
Kashmira said, "Please, let's go."
Abhimanyu said, "Alright, but there's no need to act like a teacher outside of class."
Kashmira said, "Thanks, let's go now."
Abhimanyu and Kashmira headed towards Karol Bagh. The Mathur family mansion was in Karol Bagh, but they had to go to a VIP restaurant there.
Abhimanyu and Kashmira reached the restaurant, where several guards were stationed at the main gate and inside.
Abhimanyu was about to see all the members of one of Delhi's four major families together for the first time. So far, he had only interacted with Yuwan and Rajat Mishra. He knew Riya and Rajveer from the Mathur family, and of course, Kashmira, but Riya and Rajveer had never discussed any business proposals with him. Although Rajveer wanted to be part of the business, Abhimanyu had amassed enough investment that he no longer needed Rajveer. Knowing this, Rajveer never approached him about it. However, Abhimanyu later helped Rajveer in his business and financed it, so Rajveer didn't need to ask his family for money. Even though Rajveer couldn't be part of the Amritjal project, he stayed connected with Abhimanyu, which was enough for him. He didn't tell anyone about this deal except Riya, who wasn't very interested in these matters anyway.
Kashmira parked her car in the restaurant's parking area and took Abhimanyu to the family dinner. It was now 8 PM.
Abhimanyu and Kashmira reached a private cabin where the head of the Mathur family, Shivshankar Mathur, was seated in the main center chair. His younger brother, Rajbahadur Mathur, was sitting to his left, and to his right was his son, Harish Mathur, with his wife, Jamwanti Mathur, next to him. Next to Rajbahadur Mathur were his two sons with their wives, one of whom was Kashmira's father and the other was Ratan, the father of Rajveer and Riya. Rajveer and Riya were also seated there, and on the other side was Harish Mathur's son, Shivraj Mathur. Shivshankar always favored Shivraj and considered him the most capable among his children, not because he was truly capable, but because Shivraj had a good reputation with him and always flattered him while putting others down.
Next to them were Chirag's parents, Lokesh Aggarwal and his mother, and beside them was Chirag. One chair was still empty, and everyone was waiting for Kashmira, talking among themselves.
Kashmira then entered the cabin.
Shivshankar said to her, "Why are you so late? We called you a long time ago, and why aren't you dressed properly?"
Everyone else was well-dressed, even Riya, because her father had forced her to dress up.
Kashmira said, "I didn't have time." Then she noticed Chirag's family and was surprised. She asked, "You didn't tell me they were coming too."
Shivshankar said, "I told you we were having a family meeting, so of course, they would be here. They are going to be family too."
Although Chirag's father was not the family head, Chirag was his grandfather's favorite and had the best chances of becoming the family head among the children.
Shivshankar said, "But who have you brought along to our family meeting?"
Ratan immediately said, "He is Kashmira's student."
Shivshankar said, "Student?"
Kashmira couldn't introduce Abhimanyu as her boyfriend because Chirag's family was also there, and if she brought up this matter in front of them, it would definitely cause trouble.
Kashmira said, "I was giving him extra classes because he missed many classes. It got quite late, and he had no one at home, so I brought him here for dinner. I will drop him home afterward."
Abhimanyu smiled and said, "Hello, sir."
Kashmira's grandfather said, "Hello, please be seated." A guard placed another chair next to Riya.
However, Abhimanyu sat in the chair next to Chirag, which made him clench his fist. Kashmira was very pleased with this gesture and smiled as she sat in the chair next to Riya.
Riya whispered to her, "Why didn't you follow my plan? Introducing Abhimanyu as your boyfriend would have been a great shock."
Kashmira said, "Yes, but it wouldn't have been right to create such a scene in front of Chirag's family. You didn't know they were coming either."
Riya said, "I arrived just five minutes ago myself."
Abhimanyu smiled at Chirag and said, "I saw in the news yesterday that you were in jail."
Riya suddenly coughed lightly upon hearing Abhimanyu's words.
Riya whispered to Kashmira, "Abhimanyu's presence is no less than a shock."
Chirag said, "That was all a lie; I was framed."
Abhimanyu asked, "By whom?"
Chirag said, "Didn't you see the news?"
Abhimanyu said, "No, I was with Kashmira ma'am, so I really didn't have time."
Chirag started to explain, but Lokesh interrupted, "You don't need to justify yourself."
Abhimanyu thought to himself with a smile, "It seems someone here really has some sense."
Shivshankar said to Abhimanyu, "Young man, you shouldn't ask such questions without verifying, as they might hurt someone."
Abhimanyu said, "I am sorry, sir. I actually wanted to know the whole matter because this case is related to our class teacher's life as well."
Shivshankar thought to himself, "I feel like he might be part of the Young Soldier program. Maybe Riya knows."
Shivshankar asked Abhimanyu, "What does your family do?"
Abhimanyu said, "They have a small business."
Shivshankar asked, "What kind of business?"
Abhimanyu said, "My mom has a small fashion designing company."
Shivshankar asked, "And your father?"
Abhimanyu said, "He is in the army."
Shivshankar asked, "At what post?"
Abhimanyu looked at Riya.
Riya, understanding the situation, said, "He is just a soldier."
Shivshankar asked, "Do you know his father?"
Riya said, "Yes, his father is a soldier in the Bihar military, and he studied at the military school there. I even trained him for a while."
Shivshankar said, "Alright, I haven't asked your name yet. What's your name?"
Abhimanyu said, "Abhimanyu."
Shivshankar said, "Young man, when someone asks your name, you should tell your full name."
Abhimanyu said, "Abhimanyu Pratap Singh."
Shivshankar thought to himself, "Pratap Singh... could he be from that family?"