Chapter 26: Ammy joins gaming club

Le Feng had closed his eyes.

When Abhimanyu approached him and Le Feng opened his eyes to see him, he remarked, "I always knew you were a trap. Because of you, I'm trapped here now." But as soon as he glanced at his hand, he suddenly screamed, "Nim Feng!"

Abhimanyu removed his head covering and placed it on the ground.

Le Feng, with tears in his eyes, said, "Nim Feng, my brother." After a moment of sobbing, his eyes turned red, and he began struggling to break free.

Abhimanyu commented, "Another commander of your group has fallen into our hands."

Le Feng screamed, "I won't spare you once I'm free. I'll kill you first."

Abhimanyu responded calmly, "But you'll be free only then, and that's when you're going to die. After keeping you alive for so long and providing this much security, you still won't tell us anything."

Le Feng replied, "I don't think you have the power to stop me."

Abhimanyu smiled, "If you're so wise, why don't you reveal your whereabouts? Don't you trust your organization's strength?"

Le Feng said, "I have full confidence in the strength of my organization, and soon you will also realize their power."

Abhimanyu asked, "And how would you know?"

Le Feng replied, "Alright, let's make a deal. There will be an attack on one of your military camps on 15th August, and everyone there will be killed." He then burst into laughter.

With two months left until 15th August, it was crucial to determine which camp would be targeted.

Abhimanyu didn't respond further because he knew Le Feng wouldn't reveal more.

Abhimanyu then began to leave, heading back to the camp.

Ramakant remarked, "We have two months until 15th August; we need to find out which camp will be attacked."

Abhimanyu suggested, "For now, we can tighten security at all military camps and keep a close watch."

Ramakant immediately informed the IB chief about this, and the next day, a meeting schedule was set up.

Ramakant asked Abhimanyu, "How did you find Shubham so quickly, especially in just three hours? As far as I remember, you were still in school at that time."

Abhimanyu replied, "A magician never reveals his tricks," and walked towards the hospital building, with Ammy following behind.

Riya then asked Ramakant, "Sir, what is Abhimanyu doing in Delhi?"

Ramakant replied, "He's here on vacation; his grandfather sent him." With that, he headed to his office.

Riya then turned to Aakash and Bhawna, telling them to go to their rooms.

Bhawna asked Riya, "Who is Abhimanyu?"

Riya explained, "He's my younger brother. We met at the Bihar Military School. He's mischievous yet brave. Now, let's not ask any more questions; go to your rooms."

Bhawna then asked Aakash how Ramakant knew Abhimanyu.

Riya replied, "Ramakant sir and his grandfather are friends. Stop asking unnecessary questions; I understand that you both already knew Abhimanyu, but for now, you'll have to adjust to seeing him differently. Don't mention any of this to anyone else."

Abhimanyu then reached Tina's room where Tina was still sleeping, with two other hospital beds nearby. Abhimanyu went to one of the beds and lay down because he was also quite tired, but Ammy didn't go to her bed; instead, she lay down on Abhimanyu's bed.

Abhimanyu told her, "Quietly go to your bed and lie down."

Ammy replied, "Today, I want to sleep with you."

Abhimanyu wanted to say something, but Ammy continued, "I never thought that my siblings and I would escape from that hell. When you freed us from that organization, I handed over my body and soul to you. Whether you accept me or not, I will always be with you. Even if you consider me your slave, I will still stay by your side."

Abhimanyu responded, "The freedom you gained after so much difficulty, you now want to confine that freedom to someone else?"

Ammy said, "I was imprisoned there. I see you as my own. I am completely alone in this world, and now I only have you. I don't want to remind my siblings about that hell, and I hope they don't remember anything. After that, she started crying softly, without making a sound."

Abhimanyu asked her, "What happened to all the other children your age, and how did you pass? I mean, what was your passing procedure?"

Ammy replied, "They were all killed. The selection process was simple. We were locked in a room, and then whoever survived would pass. After I qualified, it was the turn of those children younger than me, and eventually, only one would remain."

Abhimanyu asked, "Did you kill them?"

Ammy replied tearfully, "Yes," and then fell silent as if she was reliving that moment.

Ammy was with her friends and was excited for the exam because they were told that after this exam, they would get a chance to go outside.

But during the exam, they were locked in the room and told that only one of them would be allowed to leave, and the one who survived until the end would be the one to go outside.

The children started discussing among themselves. One boy said, "So only one of us can leave?"

Another said, "But what should we do now?"

Ammy suggested, "Why don't we just fail this exam? I don't want to kill my brothers just to let one of them go outside."

Then a voice came through the room's speaker, saying that if no one was selected in half an hour, they would all be killed, and none would survive.

One boy said, "Let's wait."

When there were only five minutes left, one boy said, "Enough! I won't let these people go. I'll fight them."

Other boys tried to stop him, saying, "We can't defeat them. They are too powerful."

Another boy said, "If I were chosen, I would let Ammy see the world. None of us remembers where we came from, but Ammy's parents must exist somewhere, and they are outside. Even if she doesn't remember them, they must be somewhere. So why not choose her?"

Ammy said, "Absolutely not. I don't want to lose anyone. Even though my parents may be outside, I don't remember them. Now, you all are my family."

But then one boy stabbed himself in the neck with a knife and began to wriggle on the ground.

Another boy said, "We know you are the most powerful among us, and if you want, you could kill us all. But you won't do it yourself, and we don't want you to sacrifice yourself with us." Then he also stabbed himself in the abdomen and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

The other boys, one by one, said, "Now, use your eyes to see the world for all of us," before each one also stabbed himself in the neck.

Then another boy said, "I liked you, but I never got to say it. I just wanted to see a good guy, the strongest among us, and escape this hell," before plunging the knife into his own throat and writhing in pain.

Then one by one, the remaining boys also stabbed themselves with knives, until finally, one boy said, "Don't think that we're dying because of you. As much as it's true that you're not killing us, it's also true that you could have easily killed us. But we knew you wouldn't do that, so we trust you as we bid farewell to this world. Remember, this is our sacrifice. Promise us that you'll completely wipe out the Scorpion family. This is our vow to you," before also taking his own life.

Ammy was traumatized for life by witnessing all of this. Holding the knife in her hand, she cried out, "I killed them all! I'm their murderer! If I had killed myself before they committed suicide, none of this would have happened. I'm their killer!" She sobbed uncontrollably.

Abhimanyu, who had been sleeping, heard Ammy murmuring in her sleep, "This is all my fault. I killed them. I have no right to live. I'm a murderer." He woke up and started crying in his sleep, repeating these words over and over again.

Abhimanyu tried to comfort her, gently shaking her and saying, "Calm down, calm down," before hugging her tightly. He whispered soothing words to her and didn't say anything more.

Ammy hugged him tightly back. After a while, she asked, "What dream was I having?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, you were having a nightmare."

Ammy asked, "What was I saying?"

Abhimanyu asked, "Don't you remember" .

Ammy shook her head in denial.

Abhimanyu changed the subject, saying, "I don't know. You kept calling my name in your dream, saying 'yeah put in there ' and than you said ' 'okay slowly''than you started shouting and the you keep saying 'faster, faster.'"

Ammy immediately punched his arm and said, "Stop talking nonsense, or I'll poison your food and kill you."

Abhimanyu said, "Okay, now go to sleep. It's very late."

Ammy remembered the dream she was having, but Abhimanyu's joke made her forget the sorrow for a while. However, when the memories returned, she felt a bit sad. After all, it had only been three months since that incident. But imagining Abhimanyu's words made her feel embarrassed, so she quietly moved to the other bed and fell asleep. Abhimanyu spread out on his own bed and said, "This is what they call rest. I also found your key." Saying this, he fell asleep too.

Abhimanyu woke up at 4 in the morning and went to the field for his daily exercise routine. Other soldiers were there, along with Riya, Bhawna, and Aakash. Abhimanyu had brought Ammy along as she was his responsibility too.

Abhimanyu asked Riya if there was any update on Kapil Mehta. Riya replied that the search was ongoing, but it had gone underground. She suspected Tina had some affiliation with the military, but they hadn't been able to gather much information yet.

Riya praised Ammy for her combat skills, and Ammy credited Abhimanyu for her training. Riya mentioned that she also trained these two, pointing to Bhawna and Aakash.

Riya then asked Abhimanyu why he hadn't mentioned that Aakash was his brother. Abhimanyu replied that Aakash was his elder brother, and he had other things on his mind at the time.

Riya reminded Abhimanyu of the time she trained him for a while, and Abhimanyu acknowledged that he couldn't forget that.

Riya asked, "Aren't you going to school?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, but I need to go to the apartment first. Can I get the car keys?"

Riya handed him the keys to her personal car, cautioning him to drive carefully.

Yesterday, Riya had given him the keys to a military jeep, but today, it was her personal car.

When Abhimanyu reached the car and got in, it was a Toyota Camry. Abhimanyu and Ammy drove to their apartment, freshened up, and changed into their school uniforms. Abhimanyu had a fake driver's license due to his military background, which was also genuine, meaning he couldn't be caught.

As they approached the gate, the guard hesitated to open it upon seeing a new car. Abhimanyu leaned out the window and asked, "Uncle, aren't you going to open the gate?"

The guard asked, "Abhimanyu, how are you driving, and whose car is this?"

Abhimanyu replied, "It's my sister's. Now, please open the gate."

The guard opened the gate, and Abhimanyu and Ammy scanned their cards for attendance. After parking the car, Sudhir arrived in his car and asked Abhimanyu, "You're a scholarship student, right? Where did you get the car from?"

Abhimanyu chuckled and without looking at him said, "Stolen from you, you mean?"

Hearing such a sharp response from a student, Sudhir got extremely angry and shouted, "Abhimanyu, this is not how you talk to your teacher!"

Abhimanyu, still smiling, said, "Oh, sorry, sir. I thought you were Rohit. He left the car keys in the car, so I brought them. I'll drive it until the owner shows up. I'll return it then."

Sudhir asked, "So, does that mean this car is actually stolen?"

Abhimanyu replied, "I swear, sir, this car isn't mine. It belongs to someone else."

Sudhir thought to himself, "This will be fun when the real owner shows up. You'll be accused of theft, thrown out of school, and even Kashmira will look down on you. He's quite cocky in front of Kashmira ma'am." Just then, Kashmira's car, the latest model of BMW launched in India last week, stopped beside them, and Kashmira had already bought it.

Kashmira greeted Abhimanyu, "Hi, Abhimanyu."

Abhimanyu replied, "Hello, Kashmira."

Sudhir scolded, "How dare you talk like that to your teacher!"

Abhimanyu completely ignored him and said, "Wow, this is the latest model, isn't it?"

Kashmira replied, "Yes, I just bought it yesterday. Will you accompany me for a drive?

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, why not?"

Kashmira said, "Okay, let's go to class now." Then, looking at Ammy, she turned to Abhimanyu and said, "On one hand, you say you're too shy around girls, and on the other hand, you make a new female friend every day."

Abhimanyu explained, "This is Ammy. She's in 11th grade and lives in my neighborhood."

Kashmira asked Ammy, "Are you from Delhi?"

Ammy replied, "No, I'm from Uttarakhand, from a small village nestled amidst the mountains, where nobody knows about."

Kashmira asked Abhimanyu, "Is this car yours?"

Abhimanyu answered, "No, it's not mine. I borrowed it from someone."

Sudhir interjected, "Just say it's stolen."

Kashmira exclaimed, "Sudhir sir, what are you saying? Why would Abhimanyu need to steal?"

Abhimanyu said, "Let it be, ma'am. Some people just lack common sense."

Sudhir remarked, "Who would give such an expensive car to a poor student like you, who has never even driven one?"

Abhimanyu said, "They probably wouldn't give it to you, but everyone wants me to have it." With that, Abhimanyu walked ahead, and Kashmira followed him, while Ammy headed towards her class.

Kashmira then went to the staff room, and Abhimanyu entered his class, where he noticed a new boy sitting. However, it seemed like everyone knew him because they were all gathered around him, and he was sitting in Abhimanyu's seat. In his mind, Abhimanyu thought that the boy had come to his senses; he was none other than Samarth, the leader of the young soldiers' group from Delhi.

Karishma asked Samarth, "So, are you saying you don't want to be the student president again?"

Samarth replied, "Sarthak is doing a good job, so why would I need to? I'm thinking of joining a different club."

Abhimanyu approached Samarth's seat, and the other students moved aside. Abhimanyu sat beside Samarth but didn't said anything.

Samarth looked at him and asked, "Are you going to sit here?"

Abhimanyu replied, "This is my seat."

Samarth said, "Oh, alright. Coincidentally, this is also my seat."

Karishma clarified, "This is Samarth, the president of our school, and Samarth, this is Abhimanyu, my best friend."

Abhimanyu chuckled and said, "Who doesn't know Samarth bhai?"

Samarth replied, "You've also become quite famous in just a few days. After waking up, I heard a lot of praise about you. I hope we both become good friends."

Abhimanyu shook his hand and said, "I also want the same."

Just then, Kashmira entered the class and began the lesson.

Meanwhile, nestled in the mountains of China, there was a town surrounded by hills on all sides. To reach the town, one either had to cross the entire mountain range or take a secret path known only to the town's inhabitants. The town itself was enclosed by walls, and to enter, there were four gates. In the center of the town, there was a castle with a board outside bearing the symbol of a scorpion, along with the inscription "Feng Family" written below it. Inside the castle, a group of elderly individuals dressed in traditional attire sat in a chamber, each bearing a tattoo of a scorpion on their necks.

This town belonged to the Scorpion family, and inside the castle, a meeting was underway. The leader of the Scorpion family sat at the head of the table, facing five individuals, some of whom appeared aged while others seemed relatively young. These five were the commanders of the Scorpion family.

The leader spoke, "Do you still not know the whereabouts of our two commanders?"

One of the commanders replied, "My Lord, firstly, our first commander was taken into custody by the Indian Army. Then, a few days ago, someone attacked all our headquarters in Delhi. Our other commander went to investigate, but now he's also missing. We found out he was investigating a girl, and he handed over her photo to you."

The leader inquired, "Who is this girl?"

The commander explained, "Her name is Tina, and she was the girlfriend of one of our slaves, Kapil Mehta. However, a few days ago, she betrayed her boyfriend and got him arrested by the police. Recently, she was following Kapil, and at that time, Le Feng was also with them. Soldiers arrested them both, and we received information from Kapil that it was this girl who took Nim Feng's life."

The leader said, "Are you implying that this 22 to 23-year-old girl took the life of one of our commanders?"

The commander replied, "It's hard to believe, but she is as powerful as you can imagine."

The leader ordered, "All of you go to India and bring her here."

The commander asked, "And what about our commander?"

The leader responded, "It's difficult to release him, so eliminate him silently so he doesn't speak."

On the other hand, a major eSports tournament was about to take place, where currently all the battlefield teams of Delhi were competing. After the Delhi competition, there would be a national-level competition among all the Indian teams. The students of Agrasen School had never won in Delhi, and this tournament was going to be at the national level. The winner of this tournament would also get the opportunity to participate in competitions among teams from all over the world, scheduled to take place in December.

Abhimanyu was in his club, and they were about to head out for eSports when Samarth arrived and said, "Hello, guys, can I join this club too?"

Vayu asked, "Mr. President, do you really want to join our club?"

Samarth replied, "Yes, why not? Besides, I didn't find anything else interesting here."

Vayu asked, "Do you know how to play games?"

Samarth said, "Yes, I know how to play."

The city center was where the eSports competition was going to take place, and today they were going there for registration and to play their first match. Although there are many multiplayer games in eSports, Battlefield is the most famous.

Just then, Ammy also arrived and said, "I haven't joined any club yet. Can I join too?"

Vayu exclaimed, "Wow, two new members!"

Abhimanyu said, "Quickly, get them to fill out the forms, and then we'll leave."

Vayu handed her the form, and a member sent it to the student council.

Abhimanyu said, "Let's go to the parking lot."

Vayu asked, "Why?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Because we are going by car, right?"

Vayu said, "We have to go to the City Center, which is nearby. We can reach there on foot in just 10 minutes."

Abhimanyu said, "The quicker is better."

Samarth said, "I have a car."

Abhimanyu asked, "Is the eSports event happening at City Center? That means it's in that huge building?"

Vayu replied, "Yes, it's happening there. Such events always take place at City Centre. Hurry up, we're getting late for registration. The tournament starts after 1 PM."

Everyone then headed towards City Center. Vayu asked Abhimanyu, "Do you still want your name to be listed as a backup member?"

Samarth added, "Count me in for backup too."

Ammy chimed in, "And me too."