{ CHAPTER - 8 } INVESTIGATION

Someone receives a phone call at night while it is lightly raining in a forest cabinet.

!!ring!! ring!!

A voice on the other end of the phone is picked up by someone dressed in all-black commando-style attire.

"Report"

"We have successfully crossed into the northern region, are currently outside of the border of the U.K ( Uttarakhand), and are moving to find the "item."

The person said in an irate voice on the other end of the phone. "TCH, you haven't found it yet? At this rate, you're just wasting time, so I suppose you're no longer valuable."

The person was startled upon hearing this. His face and hands began to perspire, and he cried out in fear. "Wait a moment, the interference of the Indian government was the cause of our difficulties, but that is no longer a concern. To find cover, we create a distraction. "

After a brief period of silence, the person on the other end asked "What's that cover you have?"

The man was a little relieved when he heard this because it showed that he had captured that man's attention.

"We have set up a trap to hold his family hostage, and we will enter the Himalayan range through Aryana Dabral, the (NIIA) chief."

Once more, the man on the other side was silent before speaking. "I won't inquire further, but know this: you know what will happen to you and your friends if you fail, right?"

The individual claimed that he had a second chance at life.

"We are aware, sir, yes. Please know that we won't let you down, especially after the blessings you've given us."

The call came to an end after a brief period of silence.

Another person entered the room as he put the phone down. "What are you doing here? Who was on the call?"

"It was 'him'. He was asking about the situation here."

As soon as the person who had just entered the room realized that "he" was calling directly, his face turned pale.

While worried, the individual stated, "Perhaps we could hurry with the plan? It's not fair to keep him waiting."

"No, we have to wait for the trap to activate; we can't move till then even if we wanted to,"

"And how long will that take?" inquired the newcomer.

"Soon, very soon."

==================

The chief enters the IB (Intelligence Bureau) in Mumbai, where the person associated with the affiliates has been kept.

"Chief Aryan It's good to see you here and nice to meet you."

The Aryan waved and greeted none other than the head of IB himself. He was in his forties.

Chief Aryan replied with a greeting and a query. "Yes, it's good to meet you, chief," Rai said." Salutations aside, where have you kept the bastard?"

Chief RAI stated, "He's here in the basement."

They reached the basement where the person was being held.

They reached the basement where the subject was being held.

!Clank!

The chief enters the room by himself after a guard opens the door for him. The Chief noticed the subject was cuffed to a chair there.

"What's your name?" The Chief inquired, and the person answered with a trembling voice.

He trembled in fear as he called out, "Jen sir."

To comfort him, the chief softly questioned Jen, "Where are you from?"

In his panic, Jen blurted out everything he knew to avoid being hurt.

"Although I was born in India, I was raised in the United States until just last year. When those people discovered me, they claimed to be looking for an India travel guide and that I was unemployed. If I stayed quiet, they promised to pay me well. I– I had no idea who they were or what they intended to do in this place. Please—trust me."

When the chief saw him becoming anxious, he put his hand on Jen's shoulder and said

"Jen, please calm down, it's okay. Now, could you please tell us more about those people?"

Jen pleaded for his release while holding his hands together. "Other than that, I know nothing. I had already shared everything I knew with them. Just let me go home, please"

"Hang on a little longer, it's all right."

After calming him down, Chief Aryan left the room and a file was given to him.

"These are his statements, sir."

Holding the files, the chief asked, "So did he tell you anything else?"

"That man seems to be insane, sir. He claimed that those people used magic."

Chief Aryan became aware of this and, perplexed, he asked the individual. "What do you mean exactly by magic?"

"According to that person, I mean Jen, those people were using fire that they had made themselves to kill others."

"What?"

"He could not believe what he was hearing because it was so unbelievable, and all he could do was question his ears. "With their hands on fire? Did I understand you correctly?"

"Yes, and when he saw them, they told him to keep quiet about it, and that's not all. He even claimed to have seen monsters. His only responsibility was to lead them, collect the money, and then depart."

The chief questioned what he was hearing in wonderment. "Have you verified his identity, I wonder?"

The man confidently declared, "Sir, he is a resident of the United States just as he said, and we have confirmed every other thing he has said."

"Prepare the means to transfer him to Delhi, and we will then get in touch with our embassy there to handle him"

The man complied with the directive and proceeded to begin the preparations.

The chief pondered and had a thought. Maybe this is a trap. What exactly is this? He may have been lying. If so, why would he fabricate a tale that is so absurd? Nothing about this makes sense.

The chief was silently contemplating this. He also realized that something was off about this case after reading the other statement from the provided file, but he was unable to pinpoint what it was.

The earlier person returned and spoke while the Chief was still in awe. "Sir, we've got a car ready to take us to the airport."

Aryan nodded as he prepared to head to the airport when Chief Ray abruptly arrived and called him.

Chief RAI questioned, "So, did you find anything new?"

Chief Aryan replied with a confident expression, "Not really, but one thing is clear; these people are looking for something, and that something is hidden in the north."

Jen had informed us that he was leading them to the Himalayas, but Chief RAI wondered what they might be hiding there.

"We don't know that yet; they may have a weapon stashed away somewhere in there."

Chief RAI asked in a panicked tone because this was a little frightening for him to handle. "What sort of weapon is it?"

"It's possible that they possess a World War II-era weapon or other items that have been kept secret from the government."

He was unsure of his conclusion but had one, so he hesitantly asked Chief Aryan. "Could these fools be attempting to start a conflict of some kind?"

"I can't say for sure yet, but one thing that is clear is that these people aren't normal ones because nobody can kill trained marine soldiers, as we saw in that video, so all I know is that we must capture these people or kill them before they do anything terrible because whatever they are trying to do, it's not good,"

CHAPTER - 8 -TO BE CONTINUED