Chapter 75: A hacker

Meanwhile, at an abandoned factory near Gurgaon, a man received a contract to kidnap two boys.

One of the men, looking at the photos of the boys, said, "It says here they both go to the same school. We'll pick them up after school tomorrow."

On the other side, early in the morning, Abhimanyu left for school with Tina and Karishma.

Upon reaching school, they saw that Ammy had also arrived with Jin Gyong.

Abhimanyu and Karishma approached Ammy.

Abhimanyu asked, "Is her admission done?"

Ammy replied, "Yes, with a bit of a donation, it's sorted. Her name is now Emma."

Abhimanyu said, "That's good. Good morning, Emma."

Emma turned her face away and didn't reply to Abhimanyu's greeting.

Abhimanyu said, "Look, this is school. I can't give a good morning kiss here."

Emma retorted, "You pervert, who even wants a kiss from you?"

Abhimanyu replied, "If I'm a pervert, then you're an even bigger one than me."

Emma angrily said, "What did you say?"

Abhimanyu responded, "Listen the first time. I'm not used to repeating myself."

Ammy said, "Enough, you two are starting again."

Karishma said, "I think we should head to class; the bell is about to ring."

Everyone then started heading to their respective classes.

When Abhimanyu was sitting in his class, he noticed that Kashmira seemed quite troubled and didn't even notice him when she entered the classroom.

Karishma ma'am began her lecture, which was a revision session since the syllabus was completed, and the final year exams were starting next week. After the lecture, when she left, Abhimanyu asked Karishma, "What's wrong with her?"

Karishma shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn't know.

After two more classes, during recess, Abhimanyu went to the staff room to meet Kashmira ma'am, who was having her lunch.

Even when Abhimanyu got close, Kashmira didn't notice him. Only when he knocked on the table did she look up to see Abhimanyu standing there, smiling.

Abhimanyu asked, "Where are you lost?"

Kashmira said, "Abhimanyu, you're here! How was your trip?"

Abhimanyu replied, "I came back this morning, but you were so lost in someone's dream that you didn't even notice."

Kashmira said, "No, nothing like that. I was just thinking about my future."

Abhimanyu asked, "What kind of future?"

Kashmira replied, "About how my life will be after marriage. Will I be able to come back to school?"

Abhimanyu asked, "Are you getting married?"

Kashmira said, "Yes, I got engaged the day before yesterday, and the wedding is next week."

Abhimanyu, smiling, said, "Congratulations!"

Kashmira said, "But I don't like the guy."

Abhimanyu asked, "Then why are you getting married?"

Kashmira replied, "Family pressure. If I don't get married, the business will suffer a lot."

Abhimanyu, surprised, said, "Business?"

Kashmira said, "You won't understand all this."

Abhimanyu said, "Well, it's your job to explain. Please do."

Kashmira said, "Alright, sit down first, then I'll explain."

Abhimanyu took a chair and sat down.

Kashmira said, "Actually, there are four big families in Delhi: the Aggarwal family, the Mishra family, the Mathur family, and the Raijada family. Some time ago, the Raijada family started advancing significantly in the business world, surpassing all the other families. Then, a month later, the Raijada and Mishra families joined hands and began doing business together, leaving the other two families far behind. To fight back, the Aggarwal and Mathur families now want to unite and advance together in business. To form a trustworthy relationship, the Mathur family wants me to marry the heir of the Aggarwal family, Chirag Lokesh Aggarwal, who is a notorious playboy. Since our family is the least valuable among the Mathur family, they are making me the sacrificial lamb."

Abhimanyu said, "You're so troubled over such a small issue."

Kashmira said, "You think this is a small issue?"

Abhimanyu said, "Of course, there are many ways to stop a wedding. Like ruining the boy's reputation."

Kashmira said, "He's already notorious. That won't work."

Abhimanyu said, "Then ruin the girl's reputation."

Kashmira said, "Do you want a slap? Why would I ruin my own reputation?"

Abhimanyu said, "I was just joking. Anyway, there are many ways, and there's still a week before the wedding. Something will come up. No need to worry."

Kashmira said, "That's exactly what I was thinking about, how to avoid this marriage. Riya said she would find a way, but I haven't heard from her yet."

Abhimanyu said, "If Riya di has taken on the task, then it will definitely get done."

Hearing this, Kashmira smiled because she knew Riya since childhood. Once Riya made up her mind, not even the prime minister could stop her from getting the job done.

Just then, Kashmira received a message on her phone from Riya, which said, "The job is done."

Kashmira, surprised, texted back, "What job?"

Riya replied, "The job of breaking the marriage."

Kashmira asked, "What did you do?"

Riya said, "I just set a trap, and he fell right into it."

Kashmira asked, "What kind of trap?"

Riya said, "Watch the news, you'll find out."

Kashmira turned on a live news channel on her phone, which was reporting:

"Breaking News: Narcotics Department raids the farmhouse of the Aggarwal family. Chirag Aggarwal, heir to the Aggarwal family, was found doing drugs with several of his friends. When NCB arrived to arrest them, the whole group was caught red-handed. Not only that, but they had also brought some underage girls to the farmhouse intending to do inappropriate things with them. Fortunately, due to the timely raid by NCB, the girls' honor was saved."

"The police have also taken them into custody, along with their three friends who were high on cocaine. They are currently unable to give statements as they are still under the influence of drugs."

The public is extremely outraged and demands that Lokesh Aggarwal and his friends be given at least 10 years of imprisonment. Although NCB saved the girls, strict action should be taken against the offenders.

After reading the news, Kashmira called Riya and asked, "Is all this true?"

Riya replied, "If it's not true, then why is it being shown on the news?"

Kashmira asked, "But how did you manage to do all this?"

Riya said, "You can ask me all that over lunch."

Kashmira, feeling happy, said, "Alright."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, it's good. I'll take my leave."

Kashmira said, "At least have lunch."

Abhimanyu replied, "I'm not hungry," and with that, he left.

A little later, the club activities began, and since their team had received many sponsors, they had to stream various games, making them quite busy. Ammy was also with them.

Abhimanyu asked Ammy, "Your sister doesn't know the local language here, right? Will she be able to adjust?"

Ammy replied, "Yes, but she knows English. Besides, she likes this place a lot. Now she just needs to make some friends here."

Abhimanyu said, "I don't know about friends, but she must already have a line of admirers." Just then, Ravi, looking at a social media site, said, "She already has a fan club."

Abhimanyu, surprised, said, "In just two hours?"

Ravi showed him the social media page where several photos of her sitting in class and looking very beautiful were uploaded.

Abhimanyu said, "But phones aren't allowed in school."

Seeing all this, the school administration will definitely take some action.

Abhimanyu and the others were playing a multiplayer game where everyone had to hide, and one had to seek. This game is called Hide and Seek.

Abhimanyu and his teammates were streaming it when a hacker entered their private server and started playing with them.

Abhimanyu said, "A hacker has joined our game and is picking us off one by one."

A comment came in, "I thought no one could die in this game."

Abhimanyu said, "He has even added his own features and is able to use them."

Just then, the hacker said, "Hello Agrasen Lions, have you heard about a new VR game called Arena that is going to be launched soon with its VR sets?"

Many people started commenting that they would have to buy VR sets just to watch its stream.

The hacker, reading the comments, said, "Exactly, even though Arena's audience is in the millions, only real martial artists play it because ordinary people can't last long in that arena."

Abhimanyu, surprised, said, "Martial Artists?"

The hacker said, "Absolutely, people go there as an audience and can place bets. It's like a real fight but in a virtual world. Its launch is coming very soon."

Abhimanyu asked, "What do you want from us?"

The hacker said, "Not much." Suddenly, their live stream was cut off, and now only Abhimanyu could hear him. Ammy, Samarth, and the rest were also kicked out of the server room.

The hacker said, "I made that game, and I want you to test it."

Abhimanyu asked, "Why should I do that?"

The hacker said, "If you remember, I helped you find Ammy's parents. Come to this address by tomorrow evening." With that, he disappeared from the server.

Abhimanyu thought to himself, "I don't know what he wants from me."

Abhimanyu stood up, and seeing him rise, Himanshu was astonished. Abhimanyu gestured for him to stay quiet as he removed the gag from his mouth. Then, Abhimanyu walked over to the thugs. There were only five of them, and Abhimanyu easily overpowered them. Their leader picked up a gun from the ground and shot at Abhimanyu, but Abhimanyu dodged the bullet, reached the leader, kicked him, and sent the gun flying. He caught the gun in mid-air and pointed it at the leader's head, demanding to know who had ordered their kidnapping.

The leader laughed and said, "If you have the guts, shoot me."

Without hesitation, Abhimanyu fired and grazed the leader's ear.

The leader grabbed his ear in pain and began to groan. Seeing this, the other thugs became nervous.

Abhimanyu said, "I'll count to three. Tell me who the boss is."

The leader, groaning, said, "You won't leave here alive. Even if you do, I won't spare you later."

Abhimanyu counted, "Three."

The leader asked, "What are you counting?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Two."

The leader started to panic but couldn't say anything out of fear.

Abhimanyu said, "One," and fired the gun, making the leader flinch in fear. The leader was utterly terrified and finally gave up, shouting, "Brijesh Sharma!"

Abhimanyu smiled and said, "Next time, think twice before messing with me." He kept the gun and walked over to Himanshu, untying his hands and legs, and started to lead him out.

As they were leaving, Himanshu said, "Thank you, brother."

Abhimanyu replied, "No need to thank me. They kidnapped me too."

Himanshu said, "This is all happening because of me. You got into this trouble because of me."

Abhimanyu said, "A person's problems are due to their own actions. No one else is responsible for their troubles."

After a while, Abhimanyu and Himanshu reached the latter's restaurant. Abhimanyu was determined to teach Brijesh Sharma a lesson.

When Himanshu arrived at the restaurant, his mother, Himani, saw him and asked worriedly, "Where were you all this time?"

Himanshu replied, "I went for a study session."

Abhimanyu greeted, "Hello, aunty."

Himani then noticed Abhimanyu and, smiling, said, "Hello, son. How are you? You won't break a table today, will you?"

Abhimanyu laughed and said, "Not at all, aunty."

Himani said, "You two sit down, I'll get the food ready."

Abhimanyu and Himanshu sat at a table. Himani had just given the order to the cook when Brijesh Sharma arrived with his son Nishant Sharma and a few thugs.

Abhimanyu and Himanshu were sitting at a corner table, so Brijesh and Nishant mistook them for regular customers and ignored them.

As soon as Brijesh entered, he slammed a stamp paper on the counter table and shouted, "Himani, today you must sign this paper, or else your son is in our custody!"

Nishant and Chirag, along with their friends, had been bailed out by the police, which had made Brijesh furious. He came to the restaurant to vent his anger.

Himani, surprised, asked, "Himanshu is in your custody?"

Brijesh showed her a photo of Himanshu tied up.

Himani glanced over at Himanshu, who was sitting at the table, looking at them.

Brijesh, oblivious, turned off his phone and said, "You've seen enough of your son. If you want to save his life, sign this stamp paper quietly."

Abhimanyu stood up from his seat and walked over to Brijesh. He placed his hand on Brijesh's shoulder, and as soon as Brijesh turned around, Abhimanyu slapped him hard, causing Brijesh to fall to the ground.

Seeing this, the ten thugs with Brijesh rushed to attack Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu delivered a kick to one thug, sending him flying into a table, which broke on impact. He then punched two others, one with his right hand and one with his left, sending them both crashing down. When another thug tried to punch him, Abhimanyu caught his fist, twisted, and broke his wrist before delivering a knockout punch to his head.

Next, a thug with a hockey stick attacked Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu caught the stick, but another thug looped a chain around Abhimanyu's neck, trying to strangle him on a table. Abhimanyu flipped backward, landing on the thug's shoulders, and wrapped the chain around the thug's neck, smashing his head into the wall repeatedly until blood spurted out. Meanwhile, another thug hit Abhimanyu from behind with a hockey stick, but it broke on impact.

Abhimanyu turned, picked up the broken piece, and struck the thug's head repeatedly until he bled and fell unconscious. At that moment, four more thugs attacked simultaneously. One tried to stab Abhimanyu with a knife, but Abhimanyu caught his wrist, twisted, and disarmed him, stabbing him multiple times without causing fatal injuries.

Another thug tried to hit Abhimanyu with a bat. Abhimanyu dodged, causing the bat to hit the already injured thug. Abhimanyu then used the knife to stab the thug with the bat in various non-lethal places.

Finally, Abhimanyu approached the last two thugs, dodging their attacks and stabbing them in several non-lethal spots, bringing them down.

Abhimanyu calmly walked over to Nishant and said, "I told you to think a thousand times before messing with me again."

Nishant, trembling, said, "But I didn't do anything!"

Abhimanyu replied, "Seems like your memory is weak. Let me help you remember." He slashed Nishant's face, leaving a deep scar.

Abhimanyu then approached Brijesh, who was still on the ground, and said, "You tried to have me kidnapped, didn't you?" He slashed Brijesh's face as well, creating a similar scar. "Remember this scar every time you think you're brave enough to mess with me." Abhimanyu then took about 50,000 rupees from Brijesh's pocket and said, "This is the fee for sparing your life. Now, get out of here."

Brijesh, holding his bleeding face, glared at Abhimanyu with rage but left silently. He glanced at Himanshu and Himani before walking away, followed by his injured thugs.

Abhimanyu returned to his table and sat down.

Himani approached them and asked, "Did they really kidnap you?"

Himanshu replied, "Yes, Mom. They grabbed me and Abhimanyu on the way here from school, but Abhimanyu saved me."

Himani sighed, "I think I should sell this restaurant to them. I can't risk your life, Himanshu. After your father's death, you're all I have left. I can't lose you."

Himanshu, worried, said, "But Mom..."

Himani interrupted, "We will give them this place and move far away where they can't find us. Today, they kidnapped you. Tomorrow, they might kill you. What will I do then?"

Himanshu felt disheartened hearing this.

Abhimanyu intervened, "Why fear when Abhimanyu is here?"

Himani smiled and said, "You shouldn't get involved in this. They've already kidnapped you because of us, and your mother must be worried about you too."

Abhimanyu said, "My mom and dad live in another state; they won't find out anything."

Himani said, "Yes, but still, such beatings are not a good thing; your life could be in danger."

Abhimanyu did not say anything in response.

Himani then went to get their food and, while placing it on the table, said, "For the sake of both of us, I will hand over this restaurant to them today itself, and we will go far away from here."

Abhimanyu did not say anything this time either and started eating.

Himanshu said, "But one thing I don't understand is why they want this restaurant now."

Abhimanyu said, "Did you see today's news?"

Himanshu asked, "What news?"

Abhimanyu said, "This is the riverside area, and the government is starting a development project here. People living here will be given a flat in a building, and those who run shops here will also have their shops developed. Alternatively, if they wish, they can sell their shop, which could fetch a very high price. Currently, this restaurant is worth around 1 crore, but after this area is developed, its value will exceed 10 crores."

Himanshu said in surprise, "10 crores?"

Himani said, "Even though 10 crores is a lot of money, is all this effort just for 10 crores?"

Abhimanyu said, "I think they are interested in the land of this restaurant, not the 10 crores."

A few days ago, when Abhimanyu was in Korea, the government had invited major business people from the city and informed them about this project. A few hours later, bids related to this development project were placed, in which many business people were interested in investing. However, Brijesh Sharma could not invest in this project in any way because he had nothing left to invest. That's when he remembered that his family had a large piece of land in that area, and he could build something different there and connect with this project, as it would be very beneficial for him. Therefore, he wants to acquire this land at any cost.

Today, this announcement was made public, and a small model was also shown, depicting what the area would look like after development. Abhimanyu's company is also investing in this project, along with the Raijada family and other families. Abhimanyu's grandfather is also investing in this project, along with other big business executives. With such big players involved, what chance does Brijesh Sharma have to invest or buy the land there?

Himani asked, "These people are not going to develop our shop for free, right?"

Abhimanyu said, "Yes, they will either give you the value of the restaurant or modify your restaurant, for which they will charge you."

Himani asked, "Can we not stay here without modifying?"

At that moment, an old man came and said, "Himani, there is a meeting at the chowk of the settlement in an hour; everyone has to be present there." After saying this, he left.

Abhimanyu said, "It seems all the discussions will happen there."

Himani nodded in agreement and then asked, "By the way, son, with whom do you stay in Delhi?"

Abhimanyu said, "With some friends."

Himani asked, "And pocket money?"

Abhimanyu said, "Mom sends me 6000 rupees a month, and besides that, I also earn quite a bit from gaming streams."

Himani asked, "Gaming?"

Himanshu said, "It means he plays computer games, for which he gets money."

Himani said in surprise, "Do you get money for playing computer games?"

Abhimanyu said, "Yes, enough to get by."

Himani said, "Has the world changed so much that people can now earn money by playing games?"