CHAPTER 5

As Rudra hurried away, leaving Bharva behind, the sharp crack of a gunshot rang out, piercing the silence. A bullet whizzed past Rudra, grazing his arm, before striking Bharva. Startled, Rudra spun around, his heart pounding. He instinctively reached for his automatic gun and scanned the area, his senses on high alert.

Then he saw him—a shadowy figure sprinting away, clutching a gun. Without hesitating, Rudra raised his weapon and fired. His shot hit the man in the arm, causing him to drop his weapon and collapse to the ground. Adrenaline surged through Rudra as he closed the distance, his anger and fear fueling his actions. Without pause, he emptied several more rounds into the man, ensuring there was no further threat.

Breathing heavily, Rudra turned back toward Bharva. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but his heart sank when he reached him. Bharva lay still, the bullet wound in his head leaving no doubt. Rudra's fists clenched as a wave of anguish and guilt washed over him. He had failed to protect him.

Desperate for answers, Rudra returned to the man he had just shot. Kneeling by the body, he searched through the man's belongings. His hands trembled as he found something unexpected—a military uniform. Confusion flickered across his face as he pulled out a photograph from the man's pocket.

The photo was worn and faded, but its contents hit Rudra like a thunderbolt. His parents stood among a group of people in white lab coats. His brow furrowed in disbelief. "Why are my parents in this picture?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

He continued his search and uncovered a document labeled "Project Null." As he flipped through its pages, cryptic notes and diagrams stared back at him. Words like *experiments*, *bioengineering*, and *human enhancement* jumped off the pages, but one sentence stopped him cold:

"Project Null aims to create the ultimate weapon through advanced genetic modification."

A chill ran down Rudra's spine. He scanned further, finding another photograph tucked within the file. It depicted his parents with a group of scientists—and there he was, a younger version of himself in the background. His gaze fixated on a man in the photo, a man with a distinct scar etched across his face.

"This can't be real," Rudra whispered, his voice breaking.

The weight of the truth settled over him like a dark cloud. The documents revealed the man he had killed was an agent from America. Worse still, they suggested his parents' deaths were no accident. They had been silenced because of their involvement in Project Null—a project they might have tried to end.

Rudra's chest tightened, his grief quickly morphing into fury. His hands shook as he clenched the damning evidence. Through gritted teeth, he growled, "America… so, you're behind this."

The papers hinted at a hidden facility where the experiments had taken place. Rudra's resolve hardened. He stared at the photo, his mind made up. He would stop at nothing to uncover the full truth, no matter the cost.