Phase 1: cracking the shadows

The night was thick with smoke and neon reflections, the kind of night where secrets thrived. Karan sat at his desk, screens flickering around him, eyes scanning code faster than a machine. He had spent weeks chasing trails that didn't exist. No names. No direct transactions. Just whispers and disappearances.

And then, finally—a crack.

The numbers didn't lie. There was a pattern, one so meticulous that it had to be intentional. Shipments of medical supplies that never reached hospitals. Organ trade routed through shell companies. Cryptic financial movements in offshore accounts. Someone had built an empire on human suffering.

At first, they had assumed the mastermind was a man. After all, power this ruthless always belonged to a man, right?

Wrong.

Karan leaned back, running a hand through his hair. His pulse hammered as realization dawned. They weren't hunting a king. They were hunting a queen.

"She's the one," he muttered, dragging the data into a single file. A name didn't exist, but her influence was everywhere.

The door creaked open. Zayan strolled in, holding a glass of whiskey. His usual smirk flickered when he saw Karan's expression. "That bad, huh?"

"That powerful," Karan corrected.

He tapped the keyboard, pulling up encrypted files. The data painted a clear picture—this wasn't just crime. This was control.

Veer entered next, silent as a storm before it struck. His sharp gaze scanned the screen before settling on Karan. "Talk."

Karan exhaled. "She doesn't exist. No photos. No records. But she runs half the underground economy. Every black-market deal, every human trafficking ring, every illegal experiment—we thought we were chasing different criminals. They all lead back to her."

A heavy silence settled over the room. Then Rudra cracked his knuckles. "So, what's the move?"

Veer didn't hesitate. "We take her down."

Zayan let out a low whistle. "Easier said than done. You heard him. She's a ghost."

Veer's jaw tightened. "Then we drag her out of the shadows."

The air in the room shifted. This was different. The enemies they had faced before had faces, names, locations. This was the unknown.

Karan turned back to the screen. "I need time. She's good—no digital footprint. But if she's running an empire, she has to communicate somehow. She's not untouchable. Just careful."

"Then we make her careless," Veer said. His voice was steady, final.

They weren't dealing with a typical crime boss. This was a woman who had built an empire by making herself invisible.

But no matter how powerful she was, no matter how untouchable she seemed—she had just made one mistake.

She had caught the attention of the Vipers.

And they never let go.

Phase 2: Setting the Trap

The realization that they were chasing a ghost didn't slow them down. It only made the hunt more exhilarating.

Sitting in their underground base, a dimly lit warehouse on the outskirts of the city, the Vipers planned their next move. The room smelled of gunpowder and coffee—Karan's screens flickered, Rudra cleaned his rifle, Zayan stretched lazily on the couch, and Veer stood by the window, his sharp eyes locked onto the skyline.

"This isn't like our usual missions," Karan said, fingers flying over the keyboard. "She's smart. She doesn't get her hands dirty. But she profits off the blood of others."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Veer said, his voice calm but firm. "We just have to give her the right push."

Zayan smirked, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "You mean bait her?"

"Exactly," Veer confirmed. "And to do that, we need to hit her where it hurts."

Karan leaned forward. "We don't even know her name."

"But we know what she does," Rudra cut in. "She's running illegal organ trades, human trafficking, and underground medical experiments. If we disrupt her supply chain, she'll be forced to react."

Veer's lips curled into a smirk. "And when she reacts, we'll be waiting."

The Plan

The Vipers had taken down drug lords, crime bosses, and arms dealers. But this was different. This was a war against a phantom.

1. Destroying Her Network – Karan hacked into offshore accounts, rerouting funds, freezing transactions, and exposing fake businesses. Rudra intercepted illegal shipments, turning them into nothing but burning wrecks. Slowly, the walls around her empire started crumbling.

2. Luring Her Out – They knew she was careful, but she had one weakness—control. She wasn't the kind to sit back and watch her empire fall apart. She would step in.

3. The Perfect Bait – They leaked fake intel—an underground auction in Istanbul, where an "unknown party" was selling high-value medical research stolen from her labs. A prize she couldn't afford to lose.

Zayan grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if she takes the bait."

Game On

Two nights later, Karan's screens blinked with activity. "We got movement. Someone's making quiet calls. She's sending people."

Rudra loaded his rifle. "Then we better roll out."

Veer grabbed his coat, his voice steady and commanding. "Vipers, it's time to strike."

As they stepped out, the night air felt electric. The hunt had officially begun.