Chapter 6: The Secret Society

The glow of Aryan's laptop illuminated the darkened apartment, his sharp eyes scanning the secret membership records of The Assembly. The list of names read like a who's who of Mumbai's elite—powerful businessmen, high-profile politicians, and even a few decorated police officers.

And now, two of them were dead.

Renu sat beside him, arms crossed, her brows furrowed. "Rajat Mehta. Siddharth Khanna. The next target, Aditya Bansal, barely escaped. This isn't random, Aryan."

Aryan exhaled, his fingers tapping on the keyboard. "The killer is following a pattern. A strategy." He leaned in, focusing on a peculiar detail. "Each victim is linked to an underground club called The Assembly."

Renu's eyes widened. "What the hell is The Assembly?"

Aryan clicked open another file, displaying grainy black-and-white photos. "An exclusive society for the rich and powerful. It wasn't just about money or influence—it was about psychological warfare."

Renu leaned closer. "Psychological warfare?"

Aryan nodded. "These people didn't just play games. They tested how far they could push the human mind before it broke."

He scrolled down, revealing a list of former members. His eyes stopped on one name.

Manav Dixit – Investigative Journalist (Missing).

"This guy wasn't part of The Assembly," Aryan muttered. "He was investigating them."

Renu glanced at the file. "If he's still alive, he might have the answers we need."

Aryan's jaw tightened. "Then we better find him before the killer does."

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Tracking Manav Dixit wasn't easy. Officially, he had vanished six months ago. But Aryan knew that no one disappears completely.

It took several calls to underworld informants, but eventually, Aryan found himself speeding through Mumbai's industrial district, the tires of his SUV skidding against the wet asphalt.

The location? A decaying motel near the docks, a place where men on the run hid from the world.

Aryan and Renu entered the dimly lit room, where they found a disheveled man hunched over a whiskey bottle. His face was covered in stubble, his eyes sunken from exhaustion. The second he saw Aryan, he tensed.

"Whatever you're looking for, I don't have it," Manav muttered.

Aryan sat down across from him, placing a printed list of The Assembly members on the table. "Then why are these people dying?"

Manav's fingers twitched. His gaze flickered to the door. "You should walk away, Detective."

Aryan didn't move. "That's not an option."

Manav exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "You don't understand… The Assembly isn't just a secret club. It's a goddamn experiment."

Renu frowned. "Experiment?"

Manav's voice dropped to a whisper. "They wanted to create the perfect manipulator. The ultimate strategist. Someone who could predict human behavior down to the smallest detail."

Aryan's stomach twisted.

Manav continued, his voice laced with fear. "They pushed people into impossible situations. Broke them. Then rebuilt them into something… else." His hand clenched into a fist. "I thought I could expose them. But the moment I got too close, they made me disappear."

Aryan leaned forward. "Who was behind it?"

Manav hesitated. Then he whispered:

"You already know."

A gunshot rang out.

Blood sprayed across the room.

Manav's body jerked violently, his head snapping forward as a bullet tore through his skull.

Aryan and Renu hit the floor.

The motel window shattered, sending shards of glass flying.

A sniper had found them.

The Phantom's Mark

Aryan grabbed Renu's arm, pulling her toward the exit. Another gunshot shattered a lamp, plunging the room into deeper darkness.

"We need to move!" Renu shouted.

Aryan pushed open the emergency door at the back, leading them into a narrow alley. The rain had started pouring, masking their footsteps as they sprinted toward their SUV.

As Aryan slammed the car door shut, his phone buzzed.

A message.

Unknown Number: You're chasing shadows, Detective.

Aryan's grip tightened around the phone.

Another message came through.

A knight protects its king. But what happens when the knight turns against him?

And then, an image.

Aryan stopped breathing.

It was a blurry surveillance photo taken outside the motel minutes before Manav was shot.

The man in the photo?

Aryan himself.

End of Chapter 6

This chapter deepens the mystery, revealing that The Assembly was an experiment designed to create the ultimate manipulator. Manav's cryptic words, "You already know," hint that Aryan's past is somehow linked to The Assembly. The sniper attack and the surveillance photo showing Aryan at the crime scene suggest something even more terrifying—someone is impersonating him.