The steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed softly in the otherwise silent room. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting narrow golden lines across Kiaan's pale, bruised face. He lay unconscious, a thick bandage wrapped around his left shoulder, IV lines running through his arm, and machines tracking his every heartbeat.
Outside the room, through the glass wall, Dev Malik, Tara Iyer, and Rehaan Sethi stood with arms crossed, faces drawn in frustration and fatigue. Just then, ACP Shruti Rana walked in, her crisp uniform cutting through the sterile air like authority itself.
> "How is he?" Shruti asked, eyeing the motionless form of Kiaan through the glass.
> "Still unconscious. It's been over an hour," Tara replied, clearly exhausted.
"Doctor says he's stable but needs rest."
Shruti sighed, her lips pursed.
> "Then let him rest. Because the real problem isn't his injury—it's what's coming next."
She turned to the three of them, her expression serious.
> "Listen carefully. You don't have more than two or three days. We're already facing pressure from the top. That mall—Red Vortex—isn't owned by some local goon. You've stirred a hornet's nest."
Dev frowned.
> "We've got drugs, illegal arms, fake IDs, transaction records. That's enough to bury the place for good."
Shruti raised a brow and stepped closer.
> "In theory—yes. But in reality? That evidence will vanish before you even realize it. People who run businesses like that don't use real names or traceable links. You found the dirt, sure… but proving it in court? Not easy."
Rehaan scoffed.
> "Two to three days is all Kiaan needs. He'll turn the whole system upside down if he has to."
> "That's what worries me," Shruti said sharply.
"He never knows when to stop. I've seen officers like him before—obsessed, relentless, burning themselves alive to solve a case."
Tara looked toward the hospital room again, her voice quiet but firm.
> "That's who he is, Shruti. He doesn't care about limits. He only cares about justice."
Shruti's eyes softened briefly.
> "If anything goes wrong… you three hold him back. Even if you have to drag him away from the fire. I've told you what I can. The rest—your higher-ups will reveal soon."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, the sound of her boots echoing down the hallway.