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Chapter 30 - chapter 30 Ghosts of the Yamuna

Morning – City D, UDC Mall Site

Yellow barricades lined the northern periphery, cordoning off what had once been the artisan memorial atrium—the same spot where Riyansh and Rishika had envisioned the symbolic heart of the Living Market. Now, flashing red-and-blue lights pulsed there instead.

A decomposed body had been unearthed during a routine excavation for the underground parking foundation. By noon, the police had ordered a full halt on construction. Media vans encircled the compound like vultures sensing political blood.

Rishika stood near the barricade, jaw clenched, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"This wasn't an accident," said Veer, arriving beside her. His jaw had the familiar steel edge of crisis mode. "Someone planted this. Or someone knew it was here and waited for the right moment."

Riyansh joined them, eyes scanning the scene. "We have no record of a graveyard here. No missing person report filed in the surrounding districts in the last two years."

"Which is exactly why it's suspicious," Veer added, "and why it's being blown out of proportion."

Midday – Press Conference Frenzy

The media channels were merciless. "Dead body at UDC Mall site: Is the dream project built on a nightmare?"

"Human remains uncovered—NGO calls for full forensic audit of Living Market Project!"

"Riyansh Madhvan and Rishika Upadhyay under pressure: Did ethical billionaires miss the obvious?"

Several artisan unions, many of whom had previously supported the Living Market, now found themselves caught in a whirlwind of fear and manipulation.

Anonymous messages were circulating via WhatsApp groups:

"The land is cursed."

"They'll displace you and bury your stories like this one."

"Say no before they take everything."

A few artisan leaders—especially those who had felt excluded in the last compensation round—began voicing discontent in public.

One of them, Prabhu Das, a senior, appeared on local news: "They told us this would be our market. But whose market is it really? Look at the blood beneath the bricks."

Evening – Upadhyay Group Legal Cell, City D

Kavya Thakur slammed a bundle of papers on the mahogany table. "The police are withholding clearance till the forensic report is complete. That could be weeks."

"That's too long," said Veer. "The Board won't wait that long. They'll pull funding. The media's already giving rivals ammunition."

"Then let's talk about the rivals," Kavya said sharply. "Two major pieces of land adjacent to UDC Mall were quietly acquired last week by shell firms linked to the Oberoi Infrastructure Group. They were waiting for a collapse."

Rishika's eyes narrowed. "They want to drag this into public hearings, stall us through litigation, and then snatch the narrative."

"They're manipulating the artisans," Kavya added. "We need to win them back before this turns into a mass movement."

Late Night – Aakash Mital's Home Office

Aakash sifted through planning archives and old zoning maps. His eyes paused on a decade-old document—the land was part of an unregistered holding once owned by a local zamindar family. Rumors in old reports mentioned 'disappearances' during the Emergency era.

He called Rishika.

AAKASH: "I think the body's real. And so is the history. But that doesn't make it ours. Someone's digging up ghosts to bury us."

Rishika, voice cold but clear: "Then we dig deeper. And not just in the soil."

Early Morning – City D, UDC Mall Construction Site

The morning fog hung heavy over the half-completed steel and glass skeletons of the UDC Mall. City's D skyline was dotted with the silhouettes of cranes, but today, they stood frozen like sentinels bearing witness to a legacy now under siege.

The police cordon around the site was thick with yellow tape and hushed whispers. A cluster of officers guarded the freshly excavated trench where the bodies had been discovered—a chilling reminder of something buried far deeper than just foundations.

Rishika Upadhyay stepped out of her black SUV, the crunch of gravel beneath her heels drawing eyes. She wore no makeup today, just a beige trench coat over a crisp white kurta. Her eyes scanned the site like a strategist arriving at the battlefield.

UDC Mall Gates, A group of protesters had gathered, holding handmade banners:

"Justice for the buried!"

"No Market on Murder!"

At the gate stood a tall artisan woman, silent but commanding. Rishika recognized her—Chand Bai, one of the first weavers to endorse the Living Market.

She looked Rishika dead in the eyes and said, "You built your dreams over our graves. You want us to weave inside your mall, but not live with dignity outside it."

And with that, the true battle began—not just against rivals or media storms, but for the soul of the very market they had promised would empower the forgotten.

Moments later, Riyansh Madhvan joined her, his face grim, jaw locked.

"The bodies…" he murmured, walking up to her.

"Three. All male. Early 40s, one with a broken anklet and remnants of faded work clothes," Rishika said, already updated. "Likely from the pre-clearance demolition zone."

"And now every channel is running headlines like 'Mall of Death: What Are They Hiding?'" Riyansh muttered, eyes flicking toward the news vans lining the barricades. "We're being played."

Just then, Veer Upadhyay arrived, voice sharp. "Someone leaked the excavation photos. Unfiltered. Blood. Bones. ID tags."

"Sabotage," Rishika whispered.

"No," Veer said, tightening his fists. "Worse. This is warfare.

Later That Day – Madhvan Group War Room, Central City D

The screens flashed with media feeds. Hashtags like #UDCBurialGround and #CorporateCrimesExposed trended across platforms. Conspiracy theories flourished—some claiming the project had unearthed a forgotten massacre, others insinuating political land grabs and coverups.

Aakash Mital stood at the projection wall, eyes narrowed behind rimless glasses. "These accounts pushing the narrative are coordinated. Half of them were created two days before the bodies were found."

"Bot farms?" Rishika asked.

"Partly. But more importantly—real influencers are echoing the same talking points. Paid amplifiers. This is an operation," Aakash replied.

Riyansh ran a hand through his hair. "Who gains the most if we fall?"

"The commercial retail lobbies we displaced," Veer answered. "And maybe even those political allies who don't want The Living Market to succeed."

"And the construction ban?" Rishika asked.

"Indefinite. Until forensic investigation is complete," Aakash said. "That's weeks, maybe months."

Silence.

Then Veer spoke. "Unless we prove that the bodies predate our clearance. That we didn't build on top of their blood."

Rishika exhaled, voice low. "Then we go into investigation mode ourselves.

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