Day five is still not over.
A few hours later, Squad B notices guards appearing on the southwest side of the forest as well. Aditya points out that it feels like the guards know their exact position. While Anaaya is busy packing up the equipment, Samarth speaks up. He tells the team that the guards do not know where they are, but they do know where they are going.
Snehil asks him to explain. Samarth lays it out clearly. Their original plan was to move south and then turn east. When they first headed south, they informed Squad A, and guards immediately showed up in the southern forest. That was when Samarth started suspecting that there might be a mole. To test it, he quietly changed the route and planned with Snehil to move southwest instead of southeast. When this new direction was shared with Squad A, guards soon appeared in the southwest as well.
That confirms it. The leak is not in Squad B but in Squad A. Anyone from Squad B would have noticed the route change and questioned why they were going west instead of east. But Squad A repeated the information without thinking about the geography and passed it on. Now it is clear. Squad B is clean, and the next step is to figure out who the mole in Squad A really is.
The main suspect was already clear in everyone's mind, but no one said it out loud. They could not say anything in front of Anaaya, knowing how badly it would break her. They also could not warn Squad A directly. If they did, the mole would be alerted immediately, and Squad A would be in even more danger.
Samarth asks Snehil to hand over the communication device. He then contacts Squad A and calmly feeds them false information. He tells them that guards have now been seen on the southwest side, meaning the northern route is clear. He says Squad B will take a risky move, cross the forest from the north, enter Chinese Empire territory, lie low for a while, and then reach the nearest military base. He goes into a lot of detail, explaining the entire escape plan, and ends by saying he will contact them again in six hours, in the evening.
Once the call ends, Snehil questions him. If they really take that route, they could be caught by Chinese soldiers and killed on the spot. Samarth tells him that they are not going north at all. They will move east, as originally planned. Whoever the mole is in Squad A will rush to inform Eden about the fake plan. Samarth says he will contact Squad A again in just half an hour, expose the mole, and tell them to escape their quarters and reach the main gate, where both squads will run together toward the nearest military post.
Exactly half an hour later, Samarth contacts Squad A again. This time, Purnima answers instead of Vidhan. Samarth immediately asks who is not with her. Purnima replies that Vidhan is missing. At that moment, everything clicks. Samarth, Snehil, and Aditya all realize the same thing. Vidhan is the mole.
Samarth asks Purnima about Vidhan's daily routine. She explains everything. Most of it sounds normal, except for one detail. Every evening, Vidhan is called by Eden's president to share his and Squad A's experiences in Eden. Samarth understands that this must be when Vidhan has been passing on their plans. Still, one question remains unanswered. Since when has Vidhan been working as Eden's spy? No one can answer that except Vidhan himself.
Samarth then tells Purnima to run with Jay and Amrit early the next morning. They are to meet at eastern gate number 22. Most of Eden's forces will be focused on the northern side, expecting Samarth and Squad B to escape from there.