The dust inside the warehouse slowly began to settle, and everyone's attention was fixed on the man standing in the middle. No one understood what had just happened, but no one could look away.
Anjali slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was dead. The last thing she remembered was the attack, and after that everything had gone blank. But as her senses returned, she realized she was not on the ground. She was in someone's arms.
The movement felt calm and controlled. It didn't feel like someone was running or struggling. It felt as if she had been taken out of danger without any effort. She didn't move. She just looked up, trying to understand what was happening.
Before the man could place her down safely, Raghu moved again.
There was a sudden force in the air, and then a loud sound echoed across the warehouse.
"BANG!"
The impact was stronger than before. A powerful wave of dust and debris rose into the air, covering everything. This time the storm was bigger, heavier, and completely blocked the view. For a few seconds, nothing could be seen.
Naina had already taken cover behind a pillar. She stayed still, watching carefully, trying to understand what was happening, but even she could not see anything clearly in that moment.
After some time, the dust slowly began to settle again.
As visibility returned, something felt wrong.
Naina sensed a presence.
She turned slightly—
And froze.
A man was standing right next to her.
So close that it didn't make sense.
She had been behind the pillar the entire time, yet she had not seen or heard him arrive. It was as if he had appeared there without moving at all.
Now she could see him clearly.
He was still holding the girl in his arms.
The man was wearing a simple red suit that fit his body perfectly. There was no extra design on it. It looked clean and smooth, and even in all that dust, not a single speck had settled on it.
For a moment, Naina didn't say anything.
She just looked at him.
And around them, everyone else stood silent, trying to understand what had just happened.
The man gently placed Anjali on the ground and stepped forward.
"Officer, mujhe lagta hai yeh aapki amanat hai. Yeh kaam aapka tha… par chhodo, jaane do. Main sambhal lunga."
Naina quickly pulled Anjali towards herself and kept both Raghu and the man in her sight. Her grip on the gun tightened. She was ready to fire if anything went wrong.
The man walked calmly towards Raghu. His expression did not change. The chakra on his chest was clearly visible, and the same faint shape could be seen on his back.
"Mere bhai, mujhe lagta hai agar asli Hulk ne yeh sab dekh liya na… to tumhari achhi khaasi pitai ho jaati…"
Before he could finish, Raghu attacked. He swung both his hands forward with full force, trying to crush him instantly.
But there was nothing there.
The man had already moved.
Raghu looked around in confusion, unable to understand where he had gone.
Then suddenly—
He felt weight on his head.
---
Everyone froze.
The man was standing upside down, balanced perfectly on one hand, his palm placed firmly on Raghu's head. His body was straight, steady, and completely controlled, as if this was effortless for him.
Raghu couldn't even react properly. He didn't understand when the man had moved or how he had reached there.
The entire warehouse went silent.
The man looked down at Raghu and spoke in a calm, slightly annoyed tone.
"Are yaar… dialogue to poora khatam hone deta. Uske baad jo karna tha kar leta na."
Raghu didn't get a chance to react.
The man, still balanced upside down on one hand over his head, moved in a single sharp motion. His body twisted slightly, and in the very next moment, his leg came down with precise force, striking Raghu straight on the head.
The impact was sudden and heavy. Raghu's head snapped downward as the force drove him into the ground, cracking the floor beneath him. The sound echoed across the warehouse, sharp and violent.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
Raghu's body trembled before he forced himself up again. He rose quickly, his breathing heavier now, his face filled with anger and confusion. His eyes moved across the warehouse, searching for the man, but for a moment, he couldn't find him anywhere.
Then he saw him.
The man was standing near the far end of the warehouse, right beside a pillar. He was holding a newspaper, casually flipping through it as if nothing had happened. His posture was relaxed, almost careless, as though the fight did not concern him at all.
"Are yaar… kya chal raha hai duniya mein… RCB kab se IPL trophy jeetne lagi… 18 saal se nahi jeeti, aur is saal jeet li unhone…"
He spoke to himself while reading, his tone calm and almost amused.
Just beside him, partially hidden behind a box, one of Rangeela's men was crouched in fear. His body was stiff, his face pale, as he watched everything that had just happened. He didn't dare move, hoping he wouldn't be noticed.
The man turned another page and continued speaking, without even looking at him.
"Aur yeh M.S. Dhoni ne retirement bhi le li IPL se… mujhe laga tha thoda aur khelega…"
The worker froze completely.
For a second, it felt like he had managed to stay hidden.
But then the man lowered the newspaper slightly.
Not fully turning his head, not even changing his expression—just enough to make it clear.
He had known all along.
Raghu's anger finally exploded. His breathing grew heavy as he charged forward at full speed, closing the distance in seconds. Without slowing down, he threw a powerful punch with his right hand straight toward the man, putting all his strength into it.
But before anyone could understand what had happened, something completely unexpected took place.
Raghu's body suddenly jerked mid-motion, as if he had been struck by something invisible. In the very next moment, he was thrown backward through the air. Blood burst out from his nose and mouth as he crashed onto the ground at a distance, sliding across the floor before finally coming to a stop.
For a second, the entire warehouse went silent.
The man hadn't even moved from his place. He was still standing there, calmly reading the newspaper, as if nothing had happened.
The worker hiding beside him stared in shock, his mind unable to process what he had just seen. He whispered to himself, "Yeh maine kya dekha… Raghu kab hawa mein uda aur is aadmi ne kab hamla kiya… mujhe kuch samajh mein nahi aa raha…"
The man casually folded the newspaper and handed it to him without even looking in his direction.
Raghu's anger kept rising with every passing second. His body was tense, his muscles swollen, and without thinking any further, he launched himself forward again. This time he didn't stop after one attack. He began throwing punches continuously, one after another, each one filled with full force, trying to crush the man in front of him.
But nothing changed.
The man didn't look worried. He didn't even look serious.
He simply moved.
When Raghu's first punch came, the man tilted his head slightly, and the attack passed by him. The next punch followed immediately, but this time he shifted his body just enough for it to miss again. There was no rush in his movements, no panic. Everything he did felt natural, almost effortless.
Raghu kept attacking, faster now, more aggressively. His fists cut through the air again and again, but the man was never where the attack landed.
At one moment, he stepped to the side.
At another, he moved a little back.
Once, he even walked past Raghu calmly while another punch missed him completely.
It didn't look like a fight anymore.
It looked like Raghu was chasing something he couldn't touch.
No matter how much strength Raghu used, it wasn't enough.
Raghu's rage exploded as he stepped in with full force, driving his fist straight toward the man with everything he had. The speed and weight behind the punch made it impossible for anyone else to react, and for a moment it looked like the attack would land cleanly.
But the man didn't step back.
At the exact moment the punch reached him, he moved forward into it. His hand met Raghu's arm, not to block it, but to guide it. The force of the attack didn't stop—it was redirected. His body turned with the motion, his feet shifting smoothly as he pulled Raghu's momentum past him.
In the same movement, he spun.
It wasn't rushed. It wasn't forced.
It was controlled.
Raghu's own strength carried him slightly forward, just enough for the man to complete the rotation. And before Raghu could regain balance, the man's body had already aligned perfectly for the counter.
Then—
The kick came.
His leg snapped forward with sharp precision and struck Raghu directly in the face. There was no wasted motion, no extra effort—just one clean impact.
Raghu's body lifted instantly.
The force of the kick sent him flying backward, his feet leaving the ground as if gravity had lost hold of him for a moment. He was thrown through the air and then slammed hard onto the floor, the impact dragging him across the surface before he finally stopped.
Silence followed.
The entire sequence had happened so fast that no one could fully understand it.
One moment Raghu was attacking.
The next—
He was already on the ground.
END OF THE CHAPTER