Teer walked down the long corridor, counting each compartment one by one. His steps were calm, almost casual, as he moved through the dim passage. Some cells hung open, others remained firmly shut. Faces of the kidnapped people stared back at him — some unconscious, some screaming, some clinging to a fading hope of escape. Teer tightened the handkerchief masking his face.
Teer (thinking):Thirty-six cells from start to end. And each floor has at least two guards. If the steamer carried around 120 passengers, then there must be a minimum of four floors. Eight guards in total… and I've already taken down four. A solid wall in front of the cells, no windows at all.
Still calculating, Teer started climbing the stairs to the next floor.
Teer (thinking): Even in summer, a place like this stays cold without fans or AC. That means these cells are probably underground… a basement level.
(His mind sharpened as he pieced the clues together.):
The gas used on the steamer knocks out people for only 30–40 minutes in a minimal dose. The cabin's vents were spread across the entire ceiling, so the gas distribution should've been even. And they must've used only a minimal amount — anything heavier would've killed everyone.That means they had roughly half an hour to drag every unconscious passenger into a separate cell… without being seen. If water was involved, they couldn't have taken us far. In that time frame, the only possible drop-off point is Kinal Sekdi.So everything was perfectly analyzed — only one thing remained: confirming whether the island was truly Kinal Sekdi or not. And for that, Teer needed to reach the top floor.
But before anything else, he had to erase every trace of what he'd done… and get Annu out safely.
Teer moved through the row of compartments, glancing into each cell while searching for her. At last, he found her in the third-to-last cell. She looked weak, lost in a heavy silence, her eyes swollen from crying. Teer knelt down and spoke in a softened, youthful voice.
Teer: Hey, little girl… let me unlock you.
Annu's body twitched at the sound, and she slowly sat up straight. Teer unchained her hands and feet, then placed the key ring gently in her palms.
Teer: Take these keys. Go unlock everyone on the first and second floors.
Annu: But… who are you?
She couldn't recognize him — the handkerchief hid his face, and his voice was completely altered.
Teer: Just a human… someone who can't stand seeing bad happen, and someone who always stands for what's right.
His voice was so soft, so calm, that Annu felt something rise in her chest — a sudden surge of hope, warm and trembling — the feeling that maybe, finally, she was going home… back with her grandfather.
While Teer was fighting for survival on the island, things at his home were getting worse.
Everyone sat in the drawing room, stressed and helpless. The FIR had been filed.
Kamya walked around the room in tension.
Sukhi cried, believing her child had been kidnapped.
Katya and Rava were still at Juhu beach, searching for clues and asking people if they had seen anything.
Kaavi was looking through past kidnapping cases online, trying to find any pattern.
Kaavi (thinking):What a horrible day. Everything feels useless. We shouldn't have gone out today.
After giving the keys to Annu, Teer walked toward the next floor.
He moved slowly, holding his injured right shoulder. His left hand was tightly wrapped in cloth.
He thought about the guard who had shot him.
Teer: That coward… he didn't even know who he was shooting.
I dodged most of the shot, but the bullet still tore my shoulder wrap and made me bleed.
The bullet got stuck in the wall, and he never saw it.
His fear became fake confidence… He thought he was winning.
But he lost everything in the end.
Teer reached the stairs. A small kitchen was in front of them, empty.
When he turned to take the second set of stairs, he saw a single wooden door.
Teer: Huh?
Meanwhile, Annu worked hard to unlock everyone.
She freed five people first, then gave them keys so they could help.
Crowds formed in the corridor as people woke up and stepped out.
An old uncle smiled at Annu.
Uncle: Thank you, little heart. But where did you get these keys?
Annu: A guard uncle came out of nowhere and gave them to me.
Everyone gathered together — but Annu didn't see her grandfather.
Worried, she looked around again and again.
Then she heard fast footsteps.
She turned — and saw Teer running toward them.
She ran and hugged him tightly.
Uncle: Your granddaughter is very nice.
Teer (proud): Yes. She's the princess of my kingdom.
Random person: Look there!
Everyone turned toward the stairs.
Smoke was coming out in thick clouds.
Teer rushed toward it.
The kitchen flames were growing. He waved his hands and shouted:
Teer: Everyone run! Two LPG cylinders are burning!
Everyone (shocked): WHAT!?
Panic spread. People ran up the stairs.
At the U-turn, the wooden door was open.
Everyone escaped through it and reached the edge of the island's hills.
Then—
BOOM!
The basement exploded.
Smoke and dust rose high as the underground area collapsed.
People jumped and cheered — happy to be alive and free.
Teer looked at the smoke calmly.
Teer (thinking):
Only two floors? Where are the other victims?
Still… the kitchen helped.
This explosion will erase all evidence of what I did.
Holy Dictator… such a strange and deadly power.
Who could sell something like that?
There must be someone behind it.
But right now I'm more confused about how this base is on Kinal Sekdi island.
A crow on a nearby tree cried loudly.
Crow: Caw… caw…
[Chapter 6: On the Way — Ends]
[Chapter 7: Escape… coming soon]