Chapter 6: No One Fights Alone
Rain hammered the rusted roof of Warehouse No. 9.
The air was heavy with silence.
Surya stood at the entrance, facing more than a dozen men. Beside him, Vikram rolled his shoulders, ready for the fight. At the far end of the warehouse, Aman and Rishi were tied to steel chairs.
Aryan smiled.
"You still have time to walk away."
Surya's eyes remained fixed on his friends.
"I don't leave people behind."
Yash laughed loudly.
"Then you'll leave here on a stretcher."
With a wave of Aryan's hand, the gang rushed forward.
The first attacker swung a wooden stick.
Surya ducked under it and drove his shoulder into the man's chest, knocking him backward into two others. Another charged from the side, but Vikram intercepted him with a powerful shove that sent him crashing into a pile of empty crates.
"Stay focused!" Vikram shouted.
Surya nodded.
The fight spread across the warehouse.
Metal pipes clanged against the concrete floor. Wooden boxes shattered. Dust filled the air.
Three men surrounded Surya at once.
One attacked from the front.
Another from behind.
The third tried to grab him.
Surya stepped aside, letting the first attacker collide with the second. Before the third could react, Surya swept his legs, sending him sprawling onto the floor.
Across the room, Vikram fought like a wall, protecting the path toward Aman and Rishi.
"Surya!" Aman shouted. "Don't worry about us!"
"I'm ending this," Surya replied.
Yash suddenly picked up an iron rod.
"Let's see how smart you are now!"
He charged.
Surya blocked the swing with a nearby wooden plank. The plank split in two from the impact, but it gave Surya enough time to push Yash backward.
Yash stumbled and fell against a stack of tires.
"You've already lost," Surya said.
Before Yash could stand, Aryan raised his hand.
"Enough."
The warehouse fell quiet.
The remaining gang members stepped back.
Aryan walked toward Surya slowly.
"I wanted to know whether the stories about you were true."
"And now?"
"They're true."
Surya frowned.
"So why all this?"
Aryan glanced toward Yash.
"This wasn't my revenge."
"It was his."
Yash stared at Aryan in disbelief.
"What are you saying?"
Aryan's expression hardened.
"I agreed to test Surya."
"I never agreed to hurt innocent students."
Without another word, Aryan walked to Aman and untied the ropes.
Then he freed Rishi.
Everyone stood frozen.
Even Surya was surprised.
Aryan looked directly at him.
"You fight for others."
"Most people fight only for themselves."
He turned and began walking toward the exit.
"But don't mistake this for friendship."
"The next time we meet..."
"I'll challenge you fairly."
With that, he disappeared into the rain.
Police sirens echoed in the distance.
Yash panicked.
"The police!"
His gang scattered through the back exits, disappearing into the darkness.
Within minutes, the warehouse was empty except for Surya, Vikram, Aman, Rishi, and Aditi, who had arrived with the police after tracking Surya's location.
Aditi ran to Aman.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Aman replied with a weak smile.
The police searched the warehouse, but Aryan and the gang were already gone.
As everyone prepared to leave, Surya noticed something lying near the broken crates.
It was a black pendant engraved with the symbol of a cobra.
He picked it up.
Vikram's face turned serious.
"You found it..."
"What does it mean?" Surya asked.
Vikram looked toward the dark sky.
"That symbol belongs to Black Cobra..."
"A dangerous underground student syndicate that operates across several universities."
"They don't lose."
"They don't forgive."
Surya closed his fist around the pendant.
"Then they're about to face someone who doesn't give up."
Far away, inside a dimly lit room, a masked man watched the warehouse footage on a large screen.
He smiled.
"So..."
"Surya Sharma..."
"You've defeated small-time bullies."
"But now..."
"...you've entered my game."
End of Chapter 6