AUTHOR’S POV
Night in Hyderabad had a strange personality.
The city that roared with debates and arguments during the day slowly turned quieter, but the silence was never complete. Somewhere in the distance, a bike engine hummed, a dog barked, and the wind brushed against the old sandstone buildings of Navora Group of Law & Institutions.
The campus lights flickered softly along the pathways.
Most students were inside their hostels now.
But in the girls’ hostel, in room 214, one particular student was not resting.
She was observing.
RUHI’S POV
The room was decent.
Too neat.
Too ordinary.
Which automatically made me suspicious.
I had spent the last two hours checking everything.
Door hinges.
Window locks.
Ventilation shafts.
Electrical sockets.
Any place where a micro-camera or listening device could be planted.
Old habits.
Dangerous habits.
Necessary habits.
My teammates would arrive tomorrow morning, but until then I was technically alone inside enemy territory.
I opened my laptop and activated the encrypted network.
A small notification blinked.
BLUE PHOENIX GROUP CHAT ACTIVE
Aaron had finally joined.
Typical.
I smirked slightly and typed.
Ruhi:
"Welcome to Hyderabad."
Almost instantly a reply came.
Aaron:
"You miss me already, boss?"
I rolled my eyes.
Aaron Nathan — second in command.
Brilliant strategist.
Unbearably sarcastic.
Before I could reply again another notification appeared.
Rohan:
"Reached city limits. 30 minutes."
Good.
Rohan Yadhuvanshi was the defensive pillar of the team.
Reliable.
Calm under pressure.
Then the fourth notification appeared.
Aalia:
"Already hacked the campus security system."
I blinked.
"Already?"
Her reply came instantly.
"The firewall was embarrassingly weak."
Classic Aalia.
The girl could break into a military server before finishing her coffee.
But then…
My eyes moved to the final name on the team list.
Anonymous
Offline.
Silent.
Watching.
Always watching.
A strange thought crossed my mind.
Where are you…
Just then—
My phone vibrated.
Not the team network.
A personal call.
Ved Dada
My lips softened slightly as I answered.
“Hello?”
His familiar voice came through the phone immediately.
“Princess.”
A small smile escaped me.
“You’re calling late, doctor.”
“Had a surgery. Twelve hours.” he sighed. “You reached safely?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then his voice lowered slightly.
“Something about this mission feels… wrong, Ruhi.”
Typical Ved.
Always protective.
Always worrying.
I leaned back against the chair.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You always say that.”
“And you always worry.”
He sighed again.
“Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“If something feels off… you walk away.”
I looked out of the window toward the silent campus.
The wind moved through the trees.
Something about the atmosphere felt…
heavy.
“I promise,” I said quietly.
But deep down, I knew that promise was a lie.
Because walking away was never an option.
RUHI’S POV
The campus looked peaceful from my window.
Too peaceful.
I stood there for a moment.
Listening.
Then—
A sound.
A faint metallic click.
My entire body went still.
That sound…
came from the corridor.
Someone was outside.
Slowly, I turned off the room lights.
Darkness filled the room instantly.
Another sound.
Footsteps.
Careful.
Slow.
Trying not to make noise.
My heartbeat slowed automatically.
Combat instincts activated.
I silently pulled a small blade from my bag.
Someone stopped outside my door.
Silence.
Then—
The door handle moved.
Once.
Twice.
Whoever it was… was trying to open it.
My grip tightened on the blade.
I stepped quietly toward the door.
The handle stopped moving.
Then suddenly—
BANG
The door was kicked hard.
Wood cracked slightly.
I immediately stepped back into the shadows.
Another kick.
Whoever was outside clearly knew the room was occupied.
But before the door could break—
My phone vibrated again.
A new encrypted message appeared.
From Anonymous.
“Don’t open the door.”
My eyes widened slightly.
How does he know?
Another message came instantly.
“Two people outside. One armed.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Two?...so what I'm trained for it
Then suddenly—
Footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Another voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Authoritative.
“Breaking into a hostel room?”
Silence followed.
I froze.
I knew that voice.
Professor Manan.
Outside the door, someone muttered nervously.
“Professor… we were just—”
“Leave.”
His voice carried a dangerous quietness.
Now.
The footsteps retreated quickly.
Running.
Within seconds the corridor became silent again.
A moment later—
Knock.
Three precise taps on the door.
My instincts screamed caution.
But curiosity won.
I opened the door slightly.
Manan stood there.
Tall.
Unmoved.
His sharp eyes scanned the room behind me instantly.
Like he was analyzing a crime scene.
Then his gaze returned to me.
“You keep dangerous company, Ms. Rai.”
I crossed my arms.
“And you patrol the girls’ hostel at midnight, Professor?”
A faint shadow of a smile touched his lips.
“Suspicious activity interests me.”
I studied his expression carefully.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
Almost like he had expected something to happen tonight.
Then suddenly he said quietly—
“सतर्कता ही जीवनस्य रक्षिका।”
Vigilance is the protector of life.
Our eyes locked.
A silent challenge passed between us.
I stepped slightly closer.
“Tell me something honestly, Professor.”
“Yes?”
“Do you always appear exactly when trouble starts?”
For a moment—Something flickered in his eyes.
Then he leaned slightly closer and said softly,
“Or perhaps…”
“…I appear before trouble begins.”
My pulse quickened.
Who was this man really?
Just then my phone vibrated again.
A new message from Anonymous appeared.
“Door camera activated. Someone inside the campus already knows who you are.”
Cold realization spread through me.
I looked back at Manan.
Standing calmly in the corridor.
Watching me like a puzzle.
And one thought echoed in my mind.
The spy…
is already watching me.
Thank you
Gratitudes,
Author✨
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