The sterile light of the interrogation room cast long shadows across the cold metal table, the tension within the small space almost suffocating. Pathan leaned forward, his eyes locked onto the face of the rogue agent sitting across from him. The man's once defiant expression had faded, replaced by the subtle signs of wear and fatigue. Hours of questioning had chipped away at his resolve, but the full truth remained elusive, hidden behind layers of loyalty and fear.

Pathan's patience was wearing thin, but he knew this was a critical moment. The information they needed wasn't just about Tiger's whereabouts-it was about the entire operation, the hidden players who had turned trusted agents against their own country. The stakes had never been higher.

"Let's go over this again," Pathan said, his voice calm but firm. "You and the others helped Tiger escape in Venice. You knew our plan, our every move. That means someone on the inside fed you that information. I need names."

The agent's eyes flicked up to meet Pathan's, a mixture of defiance and fear swirling in their depths. "You don't understand," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "It's bigger than all of us. If I talk, they'll kill me-and everyone I care about."

Pathan leaned back, his expression hardening. "And what do you think they'll do to you if you don't talk? You're already a dead man walking. But if you help us, we can protect you. We can take them down, end this madness."

For a moment, silence hung in the air, the weight of the decision pressing down on the agent like a vise. Pathan could see the internal struggle, the battle between self-preservation and a glimmer of conscience. Finally, the man's shoulders slumped, and he let out a long, resigned sigh.

"There's a network," the agent began, his voice barely above a whisper. "A group within RAW and ISI. They've been working together for years, manipulating events, pulling strings behind the scenes. Tiger's family... they were caught in the middle of something they didn't even understand."

Pathan's heart quickened as the pieces began to fall into place. "Who's leading this network? Who gave the orders?"

The agent hesitated, his eyes darting around the room as if he expected someone to materialize out of the shadows. "I don't know the names. They're careful, they never reveal themselves directly. But there's someone... someone high up in both agencies. They use people like me as pawns, feeding us just enough information to do their bidding."

Pathan's mind raced. This was bigger than he had anticipated-a conspiracy that reached the highest levels of intelligence, spanning two nations. The realization hit him like a cold wave. Tiger might have been the catalyst, but the true enemy was something far more insidious.

While Pathan was deep in the interrogation, Zoya was poring over old case files back in Delhi, the flickering light of her computer screen the only illumination in the dimly lit records room. She had been working tirelessly, following the faint trails of information that others had overlooked or ignored. Her instincts had led her down a rabbit hole, one that she was determined to navigate until she reached the truth.

The files in front of her were a chaotic jumble of reports, transcripts, and classified documents, many of them heavily redacted. But Zoya was skilled at reading between the lines, piecing together fragments of information to form a coherent picture. And what she was uncovering was deeply troubling.

Zoya had started by examining the details of Tiger's family's murder, looking for any connections to other incidents. What she found was a disturbing pattern: a series of terrorist attacks that had occurred in the months leading up to the murder, all of them seemingly unrelated but sharing one common thread-each attack had been linked, however tenuously, to individuals who had connections to both RAW and ISI.

As Zoya dug deeper, she began to see the outline of a conspiracy, one that extended far beyond a single family's tragic fate. The attacks, which had initially been dismissed as isolated incidents, now appeared to be part of a coordinated effort to destabilize the region, to create chaos that could be exploited by those in power.

And at the center of it all was Tiger's family.

Zoya's pulse quickened as she realized the implications of her discovery. The murder of Tiger's family hadn't been a random act of violence-it had been a targeted strike, meant to silence those who had stumbled upon a dangerous secret.

She quickly compiled her findings into a report, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed. There was no time to waste. Pathan needed to see this, and they needed to act before it was too late.

But as she finished her report and sent it off, a nagging thought lingered at the back of her mind. If she had found this information, others could have as well. And that meant they weren't the only ones aware of the conspiracy.

They were being watched.

Interrogation of the arrested Indian agents revealed a complex web of deceit. Pathan could hardly believe the extent of the betrayal. The rogue agents were tight-lipped at first, but Pathan's relentless questioning and the mounting pressure finally broke through their defenses. They revealed just enough to confirm what Pathan had feared: there was a larger conspiracy at play, one that involved high-ranking officials and a network that spanned across borders.

The interrogation had taken place in a secure, covert location just outside Venice, away from prying eyes. Pathan knew time was of the essence. The information extracted from the rogue agents pointed to a broader conspiracy involving Rubina Khan, who was still recovering in a hospital in Minsk. Pathan wasted no time. As soon as he had gathered enough intelligence, he left the operations in Venice to his trusted team members and immediately flew to Minsk to confront Rubina.

When Pathan arrived at Rubina's hospital room, he was still processing the revelations from Venice. He knew Rubina had crucial information that could blow the conspiracy wide open.

Back in Minsk, Rubina Khan was recovering from her injuries, though the pain in her shoulder was a constant reminder of how close she had come to death. Despite her physical discomfort, her mind was sharp, and she was fully aware of the danger they were all in.

When Pathan entered her hospital room, she could see the weariness etched into his features. He had been working non-stop since the operation in Venice, and the burden of the unfolding conspiracy weighed heavily on him.

"How did the interrogation go?" Rubina asked, her voice steady despite the fatigue that tugged at her.

Pathan shook his head, sinking into the chair beside her bed. "We've got confirmation of a network within RAW and ISI, but no concrete names. Just shadows."

Rubina nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I've been thinking about our conversation, about what you told me. There's something I haven't shared with you yet-something that could be important."

Pathan's eyes sharpened with interest. "What is it?"

"There's a man in Pakistan," Rubina began, her voice measured. "His name is Hafees, a high-ranking operative within a terrorist organization that operates under the radar. Officially, the group doesn't exist-they're ghosts, funded by a mix of private money and clandestine state support."

"Hafees?" Pathan repeated, the name unfamiliar to him. "What does he have to do with this?"

Rubina's gaze darkened. "He's one of the key players in the network. He's been coordinating activities on the ground, making sure that the right people are in the right place at the right time. And he's also the one who was involved in planning the terrorist attacks you mentioned."

Pathan felt a chill run down his spine. The pieces were coming together, but the picture they formed was terrifying. "So Hafees is part of the network? That means he's likely involved in Tiger's family's murder."

Rubina nodded. "It's more than likely. Hafees is ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. And if Tiger's family got in his way, he wouldn't have hesitated to eliminate them."

Pathan clenched his fists, the anger bubbling beneath the surface. "We need to find him, Rubina. We need to bring him in and make him talk."

But Rubina's expression was grim. "Hafees isn't an easy man to find. He's been in hiding for years, protected by layers of security and loyal followers. Even if we locate him, getting to him will be a challenge."

Pathan's mind was already racing through possibilities, formulating a plan. "We'll have to be smart about this. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

Rubina's gaze softened as she looked at Pathan. "You're right. But be careful, Pathan. Hafees is dangerous, and if he knows you're coming for him, he won't hesitate to strike first."

As Pathan left Rubina's room, her words echoed in his mind. Hafees was a formidable enemy, but he wasn't the only one on Pathan's mind. Tiger, the man they had been hunting all this time, was still out there-still a threat. But with each new piece of information, Pathan began to question whether Tiger was truly the enemy, or if he was simply another pawn in a much larger game.

The thought gnawed at him as he made his way back to the command center. Tiger's actions had been ruthless, his path of vengeance leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. But what if those actions were driven not by personal vendetta, but by a desire to expose the very conspiracy that Pathan and his team were now uncovering?

The idea seemed almost absurd at first. Tiger had killed without mercy, had endangered countless lives in his quest for retribution. But the more Pathan thought about it, the more it made sense. Tiger's family had been murdered as part of a cover-up, a way to silence those who knew too much. If Tiger had uncovered the truth-if he had realized that his family's deaths were connected to a larger conspiracy-then his actions, as brutal as they were, might have been driven by a twisted sense of justice.

Pathan felt a knot of uncertainty form in his gut. He had always believed in clear lines, in knowing who the enemy was and what needed to be done. But now, those lines were blurring, and he found himself questioning everything he thought he knew.

He needed answers, and he needed them fast. The network they were up against was vast, powerful, and ruthless. And if they didn't act soon, more lives would be lost-possibly including their own.

Pathan's thoughts turned to Zoya, who was still back in Delhi, sifting through old case files and trying to connect the dots. She had always been his best analyst, able to see patterns where others saw only chaos. He needed to talk to her, to see if she had uncovered anything that could shed light on Tiger's true motivations.

Pulling out his phone, Pathan dialed Zoya's number. As the line rang, he felt a sense of urgency building within him. The answers they needed were out there, buried beneath layers of deception and lies. But the closer they got to the truth, the more dangerous their mission became.

When Zoya finally answered, her voice was tense, as if she had been expecting his call.

"Pathan, I've found something," she said, without preamble.

"What is it?" Pathan asked, his heart pounding.

"There's a connection between Tiger's family's murder and a series of terrorist attacks that happened around the same time. I think these attacks were orchestrated by the same network we've been investigating."

Pathan's breath caught in his throat. "You're sure?"

Zoya hesitated, then continued. "As sure as I can be with the information I have."

Pathan took a deep breath, knowing this next piece of information would be crucial. "Zoya, I've just spoken with Rubina Khan here in Minsk. She mentioned a man named Hafees. According to her, he's been coordinating activities for this network-he might be the key to unraveling everything."

There was a brief silence on the line as Zoya absorbed the information. "Hafees," she repeated, the name sounding ominous. "If we can find him, we might be able to get the answers we need."

Pathan felt a surge of determination. "We need to move quickly, Zoya. I'm starting to think that Tiger might not be the real enemy here. He's dangerous, yes, but he might also be our only chance at taking down this network."

Zoya's voice was calm, but Pathan could hear the concern underlying her words. "If that's true, then we're walking a very fine line. We need to find a way to bring Tiger in without provoking a full-scale war."

Pathan nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "I know. Keep digging, Zoya. We're running out of time."

As he ended the call, Pathan felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. The conspiracy they were unraveling was larger than he had ever imagined, and the lines between friend and foe were becoming increasingly blurred.

But one thing was certain: they couldn't afford to fail. The fate of countless lives depended on what they did next.

He walked through the quiet corridors of the hospital, his thoughts racing ahead to what needed to be done. The city lights of Minsk flickered outside as he passed a window, but his mind was already back in Delhi, where the critical decisions would be made. Pathan knew he couldn't afford to stay in Minsk any longer. The war room was where he needed to be-where he could make a real difference in the hours to come.

The pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together, and he was determined to see this through to the end. With a deep breath, Pathan quickened his pace, his resolve hardening with every step. It was time to brief his team, to prepare for the most dangerous steps yet.

After a swift and decisive briefing, Pathan and his team gathered their gear and headed straight to the airport. There was no time to waste; every second counted.

As he led his team through the airport, a single thought dominated his mind: the truth was out there, buried deep within a web of lies, betrayal, and deceit. And it was up to them to unravel it-before it was too late.