Chapter 1 The savior in torn clothes
Chapter 1: The savior in torn clothes
Blackwood Forest was swallowed by darkness.
The trees stood tall and silent beneath the moonless sky. Cold wind moved through the branches, carrying strange sounds from deep inside the forest.
Ananya pulled her jacket tighter around herself.
She glanced at her phone again.
“No signal,” she muttered.
Beside her, Vicky sighed impatiently.
“This is ridiculous. We’ve been walking for almost two hours.”
Natasha looked around nervously.
“Are you sure this is the right path?”
Vicky forced a smile.
“Relax. We have expensive trekking gear. What could possibly happen to us here?”
Ananya frowned.
Something about the forest felt wrong.
They had come here to film content for their vlog, expecting an exciting adventure.
Instead, they were completely lost.
A strange rustling suddenly came from the bushes.
Ananya froze.
“Did you hear that?”
Vicky turned toward the sound.
“Probably just an animal.”
The bushes shook again.
This time, the sound was much louder.
Then a huge wolf stepped out of the darkness.
It was enormous.
Its fur was matted and scarred, and its yellow eyes locked onto them.
Natasha screamed.
“Run!”
They turned and tried to escape.
But the wolf moved faster.
It charged.
Ananya stumbled and fell to the ground.
“Help!”
The wolf leaped toward her.
She covered her face with both hands, her body trembling uncontrollably.
But the attack never came.
A figure suddenly appeared between her and the wolf.
A man.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in torn and dirty clothes. His body was covered with old scars, and his dark hair was messy from living in the wilderness.
He looked like a penniless beggar, with nothing to his name.
But his eyes were cold and steady.
The wolf growled.
The man didn't move.
For several seconds, neither of them looked away.
Then the wolf attacked.
The man raised one hand.
With a burst of raw strength, he caught the wolf by the neck and slammed it against the ground.
Bang!
The forest fell silent.
The wolf struggled desperately.
The man tightened his grip.
The enormous animal finally stopped fighting.
He released it.
The wolf scrambled to its feet, tucked its tail, and fled into the darkness.
Ananya stared at the man in shock.
She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
The man turned toward her.
“Are you hurt?”
His voice was calm.
Ananya slowly shook her head.
“No... I'm fine.”
She couldn't take her eyes off him.
His strength and fearlessness left her completely speechless.
Vicky and Natasha finally reached them.
Vicky looked at the stranger from head to toe.
His expression immediately changed to one of open disgust.
“Who the hell is this?”
The man ignored him.
Vicky stepped forward.
“You're just some homeless guy, aren't you?”
Ananya frowned.
“Vicky, he just saved my life.”
“So what?”
Vicky pulled out a crumpled hundred-dollar bill and threw it at the man's feet into the mud.
“Take it.”
The man looked down at the money.
Then he slowly looked back at Vicky.
His eyes darkened with restrained fury.
“Keep your money.”
Vicky laughed.
“What?”
“I don't need it.”
The man turned around and started walking away.
Vicky stared at him in disbelief.
“Hey! Wait!”
The man didn't stop.
Vicky quickly followed him.
“We're lost. You clearly know this forest. Guide us out.”
The man continued walking.
“I said no.”
Vicky's face hardened.
“Do you know who I am?”
The man finally stopped.
He glanced back.
“No.”
Those two words left Vicky speechless.
Ananya almost smiled.
For some reason, she found his indifference strangely attractive.
She quickly walked toward him.
“Wait.”
The man looked at her.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“You're welcome.”
Ananya hesitated.
Then she asked, “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I live here.”
Ananya stared at him.
“You live in the forest?”
He nodded.
She couldn't understand him.
“You can't stay here forever. Come with us.”
The man looked at her silently.
“I can help you find a place to stay,” Ananya continued. “You saved my life. I owe you.”
“You don't owe me anything.”
“I still want to help.”
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
A strange jolt ran through both of them.
Ananya quickly looked away.
She didn't know why her heart had suddenly started beating faster.
“Come with me,” she said softly. “I'll find you a job and a place to stay.”
The man studied her face.
There was no greed in her eyes.
No disgust.
Only sincerity and genuine kindness.
A faint, mysterious smile appeared on his lips.
“Fine.”
Ananya looked surprised.
“I'll come with you.”
Vicky immediately objected.
“Are you serious?”
He pointed at the man.
“Ananya, you can't just bring a beggar into the city!”
The man's expression remained calm.
But his eyes briefly turned cold.
Ananya glared at Vicky.
“Stop calling him that.”
Vicky scoffed.
“People will laugh at you for walking around with a beggar.”
Ananya ignored him.
She turned toward the stranger.
“What's your name?”
“Kabir.”
“I'm Ananya.”
Kabir gave her a brief look.
“I know.”
Ananya blinked.
“You do?”
Kabir turned away.
“Let's go.”
She stood there for a moment, wondering how he could possibly know her name.
Then she followed him.
None of them noticed the faint smile that appeared on Kabir's face.
---
Several hours later, they finally reached the city.
Bright lights filled the streets.
Luxury cars moved through traffic while giant digital screens displayed advertisements across the buildings.
Kabir quietly watched everything from the back seat.
He had been away from civilization for six months.
Yet the city looked exactly the same.
Cold.
Fast.
Hungry.
Then the car passed a massive glass building that seemed to touch the sky.
The words GOODNOVEL were displayed across the front in shining letters.
Ananya looked at the building.
“That's GoodNovel headquarters.”
Kabir's eyes remained fixed on it.
Vicky smiled proudly.
“You've probably heard of it.”
Kabir said nothing.
Vicky continued.
“GoodNovel is one of the biggest ebook and media companies in the world.”
He leaned back confidently.
“And the owner?”
He laughed.
“You couldn't even imagine how rich he is.”
Ananya glanced at him.
“You've met him?”
“Of course not.”
Vicky laughed again.
“But everyone knows about him.”
“He's one of the most powerful men in the industry.”
Kabir continued staring at the building.
There was something strange in his expression.
Not admiration.
Not surprise.
Something else.
Something Ananya couldn't understand.
Vicky noticed his silence and smirked.
“What? Never seen a building this big before?”
Kabir slowly looked at him.
“No.”
Vicky laughed.
“Of course you haven't.”
The car continued toward the residential district.
Kabir leaned back and closed his eyes.
His hand slipped quietly into the torn pocket of his jacket.
His fingers touched something hidden beneath the cloth.
A small encrypted satellite phone.
The device had no visible brand.
No ordinary person would have known what it was capable of.
Kabir switched it on.
The screen remained completely black.
Then a single encrypted connection appeared.
ACCESS GRANTED.
Kabir entered a short command.
[Target: Corporate division 4.]
[Manager: Vicky.]
[Freeze all accounts.]
[Revoke corporate authority.]
[Initiate complete termination.]
His thumb hovered over the final button.
For the first time that night, a faint smile appeared on his face.
He pressed send.
MESSAGE DELIVERED.
Kabir immediately switched off the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
No one noticed.
Not Ananya.
Not Natasha.
Not even Vicky.
The car continued moving through the city.
Vicky was still laughing and talking about his future at GoodNovel.
He had no idea that, somewhere across the city, a secure phone had just received a command that could change his entire life.
Kabir opened his eyes.
He looked out at the passing city lights.
Then his phone vibrated once inside his pocket.
A single encrypted message appeared on the screen.
“Are you certain?”
Kabir looked at it for a few seconds.
Then he typed two words.
“Do it.”
He deleted the message immediately.
Outside the window, the lights of GoodNovel headquarters disappeared into the darkness behind them.
Ananya looked at Kabir.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that the quiet man sitting beside her was hiding something enormous.
She just didn't know what.
And before the night was over, Vicky was going to find out that he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
