C49 The Choice No Soldier Wants

The room had gone completely silent.

Only the faint hum of Arjun’s laptop and the distant sounds of evening prayers drifting through the village air could be heard.

On the phone screen, the message still glowed.

“Thirty minutes.”

Dev looked at Arjun.

“What’s the plan?”

Arjun didn’t answer immediately.

He stared at the map on the laptop screen.

Temple road.

Village center.

Every single villager would be there tonight for the festival.

Children.

Families.

Elderly people.

Hundreds of civilians packed inside one place.

And somewhere else in the darkness—

Aisha.

Kidnapped.

Waiting for him.

Dev spoke carefully.

“Sir… we can split teams.”

Arjun shook his head slowly.

“No.”

Dev frowned.

“Why?”

“They’re watching.”

Arjun pointed toward the phone.

“They knew I’d contact the army.”

He zoomed in on the map again.

“If they see army vehicles heading toward the temple, they’ll execute Aisha immediately.”

Dev clenched his jaw.

“So what are they expecting?”

Arjun’s voice turned cold.

“They want me to go alone.”

One of the officers spoke up.

“That’s a trap.”

Arjun nodded.

“Of course it is.”

But his eyes moved toward the temple road outside the window.

In the distance, faint music and bells echoed through the air.

The festival had already begun.

Dev suddenly understood something.

“They’re forcing you to choose.”

Arjun said nothing.

Dev’s voice softened.

“Sir… if they attack the temple…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

They all knew what it meant.

A massacre.

Arjun closed his eyes for a moment.

For the first time since this began—

His thoughts were not strategic.

They were personal.

Aisha laughing on the balcony while Lakshmi followed him.

Aisha slipping on the floor and him catching her.

Aisha teasing him for ignoring her.

Aisha calling the cow his “girlfriend.”

Aisha waiting for him every evening after work.

His chest tightened.

Dev watched him carefully.

“Sir…”

Arjun opened his eyes again.

And when he did—

The hesitation was gone.

“Dev.”

“Yes sir.”

“Deploy your team quietly around the temple.”

Dev blinked.

“But they’ll see us.”

“Not if you move through the back hills.”

Dev immediately understood.

The forested slope behind the temple.

Perfect cover.

“But what about you?”

Arjun picked up his jacket calmly.

“I’m going to temple road.”

Dev stepped forward.

“That’s suicide.”

Arjun gave a faint half-smile.

“I’ve walked into worse.”

Dev grabbed his arm.

“Sir, if they capture you—”

“They won’t.”

Dev looked at him for a long moment.

Then he nodded slowly.

“Understood.”

He turned toward his officers.

“Team Alpha with me. Silent approach.”

The soldiers immediately began preparing.

Arjun stepped outside into the cool night air.

The village was glowing with festival lights.

Colorful lanterns hung from trees.

Drums echoed in the distance.

People walked happily toward the temple carrying flowers and offerings.

They had no idea what danger surrounded them.

Arjun walked down the road alone.

His phone buzzed again.

Another message.

“Temple road. Old warehouse.”

“Come alone.”

He slipped the phone into his pocket and kept walking.

Behind him, unseen in the darkness, Dev and his team moved silently toward the temple through the forest path.

The warehouse appeared ahead.

An abandoned building near the road.

One dim light burned inside.

Arjun pushed the door open slowly.

Inside the room—

Aisha sat tied to a chair.

Blindfold removed now.

The moment she saw him, relief flooded her face.

“Arjun!”

Two men stood behind her.

The same men from the SUV.

One of them smiled.

“Well well.”

He clapped slowly.

“The famous Captain Rathore.”

Arjun’s voice was calm.

“Let her go.”

The man laughed.

“You really came alone.”

Arjun said nothing.

The man stepped closer.

“You’re exactly what we expected.”

“Someone who can’t ignore a challenge.”

Arjun’s eyes flicked briefly toward Aisha.

She looked terrified but unharmed.

The man noticed.

“Don’t worry,” he said casually.

“She’s safe.”

“For now.”

He pulled out his phone and checked the time.

“Ten minutes.”

Arjun’s expression hardened.

“Ten minutes for what?”

The man smiled slowly.

“Until the temple becomes a graveyard.”

Aisha’s eyes widened.

“What?”

The man continued calmly.

“Your army friends are probably heading there already.”

He leaned closer to Arjun.

“But they’re too late.”

Arjun’s voice dropped.

“You’re bluffing.”

The man shook his head.

“No.”

He smiled again.

“Because the bomb is already inside the temple.”

For the first time—

Aisha saw something dangerous flicker in Arjun’s eyes.

The man leaned back casually.

“So Captain…”

“Save your girl…”

“Or save the village.”

“Tick… tock.”

And the clock kept moving. ⏳