The rain didn't stop.
Even after Fu Liang's car disappeared into the night, the storm continued pouring over the city as if nothing had changed.
But for Nadia… everything had.
She stood frozen on the roadside, staring at the empty stretch of wet asphalt where the sedan had vanished.
Her mind replayed his words again and again.
Collateral damage.
I did.
Something powerful.
Her hands trembled slightly.
For ten years, she had imagined this moment.
Finding the person responsible.
Demanding answers.
But she had never imagined it would feel like this.
Cold.
Empty.
Incomplete.
Beside her, Varma remained silent.
Watching the street.
Watching the shadows.
Always observing.
Always calculating.
Finally, Nadia spoke.
"You knew."
Her voice was quiet.
But it carried weight.
Varma didn't respond immediately.
"You knew he was involved," she continued. "Even before tonight."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Nadia laughed bitterly.
"And you didn't tell me."
"You weren't ready."
Nadia turned toward him sharply.
"Don't decide that for me."
Varma met her gaze.
"If I had told you earlier, you would have confronted him the same way you just did."
"And?"
"You would have died."
The bluntness of the statement silenced her for a moment.
Rain fell between them.
Heavy.
Relentless.
Nadia looked away.
Her chest felt tight.
"You said the explosion was a cover."
"Yes."
"For removing that object."
"Yes."
She took a slow breath.
"Then what is it?"
Varma didn't answer.
Instead, he began walking down the street.
Nadia stared at him.
"Don't walk away from this conversation."
"I'm not."
"Then answer me."
Varma stopped under a dim streetlight.
Water dripped from his jacket as he looked at her again.
"I don't know exactly what it was."
Nadia frowned.
"That's not what it sounded like earlier."
"I know enough to understand how dangerous it is."
"Then tell me that."
Varma hesitated.
For the first time since she met him…
He seemed uncertain.
Not afraid.
But careful.
Choosing his words.
"That container," he said slowly, "was not part of any official shipping record."
Nadia crossed her arms.
"You've said that already."
"Which means it was added outside normal systems."
"So it was smuggled."
"Yes."
"That still doesn't explain why it's so important."
Varma glanced around the street again.
Checking.
Always checking.
Then he lowered his voice slightly.
"Because the people who wanted it… were not ordinary criminals."
Nadia felt a familiar chill.
"The organization you mentioned."
"Yes."
"What are they?"
Varma shook his head.
"There isn't a single name for them."
"That's convenient."
"It's accurate."
He paused.
"They are a network."
"Of what?"
"Power."
Nadia frowned.
"That's not a real answer."
"It is."
Varma's tone remained calm, but there was something heavier behind it now.
"Different groups. Different interests. Different countries."
"And they all wanted the same thing?"
"Yes."
"The object."
Varma nodded.
Nadia exhaled slowly.
"Then it must be something huge."
"Yes."
"Something worth killing people over."
"Yes."
"Something worth covering up an entire explosion."
Varma didn't respond.
But he didn't need to.
Nadia looked down at the rain-soaked pavement.
Her reflection stared back at her in broken fragments.
"For ten years," she said quietly, "I wanted to convenes myself that it can be an accident. It is not related to the pressed button."
She looked up again.
"But it's not."
"No."
"It's bigger than that."
"Yes."
Nadia let out a slow breath.
Then she asked the question that had been forming in her mind since Fu Liang spoke.
"What kind of power could be worth all this?"
Varma was silent for several seconds.
Longer than before.
Then he said quietly—
"The kind that changes the balance of the world."
The words hung in the air.
Nadia felt them settle deep in her chest.
"That's not possible."
"It is."
"You're talking like this is some kind of weapon."
Varma didn't deny it.
"That is one possibility."
Nadia's mind raced.
"Then what? A bomb? A new type of technology?"
Varma shook his head slowly.
"If it were something that simple… this would have ended ten years ago."
Nadia stared at him.
"Then what makes it different?"
Varma's gaze hardened slightly.
"It wasn't just valuable."
Nadia waited.
"It was… unique."
A faint unease crept through her.
"Unique how?"
Varma didn't answer immediately.
Then—
A faint buzzing sound interrupted the silence.
Varma's hand moved instantly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device.
Nadia frowned.
"What is that?"
Varma looked at the screen briefly.
His expression changed.
Subtly.
But enough for Nadia to notice.
"What happened?" she asked.
Varma didn't respond right away.
Instead, he scanned the street again.
Then he spoke quietly.
"We're not the only ones tracking this."
Nadia's stomach tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Varma turned the device toward her.
A small blinking dot appeared on the screen.
Then another.
And another.
Multiple signals.
Moving.
Closing in.
"They're tracking us?" she asked.
"Yes."
"But Fu Liang just left."
Varma's voice dropped slightly.
"These signals aren't his."
Nadia felt a chill spread through her body.
"Then who—"
Before she could finish—
A black motorcycle sped past them.
Too fast.
Too deliberate.
The rider wore a dark helmet.
No license plate.
No markings.
The bike disappeared down the street within seconds.
But the moment it passed—
Varma's expression hardened completely.
"That wasn't random," he said.
Nadia's heart started racing again.
"Another group?"
"Yes."
"How many groups are involved in this?"
Varma's voice turned colder.
"More than you want to know."
Nadia looked around the street.
Everything suddenly felt different.
The shadows.
The passing vehicles.
The people walking in the distance.
Anyone could be watching.
Anyone could be involved.
"We need to leave," Varma said.
"Where?"
"Somewhere they can't track us easily."
Nadia shook her head slightly.
"This is insane."
"Yes."
"And it's only getting worse."
Nadia let out a breath.
Then she nodded.
"Fine."
Varma turned and started walking again.
Nadia followed.
But her mind was no longer focused on the fear.
Or the chase.
Or even Fu Liang.
It was focused on something else.
Something far more unsettling.
The object.
Whatever had been inside that container…
Had caused an explosion.
Started a cover-up.
Drawn the attention of multiple powerful groups.
And even now—
Ten years later—
People were still hunting for it.
Nadia looked up at the dark sky.
Rain fell endlessly.
And a single thought formed in her mind.
If no one has it yet…
Then where is it?