A New India
Chapter 148 - 148: Intelligence Warfare

Khalid Qureshi, the head of ISI, paced the length of his office, frustration evident in every movement.

His eyes switched between the intelligence reports scattered on his desk, but his thoughts kept returning to one thing,India.

Now everyone was looking to him for answers.

Retaliation was inevitable, but the response couldn't be reckless.

They needed precision.

They needed vengeance.

"Sir, it's time to move forward," whispered Abdul Rashid, one of ISI's top field commanders, who stood quietly by the door, waiting for his orders.

Khalid nodded slowly. His anger hadn't dulled, but his approach had become colder, more calculated.

Targeting K.N. Rao, the head of India's R&AW, would have been the most satisfying blow.

But Rao was too well-protected, too clever to be caught in a straightforward attack.

Khalid needed to send a message, to rattle the system, but to do so strategically.

"No," Khalid said, his voice low and steady. "We don't go after Rao directly. We hit someone close to him. Someone who will send the same message but isn't surrounded by layers of security."

Abdul stepped forward, understanding dawning in his eyes. "His lieutenants?"

Khalid nodded. "We need someone in his inner circle, someone with enough power to create a vacuum but not so high-profile that it blows back on us directly. We need to hurt Rao, not just physically, but mentally. We need to make him feel exposed."

He leaned in and pointed to a name on the list, Raghav Kapoor, one of R&AW's senior field officers, stationed near the Punjab border.

"If we can take Kapoor out," Abdul said, his voice low but firm,

"It'll send a message. Rao may be out of our reach, but his trusted men aren't."

Khalid smirked. "Exactly. Kill Kapoor, and Rao will know we can touch anyone close to him. Let's cripple his support system."

***

Ajay Singh sat across from K.N. Rao, his mind racing. The intelligence they had gathered over the past few days pointed to something big.

Pakistan's ISI was planning a counterattack, but it wasn't what they initially thought.

"They're targeting Raghav Kapoor," Ajay said, his voice heavy with urgency. "They know they can't hit you directly, so they're going after him."

Rao leaned back in his chair, his expression grim.

Raghav had been instrumental in the Chagai Hills operation, and he was too valuable to lose.

"How long do we have?" Rao asked.

"Not long," Ajay replied. "ISI's team is already in motion. We need to pull Raghav out, fast."

Rao didn't hesitate. "Get him out. I don't care what it takes. Mobilize the extraction team and make sure they don't get to him first."

Ajay nodded and left the room, already dialing the extraction team. Time was running out.

Punjab Border - Safe House

The dusty streets near the Punjab border were eerily quiet as Raghav Kapoor sat alone in his safe house, reviewing the latest intelligence reports.

He had been restless for days, ever since they received word that ISI was planning something.

His instincts told him that danger was closer than anyone realized, but he hadn't expected to be their target.

He suddenly recieved a telegram from Ajay: "Extraction team arriving at 0200 hours. Be ready."

Raghav's stomach tightened. He knew what that meant.

ISI had found him, and R&AW was moving to pull him out before it was too late.

But if ISI was already closing in, it wouldn't be a clean exit.

He checked his watch-01:30 hours.

He had thirty minutes before the team arrived.

Suddenly, he heard something outside. Footsteps, faint but unmistakable.

His pulse quickened. His hand instinctively went to his sidearm.

Raghav stood up slowly, moving toward the window.

He carefully pulled back the curtain just enough to peer outside.

Shadows moved across the street.

Too many shadows.

They're here

He backed away from the window, his mind racing.

He had two choices: wait for the extraction team and hope they arrived before ISI did, or make a run for it now.

But running wasn't an option.

They would have him surrounded.

No, he would fight.

Outside the Safe House, Rashid crouched behind a parked car, his eyes trained on the safe house across the street.

His team, made up of some of ISI's most skilled operatives, had the building surrounded.

They had one mission tonight-kill Raghav Kapoor.

Rashid checked his watch-01:40 hours. The extraction team would be here soon, but it didn't matter.

They would be too late

He gave the singal and his men moved in.

The door to the safe house burst open with a deafening crash, and Raghav didn't hesitate.

He fired two quick shots, hitting the first man through the door in the chest.

The man crumpled to the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

The second man barely had time to react before Raghav's third shot found its mark, taking him down with brutal efficiency.

But there were more.

Raghav ducked behind the kitchen counter as bullets tore through the air, shredding the wooden walls behind him.

He moved quickly, firing blindly toward the doorway, trying to buy himself a few seconds to assess the situation.

The gunfire outside intensified.

The glass windows shattered as more bullets ripped through the house.

Raghav's heart pounded in his chest, but his mind was sharp, focused. He knew this was it, his last stand.

He reloaded his weapon and moved to the other side of the room, staying low.

The air was thick with dust and smoke, but he could hear them coming-more footsteps, more shadows moving in the dark.

Suddenly, the back door splintered open. Raghav spun around, his gun aimed, and fired.

The man who had just kicked down the door dropped instantly, his weapon falling from his hand as he hit the ground.

But Raghav was outnumbered.

Another man rushed him from the side, tackling him to the floor.

The force of the impact knocked the gun from Raghav's hand, and for a moment, the world was a blur of fists and blood.

The ISI operative's hands wrapped around Raghav's throat, squeezing the life out of him.

Raghav's vision darkened at the edges, but he fought with everything he had, driving knee into the man's ribs with Brutal force.

The man grunted in pain, loosening his grip just enough for Raghav to break free.

Raghav grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and, in one swift motion, plunged it into the man's throat

The operative gasped, his eyes wide with shock as he collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the thorat

Raghav didn't have time to catch his breath. He grabbed his gun and moved toward the back door, knowing he had to get out of the house before more arrived.

Outside, Rashid watched as two of his men went down, frustration boiling inside him.

This was supposed to be simple-a quick hit, in and out.

But Raghav was proving to be more dangerous than they had anticipated.

"Move in!" Abdul shouted, signaling the remaining men to close in on the house.

The extraction team was only minutes away, but Abdul wasn't going to let them take Raghav alive.

Raghav burst through the back door, his gun raised, but he barely made it two steps before gunfire erupted around him.

He ducked behind a stack of crates, returning fire as bullets whizzed past his head.

One of Abdul's men, a tall, muscular figure, charged toward him, firing wildly.

Raghav waited, his breath steady, his mind calm. As the man closed the distance, Raghav stood and fired three shots in rapid succession.

The man's body jerked violently as the bullets found their mark, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

But there were more coming.

Raghav sprinted toward the alley, his heart racing, but his path was blocked.

Two more operatives stepped into view, their guns trained on him. He had no cover, nowhere to run.

In one fluid motion, Raghav dove to the ground, firing upward as he went.

The first man's head snapped back as the bullet hit him between the eyes.

The second man hesitated for a split second, just long enough for Raghav to take him down with another clean shot.

Raghav rolled to his feet, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead.

His vision blurred for a moment, but he kept moving.

He had to reach the extraction point.

As Raghav stumbled into the narrow alley behind the safe house, he heard the rumble of engines.

Two black car screeched to a halt, and Ajay Singh jumped out, his gun drawn.

"Raghav! Get in!" Ajay shouted.

Raghav didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted toward the vehicle, diving into the backseat just as more gunfire erupted from the other end of the alley.

Ajay and the other operatives fired back, covering their retreat as the car sped away.

The adrenaline coursing through Raghav's veins slowly began to fade, and the reality of what had just happened settled over him.

He had survived.

Barely.

Ajay glanced back at him from the front seat, a grim smile on his face. "That was too close."

Raghav nodded, his body still trembling from the fight. "They knew everything, Ajay. They were waiting for me."

Ajay's expression darkened. "ISI is getting bolder. This was just the beginning."

Raghav leaned back in his seat, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "They're not going to stop, are they?"

"No," Ajay said quietly. "They won't."