I Can Learn Anything

Chapter Title: The Conspiracy Within the Academy

At a secluded location within the academy, a group of people sat in tense silence. Each one of them bore a serious expression, and no one spoke a word, which only added to the heaviness of the atmosphere. The silence stretched on for several long minutes before one of them could no longer contain his curiosity.

"Why has the Sixth Elder summoned us here at this hour?" the man asked, his voice gruff.

He was a middle-aged man with a terrifying appearance. His face bore a long, ragged scar that looked like it had been slashed by a blade. His hands and face were covered in wounds, scars from old battles. He looked like someone who had tasted blood more times than he could count. However, there's no need to remember his name — for his role in this story will be brief. The same applies to the rest of the men gathered in this room. Only the Sixth Elder would appear again, and even then, his involvement would be limited. That's precisely why I never introduced him before. But in this chapter, his identity will finally be revealed.

Hearing the man speak, another person sitting beside him scoffed and replied, "Don't think too much. You know what kind of man Sanjay is. I know all about his dirty dealings, and I'm pretty sure he's called us here again to ruin someone else's life. Just wait. He'll be here any moment now."

The Sanjay he referred to was none other than Sanjay Mishra, the Sixth Elder of Rudrapur Academy — and the one who had called this secret meeting.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the doors to the room finally opened, and Sanjay Mishra entered, followed by a young boy and a few more individuals. As soon as he stepped in, everyone present stood up to greet him. Seeing that his guests had arrived, Sanjay gestured for them to sit.

Once everyone had settled back into their seats, Sanjay pointed at the young boy and said, "The boy behind me is Avinash Rohilla. He belongs to one of the four great families of this capital city — the Rohilla family. Today, he has decided to join hands with us to teach someone a lesson. Are you all ready to do what needs to be done?"

Everyone turned to examine Avinash and the other men accompanying him. The man who seemed to be the leader of the initial group finally spoke up.

"We are from the Great Buddha Lotus Gang," he said, his voice calm but firm. "For us, money is everything. We don't care who you bring in or what vendetta you carry, as long as we're paid what we're owed. If the task is within our capabilities, we'll do it. But let me make one thing clear — if these newcomers interfere with how we operate, we won't hesitate to teach them a lesson."

Sanjay chuckled in response. "Relax. They won't interfere. They just want to be the ones to deal the final blow to the boy they're targeting — a student of the man I've summoned you to handle. All they need from you is permission to wear your gang's insignia during the mission. In return, they're willing to pay handsomely."

He continued, "Of course, they could simply wear their Rohilla family robes and attack the student, but doing that would risk intervention from the National Academy or even the royal family. They can't afford that kind of heat right now. That's why I believe their request is valid."

The leader of the Great Buddha Lotus Gang nodded. "I understand. But before we allow them to use our identity, I'll need permission from our headquarters."

With that, he took out a special token and began transmitting information about the request through it. Within moments, a reply arrived, and after reading it, he turned to Sanjay and said, "Permission granted. But the price will be one million gold coins."

The moment that astronomical sum was spoken aloud, shock rippled through the Rohilla representatives. They were clearly not expecting such a steep demand. However, they quickly composed themselves and protested.

"That's far too much," one of them said. "There has to be room for negotiation."

But the gang leader's response was cold and unwavering. "Use our name if you want — but the price stays the same. Take it or leave it. And keep in mind, this fee allows you to use our gang's name a total of three times."

The Great Buddha Lotus Gang was a powerful mercenary group known throughout the world. No one really knew where their headquarters was located, which made them even more dangerous. Many small nations lived in fear of them.

Despite their peaceful-sounding name, the gang was notorious in the underworld. Their true name was the Divine Dragon Gang, and they housed not just humans but dragons, bears, cheetahs, and other powerful, criminal beings. Many of them had committed heinous crimes and joined the gang to escape punishment from their countries' royal armies.

The reason they maintained the alias "Great Buddha Lotus" was simple — it allowed them to operate in smaller or less-important countries without drawing attention. Only warriors at the Martial Spirit Gathering Level 5 Peak and beyond were accepted into their ranks. One of their duties was to report any promising or useful discoveries to the main Divine Dragon Gang, who would then reward them generously.

To the public, however, the Great Buddha Lotus Gang appeared to be a benevolent group that helped the poor and guided them toward a better future. Their reputation among the common people was excellent. Though some citizens were wary of the word "gang" in their name, they never had enough proof to speak out — and if they did, they'd quickly vanish.

The gang had a clever strategy. When they committed violent acts, they used altered versions of their logo so that, if discovered, they could claim that it wasn't really their branch. It was all part of a carefully maintained illusion.

So when the Rohilla representatives learned that they could use the gang's name three times for one million gold coins — but only against enemies at or below Martial Spirit Gathering Level 5 — they breathed a sigh of relief. However, that relief didn't last long.

"You may only use our name to target warriors below Level 5," the gang leader clarified, dashing any hopes of broader action.

Even so, the Rohilla group accepted the terms without further complaint. They knew the protection and authority that came with using the gang's name were unmatched.

They didn't rush into a final decision, though. Instead, they contacted a senior Elder of their family, who was waiting outside the academy. This Elder had purposely stayed out of the meeting to avoid implicating the entire family in the conspiracy.

One of the representatives quietly left to inform the Elder about the deal. After explaining the terms, the Elder granted permission. With that, the Rohilla family officially agreed to the Great Buddha Lotus Gang's conditions.

Now that everything had been settled, Sanjay Mishra spoke again. "The man I want to teach a lesson is none other than Vaibhav Srivastava. He dared to stop me from taking a girl I desired — even though I'm married and already have three wives!"

He paused, his face twisted with rage. "That girl should have been mine. I was going to force her into my harem. But Vaibhav ruined my plans. I've already defamed him across the nation, but that's no longer enough. Now, I want him dead. I want him to suffer!"

Hearing this, the gang members looked at each other. Then one of them asked, "Fine, but tell us — what level has he reached?"

Sanjay scoffed. "What level? At best, he might have reached Martial Spirit Gathering Level 7. He's not worth worrying about."

One of the gang members laughed. "You say that like Level 7 is nothing — but you're a Level 7 warrior yourself."

Sanjay bristled but said nothing. The man continued, "Since he's reached Level 7, the price to eliminate him will also be one million gold coins."

The mention of such a massive amount made Sanjay's head spin, and for a moment, his vision went black. But he quickly regained his composure and replied, "Fine. I'll pay. But do it quickly. I can't stand the sight of that man any longer."

Then, Sanjay turned to Avinash. "You still want to kill that boy, right?"

Avinash's eyes burned with fury. "Absolutely. I want to tear him apart. Where does he get the nerve to interfere in my affairs? He must die! There's no other solution. I'll kill him, piece by piece, and feed his remains to the Level 5 beast my family is raising."

Even Sanjay felt a chill hearing those words. And Sanjay was no stranger to cruelty.

But he composed himself and said, "Do what you want. Just make sure my name never comes up."

Avinash nodded in agreement.

Their deal complete, they began exchanging idle chatter. Two hours later, the room had emptied, and the secret meeting ended.

The room, located deep within the academy, belonged to Sanjay Mishra. It had been designed specifically for covert operations like this.

Even after everyone else left, Sanjay remained behind. A wicked smile spread across his face as he muttered, "Let's see who saves you now, Vaibhav Srivastava. I'll do to you what Avinash plans to do to your student. Just wait and see."

With those ominous words, he vanished into the shadows.

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Will Aryan Chauhan and Vaibhav Srivastava survive the deadly plot orchestrated by Sanjay Mishra and Avinash Rohilla? Or will their story end here? To find out, stay tuned to *I Can Learn Anything*.