Aditya's mind reeled as he absorbed the old man's words. Out of the nearly 900 billion humans scattered across Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond, only 500 million had been selected for this fso-called "secret mission." That meant less than 0.05% of the population had made it through. The weight of that realization pressed on him like an invisible force—was he truly one of the lucky ones, or was this an entirely different kind of fate?
The old man's piercing gaze never wavered. "You weren't supposed to find this place. No commoner was. Yet here you are. Tell me, how did you get here?" His voice carried an air of suspicion, and the surrounding guards subtly adjusted their stances, ready for any sign of deceit.
Aditya knew he couldn't tell the truth. The truth was that he had overheard a conversation by accident—his friend, a high-ranking officer, had been discussing this classified mission, unaware that Aditya was nearby. But that truth would only get him into deeper trouble. If they found out he wasn't meant to be here, what would they do to him?
Thinking fast, he feigned confusion. "I… I don't know. One moment, I was teleporting, and the next… I ended up here. It must have been a glitch or some kind of error in the teleportation system."
The old man narrowed his eyes. "A glitch? That is highly unlikely. Teleportation systems don't make such errors."
Aditya felt his heartbeat quicken. He could sense the tension growing in the room. If they didn't believe him, they might lock him up—or worse.
Before the old man could press further, another official stepped forward, tapping on a small device. "We have already informed Earth about this situation. The response should arrive soon. Until then, he stays under observation."
Aditya swallowed hard. He was now a prisoner in a place he wasn't even supposed to know existed. He had dodged one problem, but a much bigger one loomed ahead.