Salem, Tamil Nadu
The morning air still carried the wet scent of rain. The sun struggled to rise behind thick monsoon clouds, casting a dull golden hue across the buildings of Ammapet. But Mano Kanagaraj wasn't watching the sunrise.
He stood on the rooftop of the government hospital, wearing the black advocate's coat he had died in.
Below, the city buzzed awake—two-wheelers honking, tea shops clanging steel tumblers, and auto drivers already cursing the traffic. It all looked normal. But Mano knew better.
He clenched his fist, the coat billowing behind him in the wind. In the corner of his vision, a transparent screen hovered.
> [Lex System: Case Opportunity Detected]
Illegal Activity: Land Grab Complaint – Mettur Taluk
Involved IPC Sections: 420, 467, 468, 120B
Initiate Investigation? [Y/N]
"Land grabbing?" Mano muttered. "Typical. Mettur's worth crores in black sand alone."
He tapped [Y].
> New Case File Created: LEX-001
Title: Mettur Land Mafia
Objective: Legally expose and dismantle a forged land registration operation
Primary Accused: Arumugam MLA, Dhasarathan Tehsildar, others
Required Evidence: Land records, witness testimony, revenue maps
Mano cracked his knuckles. "Time to get to work."
---
Later that morning — District Court Premises, Salem
The court was just starting to stir. Lawyers milled around in coats, clutching their files. Some spoke in hushed Tamil about pending bail pleas; others sipped coffee and gossiped about retired judges.
Mano entered quietly, walking through the tiled corridor like a ghost among the living. Everyone turned and stared. Some murmured in shock.
"Isn't that...?"
"Didn't he... die?"
"Mano Kanagaraj?"
"But we went to his funeral!"
He ignored them and walked straight toward the Revenue Office inside the court complex.
A clerk looked up, startled. "Sir… you…?"
"I need land documents for Plot No. 4B in Mettur Taluk, filed under Arumugam Construction Pvt Ltd. 2022 registration," Mano said calmly.
The clerk blinked. "That's restricted. MLA's property, sir."
Mano smiled faintly. "Do I look like I care?"
He tapped the file on the counter and slid across an RTI request form.
> [Lex System Update: RTI Filed Successfully]
Countdown: 30 days for official reply
Fast-track mode available: Use PIL or media exposure
He didn't have 30 days.
---
Later — Advocates' Lounge
Mano sat across from his old friend, Adv. Jothi, a family court lawyer with a long moustache and too much caffeine in his blood.
"You're seriously going after Arumugam?" Jothi whispered. "He's got half the registry office in his pocket!"
"That's exactly why I'm going after him."
Jothi shook his head. "You're back from the dead and you still don't value your life?"
Mano didn't answer. Instead, he pulled up his phone and tapped into the Lex System's scanner.
> [Scanning Accused's Company Filings...]
Forgery Detected: Digital signature mismatch on Form 7A
Potential Witness: Retired VAO – Name: Ramasamy
There it was—his first lead.
---
Same Day — Kandampatti Village
Ramasamy's house was small, surrounded by broken tiles and goats chewing on plastic bags. The old man himself sat under a neem tree, sipping tea with shaky hands.
Mano introduced himself and showed his bar council ID.
"I'm not here to threaten you. I just want the truth. You were the signing authority on Mettur's Plot 4B before retirement, right?"
Ramasamy's eyes narrowed. "Why should I trust you?"
Mano pulled a folded paper from his pocket—the last case file he'd held before his death. Bloodstained, wrinkled, but still readable.
"I died for the truth once. I won't stop now."
After a long silence, the old man nodded.
"There was no real transfer. It was forged… Arumugam's men forced me to sign under threat. I still have the original registry entry. Hidden."
---
As the sun dipped low, Mano stared at the copy of the original record, trembling in his hands. This one paper could start a war.
> [Lex System Update: Evidence Acquired – 1/3]
Bonus Activated: IPC 467 Mastery Unlocked
New Ability: Forgery Decipher – Level 1
Mano's eyes hardened.
"They want to play with land, power, and fear? Fine. But this time… they'll play by the law."