Sitting behind a massive mahogany desk was Joint Director Kulkarni—a corrupt, mid-tier bureaucrat who had spent twenty years mastering the slimy art of red tape, bureaucratic delays, and veiled extortion. Kulkarni was used to dealing with nervous defense contractors, meek scientists, and anxious businessmen. He knew that even top-secret projects required local land clearances, municipal environmental nods, and regional security permits. To Kulkarni, every file was a ransom note waiting to be collected.
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