Novels by Muhammad Pakpahan

The trio pulled into a rundown apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was secure. Rizal parked the car and exhaled slowly. The adrenaline rush was wearing off, leaving behind exhaustion and the stench of smoke.Fikri tossed his bag onto the couch. “Well, that went well.”Maya shot him a glare. “We almost died.”Fikri grinned. “Keyword: almost.”Rizal ignored their bickering and plugged the flash drive into his laptop. Lines of encrypted data scrolled across the screen. “Johan’s entire financial operation is on here,” he muttered.Maya peered over his shoulder. “Can you crack it?”Rizal smirked. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” He began typing furiously, bypassing layers of security. Within minutes, a spreadsheet appeared, revealing names, bank accounts, and offshore transactions.Fikri whistled. “That’s a lot of zeroes.”Maya frowned. “So what’s the plan? Leak this to the authorities?”Rizal shook his head. “No. We use it to bring Johan down o

The motorcycle weaved through the dimly lit streets, dodging traffic as Rizal held on tightly. Maya sat behind him, gripping his waist, her breath still ragged from the adrenaline. The masked rider maneuvered with precision, cutting through alleyways and side streets until they finally stopped at an abandoned warehouse by the docks.VROOOOM… The engine died down.Rizal jumped off first, scanning their surroundings. “You gonna tell me who the hell you are?” he asked, turning toward the rider.The masked figure pulled off the helmet—revealing a familiar smirk.“Miss me, bro?”Rizal’s eyes widened. “Fikri?”Maya let out a breath of disbelief. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”Fikri, Rizal’s old partner-in-crime, grinned. “Relax. I’m not a ghost. But I did just save your ass.”Rizal shook his head. “I thought you were in Singapore.”Fikri leaned against the bike, arms crossed. “Was. Until I heard Johan was making a move on you.” His expression darkened. “Figured you could use some backup.”Ma

BANG! BANG!Rizal flipped the bar table and ducked as bullets tore through the polished wood, sending splinters flying. Johan’s guards were quick, but Rizal was quicker. He reached for the gun tucked behind his waistband and—BLAM!One shot, clean to the shoulder of the nearest thug. The man spun back, groaning in pain.Rizal didn’t wait. He grabbed a bottle of vodka from the counter and hurled it—CRASH!It shattered against another guard’s face, sending him stumbling. In the chaos, Rizal bolted for the exit.Johan, still gripping his phone, barked orders. “DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!”Maya yanked out the flash drive the moment the upload hit 100%. She stuffed it into her pocket, turned—and froze.A shadow loomed over her.The guard she had knocked out earlier was stirring, his fingers curling around his gun.Shit.Maya lunged forward. She kicked the gun out of his hand and swung a server panel like a baseball bat.WHAM!The man hit the ground again, this time for good.With no time to w

The safe house was tucked away in a quiet corner of Jakarta, hidden behind an old auto repair shop. From the outside, it looked abandoned—just another forgotten piece of the city’s underbelly. Inside, however, it was a fully stocked operations center.Rizal flicked on the lights, revealing a cluttered room filled with maps, weapons, and surveillance monitors. Maya let out a low whistle."Not bad," she said, tossing her wet jacket onto a chair. "You always have a place like this ready?"Rizal smirked. "Occupational hazard."He moved to the main table, plugging the flash drive into a laptop. The screen flickered, revealing encrypted files.Maya leaned in. "What exactly are we looking at?"Rizal typed rapidly, bypassing the security. A list of names, locations, and financial transactions appeared."This is Johan’s operation," Rizal said. "Money laundering, smuggling, political bribes—you name it. Everything he’s done is in here."Maya frowned. "And you think this is enough to take him do

The dust hadn't even settled when Rizal burst through the ruined doorway, twin pistols blazing.BANG! BANG! BANG!The first thug dropped before he could even react, his body hitting the concrete floor with a dull thud. The others scrambled for cover, overturning crates and barrels, but Rizal was already moving, weaving between shadows like a phantom.Maya clenched her fists, still bound to the chair. The moment she saw Rizal, a mix of relief and adrenaline surged through her veins."You're late," she muttered.Rizal smirked, ducking behind a stack of wooden pallets. "Traffic."The remaining thugs opened fire. Bullets tore through crates, sending splinters flying. Rizal rolled forward, firing mid-movement—BANG! BANG!Another thug collapsed.The last man standing grabbed Maya, pressing the gun harder against her head."Enough!" he shouted. "Drop your weapons, or I swear I'll—"THWIP!A blade whizzed through the air.The thug froze, eyes wide. He let out a choked gasp as blood dripped f

The gunshot rang through the room like a thunderclap.Rizal dove sideways, flipping the table as cover just as Johan’s shot barely missed his head. Glass shattered, whiskey spilled, and the room exploded into chaos.BANG! BANG!Rizal fired twice, forcing Johan to duck behind a cabinet. The smell of gunpowder filled the air."You really wanna do this, Riz?!" Johan shouted, his voice laced with amusement.Rizal reloaded. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”A chuckle. “Then come and get me.”Rizal knew Johan wasn’t stupid. He was playing for time. Reinforcements were probably already on their way. If Rizal didn’t finish this fast, he’d be walking into a death trap.His eyes flicked to the chandelier above Johan’s hiding spot. One clean shot, and it would come crashing down.CRACK!Rizal pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped through the chain.CRASH!The massive chandelier plummeted, shattering into a thousand glass shards. Johan barely rolled away in time, cursing as he staggered t