2025-03-03 01:17:32The night air was heavy with humidity as Rizal and Ucok walked away from the warehouse. The dim streetlights barely cut through the darkness, casting long shadows on the cracked asphalt. Ucok kept glancing over his shoulder, paranoia creeping into his bones.
“Zal, this is insane,” he muttered. “We’re talking about taking out Adi Sutrisno. That guy doesn’t just run businesses—he owns the police, the politicians, hell, probably even half of Medan’s criminals.”
Rizal exhaled slowly, eyes fixed ahead. “I know.”
“Then why the hell did you say yes?” Ucok hissed. “Pak Haris just put a target on our backs.”
Rizal stopped in his tracks, turning to face his friend. “Because if we don’t take this job, we’re dead anyway.”
Ucok opened his mouth to argue but shut it just as quickly. He hated it, but Rizal was right. Saying no to Pak Haris wasn’t an option. They were already deep in the game. The only way out was through.
With a reluctant sigh, Ucok shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, what’s the plan?”
Rizal’s jaw tensed. “First, we find out who Adi is meeting in Jakarta. If this deal is as big as Pak Haris says, Adi won’t go alone. He’ll have his top guys with him.”
Ucok nodded. “And how do we get that info?”
Rizal smirked. “I know a guy.”
They arrived at a high-end café in the heart of Medan, a stark contrast to their usual hideouts. The place was modern, sleek, and filled with businessmen discussing deals over overpriced coffee.
Ucok raised an eyebrow. “This doesn’t feel like our scene.”
Rizal ignored him and walked straight to a corner table where a man in a crisp white shirt sat, sipping espresso. His neatly trimmed beard and polished demeanor made him look more like a corporate executive than an informant.
“Damar,” Rizal greeted, taking a seat.
Damar set his cup down and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “Rizal. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Rizal leaned forward. “Adi Sutrisno. I need to know who he’s meeting in Jakarta.”
Damar smirked. “Big fish you’re chasing.”
Rizal didn’t respond, just stared.
Damar sighed. “Alright. I’ll need 48 hours. Adi’s circle is tight, but I have sources.”
Ucok crossed his arms. “And what’s your price?”
Damar grinned. “Oh, just a small favor down the line.”
Ucok groaned. “I hate those kinds of deals.”
Rizal, however, nodded. “Fine. We’ll be in touch.”
As they left the café, Ucok shook his head. “I swear, one day, these ‘small favors’ will bite us in the ass.”
Rizal smirked. “That’s a problem for future us.”
The next night, Rizal’s phone buzzed. A message from Damar:
"Meet me at the old docks. Midnight. Come alone."
Ucok read the message over Rizal’s shoulder. “Yeah, that doesn’t scream ‘trap’ at all.”
Rizal tucked his gun into his waistband. “I’ll be fine.”
Ucok scoffed. “You always say that.”
Despite his protests, Ucok insisted on following from a distance. Rizal rode his motorbike to the docks, the night air thick with the scent of salt and rust. The area was nearly abandoned, save for the occasional flickering streetlamp and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore.
Damar was waiting near an old shipping container, arms crossed. His usual confidence was replaced with unease.
“Rizal, you need to listen carefully,” he said, voice low. “Adi’s meeting isn’t just about business. He’s finalizing an arms deal.”
Rizal’s brows furrowed. “With who?”
Damar hesitated. “A group from Thailand. Black market suppliers. If this deal goes through, Adi’s firepower will be unmatched.”
Rizal absorbed the information. This wasn’t just about money—Adi was gearing up for war.
Before he could respond, a clink echoed in the distance. Footsteps.
Damar’s eyes widened. “Shit. We’ve been followed.”
A gunshot rang out. BANG!
Damar dropped to the ground, clutching his side. Blood pooled beneath him.
Rizal spun, drawing his gun. More shots. BANG! BANG! He ducked behind a crate as bullets ricocheted off metal.
Ucok, hiding nearby, fired back. “Rizal, we need to move!”
Rizal grabbed Damar and pulled him behind cover. The informant gasped for air. “Go,” he rasped. “They were waiting for us.”
Rizal clenched his jaw. “I’m not leaving you.”
More bullets whizzed past. Tat-tat-tat!
Ucok cursed. “We won’t survive a shootout here. We need an exit—now!”
Spotting an opening, Rizal hoisted Damar up. “Ucok, cover us!”
They sprinted towards Rizal’s motorbike, Ucok laying down suppressing fire. Bang! Bang! The gunfire finally ceased as they sped off into the night.
They reached an old warehouse where Rizal and Ucok often laid low. Damar was pale, sweat dripping down his face.
Ucok grabbed the first-aid kit. “Damn it, Damar, stay with us.”
Damar coughed. “You… owe me.”
Rizal applied pressure to the wound. “Who set us up?”
Damar’s eyelids fluttered. “Someone… close to Adi…”
His breathing slowed.
Rizal’s chest tightened. “Damar! Stay awake!”
But Damar had lost consciousness.
Ucok sighed. “We need a doctor.”
Rizal’s mind raced. Whoever had set them up knew about their meeting. That meant Adi had moles everywhere.
And if Adi knew they were coming…
It was only a matter of time before he made the first move.
The hunt had officially begun.
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Damar was still unconscious on the warehouse floor, his breathing shallow. Rizal pressed a rag against the wound in the man's stomach while Ucok paced back and forth, biting the tip of an unlit cigarette."We need a doctor," Ucok said.Rizal nodded, but his mind was racing for a solution. They couldn't take Damar to a hospital—it was too risky. The police were likely looking for them, and even worse, Adi's men were probably already hunting them down."Do you know a trustworthy doctor?" Rizal asked.Ucok scratched his head. "I know one. But you won't like it."Rizal frowned. "Who?"Ucok sighed heavily. "Dr. Sinta."Rizal raised an eyebrow. "Your ex?"Ucok winced. "My ex who swore she'd shoot me in the head if I ever asked for her help again."Rizal smirked. "Great. Let's go see her."They stopped at a small building on the outskirts of town, nestled between a closed grocery store and a still-busy coffee stall. The clinic looked modest, with a flickering neon sign above the door that re
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Ucok lit his cigarette with trembling hands. "Johan won’t stay silent, Zal. You know that."Rizal poured espresso into a cup, as calm as ever. "I know."Ucok exhaled smoke slowly. "So, when do we strike first?"Rizal placed his cup down and looked at Ucok. "We wait for them to come."Ucok raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? We’re just going to sit here and wait for them to come and massacre us?"Rizal gave a faint smile. "No. We’ll make them think they’re the ones in control."Ucok let out a long sigh. "Alright, I just hope your plan is better than the coffee you make."Since the meeting with Johan, Rizal knew time was running out. He watched every customer entering his café more closely. Any one of them could be Johan’s spy.That afternoon, while Rizal was cleaning a table, the café door opened, and a tall man in a black suit walked in. He casually approached the bar and sat down."Americano," he said in a deep voice.Rizal recognized that face—Bobby, one of Johan’s trusted men.Cal
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Rizal stood at the edge of the dock, gazing at the dark waters. The smell of salt mixed with the faint scent of blood still lingering in the air. The fight with Johan was over, but the real war was just beginning.Ucok lit a cigarette beside him. “So, what’s the next step, Zal? We know Adi won’t let this slide.”Damar, leaning against a crate, loaded his gun. “Yeah. Johan was just a pawn. The real boss is still out there.”Rizal smirked, his hands still in his jacket pockets. “We don’t go to Adi. We make him come to us.”Ucok raised an eyebrow. “How exactly do we do that? Send him a coffee invitation?”Damar chuckled. “Yeah, with a ‘special blend’ of gunpowder and revenge.”Rizal turned to them. “We take over Johan’s operations. His men, his warehouses, his contacts. Adi will be forced to respond.”Ucok whistled. “Damn, that’s bold. But what if his response is a bullet to our heads?”Rizal took a deep breath. “Then we make sure we fire first.”Johan’s men who survived had two choices—
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Rizal stood in front of the rundown building, its old sign barely hanging. The flickering neon light cast an eerie glow, making the place look even more desolate. This hotel used to be a luxurious spot for the rich, but now it was nothing more than a rat-infested hideout for shady dealings.Ucok and Damar stood behind him."I still don’t like this," Ucok muttered, crossing his arms."Yeah, this is obviously a trap," Damar added, his eyes scanning the surroundings.Rizal smirked. "If it's a trap, we just have to make sure we’re the ones walking out alive."He stepped inside. The scent of dust and rotting wood filled his nostrils. The empty lobby had only an old reception desk with a rusted bell on top.TING!Rizal pressed the bell, and its chime echoed through the empty hall.Footsteps echoed down the staircase. Maya appeared, wearing the same red dress as before. "Right on time. I like a man who’s punctual."Rizal narrowed his eyes. "Where’s Adi?"Maya nodded toward the old elevator i
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The black SUV screeched to a halt in front of an old warehouse. Rizal, Ucok, and Damar jumped out, their adrenaline still pumping from the gunfight at the hotel. The smell of rust and damp concrete filled the air. A few of Rizal’s men were already waiting, armed and alert."Did anyone follow us?" Rizal asked, scanning the area."No, we lost them on the highway," one of the men replied.Ucok let out a deep breath. "Good. That was too close."Damar walked toward the wooden crate in the center of the warehouse. "So what’s next, Zal? Adi won’t just sit back and let us walk away."Rizal smirked and pulled a folded blueprint from his jacket. "Exactly. That’s why we’re going to hit him before he hits us."Rizal spread the blueprint on top of the crate, revealing a detailed map of Adi’s operations."This is Adi’s main money source—his underground casino," Rizal pointed at a red-marked building. "It’s hidden under a nightclub downtown. Every week, millions flow through it. If we take it out, w
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R-Zero’s automatic rifle erupted like hellish fireworks. Bullets rained against the steel walls, scattering sparks. Rizal dropped to the side, pulling Nova behind a server rack.Ucok tumbled behind a support pillar. “Why does every damn enemy we face have a fetish for shooting first and never asking questions?!”Maya returned fire. “Because this ain’t a romance flick, Cok. This is the mafia world. The slow ones get buried alive.”Dust, the hum of machinery, the shrill scream of the alarm. Rizal’s heart pounded in sync with the bullets thudding around them. On the other side of the room, R-Zero advanced slowly, its weapon still hot.“Rizal!” Nova yelled. “If he reaches the control center, all our data’s gone!”Rizal didn’t answer. He already knew. The world they knew was about to crumble. SARKA would slaughter anyone who refused to bow to the new system: a merciless machine, led by a faceless puppet.He rose. Two steps forward. Staring down his twin—his own nightmare made flesh.“I kno
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Ucok stood staring at the cracked bathroom mirror. His eyes were red, not from crying, but from lack of sleep and an overdose of durian-flavored instant coffee that somehow still existed. Behind the door, Nova had knocked twice."Cok, what have you been doing in there? Don't tell me you're brushing your teeth with Three Legs toothpaste again.""This is important, Nov. I'm reflecting on life," Ucok replied, opening the door slowly while still looking at the mirror. "You know, sometimes... I'm suspicious of myself."Nova glanced down. "Are you wearing your underwear on the outside again?""Reflection, not superhero cosplay, lah!"In the living room, Maya, Rizal, and Nova spread out a digital map they got from Karim's flash drive. Data on money flow, weapon caches, and escape routes. Everything branched out to one name: SARKA."The only way into this organization... is through an insider," Maya said.Rizal chimed in, "And the only person who knows their communication methods... is the tr