2025-03-17 20:08:05
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Keeping Secrets
DING DONG! Taxi horns blared in unison, the unending bustle of Times Square greeting Rizal, Nova, and Ucok as they arrived. The cold air of New York pierced their skin after the warmth of Bali. They slipped into the "City That Never Sleeps" disguised as ordinary tourists, though their mission was far from a vacation. Behind the glimmer of neon lights and the buzz of pedestrians, they knew the Master and The Silent Order were waiting.“I hope they have good rendang here, bro. Or at least the ingredients,” mumbled Ucok, pulling up the collar of his thick coat. “Otherwise, this will be the coldest and worst-tasting mission in history.”Nova ignored Ucok’s complaint, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Remember, they left us a message. That means they want us to come. It’s a trap, but also an opportunity.”Rizal nodded, his hand already poised under his jacket. “We need to find the ‘Master’ and the ‘Divine Recipe’ before they use it for something worse.”Their search in New York began. Nightsha
When the Mafia Asks for Rendang Recipe
BLUBB! BLUBB! BLUBB! The aroma of simmering rendang filled the air, overpowering the scent of the ocean and even the expensive perfumes of international tourists. Ucok's warung, "Rendang Rambo," in Kuta, Bali, was the talk of the town. Not just among food bloggers or tourists, but also among the 'big players.' Rizal and Nova, currently savoring Ucok's 'hellfire' rendang, felt a rare sense of peace. For a moment, the world felt safe."Ucok, seriously, this is the spiciest rendang I've ever imagined," Nova wiped sweat from her brow, but her smile was wide. "Are you sure this is safe for a normal human's digestion?""Safe, Miss. This is 'shock therapy' rendang to make stress disappear!" Ucok laughed, flicking a towel over his shoulder. "Besides, what enemy can think clearly when their stomach is already scorched?"Rizal nodded in agreement, sipping his iced tea. "At least we have a delicious refuge, Cok. After all the drama with AI, clones, and even time distortion, your rendang is a lif
Battle in the Ancestral Lands
The journey from Bali to Medan felt like stepping through a time portal. From a peaceful tropical paradise, they plunged into the humid, pulsating heart of North Sumatra, a place where oil palm trees stretched as far as the eye could see, and beneath the surface, Daruma’s dark secret awaited. Ucok, usually jovial, was now enveloped in a rare seriousness. This was his ancestral land, a place where sweet memories mingled with the shadow of a global threat.Raven had sent complete data: schematics of the underground facility, ventilation shafts, and main choke-points. However, the most valuable information came from Ucok himself. "That old oil palm factory... there used to be many secret passages there. We kids often explored them. There's an old culvert that connects directly to the factory's drainage system. No one would suspect it." Ucok pointed to a spot on the map, a dotted line disappearing beneath the ruins.Night enveloped Katuk. The air was hot and humid, a stark contrast to the
Rebuilding the Underground World
Three weeks had passed since their return from Everest, yet the tension between Rizal, Nova, and Ucok remained unresolved. Bali, usually a place of serenity, now felt suffocating. Fenrir had been unleashed, and Arisaka had vanished. They had sent a brief report to ORION, but the bureaucracy and high-level secrecy made every step feel sluggish. Meanwhile, the underground world was beginning to show symptoms.Surya, with his vast network, was the first to feel the tremors. Reports started pouring in: a minor syndicate leader in eastern Siberia had suddenly disappeared, followed by his entire family. A drug cartel in Colombia collapsed without clear reason, replaced by an unknown faction. Then came a series of strange “accidents” targeting key Yakuza figures in Japan, always focused on a specific bloodline.“It’s the same pattern,” Surya explained, pointing at a flickering digital map on his large underground control room screen in Ubud. Red dots were scattered across the globe. “Influen
Final Moments on the Himalayan Summit
Ucok's mini rendang pot, jammed in the emergency door, was a small miracle amidst the chaos. With Arisaka still coughing and the second sentinel disoriented by the pungent rendang smoke, Nova quickly shot the robot's optical core with her stun gun, neutralizing it in a puff of smoke. They had mere seconds left."Move!" Rizal yelled, pushing Nova and Ucok through the narrow gap created by the miraculous pot. He himself slipped inside, spun around, and with all his might, kicked the emergency door, hoping to keep it from fully closing and trapping them inside. The door groaned, resisted, but didn't seal completely.As soon as they were out of the activation chamber, Arisaka, his eyes now bloodshot and face pale from coughing, roared in fury. "You will never destroy Fenrir! My legacy will live on!"BLAAAR! A massive explosion rocked the entire facility. Not a full detonation, but a controlled blast designed to release a small fraction of the viral strain. Walls vibrated, and debris began
Daruma Rises Again
That face. The face that should have been locked away in the nightmares of their past. Dr. Arisaka. Ucok recoiled, a startled cry almost escaping his lips, his mouth agape in disbelief. Rizal clenched his jaw, his knife gripped tightly, the muscles in his forearms tensing. Nova fell silent, her eyes reflecting cold calculation, her brain processing this unexpected information at lightning speed. Arisaka, with a thin, mocking smile, didn't look like the defeated remnants of a mafia boss. He looked like a newly crowned king, with an aura of authority even more potent than before."Surprised, aren't you?" Arisaka's voice echoed through the chamber, filled with disturbing satisfaction. "You thought you had ended the Daruma chapter? That was merely the prologue." He gestured with a sweeping hand towards the pulsating crystal structure in the center of the room, which now emitted an even more intense, dark glow. "Fenrir isn't an ancient virus; it's a genetic algorithm designed to 'cleanse'
