2026-01-26 23:37:13"Come on."
Without thinking, Raka snatched the goose that was grooming its feathers again and ran as fast as he could. He ignored the goose's soft "quacking" sound because he saw the emergency stairs directly across the dead-end street.
They reached the other side of the street safely. A rusty emergency ladder made Raka wince. He released the goose he was carrying onto the rung above his head.
“Get on,” he said to the goose.
The goose turned to Raka and pecked his head once as if to say, "Don't you see my short legs?"
“Ouch,” Raka complained, rubbing his aching head. “I asked you to get on, not peck my head.”
The goose pecked Raka's head again.
"Okay, okay," growled Raka then grabbed the goose excitedly and put it on his shoulder. "Stay there. I'll go up."
After struggling to climb to the roof of the three-story shophouse, Raka leaned against the parapet. His breath was rising and falling rapidly. Carrying the weight of the goose on his shoulders and having to climb the stairs to the roof of the shophouse slowly to avoid falling or being smelled by Sleeper was an adrenaline rush for him.
The goose got off Raka's shoulder and walked back and forth arrogantly in front of him.
“We… succeeded,” Raka said half-whispering between his still heaving breaths.
The goose just glanced at him, then let out a soft quacking sound that sounded like, “Of course it worked. I did it.”
Before Raka could sarcastically reply to the goose, a bright blue panel appeared displaying cheerful virtual music and animated fireworks.
wooden
[Congratulations to the Host and Swan for surviving!]
[The Anomaly Team Members' Outstanding Performance has captured the Netizens' Attention!]
[It's Time for the Prize Distribution! The First Loot Box has arrived!]
Raka had almost forgotten about the prize. He had almost forgotten to scold the system for being unfair, giving a prize to a bird.
Two virtual boxes appeared in the air. One, a simple, worn-looking wooden box, floated in front of Raka. The other, a gleaming golden chest adorned with blue gems, floated gracefully above the swan's head.
Raka stared at the two boxes, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Wait a minute. Why are our gifts different?”
[Rewards are based on contribution and popularity. Open your box, Host.]
With a growing sense of unease, Raka finally touched the virtual box. It opened with a soft creak and a faint flash of light. An item appeared before him.
[Reward Received: Used Socks (Common Item)]
[Description: Slight hole in the toe but still wearable. Maybe.]
A sad gray sock lay on the floor in front of Raka. He stared at it in disbelief.
“I risked my life, ran like crazy, had my head pecked until a lump formed, and all I got was a pair of holey socks?!”
Meanwhile, the goose pecked at the gold chest above him with a happy expression. The chest opened with a majestic bang and a burst of golden light.
Raka, who saw this, immediately rolled his eyes. “That’s not fair,” he grumbled.
A titanium necklace with a blue crystal pendant floated down from the chest and magically settled around the swan's slender neck.
[Anomaly #001 Obtained: Titanium Regeneration Necklace (Rare Item)]
[Description: Provides a minor defense boost and passive health regeneration. Also looks very stylish.]
The Goose stretched its neck as if showing off its new jewelry. The blue crystals sparkled beautifully.
“This isn’t fair!” Raka repeated himself and jumped to his feet. He pointed angrily at the hologram screen. “This is interspecies discrimination! I do all the hard work! I run! I think!”
[Oh yeah? Correction,] the System replied. [You ran into a dead-end alley. Your team members eliminated the threat. Data never lies, Host.]
“He’s just a bird!” Raka still couldn’t accept it.
[He is the MVP. The audience loves him.]
As if to prove it, the chat window in the corner of his vision began to flood with messages.
[User666: HAHAHAHA socks! The admin is savage!]
[PecintaAnimal12: The goose is so cool! What's its name? Name it!]
[RajaKomen: Agreed! Name the hero!]
[User12345: I suggest the name 'Gooseinator'!]
[PecintaAnimal12: No! It's too fierce. How about 'Mr. Graceful?]
A voting window appeared in the center of the screen, further irritating Raka.
[Netizens Start Voting for Anomaly #001! Cast Your Votes Now!]
A. Gooseinator
B. Mr. Graceful
C. Baginda
D. Overpowered Duck
Raka stared at the choices in despair. “You guys voted on that goose name? I don't even have a nickname! I'm called 'Host' or 'Mr. Tempe'!”
[You don't deserve to be nicknamed,] the System retorted mercilessly.
The system really annoyed Raka but he couldn't do anything.
The one-way debate continues.
Raka paced back and forth on the roof, ranting at length at the hologram screen that only he could see, while the swan calmly cleaned the new necklace with its beak.
“Listen, Admin or whoever you are!” Raka shouted, brandishing the crowbar he carried around as a weapon. “I’m the main character! This is my story! The journey of a scared barista who becomes a hero! That goose was supposed to be just a supporting character! A pet!”
[According to the current popularity poll, Anomaly #001 is leading with 98% of the audience vote. You're at 2%, and that's because someone pressed the wrong button.]
The statement hit Raka like a slap. He immediately stopped walking, the crowbar in his hand feeling incredibly heavy.
He slowly looked up at the swan, which was now staring back with its intelligent black eyes. Then Raka stared at his reflection in the puddle on the roof. His face was dirty, his clothes torn, and his expression sad.
Raka sighed softly. After a moment of thought, he understood. The system didn't care about him. Even the audience didn't care about him.
He's not the main star. He's just a cameraman who can run and scream. Someone whose job is to follow the real star, an arrogant mutant goose.
“I realize… I’m just a supporting character,” he muttered. Suddenly, a deep sense of exhaustion washed over him.
[Voting Complete! Anomaly #001's Official Name is… Baginda!]
[Congratulations, Baginda!]
The goose then let out a long, triumphant “KWEK!” as if it understood everything.
Raka simply sighed in resignation. He flopped back down onto the hot rooftop. He didn't care anymore. He had now been defeated by a voting system and a bird.
Raka closed his eyes and tried to ignore the world. The sun began to set westward, turning the Jakarta sky a shade of orange and purple. If the world were still normal, it would be beautiful. However, the beauty of the sky now felt wrong in this shattered world.
It was then, in the midst of the heavy afternoon silence for Raka, that a voice broke his reverie.
GROOOOOK… GRUUUUUK…
Raka immediately opened his eyes.
“What is that sound?” he whispered.
His brow furrowed, as the voice wasn't coming from outside. Then the voice came again, this time accompanied by a slight ache in his stomach.
Raka clucked softly, the sound coming from his own stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and had only drunk bitter coffee. The sound of his stomach rumbled again. A great hunger was now upon him.
He pressed his stomach to muffle the embarrassing growling sound. “Shut up, idiot. Not now,” he cursed under his breath.
But it was too late.
The sound, although not too loud for humans, was enough to attract unwanted attention.
At the edge of the roof, above the parapet, a pair of pale, thin hands appeared. Their fingers were long and twisted like spider legs, gripping the edge tightly. Then a head emerged.
It resembles a regular Sleeper, but its body is slimmer and designed for crawling. It has no eyes. However, its entire skin twitches as if it can sense the slightest vibration.
'What is that?' thought Raka.
The creature looked up at the source of the sound. More specifically, at Raka's stomach. With fluid, terrifying movements, it began climbing the wall, its body clinging to the brick surface like a giant lizard.
'Oh, shit,' he thought and swallowed.
Raka froze in horror. He couldn't even speak or scream. He had just realized that in this world, even the most basic bodily function could be a death sentence.
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Chapter 9: Rain and Blind Radar
“Damn!” cursed Raka.However, he was sure he would be fine as long as he had coffee with him.The deafening System Alarm was still ringing in his head, as Raka kicked open the balcony door and dragged himself back into the darkness of the night.He didn't look back, not wanting to see the old woman's corpse or the bird that had caused it. He knew only one thing: he had to leave.“This way!” he called to Baginda, who he was sure would follow him. Then he pointed to the emergency stairs they had climbed.As his foot touched the first metal step, a drop of water fell down his cheek. It was cold and large. In the next instant, the sky, which had been cloudy, shattered.A torrential downpour came down suddenly, as if someone had just dumped an ocean from above. In an instant, the entire city was drenched in a deluge of water, obscuring sight and drowning out all sound.“Perfect,” Raka grumbled, his hair instantly limp and sticking to his forehead. “Absolutely perfect.”He hurried down the
Chapter 8: Humans Are More Terrifying
The air rifle's barrel shifted position, aiming straight between Raka's eyes."Ma'am, please, put the gun down," Raka said in a low, cautious voice. He raised both hands in the air to show that he wasn't threatening at all.The old woman before him stood straight, her wrinkled finger still on the trigger, her gray eyes narrowed in suspicion and fear.Baginda landed silently on the balcony. The swan positioned itself between Raka and the only exit.“I’m not a monster,” Raka added. “My name is Raka. I’m just… trying to survive.”“Liar,” the woman hissed in a hoarse, trembling voice. “I saw you. You were jumping between buildings like you weren’t human. And that thing behind you… it’s no ordinary animal.”“He… is a little different, Ma’am,” Raka admitted. He glanced at Baginda, who was now staring at the old woman with the intensity of a master predator. “But we didn’t hurt you. We just needed a place to hide for a while.”“Hurt me?” The woman laughed humorlessly. “You did it! You brough
Chapter 7: Parkour or Fall
'Run away, you idiot!'Raka's brain commanded his legs to run. However, his muscles refused, and he froze in place. He could only stare in horror as the creature dragged the rest of his body up onto the roof. The creature lowered its body to cling to the corrugated iron surface, its long arms and legs stretched out like a spider's.Baginda, who had been silent until now, finally let out a low, sharp "quack." His voice sounded like an arrogant warning. He stepped forward and positioned himself between Raka and the new threat.“Baginda, be careful!” Raka whispered. “That creature seems… different.”The System Panel lit up on his retina, reading his thoughts just now.[Warning: 'Crawler' type Sleeper variant detected.] [Attributes: Agility A+, Strength D. Highly sensitive to vibrations and low frequency sounds.]'No wonder,' Raka thought again.He still couldn't or wouldn't make a sound hoping that by doing so, Crawler would leave him.The crawler hissed softly and then shot forward. It
Chapter 6: Social Inequality Between Species
"Come on."Without thinking, Raka snatched the goose that was grooming its feathers again and ran as fast as he could. He ignored the goose's soft "quacking" sound because he saw the emergency stairs directly across the dead-end street.They reached the other side of the street safely. A rusty emergency ladder made Raka wince. He released the goose he was carrying onto the rung above his head.“Get on,” he said to the goose.The goose turned to Raka and pecked his head once as if to say, "Don't you see my short legs?"“Ouch,” Raka complained, rubbing his aching head. “I asked you to get on, not peck my head.”The goose pecked Raka's head again."Okay, okay," growled Raka then grabbed the goose excitedly and put it on his shoulder. "Stay there. I'll go up."After struggling to climb to the roof of the three-story shophouse, Raka leaned against the parapet. His breath was rising and falling rapidly. Carrying the weight of the goose on his shoulders and having to climb the stairs to the
Chapter 5: Goose, the Immortal Tanker
“Okay, Raka. The plan is simple,” he whispered to himself. “Find a safer place. A supermarket, maybe. Stock up on food, and more coffee. Most importantly, don’t make any noise.”His eyes scanned the street. The white swan was still there. Now perched precariously atop the wreckage of a mangled sedan, it appeared to be preening its feathers, completely oblivious to the world that had ended around it.“It’s just a bird,” Raka muttered, trying to calm himself. “I just need to get through it calmly.”He began moving across the street with calculated steps, stepping from one piece of rubble to another to muffle the sound. He had almost passed the white swan. Only a few more meters. The swan didn't even look in his direction.Raka almost breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was big mistake.Just as he was level with the swan, the creature stopped grooming itself. It straightened its long neck and turned its head with a jerky movement. The swan stared straight at Raka, its black eyes gleam
Chapter 4: Withdrawal in the Midst of the Apocalypse
“It hurts.” Raka suddenly complained.The pain came like a sledgehammer. It started as a stabbing pain in her skull and then spread to a torturous throbbing as her heartbeat grew weaker.Raka's body lay paralyzed on the warehouse floor, every muscle refusing to cooperate. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his vision blurred, transforming the pile of burlap sacks in the corner into hideous monsters.“It… crashed …” he groaned hoarsely. “But… this is worse than anything.”The vibrations from outside had stopped. He knew the sea of monsters was out there, silently roaming. He was trapped here. Dying from a condition that would normally only make him groan and search for a cup of coffee.A blue panel flashed across his retina, blinking as if mocking his suffering.[System Alert: Critical Blood Caffeine Level.] [Heart Rate (BPM): 55… 54… 53…] [Analysis: Host's cardiovascular system has been modified. Congratulations, your heart is now a high-performance internal combustion engine th
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