2026-05-21 23:37:34The door to the shabby boarding house creaked open, revealing three figures standing on the narrow porch. At the forefront, a middle-aged man in a black suit stood upright. His hair was starting to gray at the temples, but the lines on his face betrayed a rigid, disciplined demeanor.
Behind him, two burly men in plain black t-shirts stood blocking the way, staring coldly at Theo. Theo froze. His ribs and back, still bruised from the impact of the wooden beam earlier that afternoon, suddenly throbbed with a stiffness. However, the man in the suit's gaze triggered something both foreign and familiar in the corners of his childhood memories.
"Theo Atmaja?" The man in the suit's deep voice broke the silence of the alleyway.
Theo tightened his grip on the doorknob, his left hand discreetly feeling for a sharp piece of plastic chair leg under the waistband of his jacket. "Who are you guys?"
Instead of answering, the man in the suit simply made a small gesture with his chin. Without warning, one of the burly men behind him lunged forward.
WHUSH!
A straight punch flew straight at Theo's jaw. Instinctively, Theo ducked, letting the wind of the blow whip through his hair. However, his exhaustion and malnutrition slowed his movements. As he tried to slide sideways to lock his opponent's wrist, his injured ribs suddenly cramped violently.
"Ugh!" Theo groaned, his grip slipping.
The other burly man took advantage of the opening, delivering a short kick that lodged firmly in Theo's stomach.
THUD!
Theo was pushed backward, his back hitting the plywood cabinet in the room, causing it to sway. His breath hitched, and the taste of blood filled his mouth again. He forced himself back to his feet, assuming a low stance, breathing heavily. His frail body was truly being pushed to its limit tonight.
"Enough," the man in the suit said.
The burly man, who had just prepared to deliver a follow-up blow, immediately withdrew his energy, took two steps back, and neatly returned to his original position.
Theo wiped the blood from his chin, his eyes piercing with suppressed anger. "Are you trying to rob me, or what?"
The man in the suit stared at Theo for a long moment, observing the bruises on his face and the tattered courier uniform on the floor. Slowly, he bowed respectfully with a cold, formal salute.
"Sorry for the physical test, Theo. Your body is slow, but your basic reflexes prove whose blood flows in your veins," the man said calmly. "My name is Yanuar. I was a former confidant of your father, Roy Atmaja."
The name hit Theo in the head. Time seemed to stop for a moment. Theo stared at the man's face longer now.
The lines of his face were defined. His hair was starting to streak with gray at the temples. His eyes were sharp yet calm.
A hazy childhood memory slowly rose to the surface. "Uncle Yanuar...? The Uncle Yanuar who used to bring me chocolate?"
The man used to come carrying large shopping bags and always sneaking chocolates into his mouth when Theo's mother forbade him. He also liked to lift little Theo onto his shoulder.
The man smiled slightly this time. It wasn't a formal smile anymore, but a warm smile that felt like it had been missing from Theo's life for a long time.
"That's right," he said with a small nod.
Theo remained stunned.
He glanced back at the two large men behind Yanuar.
"Who are you guys... exactly?" he asked again, this time more quietly. "And... why are you looking for me now?"
The smile on Yanuar's face slowly faded. His expression turned serious. Very serious.
"Because we've lost track of you for too long, Young Master." The man emphasized the last two words.
The sentence made Theo's chest feel tight for no apparent reason.
Yanuar continued, "And because... this situation no longer allows us to let you continue living as an ordinary person."
Theo fell silent. The night breeze blew softly through the narrow boarding house hallway. Deep within him, something seemed to be starting to stir again. Something he'd been desperately suppressing since his father's death.
Yanuar then smiled faintly, so faintly it was almost imperceptible. "We'd better talk inside. This hallway is too crowded with people."
•••
Yanuar stepped inside, ignoring the mess of items destroyed by Theo's tantrum last night. He sat down on the only remaining metal chair and placed a black leather briefcase on the table.
"I don't have much time, and I don't think you need small talk either," Yanuar opened his briefcase, pulling out a thick folder with a stiff legal seal. "Mr. Roy's death ten years ago left many holes. Your father was not only the founder of the logistics faction 'Atmaja Group,' whose branches are now controlled by others, but he was also the man behind Agent RX."
Theo fell silent, his chest still heaving against the ache in his stomach. "Agent RX... the news of the fire this morning?"
"That's right. Our group is being severely attacked by the sector government faction," Yanuar tapped the folder on the table. "Mr. Roy left a legal will. Legally, all Atmaja Group inheritance rights and assets will go to you once you enroll at Armagenda University—the place where our faction's legality is legally recognized in Monia."
Theo stared at the stack of papers skeptically. "If all this is mine, why are you only coming now? Where were you while I was begging for work as a cleaning service?"
Yanuar didn't blink. His gaze turned cold and skeptical.
"Because Agen RX isn't an orphanage, Theo. And I won't let this organization collapse just because it's led by a snotty kid whose life was ruined on the streets," Yanuar said honestly, his tone piercing and merciless. "We didn't seek you out because we need a hero. We came because our internal faction is splitting apart."
Theo frowned. "Splitting apart?"
"Not everyone at Agen RX wants Roy Atmaja's son back," Yanuar stood, eyeing Theo up and down. "Half of the Atmaja Group's board of directors and Agen RX's field commanders consider you nothing more than a burden from the past. They're led by new recruits who want to sell the organization to a government faction for their own convenience."
Yanuar walked toward the door and turned back briefly. "This will is just a piece of trash if you can't defend your own life. I'm giving you this document because I owe your father a debt of gratitude. But remember this, Theo..."
Yanuar paused, his voice flat yet full of stern warning.
"I won't obey you just because of your last name. At Agen RX, your orders will only become law if you can prove that your head is no more fragile than the plastic chair in your room. Settle your scholarship matters, enter Armagenda, and face the people who want you dead there."
After Yanuar and his two bodyguards left, silence returned to the stuffy boarding room.
Theo stared at the leather folder on the table. There was no instant miracle. No loyal troops immediately kneeling to surrender the throne. What lay before him was a new, far greater and bloodier war.
Slowly, Theo approached the table, picked up his cracked pen, and signed the confirmation form for the physical documents inside the folder. His eyes stared straight out the window, at the glittering but toxic city lights of Monia.
He didn't know what awaited him at Armagenda University, but one thing was certain ... he wouldn't let anyone walk all over him again.
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Chapter 37
Inside the silent and airtight back room of the Apex Auto Gallery dealership, the darkness felt like a crushing physical entity. The foul stench of cold sweat from Valen’s paralyzed body sprawled on the marble mixed with the clove aroma of the remaining cigar smoke floating statically in the air.In the midst of that extreme silence, the Head of the Monia Security Authority slowly leaned his back against his executive oak chair. He showed no panic, nor did he attempt to reach for the firearm beneath his desk drawer. The arrogance cultivated for decades at the apex of the Sector 2 military hierarchy coated him in absolute composure."You neutralized Valen without killing him," the Head of the Security Authority voiced, his tone flat yet laden with cold mockery. "You think you are playing it safe before the law, young man? You act as if the law in this city is a fair referee. Let me remind you of one simple reality: I am the law itself."The middle-aged man in the dark gray uniform tapp
Chapter 36
The sound of Valen’s staggered, dragging footsteps through the private corridor of the Apex Auto Gallery dealership grew increasingly raspy. The leader of the New Faction no longer cared about the drops of blood from his forehead dripping onto the premium granite floor of Sector 2. Pure fear had driven his instincts to their lowest depths: to crawl back into the embrace of his master.At the end of the corridor stood a heavy steel door lined with thick leather—the isolation and emergency evacuation room at the back of the dealership. Valen slammed his body against it, pressing the digital access code with violently trembling fingers until the door opened with a heavy hydraulic hiss.Inside the room, which was dimly lit by an isolated desk lamp, the Head of the Monia Security Authority still sat with the composure of an emperor. His cigar still exhaled a thin smoke smelling heavily of cloves, while his hands, wrapped in black leather gloves, studied a macro map of the city."G-General
Chapter 35
The remnants of the storm that had battered the lower Sector slowly began to subside, leaving behind a thin drizzle that cooled the atmosphere of the Rouza Grill courtyard. However, for the remaining tactical personnel of the New Faction, the night had never felt colder. When Reno's deathly roar ceased echoing from the central corridor, mass panic spread like a virus through the ranks of the invaders. The squad that had previously moved with military discipline suddenly scattered in chaos, throwing their incendiary gas canisters onto the asphalt and retreating haphazardly toward their vans. Without their ferocious enforcer, the New Faction's morale collapsed entirely within minutes.At the outer perimeter, inside the cabin of the armored command vehicle parked beneath the shadow of the sector flyover, Valen stared at his tactical monitor screen with eyes dilated in horror. Every vital sign indicator of his forces flashed red before extinguishing one by one, signaling an absolute failu
Chapter 34
The night in Sector 2 never truly knew peace, but the storm raging tonight seemed intentionally designed to violently wash away the grandeur of the financial district. Along the main boulevards paved with rigid premium asphalt, arrays of neon lights illuminated the falling rain like thousands of silver needles. In the midst of that gripping silence, a premium sedan sped wildly, maneuvering harshly to cut across the divider lane before braking abruptly with a loud screech in front of the glass courtyard of Apex Auto Gallery.CRASH!The double teak doors carved with geometric patterns at the back office of the luxury dealership were slammed open with an incredibly violent jerk.Danu Handaya stepped inside with ragged, irregular breaths, resembling a fugitive who had just escaped the pursuit of tracking hounds. The expensive wool suit tailored by a renowned designer clinging to his body looked drenched at the left shoulder, while his tie—usually tied in a perfect formal knot—had been pul
Chapter 33
The smell of sulfur from the remnants of the exploded transformer outside the complex mixed heavily with the copper stench of blood beginning to flood the cement floor of Rouza Grill’s central corridor. The flashes of light from the halogen array on the concrete roof continued to blink violently at an irregular, high frequency, creating a grotesque visual effect inside the narrow passage. Beneath the distorted radiance, human shadows stretched and contracted rigidly as the roar of gunfire began to subside in the outer courtyard.STEP. STEP. STEP.The heavy drag of tactical boots advanced through the logistics corridor. Reno walked with his breath rumbling heavily like an old diesel engine forced to work past its limits. The entire surface of the thick bulletproof vest on his chest was riddled with small indentations from ricocheted rounds, yet not a single piece of lead had managed to pierce his thick hide.His massive, scar-ridden face was drenched in sweat and rainwater, and his eye
Chapter 32
The crack of the first gunshot that broke the silence of the night was instantly followed by the roar of the New Faction's tactical vans cutting through the darkness of the lower Sector streets. Under a downpour that grew increasingly frantic, lashing the earth with pure ferocity, the Rouza Grill complex—usually filled with the aroma of grilled meat, the bustle of waiters, and the lighthearted laughter of lower-class workers—had now completely mutated into a cold, rigid, and gripping slaughterhouse. The rainwater streaming over the asphalt courtyard of the logistics depot appeared blackened, mixing with spilled waste oil, flakes of iron rust, and the tread marks of vehicles maneuvering violently across the outer perimeter line.From the direction of the main gate, which had been chained shut with iron, three large black vans surged at high speed without turning on their headlights. The massive vehicles slammed into the emergency barbed-wire barricades hastily erected by Agent RX loyal
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