2026-01-23 12:13:31"Dammit! They’re going to level this place!" Arga shouted. "Rio! Find me another way out! I can’t head through the main entrance carrying a casualty!"
[Ghost: Uncle, look up! There’s a large-diameter waste pipe on the ceiling to your right. I’ve hacked the pressure valve; it’s going to blow and open a path into the city’s drainage system. Move, now!]
Arga hoisted Dr. Amelia with one arm while his other hand snatched her medical bag from a nearby table. Just as he lunged toward the pipe, the first explosion thundered from the floor above.
BOOM!
A massive tremor rocked the entire underground structure. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling as the roar of approaching explosions grew louder. Arga didn't have a second to hesitate.
"Hold on tight, Doctor!" Arga cried out, even though he knew she was unconscious.
[System: Activating Pipe Pressure Compression in 3... 2... 1...]
BOOM!
The large pipe valve exploded from the steam pressure Rio had manipulated, creating a gaping hole that led directly into the dark city drainage tunnels. Arga leaped with system-enhanced strength, gripping the edge of the hot steel pipe and pulling himself and Dr. Amelia inside just as the laboratory below was swallowed by a thermobaric blast.
WHOOOOOSH!
Searing heat licked at Arga’s heels, but he managed to crawl deeper into the damp drainage pipe. Inside, ankle-deep water flowed, but the air felt significantly warmer than the cryogenic chamber.
Arga immediately laid Dr. Amelia down on a relatively dry patch. Her face was still blue. He recalled her words: "Micro... chip... inside... autopsy... wound..."
Using his Eagle Eye glasses, Arga scanned her body. A blue light swept from head to toe until it finally stopped and blinked red on her upper left arm, right beneath a fresh surgical scar.
[Foreign Object Detected: Silicon material detected in the subcutaneous tissue of the left arm.]
"So this is why they’re hunting you to the death," Arga muttered.
[Ghost: Uncle! You can't stop there! The cleanup team has deployed thermal tracking drones into the sewers. They know you survived! You need to reach the coordinates I sent immediately!
"I can't run with her in this state of hypothermia, Rio! Her heart could stop at any moment!" Arga opened the medical bag he had grabbed. Inside was an automatic adrenaline injector and an emergency thermal blanket.
"Uncle, are you sure about the injection? One mistake and she’s dead!" Rio warned through the earpiece.
"There’s no other choice. I’ll make sure it’s precise," Arga replied.
Without wasting a second, Arga administered the adrenaline into Dr. Amelia’s thigh and wrapped her fragile body in the thermal blanket.
"Ugh..." Dr. Amelia coughed, her body beginning to shiver violently—a positive sign that her nerves were reacting to the temperature.
"Doctor, can you hear me? We have to move!" Arga said, helping her up.
"Argh…?" She recognized the voice, though her eyes struggled to open. "They are using the serum on the orphans."
"They? Who are they?" Arga asked.
[Warning: Tracking drones approaching. Distance: 50 meters!]
The hum of drone propellers echoed through the narrow tunnel. Arga drew his pistol once more.
"Rio, have the Black-Cab ready at the drainage exit by the Sector 9 riverbank. I’m going to cause a little chaos here to throw them off the scent."
Arga placed Dr. Amelia in a hidden alcove, then stood tall in the middle of the dark corridor, waiting for the armed drones to appear. His eyes flashed red behind his tactical glasses.
"Come on. Let’s see how fast I can scrap these toys," Arga challenged.
The drone of four armed quadcopters approached rapidly, their red sensor lights sweeping the mossy walls. Arga didn't wait for them to lock on.
[Active Skill: Predictive Accuracy Enabled!]
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Four precision shots rang out in seconds. The bullets struck the drone motors just before they could open fire. The drones detonated in small bursts and splashed into the water in a shower of sparks.
"Who are they, Doctor? Who is behind this insane experiment?" Arga asked as he pulled Dr. Amelia, now fully conscious, back into his arms.
"The Medika... Sejahtera Foundation," she panted, her voice raspy. "The mastermind is Dr. Bramantyo, the Chairman. He’s using orphans as lab rats for a cell-regeneration serum..."
Arga was stunned. The Medika Sejahtera Foundation was one of the city’s largest donors, renowned for its charity work. It turned out that behind Bramantyo’s philanthropic facade lay a cruelty deeper than anything Arga had imagined.
[Ghost: Uncle! Those drones sent your last coordinates to their command center! I’m detecting three black vans approaching the river exit! They aren't police; they're the Foundation's elite mercenaries!
"Bramantyo doesn't want his secrets leaking out," Arga hissed. "Doctor, can you walk? We have to reach the car before they surround the exit."
Dr. Amelia nodded weakly, though her body was still shaking. "Take me... somewhere safe. The chip in my arm... contains the data of the subjects who died. It’s the only evidence that can bring Bramantyo down."
Arga supported her as they navigated the slippery, foul-smelling drainage tunnels. Light from the end of the tunnel began to reveal the dark, foggy riverbank of Sector 9.
[Predator Intuition: 6 targets ahead. They’ve set up an electric net trap at the tunnel mouth!
"Rio, cut the power to the river dock area now!" Arga commanded.
[Ghost: Hacking Sector 9 substation... NOW!]
Snap!
The streetlights and security systems around the dock went pitch black. In the darkness, the Black Cab glided silently without its headlights, stopping right at the tunnel’s mouth.
Arga helped Dr. Amelia into the back seat. But as he went to hop into the driver's seat, a high-intensity spotlight suddenly flared from above the dock, blinding him.
"Who’s there!" a cold voice boomed through a loudspeaker. "Return what belongs to the Medika Foundation, and we will let you walk away."
"They're here," Arga muttered.
The spotlight locked onto Arga’s position, casting long, sharp shadows across the wet asphalt. From behind the blinding light, silhouettes of men in tactical gear descended from the black vans, aiming long-range rifles with red lasers dancing across Arga’s chest.
"Leave the woman and hand over the chip, and you can leave with your life!" the man shouted again.
"Uncle, stay in the car’s protection zone! I’ve detected a sniper on the warehouse roof across the way!" Rio’s warning buzzed in Arga’s ear.
Arga remained undaunted. He stood behind the open car door, using the Black Cab’s bulletproof steel as a shield. "You discuss lives while you murder orphans for experiments? That’s rich," Arga countered coldly.
"Finish him!" the voice from the speaker ordered without hesitation.
TATATATATA!
A hail of bullets peppered the car’s body. Arga ducked while Dr. Amelia huddled on the floor of the rear cabin, trembling.
"Rio, activate the short-range electromagnetic pulse! Now!" Arga ordered.
Ghost: Ready, Uncle! Blinding them in 3... 2... 1... BZZZZZT!]
An invisible shockwave radiated from the car’s hood. Instantly, the giant spotlight exploded, the mercenaries' night-vision goggles short-circuited, and their comms devices emitted a painful screech.
"Now!" Arga leaped into the driver's seat.
[Aggressive Driving Mode: ON] [Non-Lethal Weapon Systems: Active]
Arga floored the accelerator. The Black Cab roared, charging through the line of black vans. From the sides of the vehicle, automatic tear-gas launchers deployed, firing smoke grenades at the mercenaries.
"Cough! I can't see!" one of the attackers screamed amidst the thick fog.
Arga’s car rammed one of the vans, sending it spinning aside and clearing a path to the main highway. He spun the wheel with expertise, weaving in a zigzag pattern to dodge the blind gunfire from behind.
"Doctor, stay down!" Arga yelled, glancing at the mirror. Two high-powered dirt bikes had started pursuing him, attempting to shoot out his tires.
[Ghost: Uncle, they’re persistent! They just activated the GPS tracker on the microchip in Dr. Amelia’s arm! As long as that chip is on her, they’ll keep finding us!]
Arga cursed under his breath. He had to get that chip out, but he couldn't do it in the middle of a high-speed death chase.
"Rio, find me a route to a Signal Dead Zone! I need five minutes for an emergency extraction!"
[Ghost: There’s an underground tunnel in Sector 4 under renovation. It’s lined with thick lead; their GPS signal won't penetrate it. But Uncle, the path is extremely narrow!
"Do it!" Arga snapped.
***
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 34: The Veil of Shadows
Total darkness swallowed the pier in an instant. Without light, Marten’s tactical team saw their coordination falter, but Arga knew better—they would certainly be equipped with night vision.He immediately activated the thermal overlay on his contact lenses, highlighting friends from foes in the pitch-black night."Rio, launch a reverse frequency jammer! Scramble their comms!" Arga barked, supporting Wijaya, who was limping from the previous impact.BANG! BANG!Blind fire from the tactical unit splintered the wooden crates beside them. Arga returned fire with three precise shots from his Glock-19. He deliberately aimed for a small nitrogen tank near the enemy, triggering an explosion to halt their advance."Get to the boat, Sir!" Arga shoved Wijaya onto the deck of the patrol boat, which was tossing violently against the waves.Arga dove behind the helm and reached beneath the dashboard. His fingers brushed against cold metal—the spare key. Without hesitation, he turned it, and the di
Chapter 33
Arga took a deep breath, letting the oxygen cool his head, which was nearly exploding from this betrayal. He knew the Rat Pier was a dangerous open area—a perfect spot for an execution without witnesses. But if he ran now, he would never know how deep the rot within Aegis truly went."Rio, did you hear that?" Arga whispered, his fingers tapping an encrypted code on his watch. "Mr. Wijaya is inviting me to the Rat Pier. He knows I already have the data.""Sir, it's a trap! Don't go there!" Rio's voice sounded panicked. "I can see through the satellite; there's an unidentified tactical unit moving toward those coordinates. They're not a standard Aegis team.""Exactly, Rio. I need to know who they are," Arga replied calmly. "Stay in your position. Monitor me from above. If you see a gun aimed at my head, you know what to do with that Golden Phoenix data. Send it to all media outlets and international police servers. Don't wait for my order.""Understood, sir. Take care of yourself," Rio
Chapter 32 Cracks in the Fortress
"Bara," Baskoro's voice weakened, almost like a desperate whisper. "You heard it yourself, right? Twenty-four hours. If that cargo isn't found, Marten will activate the cleansing protocol. Me, you, and everyone in this mansion—all our lives will be at risk."Arga stepped closer, wearing an expression of determined resolve that was utterly convincing. "Sir, we don't have time to lament. If Marten is the sun, then we must move in the shadows. Give me access to the backup route database. There's no way Hendri could have taken that cargo far without significant logistical support."Baskoro looked up, his red-rimmed eyes staring at Arga. "You're right. He must have a hiding place. But there's something you don't know, Bara." Baskoro took a heavy breath. "Cargo A-09 wasn't just a hundred billion in money. Inside it was the core component of Project Icarus. If that component falls into the hands of Red Viper or the government, Marten won't just kill us. He'll make sure we suffer forever."[S
Chapter 31 The Shadow Above
Arga moved with terrifying efficiency. He fired several rounds into tree trunks at specific angles, simulating a firefight from two different directions. He even deliberately tore a piece of fabric from the tactical uniform of one of Bram's guards he had neutralized earlier and snagged it on the barbed wire of the back fence.[SYSTEM: COMBAT SIMULATION COMPLETE]Forensic Confidence Level: 92%Result: Baskoro's investigation team will conclude there was a fierce confrontation between "Bara" and Bram's traitor team."Rio, clean the access logs from Baskoro's tablet. Make sure no traces of the biometric data download remain. Make it look like a system error caused by physical sabotage in the server room," Arga commanded through his earpiece."Done, Uncle. I also planted a 'Logic Bomb' virus. If Baskoro tries to access the Icarus folder within the next hour, the system will lock down completely and delete the recent activity logs. He'll think Bram destroyed it before fleeing," Rio replied
Chapter 30 The False Trail
Arga breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't let his guard down even slightly. Before him, Baskoro was still gasping, his face pale as he clutched the pendant with trembling hands."Sir, this area is too risky. Come on, let me escort you to the bunker or the armored car outside," Arga said, his voice sounding sincerely protective, though his real aim was to get Baskoro away from the data center so Rio could work undisturbed."You... You're right, Bara. Damn it, how could my security system be so chaotic?" Baskoro cursed as he followed Arga's lead.After ensuring Baskoro was safely under the escort of another elite team, Arga immediately turned back. He moved quickly towards the basement, where Hendri was still waiting in uncertainty."Uncle, Project Icarus data is 80% downloaded. Don't let anyone disconnect the server in that interrogation room," Rio warned.Arga entered the interrogation room and found Hendri trying to free himself. "Stop moving, Hendri. If you want to survive, foll
Chapter 29 The Icarus Key
Arga didn't flinch. Instead, he closed the distance, letting the cold tip of his gun press gently under Hendri's jaw. His sharp eyes seemed capable of piercing the skull of the man before him."I've long since gambled my life, Hendri," Arga hissed in a very low voice. "But your life? It's on a countdown right now. The moment I turn this camera back on and call Baskoro in here, you know what he'll do to someone who made his 100 billion asset disappear just like that?"Hendri swallowed hard. His Adam's apple moved up and down, brushing against the muzzle of Arga's gun. Cold sweat mixed with the blood flowing from his temple.[SYSTEM: TARGET PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS]Condition: Extreme Fear (85%).Opportunity: Use the final pressure to collapse his mental defences."Rio," Arga called through internal communication. "How much longer can I keep the camera system off?""Thirty seconds, Uncle. Baskoro is getting suspicious because his screen is just showing a static loop," Rio replied urgently
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