The air was heavy with grief.
Shahid was gone. The Monstrous Panda lay defeated. The survivors stood in the ruins of the battlefield, their bodies aching, their minds overwhelmed.
But Mri's instincts screamed—something was still wrong.
> "This isn't over," he muttered.
Ayang wiped her tears. "What do you mean? We won, Mri."
> "No, we just stopped the Panda. But who created it? Why did it exist in the first place? The stolen research… Professor Luwanto… There's still a bigger story."
Jibran's fists clenched. "You're saying… someone planned all of this?"
Mri looked down at the Panda's lifeless body.
> "I'm saying someone turned this thing into a monster… and we need to find out who."
And then—they heard footsteps.
Someone was watching them.
The Man in the Shadow
A dark figure stepped forward from the ruined jungle.
His face was half-hidden by a hood, but his eyes burned with intelligence.
> "You're finally asking the right questions," he said.
Mri tensed. "Who are you?"
The man smirked. "Professor Luwanto's assistant. And I have information you need."
Kaya gripped her weapon. "Why should we trust you?"
> "Because if you don't, you'll never learn the truth about the real enemy."
The team exchanged uneasy glances.
> "The Monstrous Panda… was just an experiment," the man continued. "There are more like it. And if you don't stop them, this jungle will become a graveyard."
Mri's heart pounded.
> "Who's behind this?"
The man sighed.
> "It all starts with Luwanto. And if you want to know the truth—you need to find him before they do."
> "Who's 'they'?" Aiden asked, still clutching his wounded shoulder.
The man's face darkened.
> "The ones who stole his research… the ones who created these monsters…
> …The Blood Root Syndicate."
The name sent a chill through the air.