Like A Ghost Through the City

The illusion was strong, but not impenetrable. For years, the Nine Dragons had shaped reality, bending governments, economies, and public perception to their will. But cracks were forming. In the shadows, the Resistance gathered—Bintang, Thalia, Mayang, Clarissa, and Felix. They saw through the lies, but seeing was not enough. They had to act.

Bintang, with ties to both the Nine Dragons and the political elite, moved carefully, using his influence to protect the Resistance’s operations. Thalia, with her prophetic visions, provided glimpses into possible futures, ensuring their moves were strategic. Mayang, the healer, cared for those displaced by the syndicate’s destruction, turning survivors into allies. Clarissa, the investigator, tracked every financial trail and exposed hidden connections. Felix, the former enforcer, used his inside knowledge to predict the Nine Dragons’ next moves.

But they could not fight alone. Lia, the skilled diplomat, worked tirelessly to unite political forces against the syndicate’s influence, navigating a treacherous landscape of bribery and coercion. Meanwhile, David and Putri monitored the environmental devastation caused by the Nine Dragons—logging operations that erased entire forests, factories leaking toxins into rivers, and entire ecosystems sacrificed for power.

The world still believed in the illusion. The Resistance had one mission—shatter it before it was too late.

Jakarta – Midnight. Bintang moved like a ghost through the city. To the Nine Dragons, he was one of them—a man with influence, access, and loyalty that seemed unshakable. To the Resistance, he was their lifeline—an informant, a strategist, a shadow walking the tightrope between deception and truth.

But Bintang was not truly part of either world. He was something else. Something in between. And tonight, that meant risking everything.

—

In the backstreets of Glodok, away from the neon-lit avenues and government surveillance, he met Clarissa and Felix. Clarissa, ever watchful, stood with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning the alley for signs of a trap.

Felix, a man who once served the Nine Dragons but now fought against them, leaned against a rusted shipping crate, watching Bintang like a man waiting for a lie.

Clarissa whispering. “We need something big. A weak point. A vulnerability.”

Bintang exhaled. “You’re asking for something that could get me killed.”

Felix smirked, but there was no humor in it. “You’re already dead to them if they find out.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Bintang reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flash drive. “This is everything on their new offshore accounts. Transfers. Shell companies. Who’s funding what?”

Clarissa took the drive, her fingers trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of what it meant. “This could cripple them.”

Bintang’s jaw tightened. “No. This will make them bleed. But cripple them?”

His voice dropped lower, as if the city itself could hear him. “They don’t fall that easily.”

Felix clenched his fists. “Then we make them.”

Bintang looked at the man who had once been a hunter for the Nine Dragons and now lived as prey.

Could Felix ever outrun his past?

Could any of them?

A Dangerous Game

Clarissa speaks softly. “How long can you keep doing this?”

Bintang didn’t answer immediately.

How long could he keep walking this line?

The Nine Dragons weren’t fools.

They would start asking questions.

And when they did, Bintang would have to choose a side.

Bintang quietly. “As long as I have to.”

The Resistance wasn’t ready yet.

The Nine Dragons still didn’t fear them.

But they would.

Soon.

As Bintang disappeared back into the night, Clarissa pocketed the drive, already calculating her next move.

Felix exhaled, watching the spot where Bintang had stood just moments before. “He’s going to get himself killed.”

Clarissa didn’t disagree.

But for now, Bintang was the only reason they were still one step ahead.

And if the Nine Dragons ever discovered the truth…

There would be no more second chances.

—

Jakarta – A Hidden Sanctuary. Thalia’s mind was never quiet. Even in the stillness of the Resistance’s safe house, shadows of the future whispered in her ears.

Fire. Blood. Betrayal.

She had seen it all. And no matter how hard she tried to change the outcome, the visions never disappeared. She wasn’t sure which was worse—knowing the future, or knowing she might not be able to stop it.

Tonight was no different. The moment her eyes closed, she was somewhere else. A future not yet written. She stood on a rooftop, Jakarta burning beneath her. Streets choked with smoke and riots. Gunfire echoing in the distance. The Nine Dragons' enforcers marching through the wreckage.

And then—Bintang.

She saw him standing in the middle of it all. Bleeding. Dying. A choice before him. A choice that would decide who lived and who fell. Thalia’s breath hitched.

Thalia whispering. “No…”

She woke with a gasp, her body drenched in sweat. Mayang knelt beside her, worry creasing her brow. “Another vision?”

Thalia nodded, pressing her fingers against her temples, as if she could force the images away. “Jakarta… burning. Bintang was there. He had to make a choice.”

Mayang’s expression hardened. “And?”

Thalia hesitated. Because in the vision, she hadn’t seen what choice he made. And that terrified her. Thalia softly.

“I don’t know.”

Later that night, Thalia stood before Bintang, Clarissa, and Felix. She hated this part. She hated telling people their fate before it arrived. But the Resistance needed to know.

“Jakarta will burn.”

Silence.

Bintang calmly. “We already knew that.”

“Not like this. This isn’t a slow war. This is everything collapsing at once.”

Clarissa’s grip tightened on her notepad.

“What caused it?”

Thalia shook her head. “I don’t know. But Bintang… you were at the center of it.”

Felix crossed his arms. “And what was he doing?”

Thalia hesitated. “Choosing.”

Bintang’s gaze didn’t waver. “Choosing what?”

Her fingers curled into fists. “Who survives?”

The room fell into a heavy silence. Bintang didn’t flinch.

“Then I guess we make sure I choose the right side.”

Thalia wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that knowing the future meant they could change it. But in her heart, she feared the truth. Some things were inevitable. Some wars could not be won—only survived.

Mayang stepped through the ashes of what had once been a home. The air was thick with the stench of burned wood and chemicals. Days ago, this had been a small farming community. Now, it was a graveyard. The Nine Dragons didn’t just control cities. They destroyed everything that stood in their way. Mayang knelt beside a collapsed hut, her fingers brushing over the broken remains of a child’s toy. She had seen this too many times. And every time, it cut deeper.

—

Survivors gathered in the wreckage. Some were injured. Most had lost everything. Mayang worked quickly, wrapping wounds, checking pulses, whispering reassurances. She had spent her life healing. But lately, she wondered if it was enough. Because no matter how many people she saved, the Nine Dragons kept creating more victims. And that was a wound she could not close.

A black motorcycle roared through the dirt road leading into the village. Felix dismounted, his face grim as he took in the destruction. “Too late again.”

Mayang didn’t look up. “There were never enough of us to be early.”

Felix ran a hand over his face, his frustration barely contained. “I should have seen this coming. I used to be on the other side—I know how they operate.”

Mayang finally turned to him, her hands stained with blood and dirt. “Then tell me, Felix. How do we stop this?”

Silence.

Felix had no answer. Because stopping them meant war.

Mayang wiped sweat from her brow, exhaustion pressing against her bones. “I heal people. I save them. And you?”

Felix met her gaze. “I hurt the people who deserve it.” His voice was cold. Absolute.

Mayang shook her head. “If we become like them, what’s left to fight for?”

“Survival.”

Felix looked away, staring at the smoking ruins. “I’ve done worse than this. I helped build the empire we’re trying to bring down.”

Mayang softened. “And now you’re trying to undo it.”

Felix clenched his fists. “Not fast enough.”

Because every time they saved someone, the Nine Dragons destroyed another town. Every time they exposed a lie, the Nine Dragons buried the truth even deeper. Mayang saw the war Felix carried inside him. A man who had spent his life on the wrong side. And no matter how much blood he spilled for the right cause now, he would never be free of it.

As night fell over the ruined village, Mayang and Felix sat in the rubble, watching the survivors huddle together for warmth.

“We can’t win like this.”

Felix nodded. “No. We need to start fighting like them.”

Mayang said nothing. Because deep down, she feared he was right. And if Felix was right, then healing would no longer be enough.

—

Jakarta – Lia sat across from a government official, the air thick with cigarette smoke and unspoken threats. Her suit was immaculate. Her expression, unreadable. This was a game of words, not weapons. And Lia knew one wrong sentence could kill everything.

Official leaning back, smirking. “You expect me to stand against the Nine Dragons? They practically built this city.”

Lia’s smile was polite. Dangerously polite. “They built it. But they don’t own it. Not yet.”

The official chuckled, shaking his head. “You think the people want a war?”

“They don’t. But war is already here. The only question is—when the dust settles, will you be on the right side of history?”

The official’s smirk faltered. Just for a second. Lia noticed. She always noticed.

—

Meanwhile, deep in the rainforests of Sumatra, David and Putri worked in secret. The jungle was alive, but dying. Logging crews had moved in overnight. The Nine Dragons weren’t just cutting trees—they were erasing entire ecosystems. Putri snapped photos, documenting the destruction. David adjusted his camera drone, capturing aerial footage of illegal operations the government pretended not to see. Putri muttering.

“They don’t even try to hide it anymore.”

David sighed. “They don’t have to.”

Because the Nine Dragons controlled the narrative. And if the world didn’t see the truth, then the truth didn’t exist.

Later that night, Lia, David, and Putri gathered in a hidden safehouse. Clarissa was already there, scanning documents. Felix leaned against the wall, arms crossed, listening.

“Lia, what’s the verdict?”

Lia exhaled. “They’re scared. But they won’t move unless we give them leverage.”

Felix smirked. “Leverage? Or blackmail?”

Lia gave him a pointed look. “I don’t play dirty.”

Felix chuckled. “Then you’re in the wrong war.”

Silence.

Until David spoke, setting down his laptop.“We have something.”

He turned the screen to face them. A live feed. From the logging sites. Real-time proof of illegal deforestation, pollution, and forced labor. Felix whistled.

“That’s not leverage.” Then Felix grinned. “That’s a nuclear bomb.”

Lia watched the footage, her mind already spinning. With this, they could force the world to look.

Force politicians to act. But they had to be careful. Because once this was out, The Nine Dragons would retaliate. As the Resistance planned their next move, outside in the city streets, A black car sat parked in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. Because the Nine Dragons always saw everything.

And this time—

They were already one step ahead.