The Test of Loyalty

Trust was fragile. The Resistance knew that better than anyone. They had recruited a powerful insider—someone with access to the Nine Dragons’ most guarded secrets. But could they trust them? Doubt spread like wildfire, turning whispers into suspicions. Had they gained an ally, or welcomed a traitor into their ranks?

The test came sooner than expected.

The Resistance had the encrypted documents—proof of Mei Ling’s deception—but they lacked the key to unlock them. Without it, their evidence was worthless.

Before they could devise a plan, Rudy placed a drive on the table.

"This will do it," he said, his voice calm, his expression unreadable.

Bintang frowned. "How did you get this?"

Rudy didn’t answer.

Silence filled the room. No one moved.

Had he been waiting for this moment? Or had the Nine Dragons played a move they hadn’t foreseen?

"We need to decide now," Lia said, breaking the tension. "Do we use it, or do we walk away?"

Felix’s hand hovered near his weapon. "And if it’s a trap?"

No one had an answer.

The Resistance had fought to uncover the truth—but now, they had to decide if they could trust it.

—

Jakarta – Bintang had spent his life surviving by instinct, and right now, his instincts screamed at him. The small drive on the table looked harmless. But so did a snake before it struck. Across the room, Rudy stood with his arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Bintang coldly. “You expect us to trust this?”

Rudy shrugged. “You asked for a key. I got you a key.”

No explanations. No details. Just an answer dropped into their laps. And that was the problem. Nothing was ever this easy.

Felix, standing to the side, shifted his weight, his fingers twitching near his holster. He had been betrayed before. He knew how it started—small, subtle shifts in loyalty. This felt like one of those moments.

Felix quietly. “Who gave it to you?”

Rudy’s jaw tensed. “Does it matter?”

Bintang leaned forward, his voice like steel. “It matters more than anything.”

“If this key is real, we take down one of the Nine Dragons’ most powerful leaders.”

“If it’s a trap, we walk straight into our own execution.”

The weight of his words settled over the room.

And Rudy—still said nothing.

—

Lia sighed, rubbing her temples. “This could be our best shot.”

She exhaled, looking at the drive, then at Rudy.

“Or it could be the Nine Dragons playing a move we don’t see yet.”

Rangga and Pandu exchanged glances. They didn’t deal in politics. They dealt in certainty. Life or death. Battle or surrender. But this?

This wasn’t a battlefield. It was a game of trust. And they had no idea if they were already losing.

—

Bintang looked around the room. He didn’t need to hear any more arguments. Because in the end, trust wasn’t about words. It was a choice. And sometimes, it was a gamble. He picked up the drive.

“We use it.” He met Rudy’s gaze, unflinching.

“But if you betray us—I’ll know.”

He inserted the drive. The files unlocked. And whatever happened next—There was no turning back.

Felix had spent years watching men betray each other. He knew how it started. Not with a grand declaration. Not with an open confession. It started small. A hesitation. A half-truth. A single missing detail that didn’t seem important—until it was.

And right now, Rudy was missing details. The decryption key had worked. Too well. The files had unlocked without a hitch. Which meant one of two things:

Rudy was exactly who he claimed to be—a skilled operator who had delivered when they needed him most. Or he was feeding them just enough truth to make them swallow a much bigger lie.

Felix wasn’t willing to die for the wrong answer.

Felix's low voice. “We need to be sure.”

Across the room, Bintang exhaled, rubbing the tension from his temple. “What do you suggest?”

Felix didn’t hesitate. “We test him.”

Rudy arched an eyebrow. Rudy flatly. “Test me?”

Felix nodded once. “A mission. Something small. Something that proves where your loyalties really are.”

“You say you want to take down the Nine Dragons? Then show us.”

—

The room was silent. Rudy’s gaze flickered to the decrypted files still glowing on the screen.

“I just gave you the key to destroy one of their leaders.”

He gestured toward the screen. “And you still don’t trust me?”

Felix’s expression didn’t change. “Trust isn’t a gift. It’s earned.”

Rudy exhaled through his nose. “What’s the job?”

Felix leaned forward, placing a single photograph on the table.

—

A safe house. One of the Nine Dragons’ secondary storage sites—a place where documents, hard drives, and physical evidence were kept before being wiped clean.

“There’s a hard drive inside that building. It contains encrypted transaction records—Mei Ling’s real financial network.”

“Get in. Get the drive. Bring it back.”

“If you do that, you’re one of us.”

Rudy smirked, shaking his head. “That’s it? A simple break-in?”

Felix’s gaze darkened. “It won’t be simple.”

Bintang’s voice cut through the tension. “It’s not just a test for you, Rudy. It’s a test for us.”

“Because if this is a setup, we’ll know the moment you walk through that door.”

A long pause.

Then, Rudy let out a slow breath and picked up the photograph. “Fine.”

“I’ll get you your damn proof.”

And with that, he turned and walked out.

—

After Rudy left, the room remained silent.

Then—

Lia quietly. “And if he doesn’t come back?”

Felix didn’t look away from the door. “Then we’ll know exactly who he was working for.”

No one spoke after that. Because deep down, they all knew the truth. One way or another, after tonight, Rudy wouldn’t be the same. And neither would they.

—

Rudy moved through the city like a ghost. A lifetime in the underworld had taught him how to disappear when necessary. He knew the rules. Never take the same route twice. Never assume you’re not being watched. And most importantly—

Never trust anyone.

Right now, the Resistance was testing him. But what they didn’t know was that he was testing them too.

—

The Safe House. The building was unremarkable—just another forgotten structure in Jakarta’s endless maze of concrete and steel. But Rudy knew better. Behind those walls, the Nine Dragons kept information they didn’t want the world to see. He adjusted his earpiece.

Felix through comms. “You’re at the entrance. What do you see?”

“Security cameras—older models, nothing high-tech. They don’t expect an attack here.”

“Then don’t make them expect one.”

Rudy smirked to himself. Typical Bintang. Always the strategist. With practiced efficiency, Rudy bypassed the electronic lock, slipping inside without a sound.

The room was exactly as expected—dusty shelves, old files, and— The hard drive. It sat on a desk in the center of the room, still plugged into an outdated terminal. Too easy. Way too easy. His instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.

Rudy reached for the drive, And the screen flickered to life. A familiar voice filled the room, smooth and controlled.

Luo Jian calmly. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Rudy froze. His blood ran cold.

Luo Jian: “I assume the Resistance is listening?”

Silence from the earpiece. They were still there. They had heard everything.

Luo Jian: “Good. Let’s make this simple.”

The door behind Rudy slammed shut. Locking him inside.

Luo Jian: “You’ve been given a choice, Rudy. But you and I both know there’s only one real answer.”

“Come back. Before you make a mistake you can’t undo.”

—

Felix’s voice finally cut through the comms. Felix sharp.

“Rudy, get out. Now.”

But Rudy didn’t move. Because he knew the truth. This wasn’t just a test for him. This was a test for them. He had seconds to decide. Take the drive and run—prove his loyalty to the Resistance, knowing the Nine Dragons would mark him for death. Stay, pretend to surrender, and try to play both sides—a dangerous gamble that could get him killed. Turn on the Resistance and rejoin the Nine Dragons—betrayal, but survival.

Luo Jian calmly. “What’s it going to be, Rudy?”

The seconds stretched. Felix’s voice grew sharper. “Rudy!”

Bintang spoke next. “Make your choice.”

Rudy’s fingers curled into a fist. And then—

He moved.

The feed cut to black. The Resistance had no idea what had just happened inside the building. Felix tense.

“Did he make it?”

Silence.

Then—

The sound of approaching sirens. Bintang’s jaw clenched. Bintang grimly.

“We’ll know soon enough.”

The fragile threads of trust had been stretched to their limit. And whether Rudy had passed the test… Only time would tell.