Signals from Strangers

That night, Jakarta felt like a city catching its breath.

The rain had just stopped.

The streets were still muddy, and the air had a chill to it—colder than usual.

Andi sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window.

Outside, the streetlights blinked slowly, like they were breathing.

On his lap, his cracked phone screen lit up— a Telegram message popped up:

"Zoom link will be sent in 2 minutes. Have your notes ready. Don't ask dumb questions."

-Altcoin Underground ID Group Admin

Andi gripped his phone a little tighter. This wasn't just any Zoom call.

To him, this felt like a door a real one into the deeper world of crypto.

Because articles on Google could only get you so far.

But learning from people who've actually lost and won?

That's where the real stuff was.

Three days ago, he had stumbled on a comment in a forum a random link that led to the Telegram group.

There was no clear info on the admin.

Just a username: @cryptoghost_id.

The profile picture wasn't even a face.

It was a kitsune mask and the bio was just one sentence:

"You're not poor because of fate. You're poor because you don't understand the system."

Andi joined instantly.

The group wasn't flashy. Only around 370 members, and barely any drama. But the content? Solid. Daily discussions. Quick breakdowns of small altcoins. Token signals that people called "sleepers"—coins that might explode soon.

Andi didn't understand everything.

But one thing was clear:

This wasn't just a crypto group.

It was a place full of people searching for direction just like him.

Zoom started.

His phone screen lit up with a long list of participants. There was no video just a voice. Deep. Calm. Cold. The kind of voice that sounded like it had been let down by life more than once, but still hadn't given up.

"Hey... you, the ones running out of options.

If you're just here looking to make quick money, you should probably leave now.

But if you're ready to learn how to survive in a world that doesn't care if you live or die...

Then sit still. Listen carefully."

Andi bit his lip. His heart was racing—not out of fear, but because, for the first time in his life, someone was speaking straight to his wounds.

The guy's voice kept echoing in his head, even though he'd already turned the volume down to 50%.

"Crypto's not a shortcut to getting rich. That's just influencer crap."

"If you're here to get rich fast—you won't. But if you're here to understand..."

"You might just win. But it'll take time."

Andi opened his notebook. His hands moved on autopilot taking notes fast, like he'd done this a hundred times.

On the screen, CryptoGhost or the mysterious mentor, as people in the group called him began laying out the basics of the altcoin universe.

"You've got the big ones—BTC, ETH—they're the foundation.

Then there's the midcaps: coins like MATIC, AVAX, LINK.

Solid projects, decent liquidity, reliable enough.

And then you've got the micros—the small-cap altcoins.

Cheap, crazy volatile, but if you hit the right one?

That's how you flip a life."

Andi's eyes narrowed, trying to keep up.

Then the mentor dropped a line that made his whole body go tense:

"If you're not rolling in cash, stay away from BTC. You're already late."

"You don't need stability. You need the right bullets—

the kind that can punch through anything."

He didn't feel embarrassed. Not this time. For once, his poverty wasn't treated like a weakness—

It was seen as fuel. Something that could drive him to build something bigger than himself.

After about thirty minutes of breaking things down,

CryptoGhost moved on to what the group called the "Weekly Signal" session.

"I only give signals when the indicators line up."

"And even then, a good signal is just one of many. What matters is the timing."

Then he started typing on the screen.

$KRNO - Kronos Chain

Current price: $0.008

Potential: +300%

Buy zone: < $0.009

Target: $0.024

Hold duration: 2-3 weeks

Risk: high, but active project

Andi jumped straight to CoinMarketCap and typed in the token name.

The price matched exactly: $0.0082

The chart looked... quiet. Flat. Not much action. Not a lot of hype either. Just still. Waiting.

He clicked on the project's website.

It was a new DeFi platform, built by a small team out of Vietnam.

The whole thing was focused on automated staking—earning passive income just by holding the token. It wasn't listed on many exchanges yet. No hype. No buzz. The token was still asleep.

But that was exactly what made it interesting.

There was no hype. No flashy TikTokers pumping it.

Just a quiet token on a quiet chart, sitting at $0.0082—

waiting for someone who actually paid attention.

CryptoGhost's voice came through again, calm but sharp:

"I'm not telling you to buy it."

"I'm just dropping the bait."

"What matters is self-awareness."

"If you're not ready to lose, you're not ready to invest."

Andi froze.

He wasn't used to hearing it like that.

Usually, people told him what to do:

"Save your money."

"Don't take risks."

"Play it safe until you're older."

But this guy—this masked stranger on Telegram was basically saying: You decide. But be ready.

That hit differently.

Andi leaned back on his bed, eyes still on the screen.

His brain was racing.

He could feel it in his chest—the pull.

That strange combination of fear, hope, and curiosity.

He knew this wasn't a sure thing.

It could go nowhere. He could lose his Rp50,000 and end up eating instant noodles for the next five days.

But what if… What if this was the start of something?

Not just making money, but understanding how money works?

He remembered what CryptoGhost said earlier in the session:

"Don't look for coins. Look for systems.

Coins are short-term. Systems build empires."

Andi didn't move yet.

He just stared at the chart.

Flat. Quiet. Tempting.

Maybe he wouldn't buy tonight.

Maybe he would.

But one thing was clear:

He wasn't the same person who joined this Zoom an hour ago.

He had Rp57,100 in his crypto app balance.

After buying VEED yesterday and watching it creep up a bit, he was left with a small but decent chunk of change. Not much to brag about, but enough to make him feel like he was in the game.

Now he had two choices:

1. Play it safe. Keep learning. Take it slow.

2. Type in the code KRNO—a foreign token he'd never even heard of five minutes ago.

He stared at the screen.

"If this is a pump and dump, I could lose everything," Andi muttered.

"But if it's real... I could double up."

Andi opened the app.

His fingers moved slow, careful.

He sold half of his VEED.

Then, step by step, he transferred Rp25,000 to buy $KRNO through PancakeSwap a token so new, it wasn't even available on the local exchanges.

The transaction went through.

He bit his lip and stared at the screen:

$KRNO Balance: 3,050 tokens

No instant reaction. No sound. No celebration. Just a screen.

But somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispered:

"Today, you're not just watching from the sidelines.

Today, you're a player."

When the confirmation message faded, Andi sat still. He didn't feel regret. He didn't feel proud either. What he felt… was weightless.

Not because of what he bought. But because for the first time, he'd bet on himself.

Up until now, most of his life had been survival by default.

He worked because he needed money.

He lived frugally because his salary left no room.

He stayed strong because there was no other option.

But this—this was different.

This was a decision he made… not because he had to. But because he chose to believe in something.

Even if it was small. Even if it was just 3,050 unknown tokens. It was his move.

And that changed everything.

The Zoom call had ended, but the Telegram groups were buzzing again.

AndiLurker had officially joined the chat.

AndiLurker: Thanks for the signal!

CryptoGhost: Take your time. It's normal to lose a few times.

Just make sure you understand why you lost.

Andi read it twice, then scrolled through the rest of the chat.

The feed was flying:

PumpHunter69: KRNO TO THE MOOONNNN!!!

RakaToken: Keep sending in your full salaries

N0obTrader: Wait is KRNO really pumping or is this a prank again lol?

Andi didn't reply. He just watched.

It felt… chaotic.

But this time, he wasn't intimidated.

He was observing. Processing.

He was starting to see the real game:

Crypto wasn't just charts and graphs.

It was mass psychology.

Some people bought out of panic.

Some hyped coins just to push prices up.

Some were just hunting for a quick 20% gain before disappearing.

And somewhere in the middle of all that noise—

Andi stood alone, with almost no money but a fire that refused to die.

The night grew quiet.

Outside, crickets chirped between the occasional roar of motorcycles.

Andi opened his notebook again. He wrote slowly:

"I don't know if $KRNO will rise or fall.

But I do know this: I'm not here just for the paycheck anymore.

I work to learn. And I learn to change."

He set his phone face-down, flipped the notebook shut, and looked up at the ceiling.

Tomorrow he'd wake up at five.

Lift gallons. Wipe tables. Serve orders.

Just like every day.

But something had shifted.

He wasn't just Andi the worker anymore.

He was Andi the builder.

And that made all the difference.