The Deep Chain

You know that feeling when a truth starts to emerge, but it just makes everything feel even more wrong? That's how I felt when I looked at my laptop screen and saw the blockchain metrics. They were moving around on their own! It's not just a bunch of code, there's a pattern here. There's a plan. There was something hidden beneath the SIDRA network. For the first time, I felt like we weren't tracking a project, but being chased by something bigger.

I was sitting in the corner of my dorm room, laptop on with a noisy fan, my body feeling tired but my mind unable to stay still. After the whole digital map fiasco, ChainMirror and I hadn't slept together. We took turns keeping watch, like two men at a border guard post. It's not paranoia-induced, but ever since we opened SIDRA's fifth node, all of our dummy accounts have been getting strange messages.

One of my Twitter bots suddenly auto-replied with the phrase, "You're too close to the Root."

And that's not a code I've ever installed.

I opened Telegram. The AltThinkers Underground group was back to its usual groove, though some were still offline after Dano's "account lockout" incident. Surprisingly, Dano was back online this morning with a new name: CryptoGhoul. He hasn't said much, though.

I shot a note to ChainMirror privately.

"Shall we continue tonight? I've reorganized the SIDRA address graph."

"Yeah, but I need to take 20 minutes. Working on seed wallet dummy."

One thing we learned early on: don't work on the main wallet. And never use the same address twice.

While I was waiting, I opened the visualization I made last night. It was a graph of the interconnection of SIDRA blockchain nodes. SIDRA looks like your typical utility token on the outside. But the longer we look into it, the more weird stuff we find. There are dozens of wallets moving money in a loop, then disappearing into the same wallet (0xDEADFEE...).

I zoomed in to the address. The wallet never pulled out any money. It just got the info, stored it, and then sent it to an old smart contract that was written in: DeepNode_v1.

That was the first time I'd seen that name. And it wasn't just any public code.

ChainMirror:

"The person who created DeepNode_v1 was a genius. They knew how to hide the activity in the second layer. I checked Arbiscan-no trace. But I managed to get rid of some of the metadata."

I shot a quick reply.

"Send it. I'll parse it with the local decoder."

ChainMirror sent the encrypted JSON file. As soon as I opened it, I immediately noticed a section that said "Mirror Wallet" and a series of strange seed phrases. But I was really impressed by the last line:

"ROOT ACCESS: GHOST NODE ENABLED"

I took a step back from the chair. My hands were shaking.

Ghost Node.

I'd only heard the term in rumors about a private blockchain network. The nodes in the network were invisible in any explorer, and accessible only to the ultimate source code holder.

It meant that SIDRA had a structure beneath the surface. And it looks like someone was deliberately hiding it. Ghost nodes aren't just a fancy term — they're the highest level of control. They can reset wallet balances, override transactions, and even delete history if they want to. And the only way they can do that is...

"Someone's running their own chain. A blockchain within a blockchain."

My mind raced. If this Ghost Node is true, then all the SIDRA transactions we've seen so far are meaningless. It was just a surface screen.

And underneath?

Perhaps that's what folks in those underground forums call "Deep Chain." It's like a hidden layer where transactions aren't just about buying and selling, but something more sinister. I wasn't totally sure, but one word kept coming to mind: "Those contracts are a real pain."

I went straight back to Telegram. ChainMirror was fully online.

"I know what this is."

"The Ghost Node... is a trigger to the deep network. Deep Chain isn't just a rumor."

"We'll need something to get in. And maybe... we'll have to off-chain."

I swallowed.

"So, we'll have to meet in person?"

ChainMirror didn't respond right away.

"I know someone who can help. But he's not from our community. He was involved in a project that the SEC banned at one point."

"Let's head to Bandung."

Bandung?

I looked at the screen. It felt like going deeper into a bottomless pit. But the fear was slowly replaced by adrenaline. If Deep Chain really existed... then everything I had been looking for-not just extra income-but a clue as to how this world's system really worked... could be hidden within it.

And I had gone too far to stop now.

That morning I woke up early. Not because of the alarm, but because of anxiety. It felt like I was about to take a national exam-but this time it wasn't grades that were at stake, it was safety. I double-checked all my digital wallets, wrote down my backup seed phrases, and saved the backups on two different thumb drives.

I slipped one inside my sock, and hid the other behind my beat-up phone case that was one drop away from cracking for good.

The trip to Bandung was a total mess. Cheap buses, traffic that crawled like a snail on sleeping pills, and outside the window? Business as usual.

No one had a clue.

They had no idea there was this underground system called SIDRA—something that could flip the entire digital finance world on its head.

People were still busy thinking about online promos, paying off their motorbike loans, and figuring out whose wedding they had to go to next weekend.

Meanwhile, me and ChainMirror?

We were out chasing something that didn't even exist on a single digital map.

We met at the Leuwipanjang terminal. I almost didn't recognize him. ChainMirror wasn't what I expected at all. I had pictured a hacker with a hoodie and bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, but he was nothing like that. Instead, he looked like your typical college kid: denim jacket, black backpack, and a bit of disheveled hair. But he had a good eye for it. And I'm feeling pretty tired.

"You're Andi?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's a ChainMirror."

"Just call me Mir. Let's get started."

We rented a motorcycle and started cruising down the city streets. We weren't going to a cafe or coworking space, but an old house in the Dago Pakar area. It's a bit of a hike from the city center. Mir even brought his own offline GPS, saying it was to avoid being tracked.

I started asking questions on the way.

"Who exactly is this guy?"

"His name is Rahmat. But in the dark community, he used to go by HexRoot."

"HexRoot? The guy who broke into the IRS token testnet two years ago?"

Mir just nodded without saying anything.

HexRoot is a legend. It's not just because of his skills, but also because he dropped off the radar after the SEC shut down the DaggerChain project and some of its founders got arrested. Apparently, he was the only one who got away because of his self-burn identity — erasing all digital traces and creating a new identity.

We stopped in front of a two-story wooden house. There was a little sign that said "Reflexology & Electric Therapy." I looked at Mir and was surprised.

"Is this the place?"

Mir smiled a little. "Mercy's all about the weird stuff these days. But her mind is still sharp. Just be careful. She can't stand being asked about her past."

We walked in. A middle-aged guy greeted us. He was thin, with a little gray in his hair, and his right hand was covered in scars. But his eyes were... clear, like a mirror that had seen too many secrets.

He asked me directly, "Who are you?"

I answered slowly. "Andi. We're curious about Deep Chain. And the Ghost Node."

He didn't react. He just paused for a second, then told us to sit down.

"You shouldn't be looking for that. That world isn't for you," he said gently.

"But we've gone too deep," Mir said. "We saw the 0xDEADFEE wallet, the DeepNode_v1 smart contract, and metadata logs showing Root Access."

The man chuckled.

"You think that's enough? That's just the gate. Deep Chain isn't the place for storing assets. It's a place to store intent. There, the data isn't just for transactions—it's also used for declarations. Who died, who disappeared, who was removed from the system."

I got a bit emotional.

"So, it's basically a blockchain for hidden decisions, right?"

"It's more than that," he said quietly. "It's not just code. It's an agreement. And every agreement in the Deep Chain is... permanent."

He got up, grabbed a folder of papers that looked like they had been through a war, and opened a page that showed a diagram that looked like a network topology. Well, in the center, there was this weird symbol — you know, an upside-down triangle inside a circle with random dots.

"This isn't just a node," he said. "This is a ritual system. Do you see these addresses?"

He pointed to a line of addresses that looked like they were from the same area.

I nodded slowly. "That's the SIDRA wallet we're tracking..."

"Right," he said, a hint of sharpness in his voice. "That's not a wallet. It's a witness."

I looked at the worn-out paper Rahmat gave me with a mix of feelings. There was something on it that I couldn't forget: the exact same digital wallet address as SIDRA's. But this time, it wasn't just a hash code. There was an extra symbol on it, like a stamp, with some writing on it. Witness #7.

"What does that mean?" I asked, carefully.

"It's not your typical wallet," Grace said. "It's part of the Initial Covenant. There are twelve "Witnesses" in the Deep Chain. Each one represents one sin."

I got the chills.

"Sin?"

Grace nodded.

"System sins. Data corruption. Manipulating the group opinion. It's ghost minting. Digital assassination. It's all on record, and the witness keeps it on file. Even if the main blockchain goes down, Deep Chain keeps on going."

Mir looked at the diagram for a long time.

"That means... SIDRA isn't just an ordinary criminal group. They might be one of the founders of Deep Chain?"

"Not just a founder,"

Rahmat said as he lit a cigarette.

"They were the ones calling the shots. But now, they're missing something. One of the witnesses is loose."

I started to feel nervous.

"Which one?"

Grace took a deep breath.

"The seventh witness. The one you saw earlier. That wallet used to be connected to the main contract. But it looks like someone disconnected the node. Without the 7th node, SIDRA couldn't complete their final synchronization. Now they're on the lookout for it. "Not to be hacked, but to be erased from the world."

I shook my head slowly.

"But why me? Why was I the one who saw it on the testnet first?"

Grace gave me a sharp look.

"Because you have access from the inside. There's one person in SIDRA who might not fully agree with them. He leaked the dummy data to the public testnet, and you caught him before they could retract it."

Mir let out a sigh.

"So, if we can get the 7th witness synced up with the new node, what happens next?"

Grace looked away.

"Then you'll see everything. And who's been sacrificed to keep this ecosystem alive."

Silence. There was just the sound of the old fan above us. I looked at Mir.

"So, we've gotta find that sync site."

Grace nodded.

"But there's one problem. You can't rewrite the 7th witness from the outside. Only the one with the master signature can open the reconnection."

I looked a bit annoyed.

"And that signature is in..."

Grace opened an old drawer and pulled out an object I'd only heard about in legends: a black ledger with a silver stamp that read Phantom-Genesis.

"Here," he said quietly. "This belonged to the first founder of Deep Chain."

Mir gulped. "Crazy... I thought this device was destroyed during the Zeta Merge incident."

"No, it wasn't. I kept it. But there's a catch: you have to be a member to access it. And not a monetary price."

I paused. "What should I do?"

Grace moved in closer, looking at me from up close.

"You've got to enter the Mirror Layer."

I took a step back. "What is that?"

"The Mirror Layer is the deepest part of the Deep Chain. It's where all intentions and decisions are stored in the form of a meta identity. Everyone who enters will be confronted with themselves, unfiltered, without anonymizers."

I stiffened.

"Sounds like a consciousness chamber."

Grace nodded.

"It's worse. You'll understand why you've been drawn to this world. It's not about the money. But because of the wounds."

Mir tried to calm her down.

"Andi, you're not in this alone. We can..."

"I've gotta be alone," I said quickly.

I knew. At this point, there was no turning back.

Rahmat opened a wooden panel on the floor, and there was a staircase leading to the basement. There was a big OLED screen, a metal chair, and a headset with a weird chip inside.

"This can only be used once. After that, the system automatically burns."

I stared at the chair for a long time. Then he turned back to Mir.

"If I fail, don't look for me."

Mir didn't say anything. But her eyes told a different story. It was clear that we wouldn't meet again.

I sat on the chair. Headset on. The screen lit up, showing one sentence:

Mirror Layer Active: Confirm Entry?

I pressed the "Yes" button.

Then the world collapsed.

The whole screen went white. I couldn't see my hands or my body. It was just darkness. And sound.

My own voice.

"Why do you think you deserve a new life?"

I didn't say anything. But I couldn't stop myself from getting upset.

"You just ran away. From your mom. Hey, just a heads-up, this might be something you'd want to look into from your past. From failure."

"Do you think you can buy a new identity with altcoins?"

"Answer me, Andi."

And on the screen in front of me, a figure appeared.

Someone I knew very well.

Someone who shouldn't be here.

"Dad?"