(W) Second Protagonist's Point of View
Quickly I checked him again. There was a red cloth band tied to his arm as a mark. It was a hexagonal crystal split into two colors, black and white, with a yellow line underneath it. The same mark found at all the crime scenes. It became clearer, this was related to that case. While checked this person, I remembered the words of the Narcissistic Writer.
"usually requires more than 5 years of military experience and shooting training," he said back then.
then I swiftly checked the man's neck and found a distinctive military tag necklace. Strangely, the same mark was engraved on it, in red ink. Despite hating to admit it, this was exactly what Hari had thought.
So, I tied up the man, gagged him, and dragged his body to a safe place. Armed with a confiscated pistol, I was determined to turn the tables and capture the mastermind behind this incident.
The most strategic step was to assess the situation first. But how...?
Until I realized one important thing, how could I have stayed safe until now? And why would they bother giving an ultimatum in the form of an announcement for everyone to head to the lobby? It gave me an idea, and to make sure of it, I had to go to the Security Room.
I hurried to the security room. However, there were some people guarding the place. With a small gap, I managed to slip through their surveillance, which I quickly exploited to enter the room unnoticed. Strangely, there was no one in the room. A while later, something else happened on the screen. Several policemen were seen standing right in front of the main door, far from the designated blockade.
TETTT..!!!
"Attention! Can you hear me, police officers? Can you hear me..." exclaimed the officer from the group of policemen. Somehow, one of them looked familiar, and at some point, I realized he was someone I knew.
"Diaz..." just as I suspected. I wondered what he was planning with such a risky decision.
"Don't act rashly. I know it might be difficult; we're in the same boat. Let's focus on more important matters and start talking." said the officer.
Then I noticed Diaz's strange gestures. He pointed at his watch towards someone in the crowd and then waved his index finger three times at the same person.
Shortly after, there was a loud banging sound coming from the direction of the door.
DRRAAKK…DRRAAKK…DRRAAKK….CLEENGGG !!!
The door burst open forcefully, and reflexively, I aimed my pistol and...
"RAISE YOUR HANDS...!!!" A group of armed and fully uniformed officers appeared, pointing their weapons at me.
"LOWER YOUR WEAPON, WE ARE THE POLICE, YOU ARE SURROUNDED AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE...!!!" shouted someone among them. Quickly and carefully, I showed them my badge.
"Iswara Department of Investigation!"
With astonishment and confusion, they lowered their weapons.
"Titt...Tettt...Reporting from Security Room, it's secure, and we've found a trapped police officer," the officer said to his unit, which shortly received an unexpected reply.
"Tettt...Is she a woman? Sis... It's Sis Iswara, right? How are you doing there, Sis? Are you okay?" came a voice that sounded familiar. Shortly after, the officer handed me the communication device.
"Yes, I'm still safe so far. So, you don't need to worry too much, Anggi," I replied.
"Thank goodness, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." she said relievedly.
"How's the situation over there?" I asked.
"After the gunshot sounds, people started pouring out in panic. Realizing you were missing, we tried to reach you and Hari multiple times but..? OH, RIGHT, HOW IS HARI? IS HE OKAY, IS HE HURT? OH GOD, WHAT SHOULD I DO?!" she panicked, causing my ears to ache.
"Anggi, calm down! Don't worry about your friend; he's in a safe place waiting for evacuation. Even though it doesn't seem like it, he's smart enough to assess the situation." I reassured her
"Ah... Thank goodness for that. I almost died from panic," she said relievedly.
"Anggi, listen carefully. You already know the situation." I said.
"Yeah... I just met Diaz and Detective Agam. It turns out this incident is related to our case." Anggi said.
"AGAM IS INVOLVED TOO?!!! HOW COME?" I exclaimed.
"It's too long and too annoying to explain now, but basically, Diaz and the others are trying to divert the terrorists' attention while sending in the assault units." Anggi explained.
"Alright, is Agam there?" I asked urgently.
"This is me. What do you need to tell me?" Agam replied.
"Unit YAKSA 00/04/11, do you know anything about that?"
" Bagaimana kau mengetahui hal itu !? " Kagetnya.
"I saw it from the necklace worn by the terrorist, and judging from your reaction, it seems like you know something about this?" I asked.
Upon hearing that, he fell silent for a moment, and with a furrowed brow and a frustrated expression, Agam finally spoke up.
"Damn...! If what I'm thinking is true, the situation will be more complicated than we all imagine," Agam said.
"What do you mean...?" I asked.
"Shh... Listen carefully, Swara. The real information is classified and sensitive. In the military, there's a Special Unit trained with a structured approach to deal with threats that potentially endanger the sovereignty of the country. However, something terrible happened. On Saturday, March 18, 2022, in the early hours, the 20th Battalion was declared missing without a trace of their position." Agam explained.
"WHAT..?! So, you mean those terrorists there...?" Anggi exclaimed in shock.
"This is still a hypothesis, but if this hypothesis is correct, then it's likely they're not just ordinary people but trained killer forces," I said.
"But how could something as big as this slip past everyone, even tend to be covered up?" Anggi asked.
"The details are uncertain, but what's certain is that the military took swift action. They took over the case. Those of us who knew about this were ordered to keep quiet to prevent the information from spreading to the public and to avoid potential unwanted disturbances." he explained.
"In practice, failed to produce a solution and instead created new chaos." I said cynically.
"What do you mean by that?" Agam asked.
"I don't know whether to be glad or worried. If I say it's highly likely that your suspicion is correct." I replied.
"Yeah... What other conclusion is there, when you see someone shooting accurately and precisely, hitting targets that are difficult to reach? Anyone would know they're not untrained individuals. It takes at least 5 years in the military and shooting training to be able to do something like that," I said.
"Wow... Amazing how quickly and accurately you can come to that conclusion in such a short time," Anggi said, impressed and amazed. Annoyingly, without realizing it, I was just repeating what Hari had said a few moments ago, with his narcissistic face.
"Let's save the praises for later; there's something more important. Agam, did you initiate this ambush?" I asked.
"No, even though I'm responsible for this mission, it's hard to believe that Diaz has his own plans. The people with you right now are part of his plan." Agam replied.
"Ah... I suspected as much. He didn't even consider it." I said.
"What do you mean?" he asked. As we talked, I noticed something.
There's a wise saying from a novel, "The worst mistake in the forest is to warn someone of the danger of wild animals in front of them without realizing that half their body has been swallowed by quicksand." It took me a while to realize its meaning. After accidentally seeing a red light beam from under a table. Beep...Beep...Beep...
On the other side.
"Everyone is in position," Diaz said.
"Alright, ready," the officer communicating with him replied. Then, a phone call came in.
"It seems like everything will be easier from now on," he whispered confidently to the officer beside him, waiting for the signal.
"No need for negotiation anymore. We know you've set your priorities, and we'll assert ours. And what we can do..." The terrorist said, then suddenly, in an instant.
...BOOMMM !!!