"Bravo, Wisnu," Pavlo said, holding his aching back as Chen helped him up.
"I'm in."
"Yes, you are in. But you almost broke my back."
"Well, you pushed me, and I had no other choice."
"That's very great, Mr. Wisnu. I have never heard or seen a man knock down my boss before," Chen chimed in.
Pavlo, displeased with what he heard, immediately glared at Chen.
"Oops. Sorry, Pavlo."
"But it's true. You are the first man. Now, you may rest. We will discuss the plan in one hour."
***
After the trial match, Pavlo and Chen left me and Murdani.
Ahhh... My back still hurt. Damn Pavlo. He really was serious about taking me down. I stretched my back muscles, trying to neutralize the pain.
"Mr. Wisnu, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's already getting better."
"Shouldn't you rest for a while, Mr. Wisnu?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. I already felt a bit stiff earlier. If I stay still, I'm afraid it will only get worse."
Murdani nodded in agreement.
"Ah, how about we do some sparring, sir?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Wisnu. What if you get injured?"
"Are you underestimating me too?" I asked, grinning slightly.
"It's not that, Mr. Wisnu. It's just better to conserve your energy for later so you'll be fully prepared."
"I'm more ready after stretching." I said, taking a fighting stance to challenge Murdani.
"Alright, if you insist, Mr. Wisnu." Murdani agreed. He removed his overcoat and got into position.
A brief introduction to Murdaniâhis full name is Angin Murdani, a former agent of BIN (Badan Intelijen Negara â Indonesian Intelligence Agency). He had a firm, commanding presence, standing just five centimeters shorter than me, and was nearly the same age as my father, as evident from the few strands of white hair starting to appear.
His track record? He was BIN's top agent. Dozens of high-profile national and international cases were solved thanks to him. Until one day, after twenty-five years in the espionage world, my father 'bought' himâpaying the head of BIN at the time a sum worth ten times the most expensive car.
Bribery? Corruption? Maybe. You can draw your own conclusions. But what's certain is that my father acquired the perfect butler: intelligent, strong, experienced, and extremely loyal. From that moment on, Murdani was declared 'dead' and began working exclusively for Batara Nasution's family.
One hour passed. Chen opened the door, catching my and Murdani's attention as we sparred.
"Pavlo is about to start the meeting. Mr. Wisnu and Murdani are required."
That marked the end of our session, and we followed Chen to the main room.
***
"Okay, everyone is here," Pavlo said, opening the briefing. Thirteen pairs of eyes in front of me were locked onto him.
"This man is our primary target." Pavlo displayed Gabriel's photo on the large screen behind him.
"..."
"A global tycoon who appears virtuous in front of the cameras but is ruthless behind the scenes. Yet, no media outlet dares to report on him."
"..."
"For the past year, I've had a bad feeling about this man, but I never had enough proof. Then, one day, an email arrivedâcontaining just one piece of evidence among dozens of crimes committed by Gabriel. That single piece was enough to authorize our operation."
"..."
"Normally, the CIA would handle such an operation. However, due to trust issues, our target has strong backing in Langley. So, Interpol has formed a special unit to hunt down and apprehend Gabriel."
"..."
"Our intel reports that he is currently vacationing with his family, just twenty kilometers from our locationânear the Great Wall of China," said a woman standing next to Pavlo. The screen changed to display a winding route connecting two points and a 3D image of a mansion along with its layout.
"Even while relaxing, this man never lets his guard down. Fifty of his best security personnel are stationed inside and outside the mansion."
"This mission is called Operation Luciferâbringing down a false angel or, in reality, the true devil, Gabriel William," Pavlo declared.
"We will be split into three teams on-site. My team will attack from the front, James' team from the right, and Rodrigo's team from the left. Andrei and Mario will stay behindâthey will be our eyes."
"We will move in a guerrilla-style assault. Any questions?"
"..."
"None? Good. Now, prepare your minds and weapons. We move in forty-five minutes." Pavlo ended the briefing.
"Pavlo."
"Yes?"
"Who are they?" One of the team members, a woman with a Spanish accent, asked, pointing at me and Murdani standing at the back.
"Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce them."
"Everyone, meet Wisnu Nasution and his butler, Angin Murdani. They are our primary intelligence source."
Hm? Murdani and I exchanged surprised glances.
"Rest assured, they won't slow us down," Pavlo assured them.
Several team members nodded in acknowledgment.
"Okay, dismissed."
The group dispersed, leaving only me and Murdani with one lingering question for Pavlo.
"You twoâstay close to me during the raid. Especially you, Wisnu," Pavlo stated.
I nodded.
"Pavlo?" I called.
"Angin Murdani?" he responded.
"How do you know?" Murdani asked.
"Your butler was a star in the espionage world during the final years of the Soviet Union. He played a crucial role in repairing Indonesia-Soviet relations after they had soured at the end of Soekarno's era. That's what I was told during my training."
"..."
"Relax. Only I know here that he is 'Angin Murdani.' To the others, I'll just say your butler is a veteranânothing more," Pavlo reassured me, patting my shoulder before walking away.
I glanced at Murdani. He nodded, silently signaling that it was nothing to worry about.
"Oh, and Maria will prepare the gear for you," Pavlo added.
***
Fifteen people departed for the location, while two remained at the safe house for surveillance and intelligence gathering. I shared a vehicle with Murdani, Pavlo, Maria, and Naldaâthe driver who had asked questions during the briefing.
Everyone in the team was dressed in white and gray camouflage combat uniforms, including me and Murdaniâperfectly suited for blending into the battlefield environment.
There was no conversation during the journey. The vehicle remained silent, everyone fully focused on the mission. Deep down, I felt a bit nervous, though outwardly, I appeared calm. This was my first time stepping outside my profession and risking my life.
We stopped three kilometers from the target location. The vehicles were parked out of sight, hidden behind a cliff, far from the main road.
All passengers disembarked, opened the trunks, retrieved their weapons, and secured them to their bodies.
"Here, this is your gear." Maria handed me a gunâa Glock 20.
"Have you ever fired a gun?" Maria asked.
"Only recreationally at a shooting range." I recalled those casual shooting sessions with Talia.
"Hmph. Just don't misfire. Your gun is strictly for self-defense." I nodded.
"And this is for you." Maria, who was from the same country as Pavlo, handed Murdani a carbine rifle, a Desert Eagle pistol, grenades, and flashbangs.
"Mr. Wisnu, stay close to me and Pavlo. If anything happens to you, I'll be in serious trouble with Mr. Batara," Murdani warned.
"Relax. We're going to complete this mission and return safely."
I was confident in the competence of the people around me. But I also refused to be a burden.
I would give it my best.
Pavlo scanned his team. Everyone was geared up with their respective weapons, communication devices, and white hoods to complete their disguise.
"Andrei, Mario. We're set," Pavlo spoke into the microphone clipped to his chest.
"Okay. Your target's location is two miles north." Our communication devices were all connected, allowing us to hear one another.
"Move out!" Pavlo ordered.
We advanced on foot, trekking up the hilly terrain for twenty minutes. What impressed me most was that none of them seemed even slightly out of breathânot even Murdani. For his age, he was still in excellent shape. As for me...
"Hey, pretty boy, are you okay?"
"I'm good, Nalda."
"Oh yeah? You look like you're about to collapse. Maybe you should head back and wait for us in the car."
"No. I'll be fine. Trust me."
"Alright. If you're about to pass out, just let me know. I'll carry you back down."
"Thanks." She walked away.
Honestly, trekking in the freezing air to chase criminals was not my profession. It was only natural that I wasn't used to this. If I didn't train physically every day, my condition would be even worse.
Suddenly, Pavlo raised his fistâa signal to halt.
"Andrei. Status?"
"You're seven hundred meters from the location. Fifty-seven people are inside the building."
In the distance, I could see a metal gate with thick walls on either side, sitting atop the hillâsurrounding Gabriel's luxurious mansion. I borrowed binoculars from Camora, who was standing beside me, to get a closer look.
"There are two guards at the gate and two in the tower," Mario reported.
Pavlo gestured for Roman and Petit to take positions to the left and right, hiding behind rocks.
Roman, the sharpshooter from Spain, was armed with an AS50 sniper rifleâeffective at a range of 1,500 meters. Petit, the marksman from France, had an AWM sniper rifle, with a range of 1,100 meters.
We moved swiftly toward the target location, but in a scattered formation, taking cover behind trees to avoid alerting the guards. I remained close to Murdani.
The mansion was now in full view. Only two hundred meters remained. We waited for the front guards to be eliminated by the snipers.
"All front guards are down." Roman confirmed. Immediately, everyone advanced.
We reached the locked digital gate. Two men, dressed almost identically to us, lay lifeless near the entranceâfelled by Roman's bullets.
"Be careful. Ten men are rushing out from inside. Hold your positions." Andrei warned.
We pressed ourselves against the gate wall, keeping our distance from the entrance.
Then, Juan sprinted forward, positioning himself with a bazooka. He aimed the heavy weapon at the iron gate from fifty meters away.
BOOM!
As soon as the gate was blasted open, a hail of bullets rained down through the lingering smoke. Juan, quick on his feet, immediately dodged and took cover.
"Petit. Do you have eyes on the enemy?" Pavlo asked once the gunfire ceased.
"I have. One... two... three down. The rest are scattering for cover."
"Okay. Let's move." Pavlo commanded.
Juan caught up from behind and rejoined the squad. Meanwhile, Petit and Roman remained in position.
We stormed in, splitting into three teams as planned during the briefing.
We combed through every corridor and room of the multi-story mansionâworth approximately seventy-five million U.S. dollars. The sound of gunfire erupted from every corner as we eliminated the guards one by one, disabling every visible CCTV camera.
Hey! I even managed to shoot a couple of them down with my Luger Parabellum bullets. Though my hand movements were still stiff, it was still something.
"Second floor is clear." Rodrigo reported.
"Third floor is clear." James reported.
"First floor is clear." Pavlo confirmed.
"Five hostiles remaining." Mario updated.
"Where is Gabriel?" I asked.
"He is in the basement with five others. But it looks like he's in a secret room or bunker. Be careful," Andrei added.
Murdani, Pavlo, and I, who had been sweeping the first floor together, began searching the living room for hidden doors or switches that might lead to Gabriel's hiding spot.
Suddenly... a 100-inch television screen in the room lit up.
"Hello, Wisnu."
Gabriel William's voice. Just his voiceâno image.
"You are such a fearless and brilliant kid, Wisnu. And I'm very amazed at how far you've come. Maybe I should just surrender right now. But first, I want to negotiate."
The screen changed to a live video feed.
"Say hi to your lovers, Wisnu."
Talia and Rachel...
They were inside separate metal cages, suspended above a pool. A pool containing two of the ocean's top predators.
FUCK!