BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
The red light on the side of the container flashed endlessly.
09:43
The sea wind swept across the docks. Carrying the smell of salt. Hot metal. And something else—
something wrong.
No one moved.
They only stared at the numbers falling on the screen.
Time didn't slow down. It didn't care who they were. It didn't care how many people they could save.
It just kept moving.
"…this isn't training anymore."
Bimo's voice came out low. Almost drowned by the sound of the waves.
For the first time— there was no humor in it.
Sinta moved immediately.
"We don't have time."
Pak Rahmat nodded sharply.
"Farhan. Lila." "You two handle the system."
Then he looked at the others.
"Don't let anyone get near the container."
No one answered. Because everyone was already moving.
Farhan dropped to one knee in front of the control panel.
CLICK.
Cables connected instantly.
Lila opened her tablet. Lines of code flooded the screen. Signals. Graphs. Layers upon layers of shifting systems updating every second.
"…this is strange."
Farhan typed faster.
"This is too complex for a simple lock."
Lila swallowed slowly.
"…because it's not a lock."
Bimo frowned.
"…then what is it?"
Farhan paused for half a second.
"…a control center."
Silence.
Pak Rahmat understood immediately.
"…a node."
Farhan nodded.
"A distribution node." "If this thing fully activates—"
Lila continued quietly,
"…they'll be able to disrupt the entire MBG distribution network at once."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Not one city. Not one kitchen.
The entire system.
08:58
Arga wasn't looking at the screen.
He was looking at the container.
Black. Still. Motionless.
But his body— felt something.
His lunch box opened slowly.
Eight glowing grains of rice.
Blinking. Synchronized. Faster.
Not warm anymore.
Restless.
As if something inside the container— was calling him.
"…Arga?"
Sinta noticed the change immediately.
Arga closed his eyes.
And for a moment— he wasn't standing at the harbor anymore.
He felt pathways.
Thousands of them.
Signals racing like veins of light spreading across the country.
Schools. Warehouses. Kitchens. Ports.
Everything connected.
And somewhere in the center of it all— something pulsed.
Alive.
Arga slowly opened his eyes.
"…this isn't a machine."
Farhan looked over instantly.
"…I see it too."
Lila pointed at the energy graph.
"The output keeps changing." "Like…"
She stopped.
Afraid to finish the sentence.
"…it's breathing."
Silence.
Bimo let out a nervous laugh.
"…okay." "…I officially hate this thing."
07:51
VRROOOOMMMM—
Headlights cut through the darkness of the harbor.
One. Two. Five.
Too many.
Black vehicles stopped in a half-circle formation.
Doors opened simultaneously.
Footsteps echoed across the concrete dock.
And in the middle of them—
the man in the hat appeared.
Calm. Perfectly composed. As if nothing in the world could ever surprise him.
He glanced at the timer.
Then smiled faintly.
"You found it quickly."
Bimo clicked his tongue.
"…and I was really hoping we'd never see you again."
Sinta stepped forward.
"You're not winning tonight."
The man chuckled softly.
"Us?" "We don't need to win here."
He looked toward the container.
"It will win for us."
The red light blinked faster.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
06:57
Farhan typed even faster now.
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
"…I'm almost inside."
Lila suddenly froze at something on the screen.
Her face turned pale.
"…no." "…the system is changing."
"What do you mean changing?" Sinta asked sharply.
Lila stared at the display without blinking.
"…it's learning."
Silence.
Bimo laughed weakly.
"…of course." "…why not make it alive too?"
No one answered.
Because they were beginning to think— maybe it already was.
The man in the hat turned back toward Arga.
His gaze was different this time.
Deeper.
"You always come to save people."
He took another slow step forward.
"But this time…"
His smile faded.
"…you'll only get to watch the system collapse."
That sentence hit harder than any threat.
Because they knew— it could be true.
05:49
The timer kept falling.
Merciless.
Unstoppable.
Arga's lunch box pulsed faster.
Perfectly synchronized with the red light on the container.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Like two hearts— recognizing each other.
Arga stared at the countdown.
Then at the container.
Then at the man in the hat.
"…no."
Everyone turned toward him.
Arga stepped forward.
Calm.
But the pressure in the air shifted instantly.
"If we can't stop it from the outside…"
He stopped directly in front of the container door.
"…then we go inside."
Silence.
Bimo blinked.
"…you're serious?"
Pak Rahmat immediately spoke.
"That's too dangerous."
Arga glanced at the timer again.
05:21
Dropping. Fast.
"We don't have a choice."
The man in the hat smiled wider now.
Not mocking.
Waiting.
"Please."
He slowly spread his arms.
"…we wanted you to enter."
That sentence made everyone realize it instantly.
This wasn't just a trap.
They had been led here on purpose.
The red lights began flashing wildly.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The container trembled slightly.
Once.
Then again.
And finally— a sound came from inside.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Like something— was waking up.
Farhan slowly stepped back.
His face pale.
"…there's something inside."
No one answered.
Because all of them— could already feel it.
Arga stood directly in front of the black container.
His lunch box glowed brighter and brighter.
The air around him grew heavier.
Tighter.
As if the entire harbor was holding its breath.
Then—
Arga raised his hand.
"…open it."
There was no countdown for that decision.
Because time— would never wait for them.
And for the first time—
they weren't just fighting Dominion anymore.
They were about to enter—
the heart of the system itself.
And somewhere deep inside the container—
something—
had already opened its eyes.