Day 1 – Lockdown Begins
A thick silence blanketed Athavan's estate, as the first stirrings of tension crept beyond the hills.
Across Walaysia, a nationwide lockdown surged into effect. Airports sealed. Naval checkpoints doubled. Jungle patrol units deployed across the eastern ridgelines. Surveillance drones painted the sky in digital gridlines sharp, pulsing, watching.
Inside the mansion, Dhiviya and her family remained home, as instructed. Despite the precautions, the air felt thin. The ground beneath their sanctuary didn't tremble from earthquakes it trembled with whispers of what might come.
Far below the surface, inside his hidden tactical base, Athavan stood at his war table eyes locked onto live drone feeds.
In his gut, he knew:
The next threat… was already inside.
Day 2 – Infiltration
At 3:17 AM, alarms screamed across East Walaysia.
Military drones dropped out of signal range. Jungle sensors failed across the Khao Prachani corridor. Port authorities in Lohor reported unidentified vessel landings as fishing boats carrying encrypted communications.
By dawn, intelligence reports flooded in:
Over 300 mercenaries had already infiltrated Walaysia from multiple entry points.
Camouflaged insertion through the Thailand-Walaysia jungle border.
Coastal breach via Batam Island, docking silently in Lohor.
Smuggled entry hidden behind refugee manifests and aid convoys.
The invaders bore no insignia.
They looked like civilians.
But their tactics?
Ghost warfare, fast, silent and surgical.
WOME Mercenaries.
The Wolves of the Middle East.
By noon, they had overrun Pelangi Barracks, a tactical base in Teremban. Security was neutralized. Full armory commandeered. RPGs, anti-air missiles, autonomous ground mines, encrypted comm units are all gone.
And then…
They vanished off radar.
No satellite picked them up.
No trace.
Only the sound of scrambling troops and jammed frequencies.
The East went into National State Alert.
Troop movements stalled.
Comm lines cut.
Chaos spread.
And in a dim-lit operations room in Metropore City, Athavan watched the collapse begin.
Day 3 – Hostage Crisis
At 7:45 AM, another alert fractured the command grid.
Teluk Mutiara, a school hostel outside Metropore City, had been seized.
258 students.
Held at gunpoint.
Hostel guards were neutralized. Teachers locked down. Internal communication—cut.
And then, a video.
Released across social media and broadcast networks.
WOME operatives in bone-pattern gear.
Children forced to kneel in silence.
A countdown timer blinking red beside a crate labeled "VX-23."
Nationwide panic detonated.
Social media exploded.
Parents screamed.
The streets bled fear.
Metropore City Command Room – 8:20 AM
Inside Department Zero's primary ops chamber, Athavan leaned over a holo-map.
Blinking red signals marked the seizure point.
Then, the doors opened.
Joseph Fendance, National Hero of Walaysia, stepped in his ceremonial armor gleaming, cybernetic wrist console already scanning the footage.
"Athavan," Joseph said, tone ironclad.
"I'll handle negotiations.
If we don't secure the children by sundown…
The country will turn into chaos."
Athavan nodded, voice measured.
"WOME doesn't move loud unless it's a smokescreen.
This is just their opening act."
General Rahman narrowed his eyes.
"You think this… is a distraction?"
Athavan turned the console highlighted three blinking nodes.
Sanggol Military Base, Bukit Armor Police HQ and Teremban National Prison
Athavan met the general's gaze.
"They haven't touched these sites yet.
But their drones fly patterns around them.
Their people are watching these facilities according to my intel."
He pointed again.
"They're waiting.
For Chanda to make his move.
My teams are monitoring his network.
Thier demands likely...
Raja Sekaran.
Plus, drugs and weapons we seized during our national cleanup. May be that's why their watching these facilities."
Death Trope Assembly – 2:30 PM
Athavan returned to his hidden tactical deck beneath the AD Tech Building.
Waiting in formation was his elite soldiers.
The Death Trope Warriors.
Clad in shadow armor, masked in silence, weapons prepped in synchronicity.
Fifteen warriors.
Among them some are the Names that made the underworld tremble.
Falcon-8, The aerial marksman with adaptive HUD optics.
Shadow Spine, The infiltration expert with silencer tech.
Reaper One, The field medic trained in anti-nerve protocols.
Ashaka, The youngest; rumored to slice targets mid-breath.
Each and every one of them is a deadly agent.
Athavan stood before them.
"You've seen the data.
Some of you have fought WOME before.
So do not engage using standard DLA technique.
No,our usualformation and no signature strikes.
Do not compromise our Identity."
He walked the line slowly.
"Your priority is to secure every student.
Your goal makes WOME lose 300 over men in the next 24 hours.
I want zero casualties.
No hostages lost.
No brothers down."
Fifteen voices spoke together.
"Yes, sir."
Athavan paused.
"Stay sharp. Stay silent. Stay lethal."
Parallel Surveillance – 4:10 PM
While defense units scrambled, Athavan rerouted satellite attention onto Chanda's encrypted networks.
Multiple anomalies spiked in as reports comes in.
Gang Garuda made contact made with The Ghouls, a savage mercenary faction specializing in suicide warfare.
Duplicate vehicle registrations. Hundreds of cloned license plates disrupting local traffic systems. Every car looks identical.
Athavan clenched his jaw.
"The gameplay is getting complicated, and Chanda is not making any movement yet.
He… is waiting.
For what?"
He activated a line.
"Patch into Ghoul command routes.
Capture one.
Make him talk.
I want the mission, verbatim."
School Perimeter – 6:30 PM
Entire School perimeter had been under locked by military and police unit. Temporary command post had been established.
Joseph Fenandez approached the locked school compound.
Broadcast towers were reactivated.
Gas lines redirected.
At the gate, three WOME commanders stood plasma rifles pulsing. Joseph stepped forward.
"I am Assistant Commissioner Joseph Fenandez.
Authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Walaysian Government.
Release the children.
You're surrounded.
Don't underestimate our resolve."
One commander stepped forward—voice metallic, distorted.
"Joseph… The Hero of Walaysia?"
He laughed.
"We are honored to welcome by you Mister Hero. Anyway, We're not here to negotiate.
We're here to share something."
The others chuckled, adjusting weapons.
"We've planted deadly bombs in 25 locations across Metropore City.
Hospitals. Government buildings. Malls. Mosques. Temples. Churches.
Public transport terminals like LRT and bus stations.
Try anything, and you'll burn with bigger price!"
Joseph didn't flinch.
"Empty threats."
The lead WOME spoke again.
"Let's play then. We've placed a bomb inside Metropore Public Hospital.
It detonates exactly 9:00 PM.
It's 6:35 PM now.
Tick-tock, Assistance Commissioner.
Tick-tock....Tick-tock!"
He turned and walked back inside.
Leaving Joseph paralyzed but within second he gain his composure and return back to command post in urgent.
30 Minutes Later – National Broadcast
Across all news channels:
"Citizens of Walaysia,"
"Please remain calm.
Stay indoors.
Our teams are operating at full force.
We will not bow to shadows.
We will protect you."
The Prime Minister's voice flash across all radio and news channels.
7:00 PM – Athavan Mansion
Back at the mansion, the walls buzzed with quiet dread. Dhiviya's phone lit up, Punitha's mother.
She answered.
"Yes, maa? Is everything okay?"
But no words came.
Only the sound of sobbing.
Shaky breaths.
Broken cries.
Dhiviya's hands trembled.
"Maa… speak to me. What's happened?"
The voice cracked through.
"Punitha… Punitha had a car accident. She is in ICU now. Can you come here?"
Dhiviya's heart sank.