26-1: Mariana's Mystical Power vs. the Sniper's Scope
An abandoned building beside the Kembang Setaman nightclub.
A masked man had the barrel of his sniper rifle aimed at the nightclub.
Through his night scope, his target was clear—a beautiful woman dressed in elegant black, a paper fan spread open in her left hand.
Three bullets were chambered. His index finger rested on the trigger, ready to fire.
Meanwhile…
On the nightclub's second floor, Mariana sat restlessly. A glass of untouched cocktail sat before her.
She rose slowly, assuming a low fighting stance. The paper fan in her left hand opened wide.
Her hand began trembling violently. A crimson glow flared at her wrist. The paper fan gleamed, hardening like steel.
The red glow spread across her entire body. The air around her grew unbearably hot.
Broto and the bodyguards began to sweat. The air conditioning was no match for the wave of heat radiating from Mariana's tenaga dalam—her inner power.
The air grew heavier.
Broto: "Ma'am?"
Mariana signaled him to stay silent.
Downstairs, the music still pounded. Disco lights spun as people danced to the blaring dangdut beat.
***
26-2: Paper Fan vs. Bullets
Back to the abandoned building.
Through the night scope, the sniper had his perfect shot.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three bullets ripped through the air toward the target.
Meanwhile…
Mariana, already prepared, moved like the wind.
The first bullet—she slashed aside with her fan.
Whoosh!
Crash!
Clang!
It ricocheted, shattering a window.
The second bullet—she smashed with her right fist.
Thud!
Crash!
Bang!
It spun away, striking another window.
But the third bullet came too fast to block. Mariana let it hit.
Thwack!
Plunk!
It fell harmlessly to the floor, as if it had struck an invisible steel wall, stopping just a handspan from her body.
Broto and the guards were pale with cold sweat.
Beads of perspiration as big as corn kernels rolled down Mariana's forehead.
Below, the party roared on. No one had noticed a thing.
The masked man simply shook his head, calmly packing his weapon into its case before leaving the building.
***
26-3 The Laptop Screen
Mariana sat back down, her eyes sharp and unblinking. She took her cocktail and sipped slowly, the fan in her left hand now folded.
Broto lit a kretek cigarette, inhaling deeply before letting the smoke drift lazily from his mouth.
The pounding music from below did nothing to ease the tension upstairs.
Suddenly, the CCTV operator approached Broto and handed him a laptop.
Broto's eyes widened at what he saw.
Broto: "Ma'am…"
He hurried over to Mariana, placing the laptop before her.
Mariana's gaze locked on the screen.
Mariana: "Bastard!"
***
26-4: The Raid on Kembang Setaman Nightclub
Mariana's jaw tightened as she stared at the laptop.
From the front entrance, a loud commotion erupted. The front hall was torn apart as around twenty people stormed in.
Mariana: "Green Gang."
From the left side entrance, several security guards were thrown across tables, glasses, and bottles. Patrons scattered in panic.
The scene was just as chaotic as the front.
Two young women in pink leather jackets burst in, followed by a man and a middle-aged woman.
Mariana: "Rani and Rina!"
From the right side entrance came the sound of police sirens.
Mariana: "Densus 88!"
On the basement CCTV, a woman in a red jacket and a man in a police uniform strode quickly toward the lift.
Mariana: "Nagini!"
Her right hand clenched into a fist. The fan in her left hand snapped open.
***
26-5: Giono Heads to Kembang Setaman
The sidewalk outside the abandoned building was dark, unlit by street lamps. The place felt deserted and eerie.
A masked man stepped out, carrying a large case in his right hand.
He removed the mask, glancing toward the nightclub.
Giono: "Weladalah, wedus!"
It was Giono—the leader of Geng Hijau.
Giono: "That Mariana… three bullets and she's still standing! Wedus tenan!"
He noticed the chaos at the nightclub from afar. Police sirens grew louder.
Giono: "Weladalah, wedus! Things are heating up…"
He stowed the case in his car, locked the door, and headed toward the nightclub.
From a distance, he could see Turiman, Karto, Tikno, and the others tearing apart the front hall.
Giono: "Wedus! I told you not to get involved! You, Karto! And you too, Turiman!"
***
26-6: Mariana's Small Smile
Turiman: "Hit 'em!"
Tikno: "Smash 'em! Beat 'em up!"
Karto: "Turn them into sticky rice martabak!"
Danu: "Make them into potato croquettes!"
Thud!
"Ow!"
Clang!
Crash!
"Mercy, Auntie!"
Bam!
Bang!
"Damn fool!"
From the other side came equally noisy replies:
Salamun: "Let's turn them into peanut brittle!"
Kolil: "Make them into gado-gado!"
Mesran: "Choose—hospital or cemetery?"
The ruckus of the second round of fighting roared like a bustling night market.
From the second floor, Mariana watched with a cold face. But hearing the food-themed battle cries…
She couldn't help but smile.
***
26-7 Ngatmo, Karsiyah, Rani, and Rina Go Berserk
While also keeping an eye on the chaos below, Mariana didn't blink as she watched the CCTV feed on her laptop.
Thud!
Crash!
A security guard collapsed from Ngatmo's punch, his lip swelling instantly as if struck by lightning.
Wham!
Clatter!
Another guard was sent flying by Ngatmo's follow-up kick, crashing into a table full of glasses and bottles. His hand dangled, swelling—probably sprained.
Two more guards took punches from Karsiyah.
Thump!
Smack!
Karsiyah's fist landed squarely on one guard's forehead, raising a lump the size of an onion. Another slap to the cheek of a different guard made him stagger sideways, his vision spinning, his cheek puffing like someone with a bad toothache.
Four large-bodied guards groaned on the floor, small knives sticking into the palms of each hand.
Guard 1: "Ouch! It stings!"
Guard 2: "There's a knife in my hand!"
Yes—this was the work of Rani and Rina, the knife-throwing twin sisters.
***
26-8 Nagini and Burhan Ready for Action
Meanwhile, Nagini and Burhan moved quickly through the basement corridor, following Tina's directions.
They searched for the elevator.
Once they found it, they went up to the second floor—where the Sweet Room was located.
The elevator moved slowly…
When the doors opened on the second floor, ten tall, broad security guards were waiting. In their hands, they gripped heavy batons, their faces fierce.
Guard 1: "Surround them!"
Guard 2: "Beat them up together!"
Guard 3: "Let's turn them into steamed sponge cake!"
Their shouts rang out in unison.
Nagini smiled coldly.
Burhan shifted into a guarded stance.
Without warning, the ten guards attacked from all sides.
Nagini: "Ready, Burhan?"
Burhan: "Of course, Nagini. People like this are my breakfast."
Nagini chuckled.
They stood back-to-back, ready to face the onslaught.
Thud!
Wham!
Smack!
Crash!
Fists, kicks, and chairs collided in every direction.
***
26-9 Giono Joins the Fray
Meanwhile, Giono was approaching the Kembang Setaman Discotheque, heading toward the spot where Karto and Turiman were leading the Green Gang against Broto's security guards.
Without a word, Giono jumped into the fight.
He struck the guards with both hands.
Thud!
Smack!
Wham!
Pop!
Punches, slaps, kicks, and open-handed smacks landed on one guard after another.
Some were sent flying.
One had two broken teeth.
Another had a lump on his forehead.
Another clutched his jaw in pain.
One doubled over holding his stomach.
Karto: "Look, Boss Giono is in the fight!"
Turiman: "Right! Let's take back the Kembang Setaman Discotheque!"
***
26-10 Tikno Beats the Air
At the same time, Tikno swung his baton wildly, hitting nothing but air.
Sometimes a table.
Sometimes a bottle.
Sometimes a glass.
Bang!
Shatter!
Clatter!
Tikno: "Come on! I'll finish you all myself!"
Karto and Turiman exchanged looks, then smiled like horses.
When they paid closer attention, Tikno was swinging with his eyes closed.
Giono: "Weladalah, Karto… and you too, Turiman! I told you not to get involved!"
Karto: "We can't just stand by, Boss!"
Turiman: "You've been good to us!"
Giono: "Wedus! But this could get you killed!"
Karto and Turiman just smiled, still fighting.
Karto: "A true friend must be defended to the last drop of blood."
Turiman: "You're the one who feeds our wives and children."
Giono was moved by their loyalty.
Giono: "Wedus tenan, you two! Ha-ha…"
Thud!
Wham!
Two more guards went flying from Giono's punches.
***
26-11 An Unexpected Reunion: Giono, Tono, and Rudin
At the same moment, a Densus 88 team vehicle pulled up in front of the Kembang Setaman Discotheque.
The brawl between the Green Gang and the security guards was at its peak.
Sirens wailed. People panicked.
Patrons ran out, afraid of batons or stray bullets.
The Densus team quickly formed up and headed for the entrance.
Tono, the Densus 88 team leader, spotted the chaos inside.
Tono: "Damn! We're late!"
Rudin: "From the look of them, that's the Green Gang!"
Tono: "Right!"
Rudin: "Do you know the security here?"
Tono: "Yeah. Even though they wear uniforms, they're really street thugs."
Rudin: "Thugs disguised as security guards, you mean?"
Tono: "Exactly!"
They nodded to each other.
Tono: "Alright! Let's arrest them all!"
Rudin: "Move out!"
Armed to the teeth, Densus 88 stormed in.
Tono: "Hands up! Don't move!"
Rudin: "Or we shoot!"
But neither side paid any attention—they kept brawling.
Bang! Bang!
Tono fired into the air. Everyone froze.
Giono: "Weladalah! Wedus! Tono, is that you?"
Tono turned, eyes wide.
Tono: "Captain Giono?"
Giono: "And you… Rudin, right?"
Rudin nodded.
***
26-12 Mariana Holds Back Her Rage
Meanwhile, Mariana watched from the second floor.
Her jaw tightened. Her eyes gleamed dangerously.
She gripped her paper fan tightly.
Mariana: "Giono again!!"
Broto: "And the police too, Ma'am!"
Mariana: "I spared you the other day, Giono… but today I'll finish you."
She drained her cold cocktail and stood.
Her bodyguards stepped back to give her room.
Broto: "But Ma'am… Giono came with the police—anti-terror."
Mariana looked down at the fight below—tables and chairs flying, bottles and glasses shattering, shouts and groans filling the air.
She also glanced at her laptop screen—Nagini and Burhan were having no trouble with ten guards.
Broto and four armed guards—Reno, Riko, Rifai, and Rendi.
Broto carried a black case chained to his wrist—it contained Mariana's important documents.
They headed for the Sweet Room.
End of Chapter 26
To be continued in Chapter 27
!"