Operation Blackout

》 CHAPTER 10│ Premonition of Ma'ata《

Weizhou hasn't had a chance to change his clothes nor eat something for dinner. He and the rest of his newly arrived team were summoned by the village chief, Abba. They were escorted by the Bantays going further deep into the village center, Da'pit Tung'nga. The family of each house that they've passed through, light their torches and follow them at the back.

"Are they gonna burn us alive Zhou?!" Chen Wen said scaredly. He was overthinking everything from the start.

"C'mon Wen.. don't be so negative about this. We still don't know what's going on yet but whatever it is, we'll talk this out to their chief, ok?.." Weizhou comforted his best friend even though he himself had a bad feeling about their situation. Unconsciously, he looked around searching for someone.

"Where is he?" Weizhou thought. JIngyu was nowhere to be seen. Though they only met for about 38 hours 5 minutes and 30 seconds, Weizhou trusted him as if they knew each other. It may sound naive or foolish to some but to Weizhou, there is something about his mysterious bodyguard that he can't be sure of. Everything was new - the place, the people, even his feelings. Uncertainty lingers deep within him but somehow he feels safe and secure every time he's with his stern-face bodyguard.

With Jingyu not around, Weizhou tried to keep himself calm and composed in their situation right now.

"Kenny, Did they do something like this when you arrived here? This seems odd, don't you think?" Weizhou asked Kenny who was walking beside him.

"Umm no they didn't. When we arrived, we only met the leader of the Bantay. His name is Isog'ga , that guy over there..." Kenny points at the middle-age man who walked a few feet in front of them . He was referring to the same tattooed-man who attacked them yesterday at the forest. Weizhou continued to listen.

"... after we explained our purpose and intentions, we negotiated with him regarding our camp and then he let the women do their 'welcome ritual'; they gave each of us a flower necklace and let us drink a cup of water from their sacred spring... but tonight, I don't know.." Kenny continued. Weizhou can sense the nervousness of the kid. He decided to no longer ask another question because he felt sorry for the kid.

As they kept on walking, the path slowly transitioned from rocky road into sandy soil. A huge bonfire was already lit inside the sand circle. The Bantays stood outside the circle, each holding a long wooden torch. The moment they step into the sand circle, the Bantays stomped their wooden torch against the sand insync with the beat of the drums. The vibrations can be felt between their feet. There was also a huge crowd of villagers who wanted to witness this peculiar moment. Weizhou and the rest of his team all stood behind the bonfire.

It was nerve-wracking and intimidating as hell.

As the team leader, Weizhou tried to compose himself and remained calm. He can't let his already scared team be even more scared than they already are. The stomping and the sound of the drums were getting louder and faster.

Boom. Boom. Boom

Then it stopped. It stopped the moment a man stood up from his chair, up on an elevated wooden platform. He has long braided hair wrapped with silk cloth. He also has a very intricate tattoo all the way from his neck down to his arms and legs. He wore round golden necklaces along with his bright colored-patterned clothes that covered his masculine and intimidating figure. It is obvious that by just mere clothes and appearance that others can distinguish one's status among the rest.

"He is the village chief, Abba. Everyone here worships him like a god. And remember Doc Zhou, always address him as 'Datu Abba'.. He is very particular about that.." Kenny warned Weizhou. Weizhou was about to speak when Datu Abba started to speak as well. His loud deep voice echoed through the night, gathering all eyes towards him. All the villagers and Bantays kneeled down except for Weizhou and his team.