Code of Retribution

Chapter 1 : The Warning

The bustling heart of Jakarta was alive with noise and motion. In the afternoon, cars honked impatiently as they navigated crowded streets, while people moved in waves along the sidewalks, faces lit by the glow of their phones. Street vendors called out, and the buzz of the city felt as constant and endless as the pulse of the earth itself.

Suddenly, a jarring tone interrupted the city's rhythm. One by one, phones across the area chimed and buzzed. People glanced at their screens, frowning in confusion at the unusual alert. The message was chilling in its brevity:

"WARNING: Evacuate the Neotrax Tech Building immediately. Move as far away as possible within the next ten minutes if you value your life. You have been warned."

The crowd murmured in confusion. People shared uncertain glances, some already edging away from the towering Neotrax Tech Building, the gleaming high-rise looming over the city center like a monolith. Others dismissed the warning, smirking or rolling their eyes, assuming it was just another prank or glitch.

But the clock was ticking.

In the upper floors of the Neotrax Tech Building, employees hurriedly packed bags, confused but uneasy, casting nervous glances at each other. A few of them made their way to the elevators, faces pale with a growing sense of dread.

Exactly ten minutes after the message, a thunderous explosion shook the ground. A blast of fire and debris burst from the building, shattering glass and sending concrete raining down. The Neotrax Tech Building crumbled in seconds, reduced to a heap of twisted metal and rubble. A thick plume of smoke rose to the sky, and the acrid scent of burning materials filled the air. Screams erupted as people fled the scene, faces pale with terror, trying to escape the shower of debris and chaos.

News cameras and journalists arrived within minutes, and the scene flooded the television screens across the nation. An emergency broadcast flashed on every channel, showing the haunting aftermath of the explosion, footage of survivors covered in dust and blood, and the grim faces of paramedics rushing to pull people from the wreckage.

As the news anchors struggled to contain their shock, the broadcast was abruptly interrupted. The screens flickered, and the scene changed.

A figure appeared on the screen, his face obscured by shadows and a red mask that covered his face. A distorted voice echoed, cold and mechanical, each word heavy with barely contained anger.

"Hello Indonesia. I'm Nemesis."

A hush fell across living rooms, offices, and crowded bars. Every eye was fixed on the screen as Nemesis continued, his voice a chilling monotone.

"For too long, you have been deceived. For too long, those in power have twisted the law to protect themselves, abandoning justice and leaving you all to suffer. Today, I have destroyed the Neotrax Tech Building as a warning. I demand that this government restore justice, beginning with the public execution of Chandra Wijaya."

People gasped. Chandra Wijaya. The infamous businessman who had embezzled 1.7 billion rupiah from government projects, sentenced to a mere three and a half years in prison, a mockery of justice.

Nemesis's voice grew colder. "I demand transparency. Uncensored footage of this justice, for every citizen to witness. If my demands are ignored, I will strike again within forty-eight hours. This is only the beginning. You have been warned."

With that, the screen flickered, and Nemesis disappeared, replaced once again by the shocked faces of news anchors struggling to process the unexpected broadcast.

Across the city, reactions varied wildly. Some people looked around with expressions of horror, whispering in disbelief. Others, who had watched with clenched fists and burning eyes, murmured approval. The shadowy figure calling himself Nemesis had just dared to do what many only dreamed of demand accountability from those at the top.

Inside a grand, sterile office overlooking the city, Galih Gunawan, Chief of the Indonesian National Police, stood before a television, his expression grim. The explosion and Nemesis's message played on a loop, each replay only deepening his scowl. He grabbed his phone, dialing his superior with urgency.

"This is beyond anything we've seen before," he muttered into the phone. "I'm putting every department on high alert."

In the Police IT department, tech experts scrambled to trace the origins of the broadcast. A junior analyst, Rizky Wirawan, tapped furiously on his keyboard, his eyes glued to the series of code on the screen. "It's like looking at a ghost," he murmured, awed by the seamless hacking that had infiltrated every channel. "This Nemesis... he's on a different level."

Meanwhile, in the National Intelligence Agency, Eka Saputra, the head of operations, leaned forward, eyes sharp with a calculating gleam. He watched the broadcast replay, noting every detail, dissecting the masked figure's words. There was a method here, a pattern a mind driven by more than just destruction. It was justice Nemesis sought, albeit through brutal means.

And as Eka watched, he felt a shiver, realizing they were dealing with someone who wouldn't hesitate to tear down anything or anyone standing in their way.