13-1: Detective Action by Burhan
Burhan followed Nagini's steps from behind, gripping his pistol tightly and aiming it forward, ready to shoot.
Burhan: "Nagini, I will take down the two guards patrolling beside the warehouse."
Nagini looked at Burhan without reacting. Her face appeared tense and worried.
Burhan: "Don't go in yet, Nagini! Wait for me to take down the two patrolling guards."
Without waiting for an answer, Burhan immediately moved to the side, creeping silently. His pistol was aimed forward, ready to fire at any moment.
***
13-2 Capturing the Guards at the Kangkung Gang Base
Burhan stealthily approached the side of the warehouse.
At the end of the warehouse, under a dim light, Burhan saw two guards patrolling separately.
Burhan sneaked closer to one guard standing under a five-watt light.
The guard was smoking while holding a phone.
Guard 1: "Ready, Boss. We've secured the girls."
He took a deep drag from his cigarette.
Guard 1: "Yes, Boss. Some of the selected girls have been secured at Tanjung Priok port."
The guard was silent, taking another deep drag.
Guard 1: "Yes, Boss. They will be sent to Thailand for work."
He listened to further instructions, then hung up.
Suddenly, the guard felt a sharp pain in his neck and lost consciousness. Burhan had struck him with the pistol butt.
Burhan silently moved toward the other guard.
***
13-3 Catching Up with Nagini
Ahead, Burhan saw the other guard standing in the dark. His eyes stared at his phone without blinking.
His face was tense, looking at the phone screen. He smoked irregularly.
Burhan got closer. He heard sighs coming from the guard's phone.
Turns out, the guard was watching a porn video.
Burhan crept up and struck the second guard's neck with the pistol butt.
The guard collapsed unconscious, dropping his phone.
Burhan took the phone and turned it off. His face twisted slightly in discomfort seeing the scene on the screen.
He immediately headed forward to look for Nagini.
The place where Nagini was supposed to be was empty.
The front door was open.
Burhan became instantly alert. He was very worried Nagini had gone in alone without waiting for him.
Without hesitation, Burhan ran toward the front door.
***
13-4 Spying on Sawitri's Kidnappers
Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, four guards sat around a table, playing cards.
On the table lay scattered several bottles of beer, cigarette packs, an ashtray full of butts, and a large pack of Sukro-brand peanuts.
These four guards matched the descriptions given by Marni, Jono's wife.
They were Nano, Udin Peyek, Bejan, and Bandi Hulk.
Nano tossed a small card onto the table, smiling.
Nano: "Your turn now, Udin!"
Udin peyek: "I pass, boss!"
Nano: "Bejan! Your turn!"
Bejan threw down a card, stacking it on Nano's.
Nano: "Bandi! Your turn!"
Bandi Hulk: "I pass too, boss!"
Turns out, they were playing gaple (an Indonesian card game).
They laughed happily, smoked cigarettes, downed beer, and snacked on Sukro peanuts.
Not one of them noticed that two of their comrades had been knocked out outside.
In the back room, behind a locked door, several girls sat anxiously. Their faces were fearful.
Some were quietly crying.
***
13-5 Taking Down the Kidnappers
Suddenly!
Bang!
The front door was smashed open, flying toward them and hitting the table with beer and Sukro peanuts.
Clang-clater!
The four jumped to their feet—startled, shocked, and a bit scared.
Their eyes widened.
They saw a woman in a red leather jacket standing with her hands on her hips in front of them.
Only then did they realize the door was kicked down by the Red Jacket.
Nano, the most experienced, quickly drew his pistol and aimed it at Nagini.
Nano: "Who are you, daring to cause trouble here?"
Bejan: "You're a pretty woman. How dare you come into the tiger's den!"
Udin Peyek: "Aren't you afraid of becoming our cook?"
Bandi Hulk: "Aren't you afraid of becoming our girlfriend—all four of us?"
The three, following Nano, drew their pistols.
Nagini didn't react. Her eyes gleamed fiercely. Her hands tightly gripped poisonous needles.
Nano: "Hey, answer us! Or you'll become our fritter batter!"
Bejan: "We're not only called the Tigers in Geng Kangkung, but also the Crocodiles!"
Nagini smiled to herself, amused by Bejan's words—between tiger and crocodile—but it didn't hide her anger.
Udin Peyek: "Boss, better make her the cook! Let her cook for us!"
Bejan: "So we don't have to waste energy buying food from the warteg.
( Warteg: cheap Indonesian street food stall, short for Warung Tegal.)
They chuckled, underestimating her.
Bandi: "Boss, permission? I'll just make her our girlfriend. Someone this pretty, it's a pity to make her cook..."
Nagini still didn't respond.
Udin: "You've got a crush, Ban?"
Bandi smiled shyly.
***
13-6 Nagini Takes Action
Nagini: "Where are you hiding the girls you kidnapped?"
Nano and the three others exchanged glances, then chuckled.
Nano: "So you're looking for them."
Udin Peyek: "Are you family?"
Bejan: "Are you a cop?"
Bandi Hulk didn't react. His eyes sparkled as he stared at Nagini. He was clearly smitten.
Nano: "Judging by how you kicked down the door, you must be part of the police intel team."
Udin Peyek and Bejan started to take Nagini seriously.
But Bandi Hulk wasn't paying attention. His lips curled into a smile as he gazed at Nagini.
***
13-7 Nagini vs. The Kidnappers
Nano began to grow suspicious because the two guards patrolling outside hadn't returned.
Nano: "Who sent you?"
Udin Peyek: "You must be a cop!"
Bejan: "You're definitely a Densus 88 assault team member!"
Bandi kept smiling, biting his lip, staring dreamily at Nagini.
Nano, Udin Peyek, and Bejan started aiming their pistols at Nagini. They were only three meters away.
Meanwhile, Bandi Hulk's heart softened even more, captivated by Nagini's charm.
Seeing the very dangerous situation and knowing a gunshot could go off any second, Nagini grew more alert.
Her hand began to tremble. A faint blue glow appeared at her wrist. The needle in her hand was clenched tightly.
Because they were so close, even if the bullet wasn't stopped by the poisonous needle, it still wouldn't pierce Nagini's body.
Nagini had released a high-level inner energy, enveloping her body in an invisible cold aura.
The cold aura could be felt by Nano, Udin Peyek, Bejan, and Bandi Hulk.
A coldness like an iron shield.
A coldness infused with mystical power.
Nano, Udin Peyek, Bejan, and Bandi grew uneasy. Their bodies suddenly felt cold.
An unusual chill that made their sweat break out and their hair stand on end.
***
13-8 Nagini's Fury
Nagini: "Hey, Shrimp Crackers! I'll ask you one more time, where are you hiding the girls?"
Nagini pointed at Udin Peyek, calling him "Shrimp Crackers."
Udin Peyek flinched, offended.
Meanwhile, Nano and Bejan smirked, trying not to laugh; indeed, Udin was skinny and bony—perfectly nicknamed Shrimp Crackers.
Bandi Hulk couldn't hold back his laughter.
Bandi: "One pack of shrimp crackers, Din! Two thousand rupiahs."
Udin Peyek glared at Bandi Hulk.
Nagini: "And you, Mr. Bodybuilder! You keep glaring at me. How about showing me where the girls are hidden?"
Bandi Hulk was happy to be addressed by Nagini.
Udin Peyek burst out laughing; indeed, Bandi Hulk was short and stocky, and his shirt was too small.
Meanwhile, Nano and Bejan whispered to each other.
Bejan nodded.
He lowered his pistol, put it back on his waist, then approached Nagini.
Bejan intended to grab and subdue Nagini for interrogation.
With bare hands, underestimating her, Bejan moved forward, ready to grab Nagini's arm.
***
12-9 Nagini Strikes Back
Bejan moved forward, feeling the cold aura growing stronger. His movement felt like cutting through a whirlwind.
Bejan's right hand tried to strike forward, aiming at Nagini's face.
Before Bejan's plan could be completed, Nagini's left hand moved very fast.
Smack!
Bejan staggered to the side like a kite with a broken string; his right cheek swelled up big, turning blue as if suffering from a toothache.
Thunk!
Bejan's body fell onto a chair beside Nano.
Nano, Udin Peyek, and Bandi Hulk were wide-eyed, full of questions.
Nano glanced briefly at Bejan groaning in pain.
Nagini: "And you, Mr. Sitting Elephant! You must be the leader of these guys?"
Nagini pointed at Nano, who was tall and big-bodied with a scarred cheek.
Now Bejan, Udin Peyek, and Bandi Hulk grinned knowingly. They knew "Sitting Elephant" was a sarong brand.
Nano glared, still aiming his pistol at Nagini.
***
13-10 Burhan Acts Quickly
"Hands up!"
"Don't move!"
Nano, Udin Peyek, and Bandi Hulk simultaneously turned toward the front door. A sturdy man with a buzz cut was pointing a pistol at them.
Nano: "Police!"
Udin Peyek and Bandi Hulk panicked immediately. They whispered to each other.
Udin Peyek: "Police, Ban! Remember when we got arrested before?"
Bandi Hulk: "Yeah, we were locked up and beaten."
Udin Peyek: "Every day we ate corn rice!"
Bandi Hulk: "Working together without pay!"
Bejan, still in pain, joined the panic, muttering sarcastically.
Bejan: "Went in fat, came out skin and bones!"
Nano: "Mental pressure..."
The four panicked men exchanged glances — a mix of fear, surprise, exhaustion, and anxiety.
Yet, Nano, Udin Peyek, and Bandi Hulk still aimed their pistols at Nagini and Burhan. Their eyes were desperate, reason struggling to overcome panic.
But they dared.
Their guns fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
***
13-11 Poison Needles vs. Bullets
Nano and Udin Peyek's bullets sped toward Nagini, while Bandi Hulk's bullet was aimed at Burhan.
Nagini, alert and wielding a high-level inner energy with a cold aura, swiftly released three needles. Two needles deflected the two bullets heading her way, and one needle was aimed at the bullet flying toward Burhan.
However, the close quarters made it nearly impossible for Nagini's poisonous needles to precisely hit the bullets. Indeed, two bullets were faster; Nagini's needles passed through empty space where the bullets already flew.
The two poisonous needles continued their path, accompanied by a chilling breeze, smashing into a cabinet in the room.
Crash!
The cabinet shattered to pieces!
Meanwhile, the two bullets kept flying toward Nagini. The high-level mystical inner energy cloaked Nagini's body in a bluish cold light.
The two bullets that bypassed the poisonous needles continued flying as if piercing through a strong wind.
Thud!
Thud!
The bullets struck an invisible iron shield.
Ting!
Ting!
The bullets bounced back, then fell about a hand's length away before touching Nagini's chest.
***
13-12 Defeating the Kidnappers
Meanwhile, the bullet heading toward Burhan was precisely stopped by the poisonous needle Nagini had thrown earlier.
Clang!
The bullet fell to the ground about ten centimeters from Burhan's face.
Silence filled the room.
Nagini took a deep breath. Sweat dripped from her forehead.
Burhan looked pale, barely escaping death.
Nano, Bejan, Udin Peyek, and Bandi Hulk were equally shocked. Their hands trembled. Fear and dread covered their faces.
Nano: "Who are you really? Do you have immunity to gunfire?"
Nagini remained silent, her sharp gaze fixed on them.
Udin Peyek whispered to Bandi Hulk.
Udin Peyek: "We're doomed, Ban..."
Bandi Hulk: "We'll get caught again."
Udin Peyek: "Eating corn rice, Ban."
Despite the panic, Bandi still grinned widely.
Bejan: "Working together without pay!"
Udin Peyek: "Also beaten, Ban."
Nano whispered with a trembling voice.
Nano: "Mental pressure!"
End of chapter 13
To be continued chapter 14