9-1 The Bet
Meanwhile, the exhausted groups could only watch their leaders fight.
Turiman: "Who are you backing, To?"
Karto: "I'm backing Giono!"
Turiman: "Alright… two hundred then?"
Karto: "What do you mean?"
Turiman: "If Giono wins, I pay you two hundred."
Karto: "And if Broto wins?"
Turiman: "You pay me one hundred. I'm still backing Giono!"
Karto, confident Broto would win, quickly agreed.
Karto: "Alright! Deal, man?"
Turiman: "Okay! Deal, To!"
Upstairs, Mariana still smiled thinly, fanning herself as if the fight below was just a little entertainment.
Turiman looked around, searching for Tikno, whose head was swollen three times over.
Turiman: "Tikno, lend me a hundred first, just in case I lose the bet to Karto."
Tikno snorted angrily, holding his swollen head.
Though annoyed, he handed over a hundred thousand rupiah to Turiman.
Tikno: "Here, man! One hundred. But you better pay back one fifty later!"
Turiman grinned slyly.
***
9-2 Bet Part 2
Meanwhile, Broto's men overheard the other group betting and didn't want to lose out.
Salamun, with swollen lips, looked for Kolil.
Salamun: "Hey, Kolil! Come here!"
Kolil, whose lips were also swollen from Giono's hits, approached Salamun.
Kolil: "What's up, Mun?"
Salamun: "Did you see the Green Gang betting on Giono?"
Kolil: "So?"
Salamun grinned.
Salamun: "Let's bet too."
Kolil thought for a moment, his swollen lips still throbbing.
Kolil: "Alright. I'm backing Broto."
Salamun: "I'm backing Giono. Deal, Lil?"
Kolil: "Deal, Mun."
They both pulled out a hundred thousand rupiah, watching the fight eagerly, despite their throbbing faces.
Upstairs, Mariana remained calm, fanning herself with sharp eyes watching Broto and Giono—the two tall men fighting in the middle of the battered dance floor.
Giono showed his mystical, soft but deadly warok silat.
Broto faced him with hard, disciplined karate stances.
They punched!
They kicked!
They slapped!
Both were agile, dodging each attack with skill. Sometimes their fists clashed—between punches and blocks.
The pain and tingling started spreading through their arms.
***
9-3 Cheers & Silly Chants
Upstairs, Mariana kept watching the brawl with sharp eyes. This time, she tapped the tip of her paper fan on the table, as if weighing the course of the fight.
Down below, Turiman, backing Giono, stood up and shouted loudly.
Turiman: "Hit him, Boss! Kick his stomach, Boss!"
Karto, who was backing Broto, stayed quiet. But in his heart, he hoped Broto would win.
He already imagined the hundred thousand rupiah from Turiman going straight into his pocket.
Not to be outdone, Broto's men also cheered on their leader.
Salamun, who was silent at first, now stood up, clenched his fist, and shouted:
Salamun: "Clean him up, Boss! Make Giono into potato pancakes!"
The two groups roared back and forth:
"Hit him!"
"Clean him up!"
"Make him into mashed potatoes!"
"Make him into stuffed martabak!"
"Hospital!"
"Graveyard!"
Meanwhile, upstairs, Mariana stopped tapping her fan. Her sharp eyes watched Giono and Broto fight more intensely.
For a moment, her lips curled into a thin smile—whether from tension or because she found the fight getting interesting.
***
9-4 Mystical Warok Moves
The fierce fight was always colored with Giono's trademark words:
Giono: "Weladalah... Wedusss...."
Giono's mystical warok silat, full of inner power and mysticism, made Broto struggle.
Broto started feeling a mystical aura enveloping each of Giono's attacks.
A cold breeze spread from Giono's punches, pressing down every block Broto made.
Even when Giono's punch missed just a few centimeters from his face, Broto could feel an icy wind brushing his skin.
Giono began to gain the upper hand.
Upstairs, Mariana still fanned her face, even though the room wasn't warm.
This time, her fan moved slightly faster than before.
At one point, Giono managed to land a hard punch on Broto's chest.
Wham!
Broto staggered backward. His chest felt tight. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
***
9-5 Bet Pays Off
Giono: "Weladalah! Seems like your strength is like a woman's, Broto!"
Broto narrowed his eyes, wanting to reply, but his body felt stiff. His chest tightened, breath heavy. He tried moving his hands, but it felt like a heavy weight pressed down.
Elsewhere, Turiman immediately stood up with a beaming face.
Turiman: "Haha! I won the bet! Hey, Karto! Where's my two hundred thousand? You said if Giono won, you'd pay me!"
Karto grumbled while pulling money from his pocket.
Karto: "Damn you, Turiman... That's my kid's pocket money! If my wife finds out, I'll get slapped..."
With a sour face, Karto reluctantly handed over two hundred thousand rupiah.
Before Turiman could stash the money in his pocket, Tikno jabbed him on the shoulder.
Tikno: "Hey, Turiman! You borrowed a hundred thousand from me and promised to return one fifty! Where's that?"
Turiman grinned, pulled out two hundred thousand, and handed it to Tikno.
Turiman: "Not bad, still got fifty left..."
Meanwhile, Kolil, whose lips were still swollen, approached Salamun with an outstretched hand.
Kolil: "Mun, where's the hundred thousand? You promised if Giono won, the money's mine!"
Salamun could only stare at his money changing hands. Then, with a heavy heart, he handed it to Kolil, who laughed triumphantly.
Kolil: "That's how it's done, Mun! Voluntarily."
Salamun smiled grimly.
***
9-6 Mariana's Guards Step In
At the same time, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
Without command, four of Mariana's guards moved to surround Giono.
They were Reno, Riko, Rifai, and Rendi.
Giono realized he was now surrounded by Mariana's guards from all four cardinal directions.
Upstairs, Mariana remained calm, fanning herself while staring down with sharp eyes.
/
Slowly, she rose from her seat and stood beside the table. Her paper fan opened wide. Her eyes watched the fight below.
***
9-7 Surrounded from Four Sides
Giono: "Weladalah... Wedusss!"
Giono took a fighting stance, preparing his warok moves. His eyes sharp, ready to face Reno, Riko, Rifai, and Rendi.
The battle began!
From the front, Reno lunged with a punch aimed at Giono's head. Riko from the left launched a kick to the waist.
Rifai from the right threw a jab to the head... Rendi from behind kicked Giono's lower leg.
Four deadly attacks!
But Giono moved fast, agile, and nimble. He stepped back, dodged Reno's punch, blocked Riko's kick with his left hand, parried Rifai's jab with his right, then made a small leap—avoiding Rendi's kick.
The fight was fierce.
Every punch and kick from Reno, Riko, Rifai, and Rendi was easily deflected by Giono.
Giono's moves looked like a dance among the attacks. Occasionally, he threw a kick or a jab of his own.
A cold aura came out every time Giono kicked or punched. It broke their focus. They started struggling.
From their fighting style, it was clear: these four were no match for Giono.
And Mariana knew it.
Without expression, Mariana slowly moved toward the stairs. Her hand kept fanning with calm rhythm—almost relaxed.
***
9-8 Four Down
Just as Mariana predicted!
Wham!
Reno's body flew backward. His chest was tight.
Smack!
Riko's face twisted to the side. Giono slapped his cheek hard.
Thump!!
Rifai's body half lifted as Giono's kick hit his chin. Rifai collapsed to the floor. Unconscious!
Creak!
Rendi winced in pain. His leg swollen and sprained from Giono's kick.
One by one, Mariana's four guards fell.
Reno massaged his sore chest.
Riko rubbed his swollen cheek, unable to turn his head.
Rifai lay unconscious, his chin swollen like a young coconut.
Rendi held his left leg, badly swollen—probably broken.
Giono stared sharply, holding a low fighting stance.
***
9-9 Mariana Steps In
Mariana stopped on the stairs.
Her eyes locked on Giono. Her lips curved in a thin smile.
Mariana: "Not bad... you, Giono."
She then stepped down the stairs toward Giono.
Broto, still sitting, saw Mariana stepping in and panicked. He shouted quickly.
Broto: "Don't dirty your hands, Nyonya!"
Mariana didn't stop. She only smiled faintly, getting closer to Giono.
When she reached her opponent, Mariana raised her right hand. With a smooth motion, she opened her paper fan and took a fighting stance.
Broto grew even more anxious.
Broto: "Nyonya! Don't fight on your own!"
Giono chuckled, raising one eyebrow.
Giono: "Ladalah... You're a beautiful woman. How could I bear to hit you?"
***
9-10 Duel Giono vs Mariana
Mariana: "You may hit me and beat me all you want... as long as you can, Giono."
Giono: "Weladalah! Wedusss! Better you become my wife then!"
Mariana just smiled thinly. Her fan was fully opened. She took a strong stance, calm facing Giono.
Seeing his opponent ready, Giono didn't hesitate. He charged at Mariana with a flurry of punches and kicks.
However, every attack—whether punch or kick—was blocked by Mariana's sweeping paper fan.
Giono tried to get close. But he couldn't. Every attack was stopped just an inch before touching Mariana's body.
Giono: "Weladalah! Weduss! Weduss!"
Now he realized: not only he had a mystical aura.
Mariana's mystical aura was far stronger.
Giono was no match.
At one moment, Mariana whipped her paper fan toward him.
Whoosh!
A gust of powerful hot wind slammed into Giono's chest.
Thud!
Slam!
Giono's body flew backward, crashing into a table. Blood flowed from his mouth. His chest felt tight.
His eyes widened, staring at Mariana still standing before him. The woman kept smiling thinly, gracefully playing with her paper fan.
***
9-11 Mariana's Fan Effect
Giono: "Weladalah... Weduuusss!"
The hot wind from Mariana's fan didn't just hit Giono's chest—it also blasted everyone watching.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. The heat felt like it was burning their skin.
Broto was stunned. The boss he thought was weak actually hid deadly power.
After knocking Giono down, Mariana glanced at him briefly, then turned her face toward the stairs.
Her steps graceful as she climbed up.
She sat back in her original seat. Sweat dripped from her forehead—the fight had drained much energy.
Her paper fan now closed in her grip. Her gaze fixed on the floor below.
Tables and chairs were in disarray. Glasses and bottles shattered here and there.
Broto and Giono both clutched their chests in pain. Meanwhile, the two battered groups could only groan at each other.
***
9-12 Giono Defeated
Mariana: "Broto, tell them to go home. Don't let them come back if all they do is cause trouble."
Broto: "Yes, Nyonya."
Broto stood up, holding his chest in pain, then shouted toward the Green Gang.
Broto: "All of you, Green Gang! Go home! This matter is settled!"
Slowly, the Green Gang members started leaving one by one.
Two men helped Giono out of Kembang Setaman Diskotheque, toward a car parked outside.
On the way to the parking lot, Turiman whispered to Karto.
Turiman: "Hey, Karto... you know what the boss will make you do at the base later?"
Karto shook his head.
Turiman: "Giono will make you..."
Tikno: "Make bitter coffee."
Turiman: "Two spoons of coffee, half a spoon of sugar..."
Karto: "Stirred eighteen times. No less, no more."
The three laughed softly.
Not long after, ten Avanza cars slowly drove away from Kembang Setaman Diskotik—heading back to the Green Gang base.
End of chapter 9
To be continued chapter 10