The first night after returning to 2013 felt like a battlefield for Arya. In his teenage room, he was no longer the cynical warehouse manager, but a soldier planning an infiltration.
He stared at the Night Parade black leather jacket hanging behind the door. It was the uniform of his past, a symbol of teenage delinquency that he now had to use as a disguise.
His old phone rang. Maya's name appeared on the screen.
Arya: (Answering the phone, his voice steady) "Hello."
Maya: (Anxious) "Arya, where are you? You said only for a moment! My Dad just got home, and he looks really angry. He keeps pacing and yelling on the phone. Something is wrong!"
Arya: "Calm down, Maya. Listen to me carefully. I know your Dad is under heavy pressure. The Black Dragon wants something from him. We have to be faster."
Maya: "What are you doing? You shouldn't be getting into trouble, Arya! You're not a gangster!"
Arya: "I won't get into trouble. I'm just going to find information. I need you to give me one thing: Where does your Dad keep the spare warehouse key? The key to Block C."
Silence on the other end. Maya: "The key? Arya, why the key?"
Arya: "Because if the Black Dragon thinks your Dad is hiding that 'Blacklist,' they won't wait much longer. We have to get it first. Your Dad won't be safe as long as that document exists."
Maya: (Her voice trembling) "In the old first-aid kit. Under the bathroom cabinet. But... this is dangerous, Arya. Please, don't go there!"
Arya: "I'll be back before morning. Lock your room window. Don't open it for anyone but me."
Arya ended the call. He knew he had just deceived Maya, but saving her life was the priority.
Eleven o'clock at night. Arya met Dion in a dark corner behind the motorcycle workshop. Dion looked nervous.
Dion: "You're crazy, Ary. I don't want to be involved in your trouble. You should be grateful you're back to your peaceful life."
Arya: (Handing him the piece of paper with the motorcycle dealer's address) "This information will save your business, Dion. Now, I need your information."
Dion looked at the address, his eyes wide. Dion: "This... this is insane! You really know!"
Arya: "Now, the Blue Facility. What time is their peak hour, and how can I get in without being detected?"
Dion: "One in the morning. That is the most dangerous snake pit on the outskirts of Cakra Manggala. They don't care about IDs. They only care about money and connections. You have neither."
Arya: "I have this jacket." Arya patted his leather jacket. "I'll pretend to be a messenger from a small gang looking to affiliate. A new gang moving into the city. I just need to get in, listen, and get out."
Dion: "They'll kill you before you even reach the bar! They know all the thugs in Cakra Manggala! Who will be your alibi?"
Arya stared into Dion's eyes. Arya: "You. You'll drop me off and wait across the street. If I don't come out in an hour, you call the police, report a big disturbance. Don't mention my name."
Dion: (Shaking his head frantically) "I can't! That's too dangerous!"
Arya: "You already promised, Dion. And remember, you owe me more than just money." Arya stared intensely, using the cold aura he had gathered from a future filled with regret.
Dion: (Taking a shaky breath) "Damn you, Arya. You really have changed. Fine. But if there's blood, I'm running first."
Arya smiled faintly. "That's enough for me."
Exactly at 12:45 AM. Arya and Dion rode their beat-up motorcycles toward the old industrial area. The sound of the motorcycle engine sliced through the night's silence in Cakra Manggala City.
Dion: "There it is. The Blue Facility (Sarana Biru). The ugly building with the flickering blue neon on the roof. Good luck, Time Soldier. I'll wait for you across the street."
Arya put on his helmet, letting the cold aura wrap around him. He was a 30-year-old man trapped in a teenager's body, facing his lover's murderers. He no longer had fear.
Arya got off the bike. He walked toward the nightclub's thick steel door. The loud music from inside felt like the pulse of darkness.
At the door, two large, scary-looking guards, one of whom had a burn scar on his neck, blocked his way.
Guard 1: (Smiling cynically) "Hey, kid! Wrong place. This isn't your playground."
Arya: (Standing tall, staring straight, ignoring his fear) "I'm not a kid. I'm a messenger. Our boss wants to affiliate. He wants to talk to the person in charge of the Black Dragon's operations in Cakra Manggala."
Guard 2: (Laughing loudly) "Affiliate? Which little gang is looking to get killed now? Our boss doesn't have time for messengers. Go back to your mom, kid."
Arya: (Taking a step forward, his voice firm) "Our boss has something that can blow up your operations in Cakra Manggala overnight. Tell your boss, we have information about the 'Blacklist'."
Hearing the key phrase, the smile on Guard 1's face instantly disappeared. His gaze became sharp and deadly.
Guard 1: (Whispering to Guard 2) "He knows about the Blacklist." (Then staring at Arya) "Get in. But if you're lying, I'll bury you under the dance floor myself."
Arya nodded stiffly. He stepped inside the Blue Facility, heading into the Black Dragon's lair.
Arya walked into the Blue Facility nightclub. The atmosphere inside was thicker than any warehouse in Cakra Manggala City. House music thumped deafeningly, mixed with thick cigarette smoke and the aroma of cheap alcohol. Dim blue neon lights enveloped the room, creating harsh and frightening silhouettes.
The two intimidating doormen escorted Arya through the crowded dance floor of thugs and scantily clad people. Arya maintained a cold expression on his face. He knew every small detail in this room could be a clue for Maya's future.
They climbed a rusted iron staircase to a narrow balcony above. The atmosphere there was slightly quieter. In the middle of a torn leather sofa sat a large, middle-aged man. He wore a thick leather jacket and a heavy gold necklace around his neck. On the back of his jacket, the Black Dragon emblem was clearly visible, embroidered with glittering silver thread. The man, Commander Jaya, was the right-hand man of the Black Dragon's big boss in this region.
Next to him sat a woman in flashy attire, lazily smoking a cigarette.
Commander Jaya: (Waving his hand roughly) "Let him go. So, you're the boy messenger who interrupted my night? You mentioned the Blacklist."
Arya stood tall, letting the noise from the dance floor below become an intense background.
Arya: "I didn't come to interrupt. I came with an offer of affiliation. My boss knows you're having trouble finding the Blacklist held by the former manager of Old Warehouse K-7."
Commander Jaya narrowed his eyes, examining Arya from head to toe. Commander Jaya: "Trouble? We were negotiating. And our negotiation finished quickly, in a fire. You saw the news twelve years ago. So, who is your boss? Which small gang dares to talk about the Black Dragon in Cakra Manggala?"
Arya: "My boss is a new player, Commander. He doesn't have a name in this city, but he has information. The girl's father—the former manager—is dead. But the Blacklist is still there."
Commander Jaya: (Sneering) "You think I'm stupid? We destroyed that warehouse. We searched. The document is either ash, or its father moved it."
Arya: "That's the problem. He didn't move it. He hid it in Warehouse K-7. In the most unexpected place. We have the clue to finding it."
Silence fell over the balcony. Commander Jaya harshly extinguished his cigarette.
Commander Jaya: "What clue?"
Arya: "The girl's father was paranoid. He wouldn't keep a document that important in a pile of archives or a safe. He kept it in a very personal place. And we know where the clue is at his house."
This was a dangerous game. Arya was fabricating a story, taking a risk by mentioning details he knew from Beni's confession.
Commander Jaya: "And why didn't you take it yourself, kid?"
Arya: "Because we need protection. If we take it and the Black Dragon knows, we'll die. We want 50% of the illegal trade shares you can control thanks to that document, and full protection in Cakra Manggala."
Commander Jaya leaned back, his face showing rapid calculation. Killing Arya was easy. But if there was a 50% chance the Blacklist was out there, the risk was worth it.
Commander Jaya: "Okay. Consider me interested. Where is the clue?"
Arya stared intensely, his voice steady. Arya: "I won't give it to you here. I'll give it to you tomorrow. But I need a promise. You will stop all pressure on the former manager's family. Including your informant at the school. I want them clean."
Commander Jaya raised an eyebrow, surprised by Arya's audacity. Commander Jaya: "You dare to set conditions for me? Fine. I like your style, kid. Tomorrow night, same place. Bring the information, or you'll be fish food at the harbor."
Arya knew he only had 24 hours. He nodded stiffly, turned, and walked out of the Blue Facility, leaving Commander Jaya with a mind full of questions. He had successfully infiltrated and survived. Next mission: Old Warehouse K-7.
Arya burst out of the Blue Facility's steel door. The cold night air of Cakra Manggala City hit his tense lungs. Across the street, under a dim streetlamp, Dion nearly crashed his motorcycle in shock at seeing Arya emerge alive.
Dion: (Screaming panicked) "Arya! Crazy! You actually came out! Hurry up and get on!"
Arya jumped onto the back of the bike. Arya: "Not to my house. To Maya's house. Fast!"
Dion: (Revving the engine, his voice shaking) "What now?! You want a date after coming out of the Black Dragon's lair?!"
Arya: "I need a key. Now, stop asking questions and step on the gas!"
The motorcycle sped through the quiet streets of Cakra Manggala. In ten minutes, they arrived at a dead-end street near Maya's residential complex.
Arya: "Wait here. Give me five minutes. If I don't come back, leave immediately."
Arya jumped down and ran into the shadows. He knew Maya's house like his own. He remembered their old habit: the kitchen window was the only one with a broken lock.
Click.
With a little skillful force—a skill he learned in the harsh future—the window opened. He slipped inside. The house was dark and quiet. He could hear Maya's father's gentle snoring from the upstairs room.
Arya tiptoed to the bathroom. He fumbled under the cabinet, his hand touching the dusty old first-aid kit. Behind it, the coldness of metal met his fingertips. The spare key to Warehouse K-7.
Srak!
The sound of footsteps from upstairs. Maya's father woke up.
Maya's Father: (A husky voice) "Who's there? Maya, is that you?"
Arya froze. His heart was pounding. He held his breath, counting his own heartbeats in the darkness.
One second. Two. Three.
Maya's Father: (Grumbles) "...Just a damn rat." The sound of the bedroom door closing again was heard.
Arya let out a slow breath. He jumped out the window, landing silently, and ran back to the motorcycle.
Arya: (Showing the key) "Got it. Now, take me to Old Warehouse K-7. Industrial area."
Dion: "You've gone mad, Arya! The Black Dragon is there! You just lied to them!"
Arya: "Precisely because I lied to them, I have to go there now! They gave me 24 hours. That means I only have a few hours before they realize I'm stalling for time. Hurry up!"
2:30 AM. The rusted iron gate of Old Warehouse K-7 loomed before them. This was the place where the 30-year-old version of Arya would be pushed off.
Dion: "This is as far as I go, Ary. I'm not going in. This place is cursed."
Arya: "Wait one hour. If I don't come out, call the police. Say there's a big drug deal going down. Don't mention my name."
Arya took the key and ran toward the side gate. A loud, rusty KRRIIING sound echoed as he unlocked the old padlock.
He was now deep inside enemy territory. Relying on his future memory and information from Beni, he ran toward Block C.
Block C was a smaller, separate building, smelling of dust and chemicals. He used the same key to open the thick steel door.
It was completely dark inside. Arya turned on the dim flashlight of his old phone.
Arya: (Internal monologue) Beni said Maya's father was paranoid. He wouldn't keep it in a safe. He'd keep it in a place only he knew.
Arya checked the archive piles. Empty. He checked behind the metal cabinet. Empty.
He tapped the floor. Under the heaviest filing shelf, one tile sounded different. Hollow.
Arya: "Gotcha!"
With the full strength of his teenage body, driven by the resolve of an adult, Arya pushed the iron shelf. The sound of squeaking metal was deafening. Beneath it, a loose tile.
Arya pried the tile open. Underneath, wrapped in waterproof plastic, was a large black leather-bound book. 'THE BLACKLIST'.
He succeeded. He had obtained the strongest weapon against the Black Dragon.
CLANK!
The sound of the Block C steel door being opened from the outside.
THUMP!
Arya's heart seemed to stop.
A much brighter flashlight beam swept the room. Heavy footsteps and a husky voice he recognized very well were heard.
"Are you sure that kid was lying, Boss?"
Bald Man: "I don't like the way he stared. He knows too much. Check this place. Burn everything if necessary. I want that Blacklist tonight!"
They were back. Arya was trapped inside Block C, holding the document they were looking for, facing the Bald Man—his killer from the future.