Two Hours Before the Joint Mission Began.
A man with long, neatly kept black hair and the refined face of an experienced adult walked down the corridor of the agency’s headquarters.
He stopped in front of the cafeteria, glancing at the menu board of the day, then stepped inside.
“One Soto Betawi, with extra rice and shredded chicken, please.”
He ordered at the large counter, standing there as he waited for his meal to be prepared.
Tring!
A bell rang.
After several minutes, his order was finally ready, signaled by the bell from the counter.
He picked up the steaming bowl of Soto Betawi and carried it with him.
The man searched for an empty and comfortable seat. After looking around, he finally settled in the corner of the cafeteria and began to eat.
“This taste... how long has it been since I’ve had this? Truly unforgettable,” he murmured, lost in memory.
Slowly but surely, he ate it with relish until nothing was left.
Just as he was about to stand, someone suddenly sat beside him, a soft hand pressing him down gently.
“Director! Why are you here?” he called out, startled to see the most important person in the entire headquarters now seated beside him.
“Rio, I have a special mission—one that only you can handle right now,” the man, addressed as Director, replied.
“A special mission? What kind of mission, Director?”
“Rio, you need to go to where Lilac and Oak’s teams are carrying out their joint mission. My intuition tells me they won’t be able to finish it—and they may already be in trouble.”
Rio understood immediately what the Director’s words meant.
“Understood, Director. Codename Dragon will fulfill your command.”
The Director nodded.
Without hesitation, Rio rushed to the preparation room. He strapped on his gear, checked every detail, and made sure all was ready.
Orlan’s team, still waiting behind the official’s house for Lisa’s team, finally gave up and pulled back. They headed for their base—the minimarket.
Orlan looked furious, while Dinan and Zack tried their best to calm him down.
Bang!
Orlan slammed his sniper rifle onto the backroom table of the minimarket, their temporary operations base.
“Why were there gunshots in there?! Didn’t I say this mission was only to retrieve files and items?!”
Dinan tried again to calm him. “Captain, please. Maybe they had a reason, or maybe the situation forced them to shoot.”
Orlan still looked angry, but Dinan’s words eventually sank in. He mulled over the possibility.
“Maybe you’re right... maybe Lisa’s group ran into a situation they couldn’t avoid,” he thought.
An hour later, the back door creaked open.
Lisa’s group entered, with a masked man following them after escorting the rescued girl to the nearest police station.
“Lilac! Why the hell were there shots inside that house?! What happened in there?!” Orlan roared at Lisa.
Lisa kept her head down, turning her gaze away in silence.
“There was an unexpected incident inside, Oak. Something beyond their control,” the masked man answered instead.
Everyone froze. How did this masked man know Orlan’s codename?
“Who are you? How do you know the captain’s codename?” Zack demanded.
The man removed his mask.
A man in his thirties, with long but neatly tied black hair and a sharp, handsome face, now looked sternly at them.
“Trainer Rio? Why you…?”
The young agents were stunned into silence. Lisa, in particular, looked terrified.
Rio let out a sharp breath. “It’s a good thing the Director ordered me to find you. If I hadn’t come... the three of you might have...” His words trailed off.
The room fell into dead silence. Lisa’s guilt deepened, her fists clenched, tears welling in her eyes.
“Why, Lisa? Why did you act outside of your mission?” Rio’s voice cut through the silence.
The atmosphere grew heavier—
Smack!
Rio slapped Lisa hard across the face.
“I trained you to stay calm and disciplined in every mission, not to act out of anger and vengeance!”
Nobody dared to speak.
“Codename Lilac,” Rio continued coldly, “as of today, you’re suspended from duty until your evaluation period is over. And its end has not yet been decided.”
Lisa flinched, her face flushed—not from the sting of the slap, but from shame.
“But... Trainer, I—”
“No excuses, Lisa!” Rio snapped. “You could have gotten all three of you killed. There’s no place for indiscipline in this team!”
Nina, standing firm beside Lisa, tried to speak up. “Trainer, Captain Lisa only wanted to save a girl. She was being assaulted in there. She couldn’t just walk away.”
“I understand, Nina. But there are procedures you must follow as agents. We’re not law enforcers who act on impulse. We’re covert agents—we must work with cold, clear heads.”
Finally, Orlan spoke. “Trainer, we all know how tough this job is. But Lisa is still human. She has limits to her emotions. All of us have made mistakes before.”
“Mistakes can be forgiven, Orlan. But what happened inside that house could have gotten them killed,” Rio shot back with force.
The silence grew suffocating. Everyone looked uneasy, regret written on their faces.
Lisa, who had kept her head bowed, finally lifted her gaze, her eyes glistening.
Rio stepped closer, each footstep steady and commanding, until he stood right before her. Slowly, he raised both hands.
With deliberate motion, he unclipped her agent badge and the captain’s insignia from her uniform sleeve.
“Trainer...” Lilis whispered, as if to defend Lisa.
“Sorry, Lilis. But Lisa’s actions were reckless and undisciplined. She will be relieved of duty for now.”
Rio looked into Lisa’s eyes, sharp yet softened with a trace of compassion.
Lisa lowered her head again, accepting the decision with a heavy heart. “I understand, Trainer.”
Orlan gripped his weapon tightly, barely holding back his anger and frustration.
Rio turned to face the rest of the team.
“We’re all here for a greater purpose. Every action has consequences—and we must be ready to bear them.”
Then he looked back at Lisa. “Rest, Lisa. Reflect on what happened today. I expect you to return with a cooler head once your evaluation at HQ is complete.”
Lisa nodded silently.
Bang!
Suddenly, the minimarket’s back door burst open.
A man in an official agency uniform, wearing dark sunglasses, strode in carrying a file.
“The Director sent this from HQ. It’s information all of you need to know.”
Rio snatched the file swiftly and flipped it open.
After scanning its contents, his expression hardened. “Damn it... how could it come to this?!”
He slammed the file shut, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone.
“Listen up. We’ve got a new mission. Something big is happening, and we must act fast.”
Every pair of eyes locked onto Rio. The tension in the room spiked.
“What’s going on, Trainer?” Orlan asked.
Rio exhaled slowly. “There’s a traitor... from within our agency. Someone has sold our secrets to government officials. We must find them—and bring them back—before it’s too late.”
The room froze. The young agents exchanged nervous glances.
Who... was the traitor?
ns216.73.216.133da2
and then Add to home screen.