Andi?

Everyone was shocked. So all this time, he'd been planning to steal the money by scaring people, and when everyone ran away, they'd just take the employee allowance. It was a huge amount of money, almost 1 billion. Hmm... no wonder Boss Tama hugged him so tightly, even though there were ghosts; he didn't care. If the money were lost, it would certainly be a huge loss for him.

After all, the money was to pay his workers for two weeks of work.

Boss Tama immediately called the police, and PLN was also deployed to immediately fix the lights because the electricity next to the factory hadn't gone out. This meant there had been cable damage or network damage. The police were close to the factory and immediately arrived to apprehend the suspects—three of them, one still unconscious.

Boss Tama and Fahri recounted the chronology of events. I'm quite tired. As for Andi, he hasn't been seen yet. Of the criminals caught, especially the ghost-like figure, Dandi, he was only given orders and would be given a large share if successful. He was only asked to scare them. The foremen who had fled in fear had also returned. They had previously run outside and seen that it was bright outside and the power hadn't gone out. When they returned, the police had also arrived. They were curious, and Andi arrived at that moment, thinking the criminals had made off with the money, he reported it t. Hee police.

When he returned, Boss Tama immediately shouted, "It's Andi! Arrest him!"

Andi was startled by the voice, frightened, and ran. The police quickly ran after him, but Andi couldn't run anymore because a bullet had lodged in his leg. The other foremen were shocked and frightened.

Only after Andi was taken into custody did everyone learn the chronology of events. However, I concealed what had happened. When the lights came back on, everyone was secured. Boss Tama thanked me, but I also pointed to Fahri, who had helped.

When people asked, I told Boss Tama not to tell anyone except that we had fought together against them all. Fahri also helped, so no one was fighting alone.

The criminals were questioned, and Andi also informed them that there would be a money distribution tonight. The money raised was substantial, and if successful, Andi would receive half of it.

It was quite tempting, and I never expected Andi to do such a thing. He'd worked for Boss Tama for a long time and earned a position as his right-hand man. Well, anything can happen in this world.

Money may be everything to some people. However, few people consider that the blessings in life are what we should truly seek.

Being rich doesn't necessarily mean having enough, and being poor doesn't necessarily mean having less. There's a more important meaning behind it: the blessings of life. Right, friend? Yes, this time I learned a valuable lesson.

What is a friend? Certainly not ghosts or wealth, but if you know martial arts, it's certainly useful in times like these, friend. Don't just be afraid of ghosts, all kinds of demons, kuntilanaks, and pocong. If you're afraid, you could lose your wealth.

How could that be?

Well, it's like Boss Tama's story. Hmm... surely he'll be more cautious now, especially when looking for a trusted replacement for Andi.

Oh well! It's getting late, and I want to go home.

@ @ @

It was quite late when I got home, it was already night. I'd just encountered a ghost ghost tonight. Roby was scaring people; there were all sorts of things. So, how come there are people who scare people for other nefarious purposes?

This is all because people have become so afraid of ghosts that when they're scared, they run away and are so terrified of them.

I stopped, exhausted. I stopped by Warung Krimo. Mang Krimo was still cleaning the dining table and watching television. The money he was supposed to distribute was not distributed and was kept in the office safe. It would be distributed to the foreman tomorrow, who would then distribute it to the employees under his supervision.

I greeted Mr. Krimo, feeling tired. It was exactly 11 p.m. tonight. It was cold and quiet, and there were two other people eating dinner. They were probably workers at another business and on their way home.

The two seemed to be having a lively conversation. They ordered soto from Mr. Krimo and were now eating it.

"As usual, Mr. Krimo. Black coffee, please." I put my bag on the table, feeling very tired. The incident at the factory was also vivid in my mind.

Two minutes later, Mr. Krimo approached me with a cup and lid. He placed them on my desk.

"Overtime, Ma'am Sos?" Mr. Krimo greeted me, inviting me to drink.

"Yes, Mr. Krimo. I hope drinking Mr. Krimo's coffee will make me feel refreshed."

"Wow, that's definitely it, Boss! That's the real coffee Mr. Krimo sells," Mr. Krimo said confidently.

"Doesn't there even make real coffee, Mang?" I tried to tease him, breaking down his argument.

"Yes, there are many, Boss! Look, you say it's real coffee, but when it's fried, it's mixed with corn or rice. It's no longer real."

Mr. Krimo was right. It's called coffee. But most of it is fried and mixed with other ingredients like rice or corn to make it more plentiful or to make it easier to fry.

"So Mr. Krimo's coffee is pure, isn't it? No wonder I'm addicted to the coffee here," I smiled and began sipping my coffee.

Not long after, the two guests who had been eating soto excused themselves and asked about the price of their food and drinks. They left after paying Mr. Krimo's bill.

There was some change for the excess, but they said it was for Mr. Krimo alone. Mr. Krimo thanked them, and the man left the shop. As I passed by, sitting in the alley between the tables, I smelled a very strong, strange odor.

The smell of flowers?

For some reason, that's what I smelled, and it smelled like a thick oil, the kind I usually smell when there's an offering.

If someone who was already afraid were to smell this, they'd probably be terrified and immediately get goosebumps. But why did I suddenly smell Serimp oil so strongly when someone mentioned it after the two men said goodbye?

I don't know! It's other people's business, right?

After the two men left, Mr. Krimo cleared the table where the two men had been eating. As he cleared the table, Mr. Krimo suddenly shuddered, and his shoulders shrugged.

"Hiyyyy!"

I noticed, "What's wrong, Mr. Krimo?"

"It smells like a graveyard, Boss!"

Right? So, my nose wasn't mistaken, and that smell was the scent of the two men as they passed me, and it was so strong.

"I mistook it for Mr. Krimo's nose."

"Hush! This is Mr. Adnan. Seriously, Mr. Krimo's nose is never wrong when it comes to smelling something, Boss!"

"Don't tell me, Mr. Krimo's two guests weren't human, sir! Oh, that's dangerous, sir. Look at your money, it might just be leaves!" I joked, saying it was late, so I shouldn't take it too seriously.

But Mr. Krimo wasn't serious. He thought I was serious.

"That's right, Boss! They paid earlier, and there was some money left, but they wouldn't give it back!" Mr. Krimo panicked and ran to the cashier's counter, where the cashier's counter was slightly raised, reaching up to Mr. Krimo's stomach.

Mr. Krimo immediately checked the cash drawer. He pulled it hard and then smiled with relief. He exhaled sharply, a sign of happiness.

"The money is real, Boss! They're real people! Thank God!" Mr. Krimo shouted at me.

Of course, they're human, Mr. Krimo. Hmmm... Mr. Krimo is always up to something. How can a human eat soto? Sometimes our imagination overcomes our rationality, so many people are easily fooled by the lure of something even though it is clearly something that cannot be reasoned.

For example, if a sick person is seriously ill or can't bear the pain, they will go to a psychic or shaman, and the shaman always claims that the person is under black magic or is being sent by someone else to threaten their health and life.

The reason is simple: medicine hasn't yet identified the cause, or the illness hasn't improved with visits to the doctor.

Of course, reason must come first. There are so many illnesses, and medical expertise is limited. Therefore, many illnesses remain unnamed, and this is because the human body is God's perfect creation, and humans possess only a speck of knowledge.

However, this is always associated with the supernatural. This creates mutual suspicion among people. The shaman or psychic adds details about the cause of the illness, such as their initials, their location, or even their own neighbors.

This naturally damages brotherhood and sisterhood. And those who already believe in such beliefs will swallow the news that their illness was sent by someone who dislikes them.

Hmm... that's what happens when you're too afraid of Satan and believe too much in mystical and superstitious beliefs. Also, there's a lack of strong faith in God. "Mr. Krimo, I'll have some soto too. I'm hungry!" I ordered soto, feeling hungry because I'd only eaten a little in the afternoon.

"Yes, Boss! That means you were really tired, Boss!"

"Yes."

Actually, Mang Krimo's restaurant isn't far from the factory where I work. Maybe about 5 kilometers. To get home to Bulan Indah village, I'll pass through Mang Krimo's village, Pucuk Lebah.

Our village is bordered by a long stretch of plantation, and there's a mystery there that always scares people.

Especially the old house that used to be the home of the late Mbah Pati. Everyone knows its spookiness. However, those are just stories, or stories of someone haunting the area. It's at the end of the village, bordering Mang Krimo's village.

Mang Krimo brought the soto on a tray and placed it directly on the dining table in front of me.

"Oh, Boss! Those two people were going to Bulan Indah village, you know. They asked for directions earlier."

I nodded and agreed. It wasn't a problem, since my village had many new visitors, probably guests for the village head, who was well-known throughout the villages in the sub-district and even in our regency.

"They also asked about the haunted house on the border. Is it really that scary? That's what they asked, Boss!"

I wondered why outsiders knew my village for its hauntedness. It was always something. How could a village become famous for its haunted places? It should be famous for its achievements, right?

But... why did they come to my village so late at night, and especially since they smelled of serimpi oil and asked about the haunted house of Mbah Pati? What was going on? I was curious.