We crept and made absolutely no sound. I stepped around the corner, right next to the kitchen, which had a secret underground room next to it.

I heard what sounded like voices talking inside, even though the voices were audible through the walls. This meant there were definitely people inside the old house.

Jono always followed me. I crept further into the room, a little further ahead. It was the living room, and a little further forward, it was right next to the room with the nice bedroom I'd visited earlier with Nadia.

Now, I was right in the living room, and the conversation I heard was definitely someone, not a demon. I was sure it was after what happened to us earlier in the fight with the demon.

I tried to stand up; there was a window above, but I couldn't reach it. I had trouble eavesdropping on the conversation inside, although I could faintly hear it, but it wasn't clear. A soft voice nearby tapped my shoulder and told me to get on its back.

Sure enough, Jono immediately bent down. I slowly climbed onto his shoulders, and he lifted me higher. Slowly, Jono already knew what his task was. I patted Jono's shoulder, signaling that I was right. My eyes caught a small gap in the rotting window.

I lifted my eyes from the hole. They were completely wide open, and they felt like they were going to pop out. Was that village head Norman? A stranger was standing in front of him, carrying a gun?

What was this?

"So, what do you want to do with that girl?" The man holding the gun stared at Village Head Dorman. I was confused by all this. What was going on with that girl? Was that Nadia? What was going on?

There was a moment of silence, I swallowed my own saliva slowly, and watched what would happen next in the room. A few seconds later, Village Head Norman finally spoke.

"It's up to you, but after that, throw her out and don't let there be any witnesses!" was what suddenly came out of Village Head Norman's mouth.

I felt a pang of rage. If the village head we'd always respected and flattered had done something so shameful, I would be the one to break his teeth. My legs were shaking.

Jono swayed a little, and I felt unsteady. I gently patted Jono's shoulder to signal him to calm down.

"Okay, we'll have some fun first, then we'll finish off that girl. Don't worry! Ha... ha... ha..." The man in the hat laughed quite loudly, and from outside, it seemed to still be audible.

However, he quickly stopped laughing, feeling like he might have overdone it, so he stopped himself.

"Okay, we'll do that. Remember, village head, take good care of our business."

Those final words made the man with the gun and the hat stand up. I remained unmoving, the man in the hat moved to the back, and Mr. Norman remained seated for a moment before moving to the front. He was going to the nice room where I'd seen him earlier that afternoon. In the back room, I also opened my eyes, and a woman was sitting tied up, her mouth gagged. It was Nadia. I caught a glimpse of her, though she wasn't facing me, but her clothes resembled Nadia's from the side. I couldn't forget that side view.

The man holding the gun briefly passed by, and then several people grabbed Nadia's rope and untied it. They seemed to be moving towards the back, meaning they were going to get out.

I had to find a way now; whatever happened, Nadia had to be saved.

I tapped Jono on the shoulder twice, and he put me down. We sat down together. I immediately had an idea.

I asked Jono to be bait. He ran down the street and past the old house, screaming for help and saying there was a thief. Jono understood; I had already told him that Nadia was being held captive inside. Jono's job was to distract them.

When my colleagues arrived, they would immediately raid the old house, I assured Jono. When friends and the community arrived, they would immediately raid the old house. Jono understood and took slow steps toward the street.

I signaled to him to start as soon as he reached the street.

I took the path behind the house; they would soon be back to remove Nadia. If they were distracted, I had to act immediately. I was already behind the old house, preparing to hide behind a large tree behind it and sit down.

"Maliiinnggg! Maliiinggg! Maliiinggg!"

Jono's voice rang out, and I knew he was running down the street past the old house, distracting everyone in the house. Sure enough, the back door was open, and it looked like it had been forced open or kicked open from the inside.

Crash!

A woman in a headscarf was being held by two men on either side, rushing out the back door. They must have heard Jono's screams on the street. Three men were behind Nadia, preparing to leave.

This meant there were five people, including the man holding the gun, who was right behind Nadia. They were in a hurry, leaving the back door and heading the other way, toward the bamboo row. They were about to pass me.

"Quick! Quick! It's dangerous if we get caught!"

Their leader, in the middle, still held his pistol and pointed it downward. There was no time to wait for the police or the villagers to apprehend them. I had to grab the weapon first.

Three men, including Nadia, passed me. I crept slowly to a different side so they wouldn't notice me. The last three men in the line quickly passed me. I saw the pistol in his right hand.

Right!

Bang! Bang!

I advanced, ignoring everything. I lunged forward,d and my left hand elbowed the man on the right, causing him to fall. I had indeed pushed aside the man on the far right to make it easier to grab their boss's firearm.

I grabbed it with both hands. The man holding the pistol was shocked because I immediately grabbed it and grabbed it quickly. The pistol was held in both my hands, and...

Whoosh!

I immediately threw it among the thick bamboo. The man holding the pistol was very surprised by my presence. However, as he was about to give a verbal order, I immediately aimed my fist at his left cheek.

Bug!

I hit him with all my might, and the man stumbled to the right and fell. He winced in pain. There was no time to consider victory; I immediately grabbed the others, and they attacked me from all sides.

One man was still holding Nadia, and she turned and looked at me. A man was holding her bound hands. Another man immediately tried to attack me from the left, but I jumped and kicked him in a circle, targeting his cheek. The other man was prepared to attack me, but as he advanced, I already punched him in the stomach with all my strength.

He groaned; it must have hurt a lot. The boss with the gun still got up and grabbed a piece of wood. I saw him, and he was about to hit me. However, I jumped first and swung my right knee, hitting him squarely in the nose.

Bang!

I fell and landed hard on his chest, hitting his nose with my knee.

I stood back up and turned to the man still holding Nadia, whose mouth was still covered with a cloth.

"Let go of her! You'll be punished less severely if you don't overdo it!"

The man seemed unconcerned and shook his head slowly. I was at a loss for what to do, while Nadia's eyes were glassy. Perhaps she was terrified.

"Then, what do you ask of me?"

"You surrender and obey us! Get down!"

The criminal's harsh voice left me helpless. I lowered my head, my hands behind my head. I looked up, and he was already holding a pocket knife, the blade pointed at Nadia.

"I surrender! Let go of that girl!"

The man, not satisfied, approached me step by step, "Don't resist at all. Or... I'll hurt that woman!"

The hostage-taker drew closer to me. I looked at Nadia and tried to reassure her with my gaze. However, Nadia seemed to understand, and she seemed to smile as the lines around her cheeks became visible.

"Stay there!" The hostage-taker drew closer to me.

Nadia signaled with her sharp eyes. When she was about two meters away, she nodded, and as if she were about to do something, I prepared myself.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

In fact, Nadia kicked back with her foot. It hit the hostage-taker's weapon just below his navel. At the time, the criminal seemed to be trying to hurt me with the knife, but now he was directly hit by Nadia's swift attack. It must have hurt a lot.

The pain was so intense that the hostage-taker's knife slipped, and Nadia let go as well. Her legs immediately grabbed the little one inside her pants. It must have hurt a lot.

As Nadia escaped the hostage-taker's grip, she ran towards me. I immediately stood up and punched the hostage-taker in the chin, sending him flying and hurling him backward, hitting a tree.

He collapsed and passed out. The criminals seemed to be asleep, and perhaps truly unconscious. I collapsed and sat there, my body utterly exhausted.

Hmmm... hmm...

Nadia's voice choked. I stood up again and untied the gag that was holding her mouth and the ties on her hands.

"Mr. Adnan, thank you," Nadia said as soon as I untied her. "Now I know who's behind all this. Village Head Norman is..."

"That's enough, Nadia. I know. What's important now is that you're safe and nothing happened to you. As for the village head, I also know."

A commotion could be heard coming from inside the old house. I invited Nadia to go there; perhaps the villagers I'd already notified had arrived just in time.

I led Nadia into the old house. I led her, and she had some difficulty walking because she'd been tied up for so long.

When we reached the front of Mbah Pati's old house, we saw dozens of people, including Mr. Kusrin, who had come after a report from others.

We emerged, and Mr. Kusrin immediately rushed over to us and embraced his daughter. His daughter was safe, and he thanked God.

"Forgive us!"

A woman's voice? I pushed through the crowd and saw a man with his clothes off, along with a widow, Mbah Murni, a musician, nearby. They had both been raided in a room in Mbah Pati's old house.

They were caught in the act of committing a crime.

That day, everything became clear. A night that was enough to testify to the greed of others. Seconds later, a police line arrived and found the village head, Norman, tied up along with his team, whom I had defeated.

They were taken to the police station.

The residents began to leave one by one. As evidence of the powder on the secret floor, the police took a candle to examine.

We all agreed. The village head, along with Ms. Murni, had also been arrested. It turned out they often engaged in dirty acts in Mbah Pati's room. It was truly outrageous.

Nadia said goodbye to me and went home with Mr. Kusrin. I finally started walking home as well. However, as I glanced back before returning to the old house, I seemed to catch a glimpse of someone walking by, all dressed in white.

Could it be?

Oh well! May you rest in peace, Mbah Pati, the one who was always kind to everyone. I immediately left the house, hoping that everything would be okay in my village after this incident.