The hallway was silent—eerily so—until the sharp, deliberate steps of polished shoes echoed like a countdown. Three distinguished men in tailored suits moved in perfect stride, their presence too sharp, too synchronized, to belong to mere diplomats. They weren't just visitors. They were agents of something bigger.
Their expressions betrayed no emotion, but the weight of their arrival sent a ripple through the guards stationed by the heavy oak doors.
Without a word, the soldiers straightened and opened the doors wide.
"Until next time, Mr. Chana," said one of the men, offering a parting nod before peeling off from the group.
"Go ahead," Chana replied flatly, tapping his wooden cane once against the marble floor before stepping inside.
And just like that, the temperature in the room dropped. Eyes turned. Conversations halted.
Chana Mehra. Among the elite, his name needed no introduction. An upper-class aristocrat, a businessman and investor in various industries in Indonesia. Although he does not have a strong position like politicians, his power in controlling the circulation of money in this country is not a joke. It can be said that he is the largest shareholder of various local goods and services.
The four men waiting inside were already seated, their posture stiff, their suits immaculate. Nation-state emblems sat discreetly on the table before each of them. This was no ordinary meeting. This was a confabulation of nations.
"We've been expecting you, Mr. Chana," one of them said.
"You flew all the way to Indonesia for a closed-door meeting," Chana replied, his gaze sharp. "Surely, this isn't just about afternoon tea."
From the end of the bench of these important people, there is indeed a small state ornament as a marker of identity. It can be concluded that this meeting was planned in advance, but the nature remains confidential especially since the location of the meeting has been arranged in such a way.
One of these men poured tea into a cup, trying to play with the moment. After all, this is intended so that the image of his home country is not bad.
"First allow me to introduce myself, my name is Eben bin Suria from Malaysia, I was sent directly by my prime minister to meet privately with you."
"I am Lucas Lee, the representative of the minister of culture and knowledge of Singapore. Nice to meet you, Mr. Chana."
"I am Anon Mookjai, the special envoy of the King. I come from Thailand."
"My name is Ahmad Nazif, a representative of the economic union of the archipelago, from Brunei.
Hearing the words of these people, Mr. Chana even revealed a slightly suspicious eyebrow. "You came with an important party behind you..."
He doesn't seem too concerned about who the people from this neighboring country really are. It is not a matter of who he talks to anyway, but what discussions can be achieved and what long-term benefits can be obtained.
"Based on our index reports, your company's achievements are… impressive."
"... Yes?"
"So impressive, in fact, that you decided to act independently."
"The sooner the better. The technology already exists, there is no need to wait for time for complicated testing", replied Mr. Chana.
"Even so, other countries still don't seem to agree with what you are doing."
These people are so serious about staring at each other in meetings.
"For almost 20 years, the crisis and destruction of the world was overcome by one person alone. Don't you think all this is too hasty? we will still be fine as long as The Deity is still in the control of..."
"Pfft~ hahahaha..."
Hearing Mr. Lucas's words, Mr. Chana burst into laughter. On the other hand, the other person even broke out in a cold sweat and breathed his breath at a reaction he did not expect.
"United Nations. Until now, we continue to depend on them for the world order. So far, what the UN has done is not to tackle the problem but to prolong the problem."
Hearing Mr. Chana's answer, Eben also smiled slightly. "What makes you believe that AMER is the solution to all of our problems?"
Mr. Chana stomped the stick he was carrying. He stood facing the window, silent for a moment to observe the green field of this building's vast garden. In his mind, there was never a trace of doubt.
"We are faced with beings who can read our minds, know our fears, sabotage ourselves to make them stronger... On the other hand, they are even a lower being."
"Uhh..."
"What can the UN do when this crisis starts? They appointed someone to such a great task... to the point that they forget that The Deity is also just an ordinary person," added Mr. Chana.
"What exactly do you mean?", asked Mr. Eben.
"Research on the unseen has never been so intense in decades. With reckless confidence, they appointed an esper as humanity's savior and rewrote everything we thought we knew about science."
"Well, sure... logically it all feels pretty stupid", Lucas frowned.
"We all have similar cultures, we know more about ghosts than those great nations. They will never understand negotiations with astral beings—not with their obsession for logic over intuition."
The representatives of the state sighed because everything Mr. Chana explained was true. He is talking about facts, not just fiction where fiction is something that is just a fairy tale.
"But still, doesn't it take further research to test all the equipment you have created?", asked Mr. Anon.
"AMER is moving and expanding its wings, slowly the elite will understand that everything we make is in accordance with the standards."
From the pocket of Mr. Chana's suit, he took out a small tube that was tightly closed. Inside, a cluster of glowing particles pulsed gently—flickering and floating in suspended space, as if alive. Small multicolored objects predominantly shrouded in dark particles.
He placed the object on the table in front of the representatives of the country.
"That is..."
"Unidentified Fragment," Mr. Chana replied.
Still gaping, Lucas picked up the small tube. He was amazed because the glow of light in the object rotated and interacted as if it had its own life, like a living thing in the form of particles.
"Imagine what things we can make if we can take advantage of the fragment? Education, defense, economy, etc."
"How did you get this thing?"
"We managed to get it after carrying out several operations. The Hunters have begun their operations. Memory Defragment, Sweeper, all of them. Every unit is under my control, already deployed across multiple locations."
"What the..."
All the descriptions above, succeeded in making the representatives of Southeast Asian countries silent. Things that happen in the world are already so crazy, now there is even a human being with the same crazy idea, claiming that his actions are the solution to the madness of the world that has happened.
"It seems that you and your subordinates are indeed not ordinary people, huh, Mr. Chana."
The remarks from Mr. Eben seemed to be answered by nods by others. Simultaneously they glanced towards the exit door.
Because of being watched, Chana's bodyguard walked slowly in the direction of the discussion forum. Inevitably, his action made others get goosebumps. His mere presence caused the tension in the room to spike. His red pupils also adding his sinister side.
"I take your remarks as a compliment. Maybe in addition I will introduce one of my colleagues who is very trusted and always accompanies me everywhere", replied Mr. Chana.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I am one of Mr. Chana's right-hand men. You can call me Zeref, or whatever you like."
"Excuse me Mr. Zeref, if I may know... are you one of them?", asked Mr. Ahmad.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, those who are commonly called... esper?"
He ignored the question further. His gaze chose to lower his head and salute, leaving his boss alone to speak more in this meeting.
"He's a bit shy," Chana said in smile. "So, let's get back to business. The arrival of all of you here is not just to hear me convince myself that what I have achieved is real, right?"
"Of course not. After all, we fully agree with everything you've said."
"Oh?"
"What do you need? What Indonesia cannot provide for your business?" Ahmad added.
"We as neighboring countries of Southeast Asia are ready to help you."
A satisfied and proud smile appeared on the face of the man in his 50s. This was so easy, he didn't expect it to sound so sweet.
"It seems that you all understand the direction of my company", replied Mr. Chana smiling with satisfaction. "First, I need some help for expansion. We will expand the reach of the Hunters to track down Unidentified Fragments globally."
* * * *