"I don't know your name yet, sir. My name is Asa Arjuna, from the city of Bandung, but I was born in Torja."
"You can call me Zainal."
The two of them then chatted about many things—about Torja and also about illegal Netdiver cases. Even though the raid on Chicken Workshop had made an impact on high-level criminals, it hadn't reduced the number of middle- and low-tier cases.
"You said you're from Torja, right? Why did you move to Bandung?"
"There were a lot of reasons. People thought I was weird and they ostracized me. Even my own family treated me badly, sir. I still don't understand why they were like that toward me. And yeah, in the end, I left for Bandung."
"I see. So, you ran away from home? Didn't you have any family left in Torja?"
"All of my family members have passed away."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."
"It's okay. I don't remember them anyway."
"Isn't that a bit ungrateful of you?"
"Life in Bandung was tough, especially since I lived on the streets. I've been there for three years and I went through a lot, most of it painful. So no, I never thought about my family again, and eventually, I forgot what their faces even looked like."
Zainal felt sorry for Asa. But going to Bandung wasn't something that was forced on him. He had to flee from home, yes, but he had a choice about where to go. Bandung was now completely chaotic—a nest of illegal Netdivers and Netbuilders. It was also a hub for their black market.
"If you had to run away, you could've gone to Banten or even Tanjung Karang."
"I don't know why I picked Bandung as my destination run away. I guess I had my own reason for being there."
"What reason?"
"Well... I forgot."
"Are you kidding me?"
Zainal furrowed his brow. He was clearly annoyed because that kid's excuse was always the same: forgetting. As if he were just making it up.
"I'm serious. There's this fog that comes every time I try to remember anything from more than two years ago. The only thing I clearly remember is from a year ago—when I joined Chicken Workshop."
"Could it be that you have amnesia?"
"I did see a psychiatrist, and yeah, maybe I do have amnesia. But I still remember my family, how they were, and I still have my language abilities. I can even still write source code for Etherware."
"I see..."
Zainal once again felt sorry for Asa. He lived alone, had amnesia, and was in a place that wasn't friendly to someone his age. Even so, he was still physically healthy, though pale, and mentally stable, despite the memory loss. Maybe his amnesia helped him forget the trauma he experienced in Bandung.
"I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm part of the police in this city, even though I often get reassigned to the neighboring one. I usually ask newcomers about themselves to stay aware of my surroundings—helps prevent unwanted incidents. You know security officers are always the main target during attacks."
"That's fine. Honestly, it would've been awkward if we just sat here in silence."
"But there's still one thing I'm curious about. How did you get released so early?"
"Uh... because I'm underage."
"That's it?"
"I swear, that's the only reason. You can ask the judge who handled my trial. Or even the lawyer who managed my case."
Zainal fell deep into thought. He had a feeling it wasn't that simple. He sensed Asa was lying this time. It was the first lie he'd told during their conversation—his hesitation gave it away.
Still, Zainal decided not to pursue it. That was someone else's responsibility, and it would be a hassle for him to get involved. He didn't want to have to ask the court or the lawyer, which would be troublesome and time-consuming.
"Well, I've been assigned to keep an eye on you here. You need to behave while you're in high school. Don't cause trouble or turn into a delinquent unless you want to end up in prison again. Also, you need to report to the police station every Wednesday."
Asa agreed to this.
"By the way, sorry I didn't give you a proper welcome earlier. So, welcome to the city of Torja—"
DUARR!
Before Zainal could finish his sentence, an SUV suddenly crashed into the side of his car. Zainal nearly lost control, but he quickly managed to regain it.
"Damn it. Can I not have one peaceful day?"
Moments later, Zainal turned on the siren, ready to give chase.
But it was pointless. The SUV slammed into another car and then completely lost control before crashing into a road barrier.
"What the hell was that?" Zainal grumbled.
Shortly after, the car's dashboard lit up.
"An anomaly attack?"
The screen displayed a warning about a nearby anomaly. It was almost certainly caused by an active [Solid Platform]. Zainal's eyes widened.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Zainal tapped the screen, bringing up a radar display. Asa glanced at it. Zainal furrowed his brow, sighed, and unlocked the glove compartment.
"..."
Asa showed no reaction as Zainal pulled a pistol from the compartment. Seeing Asa's expressionless face, Zainal asked, "Does this kind of thing happen often in Bandung? Your face is completely blank."
"Not that often. People there don't even need something like that to hurt someone."
Zainal went silent. Indeed, many anomalies were dangerous and could be deadly if used the wrong way. There had already been many such cases in Bandung—all of them involving the [Solid Platform] and irresponsible Netdivers operating it.
"Alright. Stay in the car. Don't do anything."
"Okay..." Asa replied, giving a thumbs-up.
After stepping out of the vehicle, Zainal's next move was to disperse the crowd. After the crash, a group of pedestrians had gathered around the wreck. They were in a commercial district, and it was still rush hour.
Indonesia follows the left-lane driving rule, in line with Dutch standards. The SUV had crashed into the left-side barrier, which meant it had also hit the sidewalk.
"I'm with the police. Everyone back away. This is an anomaly case." Zainal showed his ID.
Some people recognized Zainal and started urging others to leave. Once they realized it was an anomaly case, they didn't want any trouble and quickly left the scene.
Anomaly cases were notorious for being terrifying. People had seen horrible things on the internet about the effects of the [Solid Platform]. It fueled fear of anomalies and widespread paranoia. Sometimes even a small anomaly could cause mass panic.
Fortunately, the pedestrians obeyed and stepped away to watch from a distance.
"Requesting backup in the commercial district..." Zainal reported his current location.
He was now calling headquarters for support.
Anomaly cases were never treated lightly. Even minor ones required an entire squad to handle.