CHAPTER 7: SECRET INFORMATION

A light drizzle fell that morning. Dark clouds clumped over the town of Kluang like a thick blanket holding something back. The homestay they were renting began to feel smaller, despite its size. The air inside was thick with tension and uncertainty.

Aiman sat in front of the round rattan table, lost in thought. The surface was covered with notes, circuit diagrams, and rough sketches of the secret lab under Mount Lambak. Liam’s laptop lay open in the centre, its cracked screen displaying a folder titled “X-Folder_Johan.”

“These files... most of them are encrypted,” said Liam, walking in from the kitchen with a mug of hot Milo. “But I managed to open a small folder last night. There’s a video inside.”

He clicked on a video file. The computer screen displayed a lab bathed in bluish-white light. A fixed camera. In the middle of the room, a middle-aged man with messy hair and a tired face spoke in Malay, peppered with technical jargon.

“Day 42. The Ground Vibration Generator (GVG) prototype successfully generated a small energy field within 0.02 seconds. But the side effects on the surrounding structure... were unexpected. Subterranean tremors were detected in a 3.2-kilometre radius. This isn’t just energy. This is... seismic weapon potential. I repeat, this is not energy. It’s a potential weapon.”

The recording glitched. A loud beep in the background. An automated female voice from the lab’s security system echoed:

“Experimental zone unstable. Please evacuate immediately.”

The video cut off there.

Zara stood up from the sofa. “So he created a device that could cause earthquakes... without explosives? That’s insane.”

“If it’s misused, Kluang could become an epicentre,” Aiman said, eyes still locked on the screen. “Maybe that’s why he went into hiding. Maybe he tried to stop it.”

“Something like this doesn’t stay hidden unless someone powerful wants to control it,” Nico said quietly. “There’s no way he did all this alone.”

Risa scribbled in her notebook. “There were other fingerprints in the system. Liam showed me last night. At least three different logins, with different access codes. That means there was a team. Or replacements.”

Aiman stood up. “We need to find someone who worked with him. Someone who knows the full story.”

“I know someone,” said Zara. “Pak Karim once mentioned an old friend of Dr. Johan’s. He’s a carpenter now. Name’s Mr. Hadi. Lives in Kampung Parit Haji Hashim. It’s a bit far, but walking from Kluang station, we can get there.”

“We could just take a taxi. Not expensive,” Nico suggested.

“You mean… ask Mr. Azmi to pay for it?” Liam chimed in with a sly smile.

“If you phrase it right, anything’s possible,” Nico replied.

________________________________________

That afternoon, they arrived at a peaceful, tidy village. Wooden houses stood in neat rows. Children played galah panjang in a small field. Rambutan trees lined the roads, heavy with fruit. They stopped in front of a moss-green wooden house, modest but well-kept.

A man in a worn T-shirt and checkered pelikat was chiselling wood on the porch. He was well-built, tan-skinned, with half-grey hair.

“Mr. Hadi?” Aiman asked politely.

The man looked up. “Yes. Who are you?”

“We’re from a student programme. We’re doing research... on the history of Mount Lambak and past scientific activities,” said Zara, careful not to reveal too much.

He eyed them sharply, like he was measuring each of them.

“You know Johan?”

“We didn’t know him personally. But... we found his place. The lab still exists. We found one of his recordings.”

Mr. Hadi’s expression changed. His hand holding the chisel trembled slightly.

“Come in,” he said curtly. “But don’t talk too loud.”

They sat in his living room. The walls were lined with old picture frames, technical drawings, and a faded Matrix Reloaded movie poster in the corner. Aiman’s eyes caught a black-and-white photo. Four men in lab coats standing in front of a concrete building with a small logo: “Lambak Energy Research Unit.”

“I was a tech guy. Not a scientist. But I knew what we were doing. We were proud. Malaysia building its own technology. We thought it would help people. But when the project started showing dangerous side effects… they didn’t stop. They wanted to continue.”

“Who’s they?” Risa asked.

Mr. Hadi said nothing. He stood, went into a room, and returned with a thick file wrapped in cloth. He placed it in front of them.

“These are copies of original data I managed to save before the place shut down. Blueprints of the underground structure. Real names of everyone involved. If you want to save Kluang, you need to understand what you’re up against.”

“And you need to understand,” he added, voice steady, “if you keep going… there’s no turning back.”

The five of them exchanged looks. Silently, they knew this wasn’t the time to back down. Not after what they’d seen. Not after being attacked by robots. Not after the anonymous warnings from the shadows.

Aiman opened the file. The first page displayed a system diagram labelled “K-Node Core”, followed by a handwritten note:

“If reactivated, the K-Node will begin absorbing Earth energy. Maximum threshold: 72 hours before zone instability. System has never undergone full testing. Risks: land collapse, underground tremors, gas release, destruction within town radius.”

Aiman closed his eyes.

“We’ve got three days.”

And now, their mission was no longer about uncovering a mystery. It was about saving a town.