CHAPTER 11: CONFRONTATION BEHIND THE MASK

The morning was overcast. Light rain had fallen since dawn, dampening the small roads around Kluang town. Inside the homestay, a quiet tension hung in the air. Liam sat cross-legged on the floor, reviewing the security systems of the lab they had breached the night before. Risa remained silent by the window, hugging herself as if still unsure she had truly been rescued. Nico and Zara bickered as usual, but their voices were lower, heavier. Aiman focused on the handwritten notes left by Dr. Johan in the control room.

“If what he wrote here is true,” Aiman finally broke the silence, “then someone more powerful was controlling all of this. Not Dr. Johan. He was just a puppet.”

“I figured,” Zara said from the wall, arms crossed. “There’s no way Dr. Johan ran this all alone. Impossible.”

“There’s one name that keeps appearing in the files,” Liam added, showing his laptop screen. “Dato’ Mokhtar.”

“Mokhtar the businessman?” Nico asked. “The one with the construction company, private hospital, and that solar project with the state government?”

Aiman nodded slowly. “He was the main funder of Dr. Johan’s early work. When the government pulled out, he took over. But he had his own agenda. He wasn’t trying to stabilise Earth’s energy. He wanted to monopolise it.”

“So how do we prove any of this? Are we just going to walk up and ask, ‘Excuse us, Dato', do you have a secret lab under Mount Lambak?’” Zara’s voice was thick with sarcasm.

“No,” Aiman replied. “But he’ll come to us. If he knows we know too much... he’ll find us.”

*****

That afternoon, just as expected, Aiman’s phone received a message. Unknown number. Simple.

Meet me at 8PM. Come alone. Same place you met Dr. Johan.

Without saying much, they knew it was a trap, but also an opportunity.

“You’re not seriously going alone,” Risa said sharply.

“No. But we have to play his game. I’ll go in first. The rest of you wait nearby. If I’m not out in ten minutes, you storm in,” Aiman instructed.

Zara nodded. “Fine. But wear the recorder we tested yesterday. We need proof. His voice. A confession.”

Liam handed Aiman a small device, the size of a lighter. “Activate it before you enter. Keep it in your shirt pocket. Don’t let him notice.”

That night, they returned to the hidden lab entrance using the service route they discovered during their escape. The mountain was shrouded in fog, each step swallowed by the night’s stillness. In front of the rusted side door, Aiman took a deep breath.

Then he stepped inside alone.

Inside, a yellow neon light flickered weakly. The smell of chemicals and rust filled the air. In the centre of the main chamber stood a broad-shouldered man in a sleek grey suit, gripping a wooden cane with a silver handle.

“Mr. Aiman. Thank you for coming,” the man greeted, voice smooth but heavy with meaning.

“Dato’ Mokhtar,” Aiman replied. “I came because I need to know why.”

Dato’ Mokhtar gave a small smile, like a teacher amused by a schoolboy’s question.

“Energy. That’s your answer. The world needs energy. Our Earth holds unimaginable reserves we’ve barely tapped. But that takes sacrifice. Dr. Johan was too idealistic. He wanted to save the world. I want to power the economy. That’s the difference between us.”

Aiman clenched his fists. “If that thing explodes, there won’t be an economy. This town could be wiped out.”

“Risk,” Mokhtar said softly. “No progress comes without it. Besides, who’s going to believe a group of college students? The police? The media? Do you think you’ll be heroes?”

Aiman took a step closer. “I don’t care about being a hero. But I’ll make sure the world knows. We have proof. We’ve recorded this.”

Mokhtar’s eyes narrowed. His expression darkened. “You’re clever.”

Suddenly, two large men stepped out from the shadows behind him. Aiman tensed, ready for a fight. But before they could move...

“Now!” Zara’s voice crackled through the tiny earpiece in Aiman’s ear.

A side door burst open with a bang. Nico and Zara charged in from the left. Liam and Risa came in from the right. Liam raised a tiny camera toward Mokhtar.

“Smile for the camera, Dato’,” Liam quipped.

Dato’ Mokhtar stayed calm. He waved his guards to stand down.

“You’re brave. But bravery doesn’t always save you.”

He stepped toward them slowly. “You think you’ve won? The system is still alive. The technology still exists. All you’ve done is delay the inevitable.”

Then he turned and walked away through a back corridor. His guards followed. They didn’t attack. They simply left.

“Why did he let us go?” Nico asked, puzzled.

“He thinks no one will believe a bunch of students,” Aiman said quietly. “But he’s wrong.”

They stood in the centre of the lab, hearts pounding. In Aiman’s hand, the recorder was still on. The capture was complete.

The battle wasn’t over. But that night, for the first time, they knew who their true enemy was.

And they knew they would not back down.