The hidden headquarters of the Durian Guardians was far from peaceful. A single lantern cast dancing shadows across a battered wooden table strewn with papers, maps, the Warso diary, and half-drunk cups of strong coffee. Tension crackled in the air like static.
Boni stood before the large village map, eyes sharp and determined. "We have Warso's evidence." he said, tapping the yellowed pages laid out at the table's center. "But if we stay passive, Rasyid will move first and we'll lose our chance."
Yuni, perched on a crate by the window, nodded slowly. "He knows those documents are missing. He'll rush the palm-oil project to lock in support before the villagers see the truth."
Lilis leaned forward, chin resting on her folded arms. "But we can't just hand these to the villagers. If we reveal everything too soon, they might think we're spreading lies or worse, get crushed by his enforcers."
Rio folded his arms. "We need something concrete, something that ties Rasyid directly to wrongdoing. Evidence of law-breaking."
Boni drew a breath. "I think... we need to break into the village hall."
Silence fell like a dagger in the room.
Yuni's eyes widened. "You mean… infiltrate it under cover of night?"
"Exactly." Boni affirmed. "We must secure the original contract between Rasyid and 'Sawit Mas Global.' If we get that, we have undeniable proof."
Rio's face drained of color. "But the hall is guarded every night."
Lilis grinned. "Relax no front door. There's a back storage door I know from relay races. It's rarely locked."
Yuni stood, resolve crystallizing. "Then we plan tonight. Tomorrow after dark, we move."
A murky, overcast sky grayed the village as twilight fell. No rain came, but the hushed wind hinted at coming storms. Clad in dark clothes and masks, the Durian Guardians slipped through the underbrush behind the village hall, moving like ghosts.
"There." Lilis whispered, pointing to a small wooden shed with its back door cracked open.
Inside, dust motes drifted in the lantern's glow. Stacks of empty crates and broken chairs left room to one side for a lone plank door.
"That's the archive entrance." Yuni confirmed.
Boni tested the knob, it turned smoothly. He pushed the door open. A musty breath greeted them, heavy with the scent of old paper and mildew. Rows of shelves held files and boxes, forgotten at the day's end.
"Search for 'Sawit Mas Global.'" Boni ordered.
Under the dim beam of flashlights, they fanned out. The hush of rustling paper was the only sound as they rifled through files.
"I found it!" Rio hissed. He held aloft a maroon file stamped with the company's logo. "Signed by the headman himself. And here's the transfer ledger."
Yuni flipped pages. "They wired money before the village vote. That's clear abuse of power."
A sharp creak echoed behind them.
"Get out, now!" Lilis warned, voice urgent.
They bolted back through the archive and out into the shed, hearts pounding as footsteps thundered in the corridor. They dashed through the back exit and melted into the night before any guards appeared.
Boni slammed the file on the table with triumphant weight. "We did it. This is beyond protecting durian groves. Rasyid has betrayed the entire village."
Yuni set up her laptop and began scanning pages. "We'll print leaflets, share these documents and soon, we speak to the villagers."
Rio cracked a grin. "Finally, something solid. Something that can change everything."
Lilis raised a finger. "And this is just the beginning, Durian Guardians!"
The village woke under the same calm morning sky, unaware of the storm brewing beneath the surface. Boni carried a satchel filled with freshly printed leaflets. He watched from afar as Rasyid strolled through the market, exchanging pleasantries with merchants as though nothing were amiss.
Inside HQ, the team prepared a covert town hall. They posted fliers reading:
> "Durian Village Deserves the Truth!"
"Documented Proof: Headman Signed Contracts BEFORE Village Vote!"
Included were photocopies of the contract pages and excerpts from Warso's diary.
"Are we inviting all the elders?" Rio asked.
"Only those not aligned with Rasyid." Boni answered. "We can't risk a leak."
Since early morning, they'd worked quietly. Yuni conducted logistics, Lilis organized posters among trusted shopkeepers, Rio set up a hidden radio broadcast, while Boni reached out to key farmers by the riverbank.
In the dusty radio shack behind the general store, Rio pressed "Play" on a battered reel-to-reel. A calm voice announced:
> "This is Durian Village Community Radio—an unscheduled bulletin."
"We interrupt with a public service announcement: today you will see evidence that Headman Rasyid signed contracts with Sawit Mas Global before the village assembly vote. Documents will be displayed at the youth gathering at 4 PM in front of the hall. Please come."
Word rippled through the market like wildfire. Farmers paused work. Shopkeepers turned off radios to catch every word.
Leaflets buzzed around wooden posts, taped to walls, slipped under doors. Clusters of villagers formed at every corner, scanning the bold text.
"This has his signature!" an elderly man insisted, dabbing his reading glasses.
"But the proceedings were canceled on that date!" a vendor retorted.
Conversations turned to demands: show us the original document! expose him!
Back at the hall, Rasyid ripped fliers from his desk in rage. "Who dared?!" he roared. "Find the culprits!"
A uniformed guard, panting from the morning's run, entered. "Sir, villagers are assembling at the hall, demanding explanations."
Rasyid slamming the contract onto the table. "Call an emergency meeting, now!"
From a concealed vantage point in the cassava field, the Guardians watched as villagers converged. Yuni whispered, "We've got their attention."
Boni exhaled, steady. "Now comes the hard part, guiding them to the truth without tipping Rasyid's hand."
Lilis coaxed the first group forward. "Spread those leaflets among your neighbors." she urged a cluster of farmers. "Let them read."
Rio scanned the crowd. "They're listening."
Village Hall Gathering By mid-afternoon, the hall steps were lined shoulder-to-shoulder. Rasyid ascended the dais, wearing his official batik and a mask of serenity.
"Fellow villagers." he began, "these leaflets are fake slander designed to discredit our development."
Murmurs rose, but one young farmer stepped forward, brandishing a leaflet.
"This is real." he challenged. "It's our headman's signature. Why were we not shown this before?"
The crowd erupted in questions: "Show us the document!" "Why hide it?" "This is our land!"
Rasyid's composure snapped. He began to shout, "This is libel—" but the villagers drowned him out with chants: "Show us the truth!"
That night, in the safety of their headquarters, the Guardians regrouped. Yuni let out a relieved laugh. "We struck a nerve."
Boni nodded, eyes alight. "The first blow landed. Now we hold our ground."
Rio raised his half-empty coffee cup. "For the durians, for truth, and for Durian Village!"
Lilis slammed her cup against his. "For the Durian Guardians!"
Their voices echoed softly in the lamplit room, belying the peaceful night outside. The battle had entered a new phase, but united by courage and conviction, they knew they could see it through to victory.