The news anchor's voice echoed through television screens across the city, her expression a mixture of solemnity and restrained outrage. The words she spoke sent shockwaves through the public, unraveling the truth behind a crime that had been buried in deception.
"Breaking news: Recently uncovered CCTV footage has revealed the brutal truth behind the death of Raka Prasetyo, a 16-year-old student who tragically lost his life in an incident involving Inspector Rudi Hartanto. Initial reports suggested an unfortunate accident, but new evidence tells a much darker story."
The screen flickered, and the footage began to play. The grainy video showed a quiet street in the late afternoon. Raka, clad in his school uniform, rode his bicycle along the sidewalk, his backpack slung over his shoulders. From the right side of the frame, a black police sedan swerved onto the road, accelerating erratically. The timestamp in the corner read 22:47.
The vehicle struck Raka with a sickening impact, sending him sprawling onto the pavement. The boy twitched, clutching his stomach as if trying to assess his injuries. The driver's door of the police car swung open. Inspector Rudi stumbled out, his movements sluggish, his stance unsteady. Even through the grainy footage, his erratic behavior was evident. He was intoxicated.
The footage zoomed in, showing Rudi pacing back and forth, running a trembling hand through his hair. Then, his panic took over. He reached into his holster, pulled out his service pistol, and without hesitation, fired at the wounded boy.
One shot.
Then another.
Raka's body jerked, then lay still.
Silence blanketed the newsroom as the video ended. The news anchor took a moment to compose herself before continuing.
"This footage was retrieved from a nearby CCTV camera and leaked by an anonymous source. Inspector Rudi did not call for medical assistance. He did not attempt to save the boy. Instead, he proceeded to fabricate a report, claiming Raka was in a gang fight."
Across the nation, social media exploded.
#JusticeForRaka #RudiHartantoMurderer #EndPoliceCorruption #TransparencyNow
Comments flooded Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook:
"This is beyond disgusting. He had a chance to save the kid, and instead, he executed him."
"How many more innocent lives have been lost to corrupt officers like him? We demand accountability!"
"Arrest Rudi Hartanto NOW! No more cover-ups!"
"We don't want another 'internal investigation.' We want real justice, real punishment. Enough with police protecting their own!"
"Where's the statement from the police force? Why are they so quiet when their own officers commit murder? WE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY!"
Rage spread like wildfire. Protests began forming outside police precincts. Citizens gathered with signs and megaphones, demanding justice. The streets buzzed with the energy of a city no longer willing to turn a blind eye. Some protesters camped outside police headquarters, chanting slogans and demanding immediate action. Others flooded the online petition sites, calling for an independent investigation and the resignation of Inspector Rudy himself
Meanwhile, inside the central police headquarters, chaos ensued.
Inspector Rudi sat frozen in his office chair, staring at the television screen. His face drained of color, his hands shaking as he reached for his phone. Before he could dial, his office door burst open.
Commissioner Bima Santoso stormed in, his expression livid. The veins in his forehead bulged as he threw a thick file onto Rudi's desk.
"What the hell have you done, Rudi?!" he bellowed. "I told you to keep your head down, and now this footage is everywhere! Do you understand the situation you've put us in?"
"I—I didn't think—"
"Exactly! You didn't think!" Bima roared. "You were supposed to cover your tracks, not get caught on damn CCTV! Now the public is baying for your blood, and the higher-ups are breathing down my neck. If you don't fix this, you're finished."
Rudi swallowed hard, his throat dry. "What do we do?"
Bima exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the desk. "Damage control. We release a statement denying the legitimacy of the footage. Call it 'doctored' or 'AI-generated.' We'll shift the blame, say Raka was a delinquent—make up whatever story you need. And for god's sake, stay out of sight."
Just then, Bima's phone buzzed violently on the desk. He glanced at the screen and stiffened. It was Commissioner Arief Kusuma.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before picking up. "Sir."
The voice on the other end was sharp, cutting through the tense air like a blade. "Bima, what the hell is happening? How did this footage get out?!"
Bima cleared his throat. "We're handling it, sir. We're preparing a response—"
"Not good enough!" Arief snapped. "You were supposed to keep him in check! I've been pulling strings to keep this department's dirt buried, and now you've given the media a golden ticket to burn us! If you two don't clean this up immediately, you'll be taking the fall for this! Do you understand me, Bima? This is on you now."
Bima clenched his jaw. "Yes, sir. I understand."
The call ended, and Bima slammed the phone onto the desk. He turned to Rudi, his face dark with rage. "You're on your own now, Rudi. If this mess isn't fixed soon, don't expect any of us to save you. You'll burn alone."
Outside, however, the tides had already turned.
Audrey, Hana, Kenzo, and Damian stood in an abandoned warehouse, watching the public reaction unfold through multiple screens. The glow of the monitors illuminated their faces, each of them absorbing the moment in their own way.
"They're panicking," Hana noted, arms crossed. "Good. They should be."
Kenzo, who had been silent, leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the CCTV footage playing in a loop. "This is just the beginning. Now, we make sure their lies collapse entirely."
Damian stretched his arms. "So, what's next? We barge into headquarters? Cause a little chaos?"
Hana smirked. "Tempting, but no. We need them to collapse from the inside first."
Audrey turned back to the screens, her mind working rapidly. "We wait. And we watch. The next move will come to us."
Kenzo tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought. "The people are enraged, but anger alone isn't enough. If we want true justice, we need to ensure no one can bury this. We expose everything. Every case they've covered up. Every lie they've told."
Audrey nodded. "And we do it strategically. No sudden moves. We make sure they can't escape the consequences this time."
Outside, the city roared with the voices of thousands.
Phase One had begun.
Inspector Rudi Hartanto sat hunched in his darkened apartment, the glow of the television screen flickering against his sweat-drenched face. His reputation was in ruins. His name was plastered across every major news outlet, his face circulated on social media with hashtags demanding his immediate arrest. He had spent his career covering his tracks, burying evidence, and silencing witnesses—but now, the tables had turned. Now, he was the hunted.
His fingers trembled as he scrolled through his phone. Every news notification sent another jolt of panic through his chest. He had thought he was untouchable, that his connections within the force would protect him. But as the backlash intensified, those same allies were suddenly nowhere to be found.
His hands clenched into fists as he read the latest headline:
"Inspector Rudi Hartanto Under Investigation—Police Commissioner Promises Swift Action"
"Lies," he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse. "They're throwing me to the wolves."
His heart pounded in his ears as he dialed Commissioner Bima's number for the third time that night. The phone rang, but no one answered. He tried again. Nothing.
His chest tightened. They were cutting him off. He was being sacrificed to save the rest of them. The higher-ups would pretend they had no idea what he had done, pretend they hadn't encouraged him to cover up incidents like this before.
He had to act fast.
Rudi shot up from the couch and paced back and forth, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He needed to come up with a plan. Deny everything. Call the footage fake. Blame it on doctored AI technology. Shift the story. Say the boy was violent, say he attacked first, anything.
But deep down, he knew it wouldn't work this time. There was no burying this. The people had seen the footage. The world had seen it.