The magnetically powered glass elevator shot smoothly upward without a sound, carrying Bisma's little family to the eightieth floor, where Le Grand Palais was located. As soon as the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a breathtaking display of twenty-second-century luxury.
The restaurant's ceiling was decorated with crystal lights floating freely in the air against gravity, casting a warm golden glow. Beneath their feet, the smart glass floor displayed a projection of virtual koi fish swimming gracefully in time with each guest's steps.
Soft classical instrumental music played by an android violinist filled the air, creating an atmosphere that was utterly romantic and refined.
A restaurant server in a neatly tailored suit immediately escorted them to a VIP table right beside a massive glass window. From there, the twinkling lights of Jakarta far below looked like a vast sea of stars.
As soon as they reached the table, Bisma showed off his charm again. Without waiting for the server, he pulled out the red velvet chair for Andien, making sure she sat comfortably. He even took the silk napkin from the table, gave it a gentle shake, and carefully laid it across his wife's lap.
"Please, my princess," Bisma said with a dazzling smile that successfully sent Andien's cheeks flushing again. Only after making sure his wife and son were comfortable did Bisma sit in his own chair.
Holographic menus appeared floating above their empty plates. They each began ordering their favorite foods. Andien chose Truffle Nasi Liwet with Free-Range Chicken Foie Gras, Bisma ordered an A9 Wagyu Synthetic Beef Steak cooked medium-rare, while Baim eagerly pointed to his favorite Nano-Nutrient Salmon Fish Soup.
Amid the warmth of their conversation, a red glow blinked slowly from the smartwatch screen on Bisma's left wrist. A high-level alert. Such notifications usually indicated an emergency message from the palace security protocol or his laboratory.
Bisma merely glanced at it for one second. Without changing his smiling expression, he pressed the 'Do Not Disturb' button with his right finger and powered off the watch. As far as Bisma was concerned, not a single matter of state, secret project, or even the president himself was allowed to interrupt his precious time with his family tonight.
He focused his entire gaze and attention solely on Andien and Baim, talking and laughing without the slightest distraction.
Their perfect dinner had only just reached its halfway point when Baim suddenly stopped mid-bite. The boy clutched his throat, his face twisting with discomfort.
"Mom..." Baim called softly. "Baim's throat is itchy... Baim forgot to take his allergy pill tonight."
Andien jolted in shock. She reflexively dropped her fork and hurriedly reached for her luxurious clutch. Her slender fingers frantically rummaged through its contents. Baim had asthma and a fairly severe allergy to cold air if he didn't take his regular nano-histamine pills.
At the eightieth-floor altitude, with the central air-conditioning running, Baim's symptoms could worsen rapidly.
"Oh my God... I didn't bring the pills!" Andien's voice began to tremble. She searched through her bag again, her beautiful face turning instantly pale under the weight of overwhelming guilt. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I changed bags in a hurry earlier... Oh God, Bisma, the pills are still in the apartment. What do we do? Baim could have trouble breathing."
Seeing his wife on the verge of tears from panic and guilt, Bisma immediately rose from his chair. He approached Andien and cupped both of her cold cheeks in his large, warm hands.
"Hey... relax, sweetheart. Take a breath," Bisma said in an extraordinarily soothing voice, looking straight into Andien's eyes. "This isn't your fault. You were in a hurry earlier because of me. Don't panic. I always keep a spare bottle of Baim's pills in the glove compartment of our car. I'll go down and get them right now, okay?"
The tears pooling in the corners of Andien's eyes slowly receded, replaced by relief. In her eyes, Bisma was a hero who always had a solution for every one of her oversights. Andien nodded slowly.
"Baim wants to go with Dad! It's boring waiting here," Baim suddenly whined, stretching out both arms to be carried.
Bisma chuckled softly. "What a spoiled little hero. Come on, follow Dad to the car. Mom will wait here, okay? Just finish your food. We'll be back in five minutes."
Bisma scooped Baim up swiftly and lightly, settling the boy in the crook of his powerful arm as though Baim weighed nothing at all. The man kissed Andien's forehead briefly before heading toward the private elevator connected directly to the VIP parking lobby on the ground floor.
The elevator began descending. Baim rested his increasingly dizzy head against his father's broad chest. Bisma gently rubbed his son's back.
"Hang on a little longer, champ," Bisma whispered.
Ding. The elevator doors opened onto the quiet, exclusive VIP parking lobby. Their white car was parked not far from the elevator. Bisma walked forward calmly.
But just as they were five meters from the car...
BZZZT!
Every light in the VIP parking lobby went out at once. It wasn't just the lighting—their maglev car's engine and every electronic security system in the area suddenly shut down as well. The air instantly felt frozen.
Dense darkness enveloped them. The only source of light was the emergency red glow from Bisma's smartwatch screen, which automatically lit up again after detecting an anomaly.
Baim began sobbing in fear. "Dad... it's dark..."
"Shh... Dad's here. Don't be afraid, Dad's here," Bisma whispered quickly, tightening his hold around Baim. Bisma's survival instincts as a trained man instantly kicked in. This wasn't an ordinary power outage. It was an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) sabotage.
Bisma turned around, intending to press the manual emergency button beside the elevator doors. But he was too late.
From the darkness behind a pillar, a black shadow shot forward without a sound. Its movements were too fast, highly trained.
STAB!
A cold, searing sensation pierced Bisma's back, driving straight through his expensive suit, through his muscles, and ripping into his vital organs. The hired assassin had stabbed him from behind with a lethal carbon dagger.
Bisma's eyes widened. Excruciating pain scorched his spine, followed by numbness spreading rapidly through his entire bloodstream. Neurotoxin.
Though his breath caught and blood began pouring down his white shirt, Bisma's first and only thought was Baim's safety. If he fought back, Baim could fall or become the next target.
With the last of his superhuman strength, driven by a father's love, Bisma ignored the pain. He pressed Baim's head against his chest with his left hand to protect the boy, while his legs forced themselves to run away from the assassin.
"Dad! What's wrong with you?!" Baim screamed hysterically when he heard his father's ragged breathing.
But the neurotoxin worked too quickly. On his fifth step, Bisma's vision went dark. His powerful legs gave out. He stumbled over a parking barrier.
Realizing he was about to fall and strike the hard marble floor, Bisma deliberately twisted his large body in midair. He let his back and sturdy shoulder slam into the marble with tremendous force, turning his own body into a protective cushion so Baim wouldn't even get a scratch.
CRASH!
Bisma collapsed. His body lay rigid on the cold floor, while his arms still held Baim tightly.
Baim cried loudly in the darkness, struggling in his father's embrace as the man no longer responded to his voice. "Dad! Dad, wake up! Dad!"
Ten seconds that felt like hell passed before the building's backup generator finally came online. The lobby lights blazed back to life.
The sight beneath those lights was heartbreaking.
Baim sat drenched in tears on the marble floor, shaking his father's shoulders. Before him, Bisma lay lifeless. His expensive suit was now drenched in fresh blood pooling across the floor.
There was a single, incredibly precise and deep stab wound in his broad back. His eyes, which had always radiated warmth, now stared blankly into nothingness, while thick white foam seeped from between his paling lips—a sign that the poison had destroyed his entire nervous system.
That perfect man, the green flag who had been the pillar of Andien's life, had fallen protecting his only son, leaving behind wounds and secrets that had only just begun.