6:31 p.m.
SID Strategic Briefing Room.

Lights—dimmed.

Not for atmosphere.

Because—

the screens were too bright.

On display—

not people.

The world.

The map expanded.

Not one city.

Not one nation.

Multiple points.

Ports.
Financial districts.
Private clubs.
Exhibition halls.
Airports.

Lighting up—

one by one.

“These are from the past three years,” Tan Chih Lin said.

“All anomalies linked to similar molecular structures.”

“None classified as attacks.”

“None recognized as cases.”

“But—”

He paused.

“Now they align.”

Silence.

Chang stepped forward.

“What do they have in common?”

“High population density.”

“High mobility.”

“High-value individuals.”

“And—”

Tan enlarged a tag.

“Luxury fragrance environments.”

The room went quiet.

“Not random,” Yim Bing said.

“Selected,” Lee added.

“Yes.”

“They chose—”

“places where scent is normal.”

Perfume—

in these places—

is not suspicious.

It is expected.

“So no one questions it,” Chang said.

“Exactly.”

“They’re not hiding.”

“They’re blending.”

The screen shifted again.

A name appeared.

KARAM

No explanation needed.

Everyone in the room—

knew.

The air dropped.

“Confirmed?” Yong asked.

Tan nodded.

“Multiple intel overlaps.”

“Black market transactions.”

“Chemical distribution.”

“Underground forums.”

“All point to one organization.”

“KARAM.”

Yim Bing spoke coldly:

“Transnational.”

“Originated in the Middle East.”

“Specializes in unconventional weapons.”

“They weaponize the unexpected.”

A file opened.

Leader: Hossein Ahmadinejad.
Second: Abu Bakr Mughniyah.
Technical lead: Rahim Muhammed.

Names—

lined up.

Sharp.

“They’re not just terrorists,” Chang said.

“They’re system architects,” Tan added.

“And Song Ching—”

Lee said quietly.

“Is their hand.”

“Not hand,” Sum corrected.

“The brain.”

Silence.

“This level of structure—”

“is not execution.”

“It’s creation.”

The situation shifted again.

“So KARAM—” Yong said.

“is not just using this.”

“They are developing it.”

“Yes.”

Tan confirmed.

“And they’ve passed testing.”

“What does that mean?” Kim asked.

Tan pulled up the timeline.

Testing phase.
Optimization phase.
Stabilization.

Then—

Weaponization.

“They’re not testing anymore.”

“They’re preparing deployment.”

Silence.

“Scale?” Yong asked.

Tan opened another layer.

Flight routes.
Logistics.
Human movement.

Overlay.

Zoom.

Paradise Island.

Red.

“Their target—”

“is not a city.”

“It’s a node.”

“A hub for expansion.”

“Paradise Island,” Chang said softly.

No one disagreed.

Because all data—

pointed there.

“Why here?” Lee asked.

“Open access,” Tan said.

“Dense population.”

“International traffic.”

“Luxury consumption.”

“And—”

He looked at everyone.

“No one questions scent.”

The room sank.

“What do they want?” Kim asked.

Yong didn’t answer immediately.

He stared at the map.

Then:

“Control.”

Pause.

“Not kill.”

“Control.”

That word—

changed everything.

This wasn’t terrorism.

This was—

the next form of warfare.

“When do they strike?” Yim Bing asked.

Tan looked at the data.

“They already have.”

Silence froze.

“What do you mean?” Lee asked.

“What we’re seeing—”

“is not the beginning.”

“It’s the middle.”

“The real beginning—”

He looked at the screen.

“two years ago.”

No one spoke.

Because now—

they understood.

They weren’t chasing an attack.

They were chasing—

a system already in motion.

“And now?” Chang asked.

Yong lifted his head.

Eyes cold.

“Now—”

“They expand.”

Pause.

“And we—”

He looked at the team.

“cut it off.”

The lights stayed dim.

The screens stayed bright.

KARAM—

remained on screen.

Like a blade.

Not yet falling.

But inevitable.