Altcoin Boy

My dorm room was still quiet, but my heart was beating super fast. The global map with the red dots was still lit up on the screen. The dot in Jakarta, where I was, just kept blinking. There wasn't any way to turn it off.All the buttons were dead. Even pulling the battery didn't stop the screen from glowing. It was like my laptop was now part of something bigger. Something alive.

I slowly closed my dorm room door. I still clutched the small paper that read, "Are you ready to replace Miner Zero?" tightly in my hand.

I walked slowly towards the desk. Sat down. Stared at the screen that seemed to be watching me.

Then, the screen changed on its own.

A window opened. A dark terminal, white letters.

Connecting to Core Node...

Genesis: Activating Shadow Protocol...

Access restricted. Authorization level insufficient.

Suddenly, the screen switched to my Telegram chat. The "Nexus Underground" group opened automatically. But there weren't any new messages. Everything was silent.

Only one name was blinking in the top left corner: CryptoGhost.

I typed quickly.

"What just happened? Why is the Jakarta dot blinking?"

No response.

I sent it again:

"Are you still there?"

Still no answer.

I stared at the screen, frustrated. Usually, CryptoGhost was always quick to respond. But this time... not a single message came in.

I clicked on his profile. It read: Last seen 1 hour ago.

No way. An hour ago? But he had just sent me a message telling me to get out of my room.

I opened our private DM. Scrolled up.

Among thousands of chats, one new thing stood out. There was a message draft that had never been sent. The sender's name: CryptoGhost.

The message hadn't been visible before.

My voice caught in my throat as I read what it said:

"If I disappear, find her. Operator Omega. But don't trust her completely. She's not human. And she's not the only one who wants Genesis back alive."

I stared at that message draft again. The words hit my mind like a sledgehammer.

"She's not human." "Don't trust her completely."

Who—or what—was Operator Omega?

I tried searching for an account named "Operator Omega" on Telegram. Nothing came up. Even when I Googled it, all I found were empty forums, or old, archived dark posts from years ago.

My laptop screen suddenly flickered.

Access Override Request: 0x0MEG4-OP

A black window popped up. In the middle of it, there was only one question:

Are you ready to leave the surface layer?

Below it, two options:

[YES] [NO]

I stared at the [YES] button for a long time, my fingers trembling. My brain knew this was insane. But my gut told me otherwise. Like this was my path all along.

I hit [YES].

The screen went completely black. Then a strange display popped up—not like a normal computer interface, but something designed for non-humans. Everything was coded in numbers, rotating symbols, and digital maps with dotted lines.

A voice came through my laptop speakers. A deep, static voice, yet... there was something almost like emotion in it.

"You are not what we expected. But you are what we got."

I nearly fell out of my chair.

"Who are you?"

"Operator Omega. I am part of those who were cast aside. Left behind by the main protocol after Genesis was put to sleep."

"Genesis? You mean... the system is alive?"

"I am not a program. I am not an AI. I am the result of the collision of human logic and codes of despair. I—who witnessed Miner Zero press the last button before the world was forgotten."

I was silent. The screen showed a faint silhouette. Like a human body formed from a network of digital connections. Not whole. But enough to make the hairs on my arms stand up.

"CryptoGhost said... you could help me."

"He's a fool."

Operator Omega's tone turned cold.

"He gave you a key he couldn't even understand himself. He woke you up too soon."

"What do you mean 'woke me up'?"

Operator Omega didn't answer directly. Instead, the laptop screen showed a video—clips from security cameras in server rooms, underground bunkers, and images of a man whose face remained blurred. The man stood in front of a terminal, pressing the same button I did last night.

"Miner Zero isn't a person. It's a position. It's a function."

"I'm... replacing him?"

"You will. If you survive."

My voice barely came out.

"What happened to CryptoGhost?"

"He went too deep. And now he's silent. Just like you'll be... if you go any further."

The laptop screen went black. Then a small window popped up. A large button:

[UNLOCK GHOST PROTOCOL]

My heart beat faster.

"What happens if I press that?"

Operator Omega let out a low, chilling laugh—a sound that wasn't human, like a gravelly whisper from a grave.

"That is the beginning of everything. But also the end of all you know."

The wind howled outside, but my dorm room was eerily silent. Too silent. As if the world was holding its breath.

I stood frozen, staring at the laptop screen that now showed a world map covered in red dots. They were spreading like a virus. But one dot, the brightest, pulsed softly—Jakarta. Me.

My fingers trembled as I touched the touchpad, trying to close the mysterious application window. I couldn't. The cursor wouldn't move. The terminal displayed lines of code I didn't understand. But one sentence appeared, like a taunt.

"Genesis Protocol: IN PROGRESS."

I glanced at the door. I hadn't forgotten the knock from before. And now there was a piece of paper on the floor, left by who knows who. I gripped the paper—it was a bit damp with my sweat.

"Are you ready to replace Miner Zero?"

My breath caught in my throat. What did that even mean? Who was Miner Zero?

My Telegram vibrated. I quickly opened it.

CryptoGhost: "Don't panic. You just activated the deepest part of the old protocol. The system isn't stable yet."

MoonSpecter: "You triggered something even the original developers were scared to touch. Get your backup ready. They're coming."

NeoCache: "I've checked your IP, your coordinates are being monitored. But we can help if you open the port."

CryptoGhost: "Andi, I'm serious. Leave your room. Now."

My hands and feet felt weak, but I knew I couldn't just stand there. This wasn't a simulation, not a testnet. This was real.

I grabbed my backpack, quickly stuffing in my wallet, a USB drive, and my backup phone. My laptop stayed open, still typing on its own. Just as I was about to pull the charger cord, the screen flickered.

"Confirm Identity: MINER ZERO?"

Suddenly, there was another knock at my door. This time, two quick taps, then silence. I held my breath.

Carefully, I approached the door. Then slowly opened it. No one was there.

But on the floor lay a plain, black flash drive. No label.

I picked it up with a tissue. When I touched it, it was warm, as if it had just been pulled from a laptop. I plugged it into my laptop's USB port. A folder automatically opened.

/ghostchain/init_sequence/

It contained only one file: open_me.txt.

I opened it.

"If you're reading this, the legacy has been transferred. Don't trust anyone—including yourself."

My eyes narrowed. My hand gripped the desk. My breathing got heavier.

"There are three doors you must pass through. The first two are choices. But the third door... will choose you."

Suddenly, the laptop screen went dark. A click sounded from behind the wardrobe. I turned.

A secret door opened. No... more like a wall panel slid down, revealing a small, hidden room. No way. I live in an old, nearly crumbling boarding house in West Jakarta. How could there be a secret room?

But the panel was real.

I pulled it wider. Inside was a small, black suitcase. Heavy. With a fingerprint lock. I instinctively pressed my thumb against it.

CLICK.

The suitcase popped open. Inside... there was only one item.

A hardware wallet with a strange logo. No brand name. Just a symbol of three overlapping circles, like colliding DNA strands.

When I picked it up, the screen on the suitcase lit up on its own.

"Accessing: GHOST PROTOCOL…"

"You are now designated: GENESIS CANDIDATE."

My hands were shaking. My whole body felt cold. I had gone too far.

Telegram vibrated again.

CryptoGhost: "What you're seeing now... that's not a tool. It's a door."

MoonSpecter: "If you activate that wallet, you can't go back."

NeoCache: "You'll become the hunted. Both by those who created it... and by those who want to destroy it."

The laptop screen showed a video. An old man, sitting in a dark room, his face obscured.

"If you're receiving this device, it means I'm no longer here."

"The crypto world is about to enter its next chapter. Satoshi was just the beginning. But what comes after this... will shake everything you know about value systems."

The video stopped.

I let out a long breath. Sweat dripped down my temples. Outside, the sound of a motorcycle approached. Then stopped. No engine sounds started up again.

Footsteps. Then silence.

The third knock. This time slow... rhythmic... three times.

I held my breath.

"Who's out there?" I asked, even though I knew there wouldn't be an answer.

Nothing.

I slowly opened the door.

A man stood there. A hoodie covered part of his face. In his hand, a worn business card.

He handed it to me. Said nothing.

The card just had one word on it:

NEMESIS

I stared at him. But the man had already turned, walking away, getting into a black car whose lights came on silently.

I closed the door.

Telegram exploded again.

CryptoGhost: "They're here."

MoonSpecter: "You just entered the third door."

NeoCache: "And you... you're out of options."

I sat down, staring at the hardware wallet still glowing. The strange symbol pulsed like an electronic heart.

The terminal screen flickered. A single line appeared:

"Initializing Deep Node Access…"

"Welcome, successor of Miner Zero."

"Target Identified: NEMESIS"

My heart pounded. I knew... this wasn't the end. This was just the beginning of a war not yet recorded on any blockchain.

I stared at the screen, which had now turned black—leaving only one question:

"Will you continue this chain… or destroy it?"

The cursor blinked.

I raised my finger. Then pressed:

ENTER

TO BE CONTINUED…