CHAPTER 10 – SAHUR SURVEILLANCE OPERATION: MORE AND MORE MISSING KUIH!

That night, Aiman’s gang gathered at Din’s house. Their mission was clear—monitor suspicious movements and find new clues. With all the evidence they had collected, they were convinced that this kuih theft case wasn’t the work of an ordinary person. There was a mastermind behind it all.

Johan, as always, took on the role of the chief strategist. “Okay, listen up. We need to conduct a sahur surveillance operation. We’ll watch who comes and goes around here,” he said, flipping open his small notebook like a detective in the Gerak Khas drama on TV1.

Faizal, who was finally allowed to join them this time because his previous information had been useful, raised his hand. “Bro, if we get caught by our parents, we’re dead. Especially if they find out we’re sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

Badrul nudged Faizal’s shoulder. “Come on, it’s not like we do this all the time. Besides, it’s Ramadan. We’re doing something good—helping to uncover the kuih raya scandal, bro!”

1. OPERATION PLANNING: MINI RADIO, WALKIE-TALKIES, AND THE NOKIA 3310

For tonight’s mission, they divided the tasks:

- Johan and Aiman would spy from Pak Seman’s grocery store, located right at the main road junction.

- Din and Faizal would sit near the village surau, pretending to wait for sahur while actually monitoring the area.

- Badrul, who owned a Nokia 3310 with a battery that could last a week, was in charge of contacting the others if there was any suspicious activity.

“If anything weird happens, just give a missed call. Don’t let it ring too long,” said Badrul, shaking his legendary phone.

Johan pulled out two small walkie-talkies that he had borrowed from his cousin. “I’ve got these walkie-talkies. But their range isn’t that far. We can try using them in case of emergency.”

Aiman grinned. “Nice! This feels like Spy Kids!”

2. ACTION BEGINS: A MYSTERIOUS TRUCK

The clock showed 3:15 AM. The area was quiet, except for the occasional sound of fighting cats and the slow whir of the surau’s fan.

Suddenly, Johan sensed something strange. A white truck without a logo had been passing by the same road multiple times.

“Bro, do you see that white truck?” Johan whispered to Aiman.

Aiman nodded. “That’s not a regular delivery truck. And why is it circling around here so many times?”

They watched closely. This time, the truck stopped for a moment at a dark alley near the turn towards the Ramadan bazaar. A man got out from the passenger seat, looked around cautiously, then disappeared into the back of a building.

Johan quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie. “Din, Badrul, standby. There’s suspicious movement at the back alley.”

3. A DARING STAKEOUT: FAIZAL MESSES UP AGAIN!

Din and Faizal, who were at the surau, immediately got up and walked toward Johan and Aiman. Badrul moved in from another direction, pretending to take a late-night stroll.

They regrouped behind a closed burger stall near the alley. From a distance, they could see the man from earlier talking to someone.

Aiman tried to listen in. “Bro, do you have more kuih semperit? The boss wants a big batch before Raya.”

Johan narrowed his eyes. “Hear that? This is definitely a stolen kuih syndicate!”

But before they could react, something unexpected happened. Faizal tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face!

“BAM!”

The men who were talking immediately turned around. Their eyes locked onto Aiman’s gang.

“RUN!!!” Johan shouted.

They scattered like characters in the final season of Kopitiam on ntv7. Even though Faizal fell first, he was suddenly the fastest runner.

“Bro, you run fast when you’re being chased!” Badrul yelled.

“HE’S COMING AFTER US!” Faizal screamed in terror.

4. SHOWDOWN AT THE GROCERY STORE: THE MASTERMINDS REVEALED?

They finally managed to hide behind Pak Seman’s grocery store. Panting heavily, they waited before peeking back at the alley.

The man who had chased them was now talking to someone more authoritative. A bearded man, wearing a batik shirt, was smoking a cigarette and nodding.

Din whispered, “Bro, isn’t that the bakery owner from behind my house?!”

Johan nodded. “It’s him! He’s the real mastermind! He has people stealing kuih and selling them using other people’s recipes!”

Aiman exhaled deeply. They had finally uncovered the biggest clue in the case of the missing kuih raya.

5. WHAT’S NEXT?

Once the coast was clear, Aiman’s gang regrouped at Pak Seman’s now-closed grocery store. They sat on the back steps, discussing their next move.

“Okay, now we know who the mastermind is. But we can’t accuse him without solid proof,” said Johan.

Aiman thought for a moment. “We need to do one last thing before we report this to the police.”

Din raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Aiman smirked. “We need to steal back my mom’s recipe.”