The audience quieted sowhat, but suspicion lingered. A few of the younger dockworkers exchanged glances and hesitated before approaching Dave. More people were still watching.
The fat union cadre snorted and turned away. Several Labor Party mbers also began to leave.
Sara knew she had just lost an important mobilization eting. But she also planted a flag on a more dangerous battlefield. The collapse of order starts from the streets, and the battle for the streets is far more brutal than debates in Parliant.
...
Democratic Republic of Congo, Eastern Mine Area, temporary dical tent.
The so-called dical tent was rely a few mud-stained tents filled with the pungent sll of blood, sweat, and cheap disinfectant. The only female doctor was a volunteer from Doctors Without Borders, a Belgian, and at this mont, she was trying with trembling hands to stitch the wound of a young miner whose abdon had been blasted open. The lighting was dim, the generator's voltage unstable, causing the bulb hanging from the tent top to flicker on and off.
Outside the tent, the xican mining representative ndoza had a face ashen with anger.
In front of him lay three corpses, covered with dirty plastic sheeting. Captain Gals, the head of security for the mining area, stood nearby, alongside Malik, the envoy of Warlord Kabanggu.
"It's not the 'Congo Liberation Front' that did this."
Gals spoke in a low voice, lifting a corner of the plastic sheeting over one corpse to reveal the horrific wound, "Look here, the carotid artery was precisely cut, almost a single stroke to kill. And here, the bullet entry is at the forehead, at very close range. This isn't an ambush; it's an execution. And they took everything of value—the watches, gold teeth, even boots."
"And this."
Malik kicked an empty plastic barrel on the ground, the kind ndoza had seen earlier in the back of a pickup, its opening still retaining traces of white powder, "They stole a batch of 'samples' we just received yesterday—not weapons, but high-grade explosives. The barrel originally contained... this." He pointed at the powder.
"Drugs?" ndoza crouched, dipped his finger in so, and sniffed below his nose, imdiately frowning and pulling away. High purity cocaine, possibly mixed with other substances.
"Yes. There's a mole in our ranks using explosive transport barrels to smuggle goods. The attackers have a clear target: drugs and cash. They know the transit routes and timing." Malik's face darkened, "This isn't the style of the Arican-backed 'Liberation Front.' Those guys want to damage the mine area, drive us out. These people... just want money and goods."
"Skull and Snake?" Gals suddenly asked.
Malik looked sharply at him: "How do you know?"
"We heard it from a surviving mber of our outer patrol. He was scared stiff, repeatedly talking about 'Skull, Snake, Devil.'" Gals pulled up a tactical tablet, showing a blurry photo taken with a telephoto lens, vaguely visible was a speeding pickup side door, spray-painted with a crude but nacing symbol: a skull entwined with a snake.
"xico's 'Zetas'?" ndoza muttered a curse under his breath. He had heard of this na, once part of xico's most ruthless drug cartel, swept clean and attacked by Victor's iron fist a few years ago, core mbers dead or escaped, rumored remnants fleeing to Central Arica and the Caribbean Region.
Unexpectedly, their reach extended into Africa!
They sure can run.
"Why would they co here?" Malik asked.
"What's here?" ndoza countered, pointing at the mining area, "Chaos, borders lacking effective governance, cheap contract money, and ready-made smuggling channels and clients (warlord ard groups, miners). For drug dealers, this place is paradise. Especially for those expelled from ho, possessing combat skills and ruthless tactics." He stood up, realizing matters were spiraling out of control. "Does the General know?"
"He knows. Very angry. Thinks we attracted these plague gods." Malik responded.
"Tell him we didn't attract them; the chaos here did." ndoza regained his composure, "But we can solve them. The premise is the General must give us greater authority and cooperation."
"How to cooperate?"
"Block all non-main roads leading to the mining area, set up checkpoints, with our personnel (Gals's security squad) and the General's n jointly guarding, imdiately detaining any suspicious vehicles and personnel, especially those carrying white plastic barrels. Secondly, in the mining area workers and surrounding villages offer rewards for intelligence on these people. Thirdly, and most importantly..."
ndoza stared at Malik, "We need the General to authorize us for 'preemptive purging.' Can't wait for them to return. We must find their base and uproot them before they cause greater damage or collude with the Arican-backed 'Liberation Front.'"
Malik hesitated. Authorizing foreign ard forces to conduct "purges" on dostic soil is politically sensitive. But right now, mining area safety is his primary responsibility. If even drug traffickers dare steal from the General, his credibility is gone.
"I need to consult." He finally said.
"Quickly." ndoza looked toward Gals, "Captain, put your n on high alert. Double the patrols, equip them with heavy weapons. Also, contact our people in Kinshasa, check if any other xican or Central Arican businessn, especially those related to drugs or arms, have recently entered the country."
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