Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

318 Father

The gunshots lasted for the entire night, and the sky had already lit up.

The battle in the royal palace of Comoros had long ended. The nominal Gambia army had already occupied this place, but those in the know knew very well that this was not Gambia’s victory.

The entire army that Comoros had gathered had already been scattered and defeated. There were heavy casualties. Most of them had already surrendered. The remaining loyal troops were the king’s tribe, protecting the young King of Comoros as he evacuated overnight. That legitimate ruler of Comoros was currently missing. The capital, Moroni, had actually fallen.

From the current situation, Comoros no longer existed. The war to destroy the country had basically ended. The King of Gambia who looked down on the world and scolded the American Empire of the European Union could already announce that he would integrate Comoros into his territory and start a new era. Then, he would wait for the condemnation and sanction of the international community.

On the other hand, sanctions were not a problem in the eyes of the cosmic powerful country, Gambia.

Back then, this king encountered a protest and riots in the country. He immediately sent an army to barge into the American Embassy and shoot the beautiful scenery. He had even pressed down and beaten up the American personnel who had jumped out to stop him. He had long been punished by the human lighthouse.

Later on, he threatened that if the small American ant dared to continue to sanction him, he would directly send troops to occupy the North American continent. Therefore, his diplomatic relations were directly demoted.

Moreover, because of the trade problem, he could not reach an agreement with the European Union. The powerful king was furious and announced that he wanted to send troops to sweep through the European continent and fulfill Napoleon’s unfinished wish. Therefore, he was jointly sanctioned by the European Union countries.

This was very normal, but the reason for the sanctions was relatively funny. The Western countries used traditional skills. The cause of the conflict was clearly a failure to negotiate trade and the King of Gambia. The reason why the various countries sanctioned him was actually human rights. In other words, if trade was negotiated and money was earned, human rights problems would not exist.

However, no matter what, the King of Gambia had long been through hundreds of battles. Even if he launched an invasion war in the 21st century and annexed his neighbor, he was not weak at all.

...

International sanctions? Had he not received enough sanctions?

What? The United Nations’ military interference?

Forget it. The heavens did not reward oil in the middle of nowhere in Gambia, nor was it a place that soldiers had to fight for. It did not have the intention and threat to dominate an area, nor did it plan to use euros to settle oil. Why would the imperialists burn money?

Steady.

Although the King of Gambia was arrogant, he was not completely a fool and had his own plans.

Moreover, this war was not for the sake of unifying the country and recovering his homeland. Comoros was not even as rich as Gambia. He was not crazy, so how could he be willing to raise another group of poor people?

The reason why they started this war was because of a secret transaction.

There were benefits to his cooperation.

He was the ruler of a country.

Only one country could give a promise that tempted another.

He calculated left and right and felt that it was not a loss. This round was stable.

...

However, although the king who was already more than 50 years old was not completely a fool, he could be considered half a fool.

He only thought about half of it.

He calculated that there were only benefits and no disadvantages in this matter. Even if there were disadvantages, he was not afraid of anything. This benefit was enough, so why not take a gamble? Moreover, there was the support of that country.

However, he forgot the second half.

Perhaps this king’s history was not too good.

He had forgotten the suffering his ancestors had suffered, or rather, kneeling and licking the West had already been implanted in the hearts of these few generations of black people by the former colonists. He was afraid and yearned for it. He kept saying that he despised the West and looked down on Europe and America, but when the olive branch was handed over, he licked it more neatly than anyone else.

If not for the fact that lousy money was too easy to obtain, who would be willing to be a dog?

However, he had forgotten, or perhaps he had only seen the civilized side of the Western countries on the surface, but he had forgotten the faces of these imperialist countries in Africa back then. Their words were like farts and breaking the agreement was like drinking water.

The old king felt that capturing Moroni and capturing the King of Comoros meant that this deal was over.

However, to the chess player, the second stage of the plan was about to begin.

Comoros Palace.

...

The light of the street lamp outside shone through the curtains and into the room.

Kang Jingzhu sat in the house and listened to the sporadic gunshots in the distance. He stared at the pen and paper in front of him. It was a letter. He wrote page after page, but he could not finish it. His gaze was calm and he sighed.

The door was knocked roughly a few times, but this was only etiquette on the surface. Without waiting for his response, the knocker pushed open the door and entered.

It was a blue-eyed Frenchman with pale yellow hair cut into a crew cut. In hot Africa, such a hairstyle was very comfortable. Sweat evaporated quickly and it was not easy for insects to crawl in. He was surrounded by the smell of death with brilliant contributions. It was the smell of gunpowder. He had led a bloody attack not long ago and completely killed the Comoros guards who defended the palace and the last glory.

Little Bob Burroughs, the leader and battlefield commander of this mysterious mercenary.

“My people told me that you don’t eat or sleep.”

He tried his best to maintain his elegant temperament and noble etiquette as a Frenchman.

However, his war career made him straightforward and decisive. The identity of a war hyena chasing blood and death made this etiquette and elegance look even more hypocritical, especially the so-called noble etiquette. In essence, it was only established to draw a line with the lowly commoners and show that it was different. The arrogance and superiority hidden in his eyes could not be hidden at all.

Little Bob slowed down his tone and said, “Kang, you have to maintain an excellent state. We need you to serve us sober and energetic. There can’t be any mistakes.”

Kang Jinzhu looked up at him and said indifferently, “Why? Do you have another ruin to blow up?”

Little Bob’s expression froze, then he smiled frankly and said, “That’s right.”

...

He looked at his watch and said, “You have to sleep and eat something. If you can’t sleep, we can provide the medicine, because soon, we should set off.”

The experienced explosives engineer raised his eyebrows and said, “Where to?”

Little Bob smiled. “The less you know, the better.”

Kang Jinzhu looked at him for a moment and slowly lowered his head. “Oh, so it’s Gambia.”

Little Bob’s eyes shook.

Kang De’s father looked down at the letter on the table and said softly, “Comoros and Gambia were a country a long time ago and had the same civilization. Comoros had the king’s mausoleum, and Gambia had a similar one. Your father secretly controlled this country, but even so, the young king did not allow you to excavate the ancestral tomb. Therefore, you made this trap, started a war, and dealt with the king.”

“I think since the King of Comoros doesn’t agree with you excavating the tomb, the King of Gambia definitely won’t agree. Their protection and persistence for their ancestral glory are similar, so you’ve done this. The tomb on Comoros’ side has already been excavated. The next step is to remove the King of Gambia who thinks he’s smart. Then, take advantage of the chaos to start excavating the ruins of Gambia. Am I right?”

The mercenary leader’s expression became even colder. His eyes were filled with surprise, admiration, and killing intent.

Kang Jinzhu sighed, “There’s a certain legal basis for Gambia to annex Comoros. Moreover, interfering in this place has no benefit to the national interest. The P5 are probably indifferent to this, and the United Nations won’t do anything intense to deal with it. If the master behind you shouts that he wants to send troops to interfere, it’ll seem very strange and easily arouse the vigilance and curiosity of the Chinese, Russian, and even British and American countries.”

“After all, it’s the affairs of the country. If there’s no benefit, there’ll definitely be benefits.”

“I think there has to be a reason why you can let France and even the United Nations pass a resolution and interfere by force to completely defeat the King of Gambia and replace him with a ‘democratic government’. Then, you can completely and calmly excavate that ruin, not hire local workers to almost blow up the tomb…”

...

The Chinese man was silent for a moment before continuing, “After thinking about it, there’s no more suitable reason than for a few Chinese citizens to be cruelly shot by Gambia soldiers in Comoros.”

“My motherland will definitely be furious and respond intensely. Such an action is no less than a declaration of war. Be it public or private, China will definitely not let the matter rest.”

“France has always been wary of China expanding its influence in Africa. You treat Africa as your back garden, so how can you be willing to let China’s army interfere? Therefore, you can reasonably take charge and agree to send troops to interfere in the resolution and let France avenge China. Under the permanent table, complete a round of comfort and exchange. The French will do it for the Chinese and smash Gambia into pieces and order it to compensate and apologize.”

“All motives are reasonable.”

“My motherland won’t pursue the matter carefully, because France has enough reason to do this. Gambia will sincerely apologize and severely execute them to pursue the matter. A batch of soldiers, officers, and even generals will die. The king will step down and pay a huge compensation to the relatives of the deceased. The domestic public opinion will be comforted and our international reputation will increase. Even if the idea of sending troops to interfere is suppressed by France, we will definitely obtain other benefits.”

“Even the country is willing to see such a scene. After all, direct military interference will still cause the West and even the African countries to be nervous. We have to rise peacefully.”

“Therefore, the various countries were all kept in the dark. You took a huge detour, but you grasped Gambia and Comoros and were able to calmly develop those magical things in the tomb… This process is very roundabout and very similar to your Western style. You must have gained more after paying such a huge price, right?”

At this point, Kang Jinzhu took off his glasses and placed them on the table.

His tone was calm.

“However… I’m afraid I won’t survive.”

He turned to look at Little Bob and revealed a cold and mocking smile.

...

“Actually, it’s fine if it’s a French citizen who’s shot and executed. It’s even more convenient. You changed your mind at the last minute, right…”

He said indifferently, “After all, in your eyes, French lives are precious, and Chinese lives are not, right?”

Little Bob wanted to say something.

However, all the words were finished by this Chinese person.

This Chinese man had even guessed his outcome, but his eyes were surprisingly calm. It was not that he did not have fear, but he knew that fear was useless and he had to maintain his dignity in front of the enemy.

He opened his mouth and finally sighed. “Look, smart people sometimes live more tired and painful than stupid people, because they see the outcome but can’t change it.”

Kang Jinzhu shook his head and said, “No, I’d rather die awake than only feel regret before I die.”

A strange respect arose in Little Bob’s heart. Perhaps it was his admiration for the wise, because this Chinese person had actually deduced the complete plan through some sporadic clues and observations in the past few days.

Perhaps it was respect for the brave… Because as a mercenary, he was used to seeing conflicts of interest, life disappearing, and the ugliness of human nature, he admired people who faced death calmly even more.

He said in a low voice, “What regrets do you have?”

Kang Jinzhu said, “My son, my wife, I want to make two calls to my family.”

Little Bob thought for a moment and shook his head. “Unfortunately, I can’t agree. Since you already know this, I can’t agree in case you secretly leak the news.”

“It’s reasonable. I’m only asking. I worked for you and opened the collapsed underground tomb. I saw those things. From then on, the outcome was already decided.”

Kang Jinzhu’s calm words embarrassed Little Bob.

The Chinese man picked up the paper in his hand. “Writing my last words is fine, right?”

Little Bob thought for a moment and shook his head apologetically. “I’m equally worried. I’m not sure what coded message you’ll hide in the words. You can only dictate it and let me write it in French before translating it—that’s all I can do. In fact, agreeing to your request is already a little risky. The reason why I agree is out of respect for a father.”

Kang Jinzhu looked at him. “You have a son too?”

“Yes, he’s at the age of being mischievous and arrogant. I hope that in 20 years, he’ll become Little Bob, and I’ll become Big Bob. My father will become Old Bob.”

Little Bob said seriously, “But it’s not because of him… but for my father. Everything I do is for my father. He gave me selfless love and everything. I’ll repay him with everything I have. I can see your love for your son, just like his love for me.”

Kang Jingzhu whispered, “Is that so?”

Little Bob said seriously, “I sympathize with that young man, but this can’t be helped. I can understand his urgency. If I were him, if my father was in danger, I would definitely stop at nothing to rescue him and kill everyone who tried to hurt him. Not a single one would be left.”

The father from China said softly, “I don’t want him to come to Africa to save me.”

Little Bob smiled mockingly. “I’m afraid he can’t come either.”

Kang Jinzhu asked, “Isn’t this very good news to me?”

The French father’s smile froze.

The Chinese father continued, “He’ll be sad, but he wouldn’t know who the true murderer who killed his father is. To him, this hatred would have already ended after seeing the Gambia government execute the ‘murderer’ on television. He’ll bring back my ashes and finally walk out of the trauma with his relatives and friends. I believe he’ll continue to live kindly and uprightly and continue his bright life with a bright future…”

Little Bob’s expression froze. He recalled his son, who had come into contact with mercenary life since he was young.

For a moment, he did not know what to say, nor did he know if he felt regret or envy.

“No matter what, if possible, I don’t want a young man to lose his father, but for my father, everyone can be sacrificed. I don’t mind killing more people…”

He sighed, “For this, I can only apologize.”

Kang Jinzhu thought for a moment, “I heard that your father is living in a villa outside Paris. It seems that his health is not optimistic. Is there anything in the mausoleum that can treat him? I’m very curious what’s in the mausoleum that’s worth your country paying such a huge price and taking it so seriously?”

Little Bob was suddenly shocked, and killing intent appeared in his eyes, “…Don’t play any tricks.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not an impulsive person,” Kang Jinzhu said calmly. “The success rate of ruining your matter is not high. Moreover, whether it succeeds or not, I’ll die. I’ll even implicate my family and let them suffer your crazy revenge—I don’t doubt at all that you’ll do this.”

Only then was Little Bob relieved.

“I’m very regretful, Kang, and I don’t expect your understanding and forgiveness. This is all we can do.”

Only then did his tone have some sincerity and true apology.

Kang Jinzhu was silent for a full minute, then revealed a bitter smile.

“It’s useless to say anything else.”

He said quietly, “I’ll cooperate and work for you. I won’t play any tricks. Remember to bring my last words to China. Also—remember to pressure and compensate as much as possible.”

“…There’s no problem, Kang De. I promise you that I’ll swear in my father’s name.”

“Then, my goal has been achieved. My effort tonight was not in vain.” Kang Jinzhu put on his eyes and picked up his pen. “I’ll eat and sleep in a while. You can leave.”

Little Bob slowly stood up, then left and closed the door.

This time, it was very light.

The tip of the pen hung in the air. Under the light, Kang Jinzhu’s side profile froze like a statue.

A moment later, water droplets splashed onto the page and made a crisp sound.

Even if he was quick-witted, calm, and wise, he was still a mortal when he missed his wife and children.

He was a living human.

He was a husband and a father.

He missed his family in the distance. When was the last time they met?

No one knew that it was the last time they would meet.

They had been separated more and less since his son was young and they would never meet again.

The suffering of the human world was nothing more than this.

Kang Jinzhu had been a firm materialist since he was young. Even if his death was imminent, he did not show any fear or pleading. Instead, he calmly called the enemy bandit over. Through verbal confrontation and psychological control, he finally obtained a certain level of respect and understanding from the enemy and reached some consensus.

At least he did not die in a daze.

He did his best to arrange some things for himself.

He could bring his final words to his family and even fight for more compensation. As a husband and father, he had always worked hard to give his family a better life. It was as if he had died when he was alive, and it had to be the same before he died.

Now, in the dead of night, he held a pen and wrote his will. He missed his family, but his originally calm and confused heart silently prayed to all the gods and Buddhas.

Anyone could do it.

If anyone could hear this…

—Please help.

He prayed for fate’s pity and the will of the gods and Buddhas.

He was not praying for himself, but for his wife and son.

May his son walk out of his sorrow as soon as possible. He would still be bright and pure, not sinister because of loss, not cold because of separation, still pursue the light, still be filled with hope and kindness, not blindly hate because of loss, and not be hostile to an entire race because of this.

He should be able to do it.

After all, that was his son.

—Even if we didn’t spend much time together when he was young and I was often not by his side, he could still grow up into a good child. There was also Xiaoman, Wang Yongzhi, and his mother… It must be fine.

The child had already grown up.

When he thought of this, he felt that there seemed to be no need to pray to the gods and Buddhas.

This was because that was his son.

He knew.

However, what this father did not know was that his son was not ten thousand kilometers away, but was already very close to him. His son had crossed thousands of kilometers and had already been stained with countless blood.

At this moment, Kang De was driving wildly in the vast night road, driving crazily in the direction of Moroni. Killing intent filled his eyes, and his gaze was cold and without hesitation.

A simple signal device that could cross worlds suddenly shone with a strange red light.

Like a bloody horn, it called him to prepare to start another round of killing.