Chapter 374: Chapter 39 Episode 14: Congo, Fist of Justice
The mood in the conference room wasnât that great. Unlike Bonipasâ answer, Ange de la Mortâs arrival was slower than roasting a pheasant. Commander Lieutenant General Dimanche, who attended as an observer, disappeared like a fart seeping through hot pants. Passion was bound to die down with age.
âDirector Bonipas, 30 minutes have already passed. Isnât that more than enough time for a lost countryside boy to find his way?â Peron, whose face was turning red, asked.
âA soldier is escorting him. He will come in time.â
Bonipas was calm. It was annoying to judge someone who was beyond common sense. It was the greatest lesson he learned while dealing with Black Mamba.
âPetit ordure[1]! Does he think the Aubagne headquarters is the Palace of Versailles?â Peron complained under his breath.
âPetit ordureâ was an insulting term that Larkro and his advisors, who led the formation of Legion Etranger during the reign of Philippe I, used to refer to the foreign mercenaries. The term was a reference to the fact that they used trash to wipe out other trash. If Philip hadnât gone to the bathroom, Peron would have been punched on the spot.
Hehe, he would be decapitated had Black Mamba heard. Bonipas gave a mocking smile.
âAdvisor Peron, mind your words. Ange de la Mort can search all 3,600 rooms of the Palace of Versailles and find you in 30 minutes. Donât forget that there is a reason why heâs called Ange de la Mort.â Commander Dimanche, who was returning from his break, glared.
âIs there a planned route to the operationâs location point?â The sly Germaine quickly changed the subject.
âA Hercules can land at Bukavu Airfield near Lake Kivu. A non-stop flight is possible as long as the Hercules is supplied with more fuel at Cairo camp. While he could transfer at the 13th Legion Etranger camp in Djibouti, the forest will be a problem no matter what route he takes. Once he enters the forest, he has no choice but to move on foot. As you know, general, the non-combat losses occurred while they were navigating through the forest.â
Bonipas didnât mention his private jet. It was a secret, but to transport the medical team and the reinforcements, the Hercules had to be mobilized.
âTransporting equipment wonât be easy. Wonât we need tanks and vehicles to face those rebels?â
Ugh, heâs driving me crazy. Why donât you suggest an AMX-30 and a 155-millimeter Moselle howitzer instead?
Bonipas pounded on his chest. The Ituri Rainforest was out of reach even for humans. What was he planning to do, dragging heavy weapons along? His dull combat sense must be the reason why he wasted precious blood in the forest three times.
âThere is not enough time to send in any land reinforcements. It is 1,700 kilometers from Djibouti to Bukavu. There is a way to send supplies from Djibouti to Bukavu using the Hercules. The problem is that Ange de la Mort needs to be deployed there immediately since weâre running out of time. Even if we send heavy equipment and vehicles, they wonât be able to enter the forest or mountain range.â
Frustrated, Philip jumped in.
âAnge de la Mort can move by plane, and the support team can set off from the 13th Legion Etranger camp.â
Black Mamba didnât show up, and the meeting continued indefinitely. There was a VIP parking lot in the rightmost corner of the headquarters building. A group of bored-looking drivers had gathered to smoke. Both humans and animals grew tense when hungry. While waiting for their noble masters, the drivers looked like they wanted to smash the shiny large sedans.
Black Mamba arrived before the entrance of the headquarters nearly an hour after he passed the front gate. The corners of Black Mambaâs mouth curled up as the soldier led him into the conference room. The faces of the old men sitting in the spinning chairs were greasy.
They look like nothing more than ants without their antennae.
Black Mambaâs eyes lit up. Mu Ssang from the bridge respected his elders, but Black Mamba of the battlefields didnât like the Oecophylla smaragdinas very much.
Without their antennae, ants couldnât keep up with their colony. While most ants had a lifespan of about three months, an isolated ant would die within a week no matter how good the surrounding environment was. The cause of death was the lack of communication with its colony.
Ants stored food then vomited it out to share with the rest. They made up for the lack of digestive enzymes by obtaining them from other ants. In other words, if an ant was isolated, it would die from indigestion. They looked exactly like that.
âAct!â
The conference roomâs walls and ceiling rumbled. The old men, who were lounging in their chairs, flinched and corrected their posture. The oldest man in the furthest seat received the salute by raising his hand.
âOh, Ddu-bai-buru-pa!â Philip smiled as though his dead brother had risen from the grave.
He rushed forward and hugged him.
âCa fait longtemps!â[2]
Black Mamba didnât particularly enjoy the old manâs hug, but he willingly received it. The man was someone who tried his best for his comrades despite being a high-ranking boss.
âBonipas, bonjour!â Black Mamba winked at Bonipas.
He didnât even glance at Peron, whose face was etched with a frown like a hyena starving for four days.
âComment allez-vous?â[3]
Bonipasâ face warmed up like a spring breeze. Operational rights were granted, and Black Mamba finally arrived. The rest was nothing but minor tasks to be fulfilled.
A round of greetings passed. Germaine scolded him with a straight face.
âWhy are you so late?â
âIâm a mercenary. I went to check on the weapons. Weapons are a mercenaryâs second life.â
âI understand.â Germaine nodded.
He also wore the military uniform for 30 years. Although it was rude, he couldnât scold an agent heading into an operation for checking the weapons first.
âHe is an Oriental,â Peron went around the bend and blurted out.
Ugh, that man!
Bonipas shook his head. âOrientalâ didnât simply refer to Asians. It was a pejorative that European imperialist countries used to call Asians when they invaded India and Asia.
White supremacy was deeply ingrained beyond oneâs imagination. Even U.S. documents referred to Asian Americans as Orientals. The attendees went silent.
That idiot is shoving his face into a crocodileâs mouth. A bitter smile appeared on Bonipasâ face.
âVieille grenouille ou grossier?[6]â Black Mamba smiled and didnât even bother to look at Peron.
Black Mambaâs hearing was better than a trained dogâs. He heard Peron calling him âpetit ordureâ when he was at the door. If Samedi wasnât forced to wait outside, Advisor Peronâs head would have been cracked open. Peronâs face creased.
âHow dare you, a mere major!â Advisor Peron yelled.
Black Mambaâs expression grew cold.
Oh, God, no!
Germaine wrapped his hands around his head. The advisor finally picked a fight. Peron was a pseudo civic activist. A b*stard who used to write columns on the Ministry of Defenseâs website crawled into the military by climbing a rope and finally plucked a tigerâs nose hair. Germaine glared at Peron with a frown on his face. Black Mamba slowly grabbed a handful of almonds that he received as snacks.
âMere is an offensive word that not even those in power should use against the weak. Itâs especially not a word that the weak should use against the strong. If you do, youâll have to pay the price.â
Craaaackâ
The sound of popping beans was heard before he could finish his sentence.
âHiii!â
Something whooshed past his face. Surprised, Peron turned to look at the wall behind him. Embedded in the thick oak-paneled wall were countless almonds outlining the shape of his face. If the almonds missed by half an inch, there would already be holes in his face. When else would an advisor like Peron experience such a scene? His white face turned red.
âWh⊠what kind of behavior is this?â
Peronâs voice trembled as he protested.
âAdvisor Peron, you called Legion Etranger âpetit ordure.â If you consider soldiers who are the first to bleed for France as trash, what kind of filth are you?â
âPutain, Peron, how dare you!â Philip stood up and glared.
âDonât frame me. I never said such a thing,â Peron said, claiming innocence.
âYouâre a coward on top of a fool. Well, fine, take that up with Major General Philip. Besides mocking Legion Etrangerâs soldiers, you even made racist remarks. You didnât say âOrientalâ without knowing its meaning, right?â
âHmph!â
Peron, who had nothing to say to defend himself, only grunted.
âSince you slept through your classes, Iâll teach you. A humanâs appearance is the result of genetic evolution and adaptation to the climate and environment. Although surprised, humanity before modern times didnât disparage or ostracize other people who looked different. Racism started when the European empire, which preceded the Industrial Revolution, invaded colonies to consume goods and raw materials. They created racist ideologies to rationalize inhumane and immoral actions. Do you know why Iâm explaining this to you?â
âWhat do you actually want to say?â
Peron, whose frown deepened, shouted. He revealed his intentions to the young man, and he was even listening to a lecture. He was angry to the point that he forgot the fear he felt moments ago.
âIt means you are a detestable human consumed by the concept of racism that has existed since a century ago. The Fist of Justice operation failed. France called me to save their reputation, and I need a competent operational advisor to pull off this mission.â
Black Mamba stopped talking and looked at Peron. Peron looked back at Black Mamba in confusion as though questioning the meaning behind his words.
âUsing my authority as the head consultant of the Fist of Justice operation, I appoint you, Glish Peron, as the operationâs operational advisor.â
ââŠâ
The entire conference room suddenly went quiet. Even the attendeesâ breaths couldnât be heard.
âKekekeke!â
A suppressed laughter broke the silence. It was Bonipas. The advisor had been acting out the entire time and finally got what he deserved.
âWhat kind of f***ed-up story is this? What right do you have?â Peronâs face burned with anger.
âHeâs beyond redemption. Director Bonipas, I want you to inform Advisor Peron of the authority delegated to the Special Military Advisor by the president.â
Bonipas took out his notebook as though he was prepared all along.
âAccording to Article Three, Section One of The Powers and Duties of the Special Military Advisor, the Special Military Advisor may mobilize the Combined Special Warfare Command and Legion Etranger only for operations approved by the president. He can recruit civilian officers from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior and officers below the rank of colonel as operational staff. A person who has been nominated by the Special Military Advisor cannot refuse.â
Bonipas concluded his monologue and smacked the notebook shut. At the sound, all of the attendees turned to look at Peron. Peron seemed to have lost his mind. His jaw was wide open, and his eyes were out of focus.
Heâs lost it!
Bonipas looked at Peron with pitiful eyes. Not a single human made it out alive in one piece after offending Black Mamba. Still, that was a lenient punishment considering Black Mambaâs personality.
Damn, he isnât my subordinate anymore but a shrine.
Philip couldnât hide his surprise. He initially thought that the Special Military Advisor position was nothing but a title, but instead, it held more power than expected.
âAdvisor Peron, let me teach you one more thing to show my gratitude. There is an ant species called Oecophylla smaragdina in Australia. The old Oecophylla smaragdina ants charge at the enemyâs front line when a fight breaks out. When the enemy invades, the Oecophylla smaragdina force themselves into the enemyâs line until the main force gets into combat formation, basically initiating suicide attacks. Old ants sacrifice themselves for the safety of their colony. The French expression ânoblesse obligeâ was inspired by the old Oecophylla smaragdinasâ sacrifice.â
Black Mamba stopped talking and looked around. Philip and Bonipas, whose faces were turning red, quickly ducked their heads under the table to hold their laughter. Germaine and Commander Dimanche looked confused. It seemed like they were trying to recall whether the correlation between noblesse oblige and the Oecophylla smaragdinas was true.
âAdvisor Peron, youâve decided to join the front line despite knowing the dangers of the Devilâs Forest, Ituri Rainforest. I respect your patriotism and noble soul for representing noblesse oblige.â
âNo. When did I? This doesnât make sense!â Peron mumbled.
His voice seemed to have aged at least 10 years. Germaine picked up the interphone and called a soldier.
âOui!â
âAdvisor Peron has volunteered to serve as a local aid for the Fist of Justice operation. Prepare personal weapons and commence vaccinations. There are many guinea worms and kanjiru in the operational area. Those parasites pierce through the skin and puncture peopleâs organs. You need to take note that heâs protected against parasites with the vaccination. Thereâs not much time. Escort him outside immediately.â
âOui!â
âNo, no. This canât be.â
Peron was struggling and kicking while being dragged outside by the soldier. Black Mamba stuck out his tongue. As expected, that Oecophylla smaragdinaâs instant reaction was incredible.
âNow, itâs finally quiet. Both chickens and ducks get too loud with age.â
Black Mamba picked up the glass of water from the table and gulped it down.
Bangâ
Germaine and Philip flinched when he slammed the glass back down.
âMinister Germaine, thank you for choosing such a competent advisor for me.â
Germaineâs face creased devilishly. He was basically scolded by the young man before him, but he also had nothing to say in his defense.
âIâm sorry. Stubborn people are bound to appear in a huge organization. Iâll get straight to the point. Please preserve Franceâs pride and mine too.â
Black Mamba turned to look at Major General Philip, his bossâat least on paper. It was a gesture he made to save Philipâs face.