Meanwhile, on the same truck, Dora-nikov quietly remembered that this trip must have some taste, as he reminded Park Bom's last words before she left from the battlefield, in Homs …
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Homs, Syria
Behind the smoke, something was untold before, as Nikov battled Park. Park appeared with a strange reversion. Nikov, with his pragmatic stand, soon showed the smell. Behind then … it arrived a warning.
"You know … it is … just a test, right?"
"(I already know what you want, but seems like we mostly don't try to strike hard.)"
"The last Tatar warrior, you are very brave, Dora-nikov. But, during the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mahmud II did say: 'Syria is where the flourish of Islamic civilization began. Syria, therefore, goes to become the test of power, bravery and loyalty'. That's how he said."
"(I have already learned that. And thus, Syria went to be like war field, today.)"
"So, are you ready? Because the real treasure is in somewhere … the Diamond hunting started, now!"
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As such, Nikov became aware of what would have gone … he wasn't alone, and he knew that. Their journey, was just about to begin.
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Four hours later
Tripoli, Libya
As such, Abdelhakim Belhaj stood outside there. He was informed that there would be guests visiting the city and seeking protection under him were coming. The report, from Watassim Abderrahmane, contributed for his welcome. He wore a gray suit and showed up immediately.
For Belhaj, he still didn't get over after all. But, for the sake of everyone, he still stood. His men, armed with full AKs, waited for 10 minutes.
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After ten minutes, the truck finally arrived. Within just one minute, Kid, Nikov, Tom, Jerry, Butch and Spike stepped down, and they soon witnessed a group of armed men waiting for them. Including …
… a man with short beard, little older and, a bit fat.
"اسمي عبد الحكيم بلحاج. هل أنت ضيوف خاصين من أمريكا؟" (My name is Abdelhakim Belhaj. Are you special guests from America?)
Dora-the-Kid and Dora-nikov soon found out who would be his man. The T&J group formally recognized it.
…
As for the bus, instead of going to Belhaj's mansion, they would be taken into a hotel, the Al Waddan Hotel, where Belhaj's armed men also protected the place. Belhaj often brings his wife to the hotel for swimming. With a lot of Libyan soldiers there, it was one of the few safe places in Tripoli. A great prize for them though.
Soon after, Otabek Altin walked out first, then later Erica Blandelli. And the whole squad left the bus under protection of the Libyan Army under Tripoli-controlled Government. Yuri Plisetsky noticed this different when he came to the hotel. Precisely, it wasn't wrong to decorate that.
"Oh boy, this is so amazing. I must agree with it."
Hayato, for sure, saw this kind of treatment many times, he wasn't too surprised at all. Because this was mafia's job, anyway. He knew it overall.
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Djanet, Algeria
In there, the United States and Algeria's Armed Forces were collaborating to analyze the picture that Kid and Nikov sent to them. From what Kid and Nikov claimed, these weapons had been set in Vietnam and Cambodia, transported to Poland and manufactured in Poland, illegally transported, again, to the Balkans and ended in Libya, Sudan and Tunisia.
"So, Poland has their hands there …"
Dave also found the profiles of two Polish designers, Jacek Mikiewicz and Adam Boryszczyk, whom Kid and Nikov described that their Vietnamese part played a role smuggling weapons so easy from Vietnam and Cambodia to Poland.
Appearing on their computers so far, Dave recommended the U.S. Embassy in Algiers to connect with the U.S. Consulate in Kraków, where these two weapon designers live, to issue temporary arrests on them go to work for investigation of them.
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Sabha, Libya
As for Reşit and Beshim, the Turk and the Albanian finally gathered to meet the mysterious man, the Colonel. In there, the Colonel received a message from Mohammed Magdy about the information of Chinese military drill. Quick enough, the Colonel captured on.
In a secret place, where the lights were turned on only few hours, their conversation started.
"You guys, you have survived. So, therefore, I will give you a famous story."
"Tell it, Colonel."
"Once, Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader, having gathered all intellectuals observing a meeting with the U.S. official in his trip to the United States. On that time, Reagan, the President of the United States, suggested China to be more leaning to the West to undermine the strength of Soviet Union as well as its puppets."
"What'd happened? What just Deng said?"
"Deng just spoke out: 'no matter if this cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mice. We are not hesitated to deter a position that could weaken Moscow, even fair or not'. He proved, by even sponsoring the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and jihadists in Afghanistan, to training and facilitating ammunitions. Soviet Union could not withstand, and they collapsed at 1991."
"So how does it link to current situation?"
"The Chinese are determined to plunder us, even if they want the dirtiest. That's why they showed up by military drill with Sudan. Soon after, they will definitely send a special squad to hunt us."
"Then what should we do?"
"The Americans have a tendency of jealousy. They will not let China to take over all, that's why they desperately want to kill us. The Chinese are also thirsty for our blood after Xi'an bombing, they will have some unnatural decisions. Thus, we could use their disconnection to make themselves failed. On the same time, I have planned even more for China, before I looked to … the last target."
"How did it work when you lured two giants to Libya?"
"I would love it, especially when I have already studied … in China …"
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Benghazi, Libya
It was a very hard moment in the Cyrenaican city, but still, it was few happy moment there.
However, in the street, a secret man walked on and on. He, with a look exactly and nearly similar to someone, was going throughout the city. He went on and on with nothing much to say over. He bought a Libyan knife, just with 40 dinars. What a cheap prize!
But, as he was walking, he soon ran into there, and in this moment, he unveiled himself …
It was him.
Jamie McKenni! McKenni had arrived to Benghazi. Yes, with an appearance totally nothing differed to Yuri Plisetsky.
McKenni often earned reputation for being a weird spy, but he is often compared to Angus MacGyver for brilliant, incredibly decisive and fast, but just with a notable exception. Jamie prefers even lethal violence, with guns; Angus tries to avoid it.
"I hate to tell this, but I don't see anything change soon."
McKenni looked into a house, where he focused on a building which looked like a typical East Asian conical hat. McKenni had to praise Gaddafi for this: "Damn, that Libyan old man, you must have been in love with China/Vietnam, wow." It was actually, the former Revolutionary Committee building used by the Gaddafi officials, until it was burnt down by the protestors in 2011 and became a vital point.
Restored by Khalifa Haftar, an anti-Gaddafi General, Haftar considered the building symbolic enough to facilitate military plan. But from McKenni, he found the building had something abnormal.
After that, McKenni started to jump through and he began to examine …
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Tripoli, Libya
Kid and Nikov together met Belhaj and Abdelhakim Belhaj showed his hospitality to them.
"شكرا لكم لزيارة طرابلس." (Thank you for visiting Tripoli.)
"لا توجد مشكلة، السيد بلحاج. نحن نقدر كثيرا مع ترحيب الحارة." (No problem, Mr. Belhaj. We are greatly appreciated with your warm welcome.) Kid spoke over.
Kid and Nikov soon shook hand and, in the same time, Belhaj laughed when welcoming them as well.
"لقد كنت في كثير من الأحيان أعجب مع الطريقة التي التعامل مع الأزمة في سبها. سمعت عن الأمس الجديد." (I have often been impressed with the way you handle the crisis in Sabha. I heard about the new yesterday.)
"لا أعتقد أنك يجب أن تتحدث عن ذلك. لم نكن الوحيدين لحلها." (I don't think you should speak about it. We were not the only ones to solve it.) Kid suggested happily.
"لا مشكلة على الإطلاق. حسنا، يرجى الترحيب إلى قصر بلدي وسوف نناقش معا." (No problem at all. Well, please welcome to my mansion and we will discuss together.)
Kid and Nikov, alongside Tom, Jerry, Spike and Butch, walking inside together and they had been surprised about that typical Italian arts, such as Roman and Greek architects inside the house. They knew this must have based on the long cultural links of Libya with Italy, the latter once colonized Libya.
Kid and Nikov, as for their looking on over and over typical European mansion drew from the Renaissance arts, and some photo of Italian revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi. Dora-the-Kid, himself learnt Italian and can speak Italian, drew an impression as well.
They soon sat down in the guest room, where they were prepared with six golden chairs, used by Italian colonizer and Gen. Rodolfo Graziani.
"Devi avere un lato italiano, Abdelhakim Belhaj." (You must have an Italian side, Abdelhakim Belhaj.) Kid spoke it.
"Ho usato per imparare la lingua italiana, e influenzato dalle arti italiane." (I used to learn Italian language, and influenced by Italian arts.) Belhaj switched to Italian: "Quando l'Italia colonizzò la Libia, la Libia non fu unificata. Hanno fatto cose cattive, ma hanno anche riunito la Libia in un'identità per la prima volta." (When Italy colonized Libya, Libya was not unified. They did bad things, but they also gathered Libya into one identity for the first time.)
"Belhaj, amico mio, amo tutto gli italiani. Prima dell'arrivo italiano, la Libia era ancora divisa tra Tripolitania, Fezzan e Cirenaica. Dopo la partenza italiana, la Libia va uno come oggi. Gli italiani si è sviluppata per la Libia però." (Belhaj, my man, I love everything Italians. Before Italian arrival, Libya was still divided between Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. After Italian departure, Libya goes one like today. Italians did develop for Libya though.) Kid also stated, even he understood why Libyans still felt complicated on Italy.
"Va bene, amico mio. Tutto ha il suo ruolo." (That's okay, my friend. Everything has its role.) Belhaj responded politely, earned a big respect. But Nikov, he was even more surprised. For the first time, he knew that Belhaj is a trilingual person. That's said, Belhaj also kept it in secret only waiting to expose to foreigners.
Dora-nikov did remember, during the time he visited Libya before, under Gaddafi-era, foreign language teachings was forbidden except his family members. Since Libyans were forbidden to learn other foreign languages outside Arabic, people like Belhaj turned to be a resistance.
Still, Belhaj's dark past for joining Al-Qaeda and Taliban during the war of Afghanistan made Dora-nikov felt sensitive.
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Tom, Jerry, Butch and Spike left and waited outside after the talking because they didn't feel much useful there. For that reason, Jerry asked Tom.
"Hey, do you want some fun?"
"Huh?"
Jerry soon pointed to them about … a chessboard! Again, Tom felt like he wanted to get rid of the stories that happened in Syria before, so Tom, seeing this, didn't waste time to gain opportunity, by trying to take Butch back.
"Hey, black cat."
"Huh, what's up man?"
Tom's left hand soon touched on Butch shoulders, as his right hand pointed on the chess table. He spoke out: "Wanna play?"
"Play again? Sure!" Butch accepted: "But remember, I can humiliate you again if you don't cheat."
"WTF you cheat a lot! Go to the table!" Tom argued Butch and pushed Butch in. They had been fighting over the result in Syria before, and so they would have to settle in the chess match.
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And, Tom and Butch wasted no time. After playing all time in Syria, they were going to rematch …
"Are you ready?"
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Libyan Sahara …
From the helicopter, a group of special paratroopers arrived. They were … Sudanese and Chinese special forces, ready to take orders.
"Alright, we will have a report together. There will be a squad, deployed to Tobruk. Another squad will be deployed to Tripoli."
"Roger that."
They went soon charged in Libya, and at least, one squad would head to Tripoli, one would head to Tobruk. It would be funny …