OR1-EP4: Prelude to the Millennium (18)

"Yeah, in a few days, you send someone to the house to clean up what I left behind. I've already organized the paperwork, so you can just hand it in when the time comes. Any other miscellaneous stuff, take what you think is valuable and throw away what isn't. ... By the way, there's one more form you can turn in for me, I'm out there and can't get back for a while."

Michael McNeil had his cell phone in his right hand and was talking to Adalbert on the other end of the line. In front of him, a guard was checking their credentials, lest some wannabe with a heart of devil take advantage of the chaos in the north and enter the Rhodesian region to make waves. Nito Mariam gripped the steering wheel in his hands nervously, he was ready to fish out of water, but McNeil had previously advised him to try not to use force, and there was nothing he could do about it. The current situation in Rhodesia was on the verge of getting out of hand, the orders from the South African colonial administration had been ineffective, no one would venture into Rhodesia at this time of the year, and there were plenty of refugees fleeing the area.

McNeil, dressed as a businessman, pretended to be talking to a business associate. An outsider could not determine the identity of the two parties based on mere words, and besides, McNeil had already had the experience of playing the role of a businessman once, and he was much more comfortable with it the second time around. On the contrary, Nito Mariam, the nearsighted driver, was not always able to muddle through, and if they had exposed any breach half-way through the journey, it would have been on Nito Mariam's part.

"Mr. Solomon, why would you want to come to Rhodesia at this time?" The guard looked suspiciously at McNeil, who was sitting in the back of the sedan, and Nito Mariam, who was acting as the driver, "We haven't encountered any citizens from the north in over ten days since the north got out of control."

"I have my own business." McNeil put on a sad face, "Sir, people can run, but not factories, and who am I going to turn to for compensation if those goddamned rebels torch my property in Rhodesia?" He tried to make his performance as realistic as possible, but he couldn't squeeze out the crocodile tears, so he had to cover his face with his handkerchief to show the sinking pain in his heart. Seeing this, Nito Mariam had the sense to put on the expression of a servant grieving for his master, and this performance of the two men convinced the guards for a moment that they were genuine, and as the carefully forged documents were not something that could be identified by the average person, it wasn't long before the guards decided to let the two men go.

"Mr. Solomon, if you wish to escape, you are always welcome to head south." Another guard joked, "Hey, everyone who hasn't been to Rhodesia will say that the actual situation isn't that bad, and when they actually get here, they'll come to even more outrageous conclusions than the guys spreading the rumors! May God bless you."

Nito Mariam, who had left the checkpoint in his sedan, looked through the overhead mirror at McNeil, who was stowing his handkerchief in his suit, and asked cautiously:

"Solomon is-"

"My adoptive father's last name. He was a black man, like you." The sadness swept from McNeil's face and was replaced by a gravity he had never known before. When Major Adalbert Herzog intended to provide McNeil with another false identity, McNeil had no hesitation in choosing Solomon as a false last name. James Solomon might have been an equally fine young officer if he had existed in this world. However, since McNeil was unable to find any trace of his parents, he believed that James Solomon was bound to be non-existent as well. It was for the best; he could fight for his current goal without fear of injuring some unexpected acquaintance.

Incredibly, two enemies who not long ago had been at odds with each other were presently riding in the same sedan toward Rhodesia. If the relationship between the two of them were seriously analyzed, the enemy's argument would not hold water. McNeil had nothing to do with the dead attorney Jorge Dias, who had decided to become involved in the case in order to get a chance to be taken seriously; Nito Mariam himself had said that McNeil was just doing his job by the law, and that McNeil had become yet another benefactor by paying for his family's medical treatment. When he thought about it, McNeil truly admired Adalbert Herzog's heart - Adalbert had risked being brought to justice by releasing his friend's death row inmate in order to accomplish his goal.

Their common goal, the Rifle Association of Rhodesia. Nito Mariam identified the Rifle Association as the mastermind who hired him to kill the lawyer, and Governor-general Herzog was adamant at the time that Nito Mariam be executed quickly to cover up the truth for fear of triggering a backlash from the African Britannians in Rhodesia. Now that relations between the Governor-general and the African Britannians had broken down, there was no need for mercy between the two sides.

Nito Mariam was a skilled veteran driver who, before he was employed by Jorge Dias, had driven wagons in the South African region, traveling between the various colonies, and knew the roads well. Though nearsightedness had nearly destroyed his career, he had been fortunate in the end in securing a lawyer who was willing to take him on, and he still repented of his shortsightedness.

"The Rifle Association is traveling north tomorrow to inspect the chemical plant they run." McNeil saw a red light ahead and talked to Nito Mariam in peace, "That chemical plant is actually where they secretly manufacture weapons and ammunition, we'll look for evidence of the crime first, then we'll give you a chance to get your revenge."

The black driver was silent for a few moments and responded with an answer:

"I can barely see out of my eyes, so it seems I've become a drag."

"It seems shortsightedness occurs on both a physical and mental level." McNeil spoke with sarcasm, "There's no one else here, so you can tell the truth: if the Rifle Association had actually given you 10,000 euros instead of just counterfeit money, would you still hate them as much as you do now?"

The red light suddenly turned green, Nito Mariam slammed on the gas, and the car flew forward so furiously that McNeil fell back in his seat from the inertia and didn't hear the other man's reply. He didn't expect a clear answer from the black driver; human nature can't be tested, and there is the brightest light and the ugliest darkness in the world within people.

McNeil believed that Nito Mariam recognized money and that his poverty had created his current values. Jorge Dias was his benefactor, and that was only because the lawyer had given him a job that would sustain him. If someone had offered a higher price, Nito Mariam wouldn't have hesitated to betray Jorge Dias or even kill his benefactor himself. However, when he realized that those guys had given him counterfeit money, he had made the equivalent of a losing trade, with no return. Adalbert Herzog had seen through Nito Meriam's mind and had the audacity to release him and use him as a tool to eliminate his potential enemies. If Nito Mariam had any principles or boundaries, he would have stopped at one of these points instead of falling all the way to this point.

The two men did not arrive in Mashonaland until late in the evening, when they hastily sought out an inn with the intention of making the journey the next day.

If anyone had seen the letter which Governor-general Herzog had handed to McNeil, they would have realized that Herzog and his son were in astonishing agreement as to the handling of the northern question. Only, the wily Governor-general Herzog wanted McNeil to find decisive proof that these African Britannians were carrying out an armed insurrection, while Adalbert intended to kill the leader of the other side outright in order to throw the whole organization into disarray. Major Herzog provides them with a detailed layout of the buildings in the vicinity of the factory so that Nito Mariam can find a suitable location for the assassination. However, since the African Britannians had taken control of the North, the natives had been increasingly discriminated against and ostracized, and it was impossible for a black man to blend into the scene, and since Nito Mariam's eyesight was very poor, Adalbert finally and reluctantly decided to ask McNeil to assist in carrying out the assassination.

"This chemical plant is kind of historic." McNeil repeatedly scrutinized the drawings inside the hotel, "At a time when all kinds of traditional industries are shrinking, it's still very profitable."

"I went there once ten years ago, and I was told that the local citizens resented it." Nito Mariam held up a magnifying glass, barely able to make out the labeled words with the help of the roof light.

"Antipathy?"

"Yes. I heard that the people of the neighboring towns at the time voted in a referendum against the establishment of a chemical plant here, but the Governor-general of South Africa of that term ignored those claims." The driver sighed, "They're so unruly."

"Rules aren't rules if no one breaks them."

After careful thought, McNeil finally decided to set two traps in accordance with Adalbert's prior arrangements. Now that Rhodesia had become a gray area of lawlessness, it also meant that even the powerful African Britannians had no way of restoring normal law and order - they had single-handedly started the unrest themselves, and were never going to take it upon themselves to put it down before their demands were met. Nito Mariam would disguise himself as a worker within the factory and place sakuradite bombs in the path of these dignitaries. Michael McNeil, on the other hand, would conduct ambushes on the periphery, and if the bombs failed or were detected, it would be up to him to eliminate his targets.

"They're definitely going to check." Nito Mariam was a little timid.

"No, they won't." McNeil twirled the ballpoint pen in his hand, "These people take pride in dancing with knives and guns, and everyone carries guns and bombs and incendiary bombs, so how do you think they're going to tell which guns and bombs belong to their own people, and which ones belong to the enemy?" Speaking here, McNeil paused for a moment and drew a line on the map with a ballpoint pen, marking the possible course of action of the other side, "So far, there have not been any accidents within the African Britannians due to the carrying of weapons, they must have let their guard down about it."

"I hope so."

Early the next morning, McNeil urged Nito Mariam to get moving, and the two drove quickly to the vicinity of the chemical plant. Halfway there, they heard a surprising piece of news: some sort of accident seemed to have occurred at the chemical plant, and the site was currently cordoned off, with the relevant personnel preparing to conduct an investigation. Upon hearing this news, the two men looked at each other in disbelief; they were now unable to predict the movements of their opponents.

Nito Mariam suggested returning, all he cared about was eliminating the evil merchants. However, McNeil insisted on continuing with the ambush at the chemical plant as originally planned, reasoning that even if there was a current accident at the plant, the bigwigs of the Rifle Association would not necessarily cancel their scheduled inspection. If he could take this opportunity to wipe out the enemy, the outside world would only think that the head of the Rifle Association had unfortunately died in a production accident, and no one would guess that an assassination had taken place at the chemical plant.

"It's a good chance." McNeil repeated to emphasize this point, "Enthusiastic businessman who was there to guide the industry in order to recoup its losses died in an unfortunate accident ... I like this story."

True to McNeil's expectations, despite the fact that they were stopped a few kilometers away, the police coyly let them through when McNeil presented another fake document that had already been prepared. After crossing the blockade with these false documents, McNeil asked Nito Mariam to drive the car to a warehouse on the outskirts of the factory, and the two of them split up. There weren't as many guards in the factory as expected, only a few scattered security guards patrolling around in fear. They didn't want to be scapegoats here.

Michael McNeil picked a building and rode the elevator that carried the goods to the top floor. He lifted out the sniper rifle from his backpack, cautiously scanned the surrounding buildings, and after determining that there were no enemy snipers, he reassuringly began to set up his gun. Of course, his proficiency in sniping was as good as his familiarity with tanks, only average. However, Nito Mariam was nearsighted, and it was unrealistic to expect the black driver to be a sniper.

Nito Mariam's voice came from the headset.

"They seem to be coming over."

McNeil hid behind the window, watching the direction of the gate through a periscope-like device. Several well-dressed gentlemen were running hotly toward the interior of the factory, and a guard was talking to them anxiously. McNeil guessed that these people didn't care about the death of their citizens, or they would have immediately informed the people in the neighborhood to evacuate, instead of still counting their losses here.

Suddenly, McNeil saw a familiar figure among the bigwigs of the Rifle Association. Compared to the last time the two had met, the man's face was daunting with an additional visible scar.

"Damn, it's Darlton." McNeil cursed, "To the hell of Britannian."

"... Who's Darlton?" Nito Mariam on the other end asked, confused.

"The enemy." McNeil replied succinctly, "Get ready ... Trying to complete the mission doesn't look like it's going so well."

TBC

Chapter Notes：

EU's African colonial civilian armies may ... be less loyal than their better policed European homelands.

It can't be a coincidence that there are many people named James or Jacob in the C&C series.