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墨書 Inktalez
Prince Banan looked at the densely packed soldiers beside him, instantly feeling more confident. He nodded heavily and asked the officer, "Where is our troop stationed?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, we have rushed here over a long distance and do not have a temporary base yet."
Prince Banan thought for a moment and said, "First, find a place to set up camp and wait for the arrival of other troops."
"Yes!"
Prince Banan and the attendants were invited onto one truck, while Zhang Qiu, Lucia, and the members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team boarded another truck. The New Army took over Prince Banan's defense duties.
After a brief stop at the edge of the jungle, the convoy continued toward the city. The driver in the back truck had a dark face with meticulous black eyes focused on the road ahead. Zhang Qiu leaned against the edge of the truck cabin, naturally tilting his head to take in the view outside.
Puddles filled with water dotted the highway, and the truck drove straight through them without avoiding any, causing a jarring motion that made one feel nauseous. The Southern Region was heavily forested, and after a long while, they finally saw a factory. A massive chimney stood tall there, but no smoke billowed from it. Zhang Qiu gazed curiously at the factory not far away when he heard Azure Hawk's voice.
"This factory was personally destroyed by my team."
Zhang Qiu was taken aback and nodded, unsure of what to say.
After a long time, the convoy finally left the desolate area, and clusters of tribes appeared along the roadside. Yes, Zhang Qiu could only describe them as tribes; he couldn't think of any other suitable term.
The tribes consisted of several "houses," built with half-height tree trunks forming a framework covered with plastic sheets and animal hides. One side had a doorway just large enough for people to bend down to enter. Outside the houses were neatly arranged broken plastic bowls and rusty iron buckets. Nearly naked people stood outside washing their shriveled bodies due to prolonged hunger, while three children rolled around on the damp sandy ground after the rain.
"Those people's bodies look like... well, skeletons," Lucia remarked as she observed the crowd not far away. The emaciated black bodies had skin tightly clinging to their ribs, making Lucia involuntarily think of skeletons.
The convoy finally stopped upon entering the city. Two trucks blocked the road in front and behind, with machine guns mounted on top aiming unfriendly at any suspicious direction. The trucks carrying soldiers pulled to one side as soldiers jumped down in rows and rushed in all directions. The two trucks carrying Prince Banan, Zhang Qiu, and others drove into a courtyard where armed soldiers shouted loudly while people inside screamed and fled.
Zhang Qiu frowned as he watched the Public scatter in the courtyard. A soldier approached and respectfully said, "Please get out of the vehicle."
Hearing the word "please" from the soldier and observing the chaos in the courtyard made Zhang Qiu feel uneasy. Lucia patted Zhang Qiu on the back and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's get out of the car."
Zhang Qiu turned to support Lucia as he jumped down from the vehicle. Prince Banan and the attendant officials had already disembarked and were heading toward the second floor, surrounded by soldiers. It was only when he saw the large advertisement in the courtyard that Zhang Qiu realized they had arrived at an inn.
"Zhang Qiu, Lucia, over here," Prince Banan waved to them from the corner of the outer staircase.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia walked up the stairs. The second floor of the inn was already occupied by soldiers, with a warrior holding an AK-47 assault rifle stationed every two meters. A man who appeared to be the manager was brought out of a room by soldiers, trembling as he faced Prince Banan. Looking further, more people were being roughly pulled from their rooms by soldiers, shoving and pushing them along.
"These soldiers are forcing people out!" Lucia's expression changed as well.
The guests of the inn were being driven out by soldiers, lining up to descend the stairs. Zhang Qiu exchanged glances with those passing by, but they quickly lowered their heads. Zhang Qiu took a few steps up the stairs and called out loudly, "Prince Banan!"
Prince Banan turned around, surprised at Zhang Qiu's distressed expression, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong with me?" Hearing Prince Banan's words made Zhang Qiu angry. "Prince Banan, don't you find this strange?" Zhang Qiu deliberately emphasized "you."
Prince Banan looked at Zhang Qiu, still not understanding, and asked, "Zhang Qiu, what exactly is wrong?"
"You..." Zhang Qiu's eyes widened in anger. An official standing next to Prince Banan quickly stepped forward to block him and shouted at Zhang Qiu, "What do you want!"
As soon as the official finished speaking, two soldiers raised their guns and aimed at Zhang Qiu. At the same time, Azure Hawk and others raised their weapons, each taking up advantageous positions to support one another.
The mission to protect the prince was ordered by Zhang Qiu, and the original task of the White Wolf Special Assault Team was to protect Zhang Qiu. When these two missions conflicted, Azure Hawk knew exactly what to do.
More soldiers rushed into the courtyard, the sound of gun actions filled the air, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense. The people being driven away didn't know who started it but instinctively crouched down to hide.
"Don't point your finger at me!" Zhang Qiu glared at the official, who had previously been silenced by Zhang Qiu's words while complaining about the bumpy ride.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Lucia shouted as she ran over.
Prince Banan snapped back to reality and quickly ordered, "Everyone put down your guns! What is going on?"
Prince Banan's words seemed to fall on deaf ears as both parties maintained their standoff position. Frustrated, Prince Banan shouted again, "Did you not hear me? Put down your guns!"
"Your Highness, this..." An officer who had followed Prince Banan to the second floor looked troubled. He had to ensure the prince's safety, and putting down their weapons at this moment would mean going from active to passive. If anything went wrong, he couldn't bear that responsibility.
"Put down your guns!" Prince Banan yelled.
Lucia gently tugged at Zhang Qiu's arm, and Zhang Qiu turned to look at Azure Hawk and the others downstairs.
"Put down your guns," Zhang Qiu said calmly.
Azure Hawk waved his hand, and the gun barrels were lowered first. The other members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team complied with Azure Hawk's command one after another.
After Azure Hawk and the others lowered their guns, the soldiers of the New Army also put down their weapons. However, every member of the White Wolf Special Assault Team kept their thumbs on the triggers, while some of the New Soldiers even tossed their guns behind them.
As the atmosphere eased slightly, Prince Banan clearly understood that Zhang Qiu held no hostility towards him and asked, "Why?"
Zhang Qiu replied, "Prince Banan, do you remember what you once said?"
"What do you mean?" Prince Banan had spoken too much and was unsure which specific statement Zhang Qiu referred to.
"Your promises, your ambitions, your goals, what you wanted to bring to Tanzania!"
Zhang Qiu's series of responses left Prince Banan momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, he said, "I want to bring a better life to the people."
"Is this what you call a better life?" Zhang Qiu pointed at the people being driven away by the stairs. Hearing Zhang Qiu mention it, one or two bold individuals in the crowd looked up.
"We need this hotel as a camp during these special times; it's a military necessity."
"Without a hotel, soldiers won't fight?" Zhang Qiu retorted to Prince Banan. "Moreover, the situation hasn't even reached the point of war."
Prince Banan was left speechless by Zhang Qiu's rebuttal. Zhang Qiu felt Lucia tugging at him but continued, "This is merely an excuse for you to comfort yourself; you cannot truly let go of your princely status. This is due to your environment; after all, you are used to a life of luxury. At Uncle Nanka's house, you occupy someone else's room while making the host sleep on the floor. If you were a king, I would have nothing to say about it, but you are a prince—someone who claims to want to bring a good life to the people."
"You dare!" An official stepped forward, pointing at Zhang Qiu.
"Let him!" Prince Banan pushed aside the official blocking his path. His facial muscles twitched as he took steps toward Zhang Qiu. "You, continue."
"Then I will continue!" Zhang Qiu fixed his gaze on Prince Banan. "Your promises sound wonderful, but have you acted on them? If you want to do something, you can start now; there's no need to wait for everything to change, right?"
Prince Banan stared intently at Zhang Qiu, who met his gaze calmly. The two of them simply looked at each other. The officials exchanged glances, and the soldiers surrounding them felt the tension in the air once again, gripping their rifles tightly. Apart from the prince and Zhang Qiu, no one dared to speak.
After a long pause, Prince Banan lowered his head in frustration and patted himself anxiously, saying, "Yes, yes, you are right; it is my fault."
"Your Highness, you..."
"Shut up!" Prince Banan interrupted the officials who were trying to comfort him. He looked up at Zhang Qiu and asked, "Do you have anything else to say to me?"
"I ask you, what is the most important thing for a person?"
Prince Banan stared blankly at Zhang Qiu, unable to answer for a moment.
"It is direction!" Zhang Qiu replied. "People can easily lose themselves and forget why they set out in the first place. You want to bring prosperity to Tanzania, but what I see is not that. When the situation began to favor you, you became complacent. Look at how lost you are; the king has not yet transferred power to you. If there is unification between the north and south and you become the leader, I really can't imagine how you will fulfill your promises."
Zhang Qiu paused, observing Prince Banan's expression before pointing at the people on the stairs and raising his voice: "Today it is me who confronts you; tomorrow it will be them! They won't be as gentle as I am; a few harsh words won't suffice. They will respond with machine guns, cannons, and armored vehicles. Once they confront you, everything will be over; you will become the second king. And I don't believe your fate will be any better than your father's."
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