When the rebel representative, Afeif, voiced his opposition, the expressions of the other delegates in the room varied.
The representatives from the five major powers couldn’t help but reveal warm smiles. They glanced at Afeif, then at each other, and shared a knowing smile.
They looked like family elders watching a mischievous youngster.
Meanwhile, the representatives from Israel, Persia, and Iraq covered their faces in embarrassment, their eyes filled with a look of sympathy and pity.
As for the local government’s military representative, his face was wreathed in joy. He looked about ready to jump up and cheer.
It was a stroke of luck so good it felt like manna from heaven; he could hardly believe his eyes and ears.
Rogers, Deputy Commander of the Eagle Country Central Theater, patiently addressed the rebel representative. "Mr. Afeif, please understand that bringing peace to the people of this region is God’s will. No one can change that—not even the Eagle Country military."
Afeif stood up, sneered, and shot back at Rogers,
"What, is it time to abandon us again? First, you abandoned al-Qaeda, then you abandoned Baghdadi, and then the Kurds. Is it finally our turn?"
He then turned to the Kurdish representative and said,
"These outsiders have no credibility whatsoever. Are you really going to submit to their arrangements? Haven’t you learned your lesson? Or did they promise you something? Let you establish your own nation?"
At these words, a look of hesitation crossed the Kurdish representative’s face.
Afeif then turned to the representatives from Persia and Turkey.
"Have you all forgotten? The Eagle Country people are completely untrustworthy. Westerners are untrustworthy. And the Easterners are just as untrustworthy! The affairs of the Middle East must be decided by those of us in the Middle East!"
Hearing this, the Persian representative gave a faint smile and said,
"Mr. Afeif, do not compare your disorganized rebels to the great nation of Persia. Persia’s future will, of course, be dictated by the Persians. However, we also respect the advice of our two allies."
As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Lizhang and Vasily, giving them a slight nod.
Persia had been able to stand firm under the immense pressure from Eagle Country not because of any Middle Eastern allies, but because of the support from those two powerful backers.
Rogers continued,
"Afeif, you need to understand something. This order didn’t come from the Central Theater Command Headquarters. This is a joint directive from the White Palace and the Pentagon."
Vasily nodded as well, adding,
"I also just received a top-level directive from the Kremlin."
The men looked at Afeif as if he were a petulant child who didn’t know any better.
The Kurdish representative, on the other hand, seemed somewhat swayed. After all, their fate had been controlled by other powers for too long, and they had long yearned to break free from their shackles.
But just as he made a move to speak, a man beside him—sporting a goatee, clad in a white robe with a scimitar at his waist—shot him a harsh glare, and he immediately fell silent.
Hearing this, Afeif sneered again, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"You faithless dogs! I bet you’d sell your own mothers without a second thought... Yesterday! Just yesterday, we received funding from the White Palace and the Saudi Royal Family. And now you’re telling us to abandon it all? To give up our chance to become the masters of this land? Impossible!"
His gaze was resolute. He stood tall, chest puffed out, and declared loudly to the representatives of the five powers:
"So-called great powers... you’re nothing special. Think of Afghanistan! Think of Iraq! You will bleed your last drop in an endless war, while we will achieve the final, holy victory!"
Then, his tone shifted as he continued,
"It is precisely because I don’t trust you despicable outsiders that I’ve already ordered my men to occupy the high ground overlooking Abu Kamaal, with their guns trained on this very hotel. We have five thousand brave and battle-hardened warriors, over eighty advanced tanks supplied by the Eagle Country military, more than a hundred artillery pieces, and even two fighter jets! No matter how powerful you are as nations, right here, right now, in Abu Kamaal, we call the shots!"
Behind him, dozens of militants instantly raised their rifles, aiming them at everyone else in the room. Several others ripped open their shirts, revealing bodies strapped with explosives, their hands gripping detonators.
"Gentlemen, you are all elites from your respective nations. Haha, and I see there’s even royalty among us... For the time being, I’m afraid I’ll have to inconvenience you by making you my hostages. I’m confident that with you in my possession, some of my demands will be easily met."
Hearing this, Rogers couldn’t help but sigh. Vasily buried his face in his hand.
"My dear Mr. Afeif, to be honest, I’ve met my share of fools, but I’ve never encountered one quite as foolish as you. Are you referring to the army you have stationed on the high ground outside the city? Yes, it’s quite a sizable force." Rogers nodded. "But do you know why Afghanistan and Iraq were so difficult to completely occupy? Because other major powers were standing behind them. Now, we are all standing together."
Zhao Lizhang smiled faintly and said,
"My side still advocates for setting aside disputes in favor of a peaceful resolution. After all, the people of Abu Kamaal are so very desperate for peace."
"Shut up! You damned Easterner! You’re no better than the rest of them! Where do you think all the weapons in the Middle East come from!?" Afeif roared. "Now, have all your men lay down their weapons and follow my orders! Don’t worry, I’ll hold a press conference for you, broadcast to the entire world. After your governments have paid a sufficient price, I’ll let you go. You see, to me, you’re all just walking banks, ready to fund our cause with plenty of money and weapons."
Zhao Lizhang pursed his lips and said to the other representatives,
"My side has no further suggestions. However, the post-conflict reconstruction contracts must be awarded to us, especially the telecommunications network."
Rogers shrugged and said,
"Of course, no problem. Your people are the fastest, after all... Well then, let’s get this over with."
With that, he spoke into the microphone on his collar:
"Initiate Operation Flare."
Afeif’s eyes narrowed. "Even at a time like this, do you still think..." he began grimly.
Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of something tearing through the air came from the sky. It was followed by a deep rumbling that shook the ground and the sound of massive explosions from outside the city!
The explosions were incessant. They were so powerful that the hotel’s chandelier swung wildly, threatening to crash down from the ceiling as dust rained down from above.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The massive explosions blended into a single roar. A moment later, the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout Abu Kamaal City as the shockwaves blew out the windows in countless homes.
Afeif’s face was a mask of shock. He spun around and rushed to the window, staring out at the city’s edge.
He saw the high ground outside the city where his troops were stationed completely engulfed in a sea of fire. Massive mushroom clouds billowed into the sky, their dark, smoky shells a testament to the detonation of an untold number of thermobaric bombs!
He could faintly hear the roar of engines in the sky—a sound he knew all too well. It was the sound of unmanned attack drones, mixed with the deeper thrum of bombers.
The positions on the high ground were no longer visible, completely shrouded in fire and smoke.
Just then, another roar of jets tore through the air. Several long-range bombers swept overhead, unleashing rows of high-explosive aerial bombs that ripped through the already blazing high ground.
The bombers’ silhouettes were clearly from Russia’s Tu-series.
And that wasn’t the end of it. Next came a volley of cruise missiles, screaming through the sky like thunderbolts from heaven. They slammed into the high ground, erupting in massive fireballs and sending wave after wave of tremors through the earth.
Vasily shrugged and said,
"A friendly contribution. Just to make sure there are no stragglers."
Zhao Lizhang put on a pained expression and said,
"All this devastation... it’s going to be hell on the tires of our construction vehicles when they go up there to fill in the craters."