Chapter 2078 - 851: For Survival? (4)

He paused.

"Then we can close the net."

11:00 AM, Mexico City, "Feathered Serpent Temple" top floor

Victor looked at the intelligence report just delivered.

Over in Lebanon, the Squid Man has reached the north bank of the Litani River. On the Syrian side, two divisions are gathering at the Golan Heights. Over in YL, the supreme Leader Khamenei has just given a televised speech, calling for "all Muslims to rise up in Jihad".

He put down the intelligence report.

Bramo stood beside him.

"Victor, the Americans are getting anxious. They requested the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting."

Victor shook his head.

"What's the use of a meeting?"

He stood up and walked to the map.

The Middle East, that place, is all in red now.

"That old man—Joshua—is he still shouting?"

Bramo nodded.

"Someone just attempted to assassinate him on Temple Mount, but it failed. He's still going."

Victor squinted his eyes.

"Who sent the assassin?"

"I don't know. It could be the real ZD, it could be YL people, or it could be—someone who wants him to shut up."

Victor was silent for a few seconds.

Then he asked:

"That Chechen woman—Tamara—does she have any family?"

Bramo was taken aback.

"Her? She's an orphan. Grew up in a refugee camp."

Victor nodded.

"That's strange."

Bramo looked at him.

"What's strange?"

Victor turned around.

"When she rushed up to kill that old man, she shouted in Chechen. What she said meant—'Avenge my brother'."

Bramo was stunned.

"Who is her brother?"

Victor shook his head.

"I don't know. But that old man knows."

He walked back to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Connect me to Jerusalem. Find that old man."

The call went through.

Joshua's voice came from the other side, very calm.

"Mr. Victor."

Victor didn't exchange pleasantries.

"That Chechen woman—Tamara—where is her brother?"

Joshua was silent for two seconds.

Then he said:

"Dead."

Victor waited for more.

"Killed in Chechnya. Died fighting the Russians. She thinks I killed him."

Victor squinted his eyes.

"Did you kill him?"

Joshua laughed.

Laughed lightly.

"Mr. Victor, I am merely a knife. A knife doesn't kill; the person who uses it does."

The phone call ended.

Victor put down the receiver and looked outside the window.

The traffic on Paseo de la Reforma kept moving. In the distance, the "Phoenix Nest" stadium shimmered in the sunlight.

But that light didn't reach the Middle East.

Didn't reach those who were dying.

12:00 PM, north bank of the Litani River

Ben Abraham leaned against an olive tree, chewing on a ration biscuit.

Beside him lay a row of corpses—Squid Man's men, covered with white cloth. Further away, there was another pile of bodies—real ZD's, uncovered, just laying there.

The aide approached.

"Brigade Commander, orders from above—continue the advance."

Ben Abraham didn't move.

"To where?"

The aide pointed to a spot on the map.

"Tyre."

Ben Abraham looked at that spot.

Tyre.

The largest city in Southern Lebanon. A port on the Mediterranean. Real ZD's base camp.

"That's fifty kilometers away."

"I know."

"We only have half our men left."

"I know."

Ben Abraham put away the ration biscuit and stood up.

"Tell the brothers, set out."

2:00 PM, Jerusalem, Prime Minister's Office

Shamir looked at the battle report just delivered.

The 91st Division has reached the outskirts of Tyre. Casualties—one hundred twenty-seven dead, more than three hundred wounded. On the real ZD's side, at least eight hundred dead.

He put down the battle report.

Ross stood in front of him.

"Shamir, the White House asks you—when will it stop?"

Shamir looked at him.

"It can't stop."

Ross was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Shamir stood up and walked to the map.

Pointing in the direction of the Golan Heights.

"The Syrian army is ready. Their tanks are fueled, their soldiers have been issued bullets, their Chechens—waiting for a signal."

Ross looked in that direction.

"What signal?"

Shamir did not answer.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Moses, how are things on the Golan Heights?"

The voice of Chief of Staff Moses came from the other side.

"They're moving. It's not a large-scale attack, it's small infiltrations. Those Chechens—they sneak over at night, kill our people, then retreat."

Shamir was silent for a few seconds.

Then he said:

"Inform the Golan Brigade, enter positions. If they come over again—annihilate them."

He hung up the phone and looked at Ross.

"That's the signal."

4:00 PM, outskirts of Moscow, in that villa

Volkov stood by the window, watching the snow fall heavier and heavier outside.

The phone rang.

He answered it.

A voice came from the other side, processed through a voice changer, unrecognizable.

"The Squid Man has reached Tyre."

Volkov tapped his fingers on the table.

"Boss knows."

"On the Syrian side—they're waiting."

Volkov was silent for two seconds.

Then he asked:

"What about the Mexico side?"

The other side was silent for two seconds as well.

"Victor is holding back. He's still investigating that old man."

Volkov let out a breath.

"That's good."

The other side said:

"It's not good."

Volkov was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

The voice on the other end was very low:

"He's found the next layer of that account. The Cayman Islands shell company is not the end. The money was transferred from—your side."

Volkov's hand trembled slightly.

The call ended.

He turned around and looked at the wide chair in the living room.

The chair was empty. The boss had left sometime.

Outside the window, the snow continued to fall.

...