Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 48 Loyal! Sincerity!
Raindrops pattered against the window, sliding down the glass and blurring the overcast skies of El Salvador.

Scott stood in the corner of the conference room, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He quietly shifted his weight from his left leg to his right leg and then back again, trying to alleviate his discomfort in this way.

Everyone sitting in the room was of a much higher status than him.

Hansen, his boss.

Rocha, commander of 40,000 military police in Bahia region.

Two unfamiliar men, one a major general and the other a colonel.

And, Alvaro—the absolute core of the entire storm.

Scott disliked such occasions.

There was no action briefing, no sitemp, no OBJ, and no evacuation plan.

There was only a table, a few lamps, five middle-aged men, and a conversation he shouldn't have been involved in.

Why was he called over?

Just then, Alvaro tapped rhythmically on the table and calmly spoke:
"The federal police will enter Rio as early as tomorrow and issue arrest warrants."

"At that time, everyone present will be sent to the guillotine."

Upon hearing this, Scott couldn't help but look up at Alvaro, only to hear him continue:
"Therefore, we must take action first."

There was a brief silence in the room.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the sound of raindrops tapping on the window echoing in my ears.

The gentle expression that used to grace Rocha's face was gone.

He reached out and stubbed out the cigarette, his eyes cold.

“I can stall them, using administrative procedures as an excuse, but it will take a maximum of seven days.”

"However, what if Antonio orders the military to take over law enforcement authority?"

As he spoke, Rocha looked at the army colonel opposite him.

“He’s not ready to do that yet,” the colonel cleared his throat and continued to explain:

“The staff at Alvareda Palace were well aware that allowing the military to take over law enforcement in Bahia State meant publicly admitting the president’s incompetence.”

The major general then added slowly:
"The whole country will begin to wonder if Antonio has lost control of the situation."

"This would be a fatal blow to the ruling party."

After a moment's thought, Alvaro turned his gaze to the colonel who had spoken first: "What are your thoughts, José?"

The colonel sat up straight: "Besides the 28th Armored Infantry Battalion under my command, Bueno, Andre, Vega, as well as Raymond and Guerrero, are all willing to serve you."

"Including Raymond?" Alvaro's tone revealed a rare hint of surprise.

The fact that even someone as cautious as Raymond was so eager to express his opinion suggests that the military's ambitions are even greater than he had originally imagined.

"Of course, many officers harbor deep resentment towards the current government, and your experience during His Excellency Medici's tenure has earned you the respect of many."

Alvaro chuckled softly, offering no reply, and turned to the major general on the other side: "And you, Arturo?"

The major general slowly exhaled and placed his hands on his lap: "When necessary, there will be unavoidable delays in the tactical deployment of the Eastern Military District."

After making his assurance, he paused for a few seconds, then added, "But even so, we still need a sufficiently plausible excuse to drag most people into this."

“ACE’s generals are getting old and have become overly cautious.”

“They need a strong enough signal to decide which side to take.” “Very well, then we’ll give them a reason to act.” Alvaro changed the subject, gesturing for Scott, who was in the corner, to come closer.
"Scott, tell me, have you ever carried out a disruptive mission before?"

Scott, who was still trying to figure out what the group had been babbling about, was taken aback when he realized he had been called out by name.

He almost instinctively straightened up and reflexively reported loudly:
"Sir, disruptive missions usually fall under specific psychological warfare or intelligence operations. If you mean creating an irreversible situation in a short period of time, then yes."

"What a capable young man."

Alvaro offered a compliment, opened the file folder in front of him, and casually tossed it onto the center of the table.

"In one hour, major media outlets will expose evidence of corruption by the president and his core team nationwide."

"They will ensure that public opinion gets completely out of control, muddies the waters, and makes it impossible to tell who is lying."

"Disappointed people took to the streets, whether to protest against me or against Antonio."

"We are in an excellent position on this."

"With high unemployment and economic collapse, people desperately need an outlet for their emotions."

"Therefore, what I'm looking forward to is complete chaos."

"Rocha, Hansen?"

"CHOQUE will raid drug cartels in the North, blockade key areas, and create armed conflict."

"At the same time, police departments adjusted their deployments and withdrew some law enforcement posts in slums, allowing gangs to fight for the vacated territory."

Hansen glanced at Rocha with a cold smile before speaking: "The group will send people to infiltrate the demonstrations, disguise themselves as protesters, and push everything out of control."

“It started in Bahia and spread to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.”

Alvaro ignored the tension between the two and calmly took over the conversation:
"When the time is right, I will make a formal statement on television."

"The president persecuted me politically and even colluded with terrorists to orchestrate the Delta Air Lines incident."

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, and scanned everyone with his eyes.

"When the conspiracy failed, he spread rumors across the country to slander me and used the state apparatus to try to arrest me in order to eliminate the only person who dared to defend the interests of the people."

"Bahia is a bastion of freedom and will never yield to authoritarianism."

"With this reason, I will declare a state of martial law in the name of national security."

"Block all ports, airports and highways to ensure that federal troops cannot be mobilized quickly."

At this point, Alvaro looked up at the colonel: "Can your allies complete the deployment within twenty-four hours?"

The colonel stood up abruptly, his tone decisive: "Within three hours, I guarantee to take over all military bases and key defense points within the state."

The major general beside him also straightened up: "If Lyertes does not cooperate, I will immediately take his place and issue a statement to the whole country in the name of the military district command, calling on all units to act independently to prevent the president from abusing his power to carry out a purge."

The room fell silent for a brief second.

Alvaro clapped his hands with a smile: "Gentlemen, if we are lucky enough, we will soon witness the birth of a brand new regime."

As soon as he finished speaking, an indescribable fervor quietly rose within him.

Scott looked at the excited, flushed people in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and finally raised his hand, asking under Hansen's murderous gaze, "Sir, where is that Asian man?"

Upon hearing this, Alvaro raised an eyebrow slightly: "That Asian guy with Gina?"

He waved his hand dismissively, showing no interest in even thinking about it, and casually said, "He's all alone now, and he's out of chips. He can't cause any trouble."

"We have greater things to do, don't let these things cloud your judgment."

(End of this chapter)