I was a general in South America

"Rapid Reaction Forces announce a no-go zone for Manizales drug traffickers."

bang... bang... bang...

The gunshot rang out, and the birds perched on the eaves of the manor scattered and fled.

In the opulent living room, maids dressed in servants' uniforms stood trembling in place, watching as the imported television, which cost as much as their annual income, was reduced to shards of glass scattered all over the floor.

After venting his anger, Ronan Einar looked at his older brother, who was still sipping his wine, and his anger flared up again.

"Shit, Alex, we're fucking drug dealers, not gentlemen just because we're holding wine glasses and wearing suits. That damn bastard is provoking us, and only blood can wash away North Valley's shame."

He was like a lion burning with rage, venting his discontent on the respected lion king.

Ronan even thought that his older brother had been holding a wine glass for so long that he had forgotten how to hold a gun.

They've forgotten how Kitaya rose to prominence from Manizales.

A flash of annoyance crossed Alex's eyes as he tilted his head back and downed the crimson liquid in his glass. "Ronan, no matter how ruthless you are, can you be more ruthless than Pablo?"

Today, reports about the press conference have filled all the television channels.

As the helmsman of the Chatan Group, his anger lasted only a short while; the Einar family was no longer just two penniless brothers from the slums.

Pablo Escobar's experience, in particular, served as a constant reminder to him.

Guns and cannons earned them the capital, and after forging their throne with bloodshed, they should have restrained their sharpness and become beasts in the darkness.

Lions always die on the battlefield...!

"Ronan, if you hadn't instructed Andre to act recklessly, but instead followed my initial instructions, things wouldn't have turned out this badly."

The foolish younger brother will never understand that war is merely a means to gain benefits.

He thought he was unaware that without his approval, even the hyena Andrei wouldn't dare disobey his orders, despite his clumsy performance.

If it weren't for my younger brother, the grass on his grave would be three feet tall by now.

Clearly, Ronan was stunned upon hearing this, and then his defenses crumbled completely.

"Fuck, stop acting all high and mighty, Alex! It's you who forgot where we came from. Stop treating me like a kid. If that damn bastard had listened to me, he'd be a corpse by now."

"You've fucking chickened out, you can't even hold a knife anymore. I just want everyone to understand that Manizales is the Enal family's territory. What did I do wrong?"

Ever since that damn gold mine was discovered, and that bastard from Kali came along, Ronan felt that everything had changed.

Ronan gave Alex a deep look, slammed the pistol in front of him, picked up his own glass, downed it in one gulp, and slammed it down.

"Since you think I'm ruining your plans, I'm fucking never bothering you again."

After saying that, Ronan walked towards the door without looking back.

As Alex watched his brother's figure disappear, his efforts to control his emotions finally crumbled, and his refined face behind his gold-rimmed glasses gradually contorted.

"Fuck...!"

The wine glass in his hand shattered on the wall, and he abruptly picked up the pistol from the table.

bang... bang... bang...

The two maids slowly collapsed to the ground...

........

The turmoil caused by Lucas did not stop in Manizales; it also affected Bogotá, 300 kilometers away.

In the Capitol Building, a female secretary in a gray business suit hurriedly carried a stack of documents toward her office at the far end.

On top of the materials was today's edition of the Colombian newspaper, El Comercio, with a cover featuring a photo of Lucas pounding his chest in the sunset.

The front-page headline boldly proclaimed, "The Roar of Manizales! Drug Dealers Banned!"

After passing through multiple security checks, the female secretary pushed open the door and entered the presidential office.

"Mr. President, today's newspapers are all here."

Behind the desk, an elderly man with sparse hair but full of energy reached out and took the newspaper, beginning to read it attentively.

About ten minutes...

Besario Quartas put down the newspaper, his expression unreadable. He simply took off his glasses and gently rubbed his eye sockets with his fingertips. After thinking for a while, he looked at the secretary standing next to him.

"Notify General Hamiol to come over and connect me to the US embassy in an hour."

......

"Get me connected to the President's office in one hour."

At the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, a middle-aged man in a suit is giving instructions over an internal phone in the ambassador's office.

"Notify the military advisors that an emergency meeting will be held in the conference room in ten minutes."

The office television was playing a loop of Lucas speaking, while at his feet lay images of drug dealers' corpses.

The man standing next to the desk hung up the phone, pointed at the TV, and then smiled at the person sitting down.

"The military should be happy to see this news, but Colombia will not tolerate him."

Even when the screen is muted, you can almost feel the fervor of the crowd through the screen.

Another voice soon rang out in the office.

"Whether it's the CIA or the military, let them worry about all the issues. We just need to maintain the status quo. As for him, he's just a young catfish that has slipped into the pool and is not yet capable of disrupting the balance."

.......

"Lieutenant, Lieutenant Lucas."

Herrera, looking constipated, chased after Lucas, calling out as he watched the soldiers build makeshift fortifications at the entrance of the Cato branch.

"After you finished the task you assigned me, I received a lot of calls from officers who wanted to join the rapid response unit yesterday."

"Go through your list, mark the problematic ones, and remember not to make a fuss."

"Don't worry, I guarantee not a single spy will get in. But Lieutenant Lucas, could I please not be in charge of the command center? I know you want to cover my identity, but I think it's more important to keep an eye on my father-in-law."

"Fine, I'll go to the police station tomorrow to arrest your father-in-law and say you reported him for colluding with the Beigu Group."

"Lieutenant! I, Herrera, will live and die with the Cato Division!"

Before holding the press conference, Lucas instructed Herrera to secretly inform the police force that they needed people willing to temporarily join the rapid response team.

Now that the first shot has been fired, there is a high possibility of facing a fierce counterattack from drug traffickers.

With the current manpower, it is difficult to cope with the increasingly complex situation.

After all, reality is not a game. Training a poor person with no family background into an elite soldier is not something that can be done by simply clicking a few buttons.

Police officers in Manizales with prior training are excellent candidates for recruitment.

Of course, Lucas also made two preparations to prevent drug traffickers from infiltrating.

Herrera is the first screening mechanism, and based on his performance over the past two days, Wao is someone we can trust 10%.

What if Herrera is a spy within a spy? Then he'd be a temporarily recruited police officer, forming a separate team.

Yesterday's forced requisition of the Cato Precinct as a temporary command center was simply to provide a target for drug traffickers.

The only ones actually stationed here are a makeshift squad and Herrera.

If Herrera is willing to use himself to build the nest, then Lucas can only admire him as a ruthless person.

Anyway, he's not going to clock in at the police station.