Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 958 Great Shock
London, on the banks of the Thames, deep within the MI6 headquarters building, in an operations intelligence room filled with screens.

In the center of the screen, a video was playing of Duer's face, streaked with tears and filled with despair and collapse, along with his hoarse, broken resignation statement.

The room was deathly silent, save for the faint hum of the equipment. The air seemed to have solidified, heavy and suffocating.

"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!"

A middle-aged man with his hair neatly combed slammed his fist on the control panel, causing the coffee cup next to him to jump and spill dark brown liquid, staining his snow-white cuffs.

He was Richard Ames, the head of the intelligence department.

His usual British indifference and sense of superiority vanished, replaced only by shock and rage.

"That coward Duer! How could he just... just kneel down like that?!"

At the intelligence control console, a young analyst's fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up satellite maps and real-time signal source analysis.

"The signal source has been confirmed to be from the headquarters of Seine National Television, and there are no signs of editing. It's a live broadcast. Durr's mental state... is clearly completely broken. He is being controlled by armed personnel."

"Armed personnel?"

Ames rushed to the screen, staring intently at the two blurry but imposing black figures behind Duer.

"Mercenaries? Which company? Investigate! Find out right now! And that Isis, who's behind him?! A Russian? Or that damned Frenchman?!"

"Initial analysis points to 'Musician' defense."

The analyst spoke quickly, pulling up several blurry battlefield photos and a brief assessment report.

"As for Isis, he is the former Minister of Mining, and his family is a prominent family in Seine with deep ties to the French. His sudden rise to power is clearly the work of the French."

"France?!"

A sinister glint flashed in Ames's eyes. "Damn French! They must have interfered! Those bastards from the DGSE (French Directorate General for External Security) have been messing with us in West Africa!"

He loosened his tie in frustration and paced back and forth. "Immediately deliver the intelligence to our representative at the UN! Tell them this is a blatant military coup! A brutal violation of international law and democratic principles! The 'legitimate government' of Sena has been overthrown by a bunch of mercenaries and their puppets! We must respond forcefully! Peacekeeping forces! Immediately assemble peacekeeping forces and send them into Sena to restore order! Protect the 'legitimate' General Lumar!"

He grabbed the encrypted phone on the table: "Make a report immediately. I need to see Ms. M. She needs to know this news right away. 'Musician' Defense... 'Musician' Defense... I think the Americans must really want to know this information and pass it on to our 'ally' through intelligence sharing channels."

Ames narrowed his eyes slightly, a terrifying name flashing through his mind—Song Heping.

Isn't this guy dead?

New York, UN Emergency Meeting Room.

The atmosphere around the enormous horseshoe-shaped conference table was as heavy as lead.

"...Ladies and gentlemen, the Republic of Seine is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe!"

The U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, William Thornberger, spoke with a loud voice, carrying an unquestionable sense of justice, that resonated beneath the dome.

Behind him, a large screen played a loop of carefully selected footage: burning vehicles and shops on the streets of the capital, the faces of civilians weeping in the ruins, a close-up of the bombed spire of the Presidential Palace of Touré, and the desperate and devastating moments in Touré's resignation video.

"An elected government, despite its controversies, was striving to restore order, but it was overthrown by a group of ruthless mercenaries with tanks and artillery! Their leader, a 'ghost' who dared not even show his true face, installed a puppet who had been in exile for many years! President Touré was forced to resign at the guns of armed men, which is a rape of the will of the people of Seine! It is a blatant provocation against the peace and security norms jointly upheld by the international community!"

Speaking of maneuverability, Thornberger waved his right hand forcefully, as if to shatter the invisible enemy in the air.

His sharp gaze swept across the room, lingering for a moment on the face of the French representative.

"We cannot stand idly by and watch a sovereign nation slide into the abyss of warlordism! We cannot tolerate mercenaries, these modern pirates, becoming the masters who determine the fate of a nation! On behalf of the United States of America, I urgently appeal to the UN to authorize the immediate formation of a powerful international peacekeeping force to enter the Republic of Senegal! To protect civilians, isolate the parties to the conflict, monitor the peaceful transfer of power, and ensure the free and fair conduct of the upcoming elections!"

His speech drew nods of agreement from representatives of Commonwealth countries and several staunch allies, and whispers filled the room.

The French representative, Jean-Pierre Leclerc, was a seasoned diplomat with meticulously combed silver hair, his face bearing an almost arrogant calm.

He gently adjusted his frameless glasses, and after a moment of Thornberg's silence, he spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice clear and penetrating.

"Ambassador Thornberger's 'righteous indignation' was impressive." Leclerc's opening remarks carried a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm. "However, is it too... hasty to simply reduce a complex geopolitical game to 'mercenary insurgency'?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening.

"Three months ago, Mr. Touré also overthrew the legitimately elected Marcus government through a 'military operation' that was not widely recognized. In that operation, flames burned in the streets of the capital, and civilians wept. At that time, some members of the international community seemed to maintain a considerable degree of... 'understanding' and 'wait-and-see'?"

He paused deliberately, letting the silent question ferment in the meeting room.

"What has happened in Seine under Mr. Touré's 'governance' over the past three months? Economic collapse, widespread poverty, rampant corruption, escalating tribal conflicts, and a deepening humanitarian crisis! These are undeniable facts! AFP reporters risked their lives to venture deep into the heart of Seine and brought back shocking images!"

He gestured to his assistant, and the large screen instantly switched to images of emaciated children rummaging through garbage heaps for food; the ruins of a burned-down village; patients dying in a hospital due to a lack of medicine; and screenshots of reports on secret overseas assets bearing the names of officials from the Tours government.

These shots stand in stark contrast to the shots of the American representative just now.

The expressions of the other representatives, who had previously felt that the coup was highly illegitimate, changed.

Footage and propaganda are like weapons, no less powerful than any other weapon.

"And now!"

Leclerc's voice suddenly rose, carrying a French-style fervor.

"Mr. Isis, a former Minister of Mining who is in his prime and has always represented the people of Seine's pursuit of peace and dignity, represents the continuation of the former legitimate government! He represents the hope of ending the chaos and restoring order! He has announced that he will form an inclusive cabinet and governing team and hold general elections as soon as possible! Isn't this an opportunity for the people of Seine to escape the nightmare and move towards a new life?"

He surveyed the room, his gaze finally settling on Thornberg, his tone turning stern: "At this moment, what we should be doing most is providing constructive support to the transitional government led by Mr. Isis, helping the people of Senegal stabilize the situation and begin reconstruction, rather than wielding the big stick of 'peacekeeping' and using 'restoring order' as a pretext to interfere in internal affairs!"

"This will only worsen the already fragile situation and could even be exploited by certain forces to drag Sena into a proxy war! France opposes any hasty peacekeeping force plans that involve coercive intervention!"

Leclerc's speech was like a boulder thrown into water, causing an uproar in the meeting room.

The voices of support and opposition clashed fiercely, and even representatives from several African countries that had initially leaned towards the United States showed signs of hesitation.

Thornberger's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected France to so openly support this "coup," nor had he anticipated that the damaging information they released about the Tours government would be so damaging.

"Programming problem!"

Thornberger abruptly stood up. "I demand an immediate vote on the draft mandate for the peacekeeping force! The lives of the people of Senegal are in grave danger! We have no time for pointless arguments here!"

"vote?"

Leclerc scoffed, “To force a vote when the facts are not yet clear and the positions of all parties are vastly different is a desecration of the UN’s responsibilities! France demands that an independent investigation be launched immediately to comprehensively and objectively assess the current situation and humanitarian conditions in Senegal, and to fully consider the opinions of the African Union! Until then, any draft resolution is irresponsible!”

The French are experts in "investigative procedures."

Once this is started, it will take at least a year and a half of work.

A year or two later, they can legitimately organize a so-called "general election." During that year or two, Isis, who will have enough power, will be able to buy off various people. By then, won't the result be the same as it is now?
This tactic is understood by all the major players present.

"Seconded!"

Representatives from several countries immediately voiced their support.

"be opposed to!"

Thornberg and his allies also clashed.

The meeting room was filled with heated debate and tension.

The draft law authorizing the formation of a peacekeeping force has been firmly stalled amid procedural debates and intense diplomatic maneuvering, much like a giant ship stranded on a shallow beach, unable to move.

Thornberger gazed out the window at the New York nightscape, his heart filled with anxiety.

Every minute and every second of time allowed the mercenary leader Song Heping and the French-backed puppet president Isis to take deeper root in the land of Seine.

(End of this chapter)