77: Someone made a big mess

SIA Golden Summit Holy City safe house, late night.

Robert stared at the encrypted messages flickering on the computer screen, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Ever since the Emerald Principality operation failed, his situation had become precarious—the SIA Emerald Ocean intelligence network was almost completely uprooted by Titan, and the resources he could now mobilize were even less than a local gang leader's.

"Sir, Wu Kun's people have arrived," a young agent reported in a low, tense voice.

Robert took a deep breath, straightened his crumpled suit, and forced a professional smile onto his face.

The door to the reception room was pushed open, but it wasn't Wu Kun himself who entered. Instead, it was a tall, thin man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, followed by two heavily armed bodyguards.

"Brother Kun is very busy," the man said, pushing up his glasses, a faint, cold sneer playing on his lips. "I'm the group's Chief Financial Officer. You can call me 'Doctor.'"

Robert's smile froze. He recognized this man—the former technical director of the Emerald Principality's telecom fraud syndicate, a frequent name on Interpol's red notice list, who had laundered over a billion dollars on the dark web under the alias "Ghost Accountant."

"We... hope to establish a long-term partnership," Robert began with difficulty, trying to make his tone sound less like begging. "SIA can provide weapons, funds, and..."

"Intelligence?" Doctor sneered, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt. "You can't even protect your own agents now. What do you have to offer us for cooperation?"

Robert's hand instinctively moved towards his waist, but the two bodyguards behind Doctor had already silently raised their guns, their dark muzzles pointing directly at his chest.

"Don't be nervous," Doctor said unhurriedly, opening a silver briefcase. Inside lay a metallic-sheened bionic right hand. "This is a small token of our sincerity—the latest bionic prosthesis circulating in the Europa Union black market."

Robert's pupils constricted sharply.

"How did you get it?"

"Acquired from the Europa Union black market," Doctor said lightly, his finger gently tracing the seams on the prosthesis's surface. "It's said that a certain faction unexpectedly obtained some of the technology without Titan's knowledge." He paused meaningfully. "Although it's just the tip of the iceberg, it's enough to prove that Titan's security technology is not impregnable."

Robert stared at the prosthesis, his throat dry. Though it was a knock-off, it proved that Titan's technology was already circulating on the black market. If he could get more samples...

"What do you want?" he asked in a low voice.

Doctor pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light: "Two things."

"First, your drug transportation channels."

Robert frowned: "SIA doesn't deal in drugs."

"Oh really?" Doctor chuckled, pulling a document from his inner jacket pocket. "Then who provides air cover for the 'Ghost Flights' of the Solar God Federation's Sinaloa Group? And how do the cocaine transport ships from Andes Cloud City evade coast guard patrols?"

Robert fell silent. SIA indeed secretly controlled multiple global drug trafficking routes; these illicit funds had always been the "shadow treasury" for overseas operations.

"Second," Doctor continued, "we need more weapons. M5A2s, Stinger missiles, C4 explosives—the more, the better."

"What do you intend to do?" Robert asked warily.

Doctor pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light: "We need enough firepower to establish a defensive line on the Emerald Principality border."

"A defensive line?" Robert frowned.

"Deterrence," Doctor's voice was cold. "Titan's influence in the Emerald Principality is too strong. We need enough firepower to make them hesitate before crossing the border to pursue."

Robert was silent for a moment. SIA indeed secretly controlled multiple global arms trafficking routes; these resources had always been the "shadow armory" for overseas operations.

"Alright," Robert slowly nodded. "But you must provide equivalent intelligence, such as Titan's transport routes and personnel deployments."

Doctor suddenly burst into laughter, his mirth full of irony: "Mr. Robert, do you really think we have Titan's core intelligence?"

Robert's expression froze.

"Titan's security system is so powerful that even your reconnaissance satellites can't get intelligence. What could a criminal organization like us possibly obtain?" Doctor shook his head mockingly. "However..."

He pulled a miniature hard drive from his pocket and pushed it across the table to Robert: "This contains the travel records of several Titan transport convoys we intercepted in the eastern Golden Buddha Federation. While it's not top-secret, it at least proves—"

Doctor leaned forward, lowering his voice: "Titan has a lot of supplies being continuously transported to the Southern Four Provinces."

Robert stared at the hard drive, weighing his options. This wasn't the core intelligence he wanted, but it at least proved that Titan was indeed making major moves in the south.

"Deal," he finally said, reaching out to take the hard drive, his voice low. "The first batch of weapons will arrive in three days."

Doctor stood up and adjusted his suit cuff: "A pleasure doing business, Mr. Robert."

He turned to walk towards the door but suddenly stopped, turning back to add: "Oh, by the way."

"If you dare to play any tricks," his voice was soft but full of menace, "I wouldn't mind letting the whole world know that SIA's last lifeline in the Emerald Ocean was a deal with drug traffickers and fraudsters."

Robert's expression instantly froze.

Doctor smiled slightly and pushed the door open, leaving.

Southern Golden Buddha Federation, North Daeyue Province, independent armed forces secret base.

Night enveloped the abandoned rubber factory, the air thick with the smell of oil and gunpowder. A dozen armed individuals in camouflage uniforms sat around a table covered with maps, their armbands embroidered with the words "Southern Liberation Front."

"Titan's second batch of supplies has arrived," a bearded man said in a low voice, lifting a tarpaulin in the corner of the warehouse to reveal neatly stacked metal crates. "Assault rifles, body armor, tactical communication equipment... and this."

He opened a specially designed black case, inside which lay twelve sealed test tubes containing dark red liquid, with North Steel text labels on them.

"What is this?" a young fighter leaned in to observe. "It doesn't look like Titan's equipment."

"Of course not," the bearded man sneered. "This is 'short-acting enhancement serum' developed by the North Steel People, rumored to be reverse-engineered from one of Titan's pharmaceuticals."

He picked up a test tube and held it up to the dim light: "Within an hour of injection, endurance, strength, and speed can all increase by about 20%. While the effect isn't as strong as in sci-fi movies, its advantage is that it's cheap and available in large quantities."

"North Steel People?" The young fighter frowned. "How could they..."

"Business is business," the bearded man interrupted him. "Titan only sells us basic equipment at low prices, but the North Steel People are willing to sell even these advanced 'gadgets.'"

Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from outside the factory. Everyone instantly went into combat mode, their gun muzzles all pointing at the door.

"Relax, it's our people."

The gate slowly rose, and three unmarked trucks drove in. The doors opened, and a middle-aged man in a Golden Buddha Federation police uniform stepped out. He wore a black eye patch over his right eye and a police superintendent's badge pinned to his left chest.

"Superintendent Basong?" The bearded man greeted him in surprise. "Why did you come in person?"

Basong removed his police cap, revealing a sweat-soaked forehead: "Something happened in Golden Summit Holy City."

He pulled a tablet from his embrace, its screen displaying news footage from earlier that day. During the Golden Buddha Confederation Government Army's suppression of an independence protest in Yala Province, a soldier's rifle accidentally discharged, killing two demonstrators on the spot.

"This was no accident," Basong's voice was low. "The military is already divided internally; the hardliners want to suppress with force, the moderates advocate negotiation..."

He looked around, lowering his voice: "And Titan's people are making deals with Golden Summit Holy City."

"Deals?" The bearded man narrowed his eyes.

"Infrastructure contracts, energy supply agreements," Basong sneered. "They sell construction services to the Government Army, and sell us rifles. They profit from both sides, but they never cross the line."

The bearded man stared at the civilians lying in pools of blood in the footage, his fists clenching audibly: "So these things provided by the North Steel People..."

"Are another path," Songchai nodded. "Titan doesn't want to get directly involved, but someone else does."

He walked over to the box of dark red serum, picked up a test tube, and examined it carefully: "20% enhancement... while it can't compare to Titan's armored soldiers, it's enough to turn the tide for our fighters at critical moments."

The young fighter suddenly spoke: "What about the Siam Strait? Wasn't there news that Titan was going to cooperate with the Eastern Federation?"

Basong and the bearded man exchanged glances, both revealing a meaningful smile.

"The strait canal is the strait canal, and the south is the south," Songchai said softly. "Titan knows very well that some businesses can't just be done on one side."

In the distance, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the neatly stacked weapon crates in the warehouse. The dark red serum glowed eerily in the morning light, as if foretelling the coming bloodshed.

Golden Summit Holy City, Ministry of Defense emergency meeting.

Minister of Defense Prawit Wongsuwan slammed his fist on the conference table, making the teacups jump: "Those idiots in Yala Province! Who authorized them to use live ammunition for suppression?!"

The Director of Intelligence wiped cold sweat, his fingers rapidly sliding across his tablet: "It was Major Anupong of the Third Infantry Regiment. He claimed it was an accidental discharge..."

"Accidental discharge?" Prawit sneered, grabbing the projector remote from the table and smashing it against the wall. With a "bang," the remote shattered. "Was he carrying an M16? Can an accidental discharge fire three shots consecutively? Can an accidental discharge precisely headshot two demonstrators?!"

The conference room was silent, only the hum of the air conditioning echoing.

The Director of Intelligence swallowed, steeling himself to continue his report: "Anupong's background... is a bit complicated. His younger brother was killed in a conflict in North Daeyue Province last month, so it's possible..."

"Personal emotions?" Prawit's voice suddenly rose. "So he can unilaterally order live-ammunition suppression?! Now look what's happened—"

He yanked open the curtains, pointing outside. In the distance, a dense crowd of protesters had gathered in the square in front of the Parliament Building, holding up signs that read "Stop the Suppression" and "Southern Autonomy."

"Titan just delivered the second batch of 'security assistance' supplies. We were planning to use a soft approach to stabilize the south, but these idiots directly gave the separatists the best excuse!"

The projector re-lit, displaying real-time updates from the Southern Four Provinces.

North Daeyue Province: Police station occupied, the black flag of the Southern Liberation Front flying on the rooftop; Yala Province: Government building flying an independence flag, thousands of demonstrators surrounding military barracks; Narathiwat Port: Dockworkers on a collective strike, cargo ships, economic losses calculated in millions of Thai Baht per hour...

The Director of Intelligence brought up a new satellite image. In the picture, hundreds of armed individuals were organizing supplies in the jungle on the border of Songkhla Province. Their weapons were uniformly standard assault rifles provided by Titan to the Emerald Principality Government Army, and there were even several anti-tank rocket launchers.

"The most troublesome thing is this," the Director of Intelligence said in a low voice. "The separatist armed groups' equipment level is already close to that of a regular army, and..."

He zoomed in on a corner of the image. Several white instructors were guiding tactical movements, and a North Steel text tattoo was faintly visible on one of their arms.

Prawit's face instantly turned ashen: "North Steel People?"

"Not certain yet, but..." The Director of Intelligence hesitated.

Prawit suddenly turned, staring at the Army Commander who had been silent: "What is the military's stance now?"

The Commander slowly looked up: "The Third Military Region advocates military suppression, the Fifth Military Region suggests negotiation..." He paused. "But everyone agrees on one point: the situation cannot be allowed to deteriorate further."

"Nonsense!" Prawit laughed in anger. "The question is, what do we do? Continue the suppression? The Southern Four Provinces will immediately erupt in full-scale riots! Let it go? They'll declare independence tomorrow!"

The conference room fell silent once more.

Finally, the Director of Intelligence cautiously spoke: "The... Prime Minister has secretly met with Titan's representatives."

The air seemed to freeze.

Prawit slowly sat back in his chair, the anger on his face gradually turning into a complex weariness: "So, this is our choice? On one side, separatists armed by the North Steel People, and on the other, Titan's 'security assistance'?"

No one answered.

Outside the window, the faint shouts of protesters could be heard, and the high-ranking officials in the conference room felt, for the first time, a genuine sense that the country was losing control of the south.