Chapter 457 - 43 Episode 9 We Hit The Jackpot!
Mu Ssang laughed. France is definitely an interesting country. Balisari and Liberation ridiculed and criticized the government policies without fear of repercussions.
The criterion is national interest. The disclosure of their call names will have a significant impact on French foreign policy and offshore governance. The sale of Liberation, on the other hand, has nothing to do with national interests. As a result, as long as it does not jeopardize national security, the government maintains a relaxed attitude by saying, "Since you have a mouth, speak." In other words, the French media has unrestricted freedom of expression as long as it does not harm national interest.
Is it possible to liberate Korea? Can Namyang newspaper sell an issue in which the editors post articles demanding the president's resignation? It will be shut down immediately, and the reporter in charge will be taken to the investigation room and forced to eat a bowl of spicy seafood noodle soup through his nose.
In addition, has the Korean media ever shown a grand attitude for national interest? Unfortunately, it only showed great interest in the government's history. The difference between France and Korea is the recognition of diversity, which means that neither the government nor the media is incorrect in stating that they are distinct. France is a country where diversity, paradoxically, acts as a lever for social cohesion. (Author's Note: The diversity mentioned here does not correspond to the multiculturalism implemented by the Korean government.)
"Black, If you don't want to spend your vacation in Djibouti, how about taking a cruise? It was deemed the best way to rejuvenate yourself by the royals of Aubagne."
Paul gently encouraged him. Despite its high cost, cruise travel is the best. Good friends, the best selection of delectable food, and visiting travel destinations all over the world are all enjoyable. Furthermore, the passengers can also enjoy fishing on the deck at any time. Black is a person who, if he so desires, can catch a sailfish. As a result, Paul became obsessed with both long-term vacations and sashimi.
"I'm busy for the time being. I have things to do in my hometown and I have to repair Madame Emma's (Chartres' mother) house"
Mu Ssang remits monthly living expenses to Chartres' elderly parents and Mrs. Julie (the widow previously married to Sergeant Burimer). Even though the trust pension and foundation covered their living expenses, he planned to remodel their old house with the money he earned.
"Silvie and Leah must have grown a lot."
Despite the fact that his plans had failed, a huge smile appeared on Paul's face. Black Mamba was the angel of life who cured Leah's thrombosis and autism when he was admitted to the Army Hospital. He was exhausted as a result. Black Mamba was truly an angel of life rather than a devil dealing death. When Paul recalled Black Mamba's sweating face then, his heart warmed.
Black Culture members, who have become rich thanks to Black Mamba, voluntarily remit their living expenses to the families of their deceased colleagues. This is to avoid forgetting their comrades and their efforts. Although Paul gets a small amount of money every month, he sends Silvie and Leah's child support. The foreign mercenaries' friendship was unbreakable. Moreover, the friendship of the Ratel team, who overcame dozens of near-death crises together, grew to be greater than just brotherhood.
"Since you have a lot of work to do, I'll take care of the remodeling. Of course, the cost must be borne by you. Chartres was a great friend, but she chose the wrong job. Intelligentsia doesn't suit the military uniform."
"Chartres was a mentor who died as a result of my lack of experience. Her lonely, painful death will forever break my heart. Burimer, too, would not have died if I had been a little calmer."
Mu Ssang's gaze was drawn to the horizon. When he thinks of his deceased colleagues and their families, the last image he had of his father holding his hands made him feel like crying.
"Black, you always did your best. Thanks to you, we are living and enjoying the sun and the sea. The tomb of a soldier is the heart of a comrade. They didn't die unless we forgot."
"Thank you for comforting me. This time, Samdi and I killed more than 700 Damballah. I went insane when I saw the pygmy remains in the cauldron in Kidamba village. Those people should not be forgiven for their actions. I was afraid that if I kept them alive, it would be a disaster. As a result, I killed them without considering that those people could be someone's son, father, or husband. I was only thinking about the Pygmies at the time. They should never again be subjected to such a heinous tragedy. Do you think this is a hypocritical double standard?"
Mu Ssang's voice rose as he spoke. The image of Damballahs giggling around the pot as they boiled Pygmy's children, along with their parents' gloomy cries, lingered in his mind.
"Damballah slaughtered and ate the majority of the Pygmies in Kidamba Village. Near their restaurant, there were over 100 pygmy skeletons. They deserved to die. However, I am concerned about the Pygmy's access to firearms. I am concerned that their own community will deteriorate or be demolished. There is a risk that the Pygmy identity, which has been preserved for a long time, will be lost."
"You think so?"
Mu Ssang had a different opinion. For thousands of years, the Ephe and Mbuti, also known as the Pygmy, have lived in isolation in the Ituri forests. They do not have leaders such as chiefs or elders, like other African tribes. It is a co-production and co-distribution society in which men and women are treated equally. This system can be compared to an ant colony. Without leaders, communities are extremely vulnerable to external attacks.
"The Pygmy people's homes have already begun to be violated by outsiders. In the village of Kidamba, where I visited, 230 out of 300 villagers were killed and eaten. The Ituri jungle can no longer maintain an independent ecological niche. I don't know how firearms will change Pigmy society, nor does Paul. The wind shakes branches even if the tree wants to stay still. Even if the Pygmy wanted things to remain unchanged, external factors have already swept the Pygmy with a wave of change. I didn't want to be involved in their lives, and I don't have the right to do so. However, they were simply upset about the terrible reality where their children were cooked and being eaten, yet they showed no anger. Therefore, I gave them guns because I thought of shaking up the stagnant consciousness and turning it into a human who knows how to be angry. Certain people with firearms can wield power that would result in the collapse of the community, but at the same time, they could unite and use it to fight outside invasions. They could also bury it in the ground and keep using their bows and spears. It is their choice. Anyhow, after thinking about it now, I regret doing something so presumptuous."
Mu Ssang babbled as if he was reciting a monologue. This has always been the case. Human neurologists claim that perception and managing emotions associated with perceptions are distinct. For example, let us use a kettle with boiling water as consideration. The brain clearly recognizes that the kettle boils. However, it does not recognize that it is hot. When perceptions and emotions are separated, they can cause accidents.
"You are a one-of-a-kind being. You are a soldier, but you are not at all like a soldier. Did you decide to put down the gun and just hold the chalk? Human sociologists will soon be led by Black Mamba."
"I lost my mother because I was a weak child. Because of my lack of power, I was imprisoned and forced to live as a slave. I desperately desired power, and I received this unknown power. God, who created fire, does not instruct humans on how to use it. Humans must decide whether to cook food over fire or to burn other humans to death. Whatever the Pygmies do with firearms, it is their choice, and the outcome of that choice is theirs. You can blame my erratic behavior on being fickle. Fickleness is a human characteristic. Haha!"
Mu Ssang smiled bitterly. The Ituri jungle is no longer an unknown land, and thus it can no longer protect the Pygmies. The Pygmies are powerful in the forest, but they will only become prey to humans outside of the forest. Sooner or later, the superstitions, madness, and ignorance of the outside world will swallow them. He just hopes that the gun he provided to them will be a catalyst that triggers positive change.
"Right. With only bows and spears, the Pygmy cannot defend themselves against intruders. It is very likely that they will be murdered, dispersed, and absorbed by other races. Some may be able to survive by mingling with other races. Anyway, great job Black. Do you want me to send them some RPGs? In the Regiment's weapon, there is a pile of unused weapons."
Paul turned the heavy subject into a joke.
"I don't know either."
Mu Ssang ended the conversation soullessly. The Eastern Orthodox Christians and the Kurds had a fierce desire to survive. So he actively helped them escape. But his action of giving Kidamba and Olonge firearms was certainly an impulsive decision. He was angry at their passive and lethargic appearance. It is too unfair if humans, not animals, have to walk on the path of extinction because they are weak and pure.
The Pygmy's fate is rather similar to that of the Neanderthals. There are numerous hypotheses regarding the extinction of Neanderthals, but all of them are related to the survival of the fittest.
According to biological estimates, Neanderthals were defeated in survival games against modern humans. Their ecological niches were reduced. As time goes by, the reduction of niches has been accelerated.
Neanderthal genes have been incorporated into a huge pool of modern human genes. The Pygmy genes are also likely to fall into a huge sea of genes and melt away without a trace. It's not something to be sad about, it's just how nature works. Differentiation and fusion of living things are the fate of species. Modern humans have become such a single genus, a single species.
Despite the fact that approximately 20 Damballah fled the Holocaust, the Ituri and Eflu rivers surrounding Cadanka are 120 meters wide at their narrowest point. As a result, they face challenges in surviving and escaping the swamp of crocodiles, poisonous insects, and vipers.
Why did he track them down and kill them? This is because simply being human does justify respecting them. When meaning is attributed to them, whether objective or subjective, humans become different from animals.
He didn't want to blame the Damballah for being cruel and barbaric because that was their nature. However, when malicious intentions collide, the strong side emerges victorious. It is an unbreakable rule that has existed in the world of living things for millions of years. He would have ended up as organic matter to feed the jungle if he had been weak. He was enjoying the hot sun in Djibouti because he was strong.
His father died because he was too weak to withstand the toxicity of Parathion's poison, and his mother went missing because she was too weak to withstand the environment. The strong survive in this world, while the weak disappear. Guns are the tests given to the Pygmy.
"There is a time for the dead and a time for the living. Anyway, I've had enough rest, so I'll return to the living world."
Mu Ssang sighed. There are too many people to take care of. Rather than cling to the memories of the dead, he should help the living.
"Black, what's that metal box?"
Paul pointed to a box containing Ocelot. Samdi was carrying that milky-white metal box around the entire time, refusing to store it in the unit warehouse and declining to leave it at the hotel.
"It's Pandora's Box. Don't pay attention to it. Sometimes ignorance is bliss."
Mu Ssang shook his hands. Monsters have to play with monsters.
"Whoa, it's so hot. The eggs will be cooked."
Bellman finished his walk and looked for the shade of the palm. Paul missed the opportunity to satiate his curiosity.
"What about the girls?"
"They're having fun."
Bellman pointed toward the sea with. You could hear them giggling on the beach, while they were playing beach volleyball.
"Captain, send them back. Your plan didn't work."
"Oh, my. I really wanted to relax this time... I spent a lot of money picking out useful things for the vacation. What is this?"
Paul moaned. He brought in five A-class call girls to help his troubled friend's mental fatigue, but Black did not spare a look at them the past three days.
"It's bad luck for a smart person to meet a bad owner. What can I do? Black is like a eunuch. God is fair. He didn't give him everything. Hup!"
Bellman, who was grinning, poked his face into the sand like an Olympic swimmer jumping into the lane. Beer cans flew towards him, narrowly missing where his head was. Puck! The beer can disappear into the sand, leaving a small hole. Bellman's face turned yellow. He almost peed.
"Hey, I almost died."
Bellman stared at Samdi.
"Being hit by an empty beer can will not kill you, Bellman. If Wakir spoils you, your friend Samdi will scold you."
"Uh~ I'd rather die than suffer. Dude, no matter how light it is, if I got hit with it, I'd be dead. Even the Pygmy knows that energy is proportional to weight and squared to speed."
"It's Bellman's fault. The reason Samdi got angry is because Black isn't eunuch, he is gay."
Paul trembled with emotion. As a result, the 5,000 francs he spent on the five women were a waste of money.
"Oh. At what age did you realise?"
Mu ssang gave Paul a look, as if he pitied him. Krung! A howling sound rang through the beach. Dinofelis, who was lying down, jumped up and stared at Paul.
"Gasp!"
Paul, who was taken aback, quickly stepped down. He was not sure when Dinofelis was lying down like a dog, but his size was no joke.. Paul's back was drenched in cold sweat.