Chapter 23: It Wasn't Intentional

In the early morning on the desolate grasslands outside Wau, Joga helped the female spy out of the car. 

The effects of the morphine had worn off, and the woman had fainted from pain multiple times during the drive. 

After helping her to sit under a large tree, Joga ripped off the tape from her mouth and said, "I think we just need to talk. You don't need to see what I look like, right?"

To Joga's surprise, as soon as the tape was removed, the woman let out a scream of such intense pain that it seemed as though she was trying to tear her own vocal cords apart. 

Joga was startled by the inhuman sound of her suffering. The woman, her arms immobilized, writhed on the ground like a shrimp thrown into hot oil, as if there were nails underneath her.

Joga, initially wanting to ask questions, was now petrified by the woman's agonizing screams, her neck and forehead veins bulging, indicating the pain was real.

Carman, noticing Joga's bewildered expression, approached, helped the woman up, kicked her, and then slapped her a few times before saying, "Boss, she might die if we continue like this…"

Joga, looking puzzled, spread his hands and said, "What did I do? I just wanted to ask her a few questions…"

Carman, taken aback, then said resignedly, "I thought you wanted to make her suffer a bit to get her to talk, so I placed her on an anthill. Being bitten by these ants is like being burned by a hot iron. She's already been bitten dozens of times."

Seeing the woman shaking like a sieve, Joga apologized, "It's really a misunderstanding. Maybe we should talk in the car."

The woman, with a hoarse voice, pleaded, "What do you want? Please, take me to the hospital. I can't take it anymore."

Joga looked at Carman and asked, "Will she die?"

Carman shook his head and said, "The ants are not deadly, but they will leave permanent scars."

Joga frowned as he looked at the hideous red ants below the tree. He then realized they weren't attacking Carman and himself, likely because of the protective charms Carman had applied. Impressed by his choice of employees, Joga said to the woman, whose eyes were still taped shut, "You should know it's impossible to let you go. You need to tell me what you and that Italian, Costi Mori, are planning and, most importantly, who you are. You're aware of the brutality of the Kadin and Ernu people. Now you want to incite ethnic conflicts within South SD. Do you have any idea how many people will die because of this?"

As Joga spoke, he took out his phone and turned on the camera, saying, "Start from the beginning. Tell me who you really are. If I feel like you're hiding anything, I'll leave you here. You heard it, these ants are not fatal; they'll only leave some scars. I'm sure your health insurance covers cosmetic surgery."

The woman, wearing only underwear, stood in pain, her shoulders too sore to lift, her thighs and buttocks covered in red welts that were visibly enlarging. Realizing she couldn't endure much longer, she admitted, "My name is Erin Andrews, a member of the British delegation to the UN Human Rights Council. I came to South SD as an observer to assess the security situation and human rights conditions after the two-year ceasefire… Of course, you might have guessed I have another identity, but MI5 won't acknowledge it. My mission is to create chaos in South SD and use the Kadin and Ernu to disrupt the southwestern Kordofan and Darfur regions."

"Why? Just because the oil companies have accepted the SD oil extraction project?"

Erin shook her head and said, "No. We need their influence to not extend south and to trap their initial investments in South SD. Once the South SD government changes, the oil and mining industries here will be reshuffled."

As Erin was affected by her injuries, she pleaded, "Please let me go. I pose no threat to you. I've told you my identity and mission. Please spare me."

Joga looked at Erin's miserable state and fought the impulse to question her further about his own issues. Instead, he said, "Do you people who always speak of 'geopolitical interests' only care about money? The Americans have ravaged the Middle East, driven by the desire to maintain the petro-dollar hegemony. You, a member of the Human Rights Council, are deliberately creating humanitarian disasters just for money? Taking over SD's oil industry and blocking the pipelines affects your interests in South SD, right? You're worried about competition, about being choked into surrender, right? It's normal to compete in secret, but why can't you use normal methods? Or is there a fundamental 'thieving gene' in you white people?"

Erin bowed her head and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "The world needs to operate under a predetermined order. I'm just doing what aligns with national interests."

Joga was stunned by Erin's reasoning and said angrily, "Bullshit! What national interests does South SD have? This place has more people starving to death every year than those dying in traffic accidents in your country. It's all for the benefit of capital, for money. Disrupting SD, supporting puppets, buying resources cheaply—you're nothing but hungry wolves!"

Erin, after a brief silence, hunched her back and said in a hoarse voice, "The Kadin in South SD are not much better than me. They've caused at least 500,000 deaths over the past eight years. The largest refugee camps in Africa, including those in South SD, Uganda, and Chad, as well as the UN refugee camps in Wau, were all caused by the chaos created by the Kadin."

Erin took a deep breath and said with discomfort, "You're the arms dealer, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so angry. South SD isn't worth anyone's anger. You can hand me over to your people. I surrender."

Joga remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Erin's body was on the brink of collapse, but her mind was clear. Not only did she reveal her identity, but she also tried to deceive him.

Initially, Joga had intended to hand Erin over to the consulate, but now he realized her identity was highly sensitive. The kidnapping of a UN staff member was a major political incident. 

If he handed her over and the news leaked, even if he could escape with no face lost, and the Siruk buyer was dead, he would end up compromising the consulate. 

Erin was now a hot potato, throwing her to the consulate would only throw mud on their face. Given the nature of Western media, they would easily turn the tables and create a narrative that would make it difficult to distinguish right from wrong. Whether or not there was video evidence didn't matter. The media had the power to twist the truth, branding everything as fake and using torture claims to counterattack.

This woman, despite her situation, still managed to counterattack effectively. 

If he were to act out of patriotism and hand Erin over to the consulate, would they accept her?

Thinking about holding a burning piece of charcoal, Joga sighed bitterly, shook his head, took a deep breath, and shot Erin in the forehead with a "bang."

In a very bad mood, Joga glanced at Carman and said, "Dispose of the body. We're heading back to Damazin."