ADMISSION OF GUILT
El Padre leaned back in his chair, the rich aroma of tobacco filling the air as he carefully lit another cigar, the soft glow of the match briefly illuminating his weathered features. "So tell me, who is paying you?" El Padre questioned the General.
The General didn't answer but remained groaning in pain, his face pale as white as paper and sweating a lot.
"I can make it more painful or end your life immediately. You can choose which you prefer." El Padre declared. But the General remains deaf ear.
El Padre stood up with Mushu, him, and El Capitan. He went beside the General, put his cigar around his neck, and burned it.
The general screamed in pain. The poison in his body was more than enough. It is slowly bursting his nerves little by little through the poisonous needles, and his body feels very hot. His whole body is already in severe pain.
"Now, are you talking or not?" El Padre went back to his chair. "How about more needles?"
"No!" The General whispered weakly.
"So, let's talk, shall we?"
"He would not tell me exactly who sent him. He said he was from Europe," the General spoke, his voice tinged with mystery and intrigue. "He always pays me in cash and pounds."
"How much has he paid you?" El Padre inquired.
"He provides me with all the equipment and has given me ten million pounds and more if I could accomplish the task," the General explained weakly.
"Hahaha, such a generous man. No wonder you couldn't say no! So you exchange your honor for ten million pounds," El Padre remarked, his tone carrying a mix of amusement and cynicism.
"An inquisitive voice broke the silence, "How long have you worked with Madam, General?" It was El Capitan speaking. Unlike El Padre, El Capitan had a reserved and silent personality.
"Forty years, more than forty years," came the General's solemn response, betraying a lifetime of allegiance and loyalty.
"Have you not earned more than enough money? Do you need to compare that with ten million pounds?" a sense of disbelief colored the questioning voice of El Capitan.
"I got blinded. I'm sorry," the General confessed, his tone heavy with regret and remorse.
"You got so greedy that you even agreed to hurt Shi Min! How dare you!" El Padre angrily yelled at the General.
The General's silence weighed heavily in the air, permeated with the despair of realizing the gravity of his fatal mistake. The shadow of death loomed ominously over him, extinguishing the last glimmers of hope. Unbeknownst to him, the reckoning he feared was swiftly drawing near despite his steadfast belief in the flawless nature of his plan.
"Where have you hidden the money?" El Capitan demanded, his voice cutting through the tense air.
"It's at my residence. There is a secret underground chamber in the basement," the General confessed between labored breaths.
"Did you hear that? Go! Retrieve the money and trace its origins," El Capitan instructed his men.
At that moment, a stir among the men caught their attention as they observed a cruise ship anchored in the distant ocean, with a speed boat making its way toward the island.
The security forces, headed by Mushu, were on high alert.
The sound of chopper blades cut through the air as, one after the other, they landed on the open field. El Padre, El Capitan, and Mushu stood at attention, guarding the area.
Moments later, the distinct sound of laughter reached their ears, signaling the arrival of familiar company. "You bastards, why didn't you warn me about your arrival?" El Padre yelled out as the gentlemen approached.
"Where's the fun in that? It's all about the surprise!" one of the men winked at El Capitan.
"We even had a bet on who would touch down first!" the two gentlemen who arrived by helicopter laughed together.
"I never considered myself late!" the man who emerged from the speedboat exclaimed; he was the Cuban President.
"You all raced here to visit the Madam! She'll be delighted! But how did you all manage to arrive simultaneously?" El Padre inquired.
The two leaders who arrived in the helicopters were the Presidents of Russia and China.
"Who wants to be last? This man was the closest, so I raced to our base, took a military aircraft, and then hopped onto the chopper to get here," the Russian President said, nodding towards the Chinese President with a smug look, proud of his expedited journey.
"When I received the call, I was cruising nearby, but who wants to lose? We hit our top speed to make it here!" the Cuban President expressed while lighting his cigar.
Ling Li's arrival at the shore was greeted with excitement as she joined her group of friends. "It looks like we are having a party here," she exclaimed, adding to the lively atmosphere.
However, her joy was short-lived when El Padre, visibly shocked, confronted her for being out of bed. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?!"
Ling Li, determined to defend her actions, explained, Ling Li even pouted to act pitiful, "But it makes my body more painful if I stay in bed all the time."
Despite El Padre's disapproval, Ling chose to defy his orders, reasoning, "Besides, you are all here. Why should I stay inside?" Ling Li continued to walk and defiantly took a seat among her three guests, determined to enjoy the gathering.
"And who are they?" The Chinese President, recognizing the three gentlemen as Chinese, inquired about their identities.
El Capitan responded that "they were friends of Madam."
The three guests respectfully introduced themselves, bowing to the President.
"Since you are Madam's friends, you are also our friends." Acknowledging their connection to Madam, the Chinese President warmly welcomed them.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." The guests expressed their gratitude and excitement.
Ling Li then instructed the servants to "serve the dinner," expressing her preference to dine by the sea, enjoying the fresh air and ocean breeze.
"Hahaha, we are right in time for food, aren't we?" The Russian President humorously remarked about their good fortune.
Ling Li jovially invited everyone to take a seat, "Come and sit, all of you. What are you waiting for? Are you expecting a formal invitation in a red envelope? Hahaha!" Ling Li playfully questioned them.