Upon the Lord’s orders, the Warriors Den had entered an unprecedented period of dormancy.
The Governor’s Mansion of the Five Armies swiftly went into full hibernation and all Dead Soldiers and Cavalry Guards were strictly prohibited from leaving their stations except for those at the copper smelter in Turkey.
All members operating worldwide also temporarily cut off communication with their superiors.
From this point forward, only three marshals remained in the Warriors Den to carry out the Lord’s mission.
Gideon was currently in China, searching for Maria’s whereabouts while simultaneously preparing to depart for Aurous Hill to follow leads on Charlie. Landon, on the other hand, was investigating the AK-630 close-in anti-aircraft gun transaction. Meanwhile, Zeba was on the lookout for Maria in the Far East.
***
The day following Jarvis’s death, all members of the Turkish copper smelter departed Turkey via boat.
Reverend, the special envoy who was given psychological hints by Charlie with aura, also joined the group aboard the evacuation vessel.
At that time, none of them knew where they were headed.
All they were aware of was that something had occurred in Cyprus and the Lord had ordered an immediate retreat to South Africa. Since the event had occurred suddenly, it seemed logical to temporarily withdraw and therefore, the group had no doubts.
The journey to South Africa was long, spanning across the Mediterranean Sea. After passing through the Suez Canal, they had to traverse the narrow Red Sea before continuing southwards along the east coast of Africa. The journey, in total, covered almost 10,000 kilometers.
Fortunately, before departing, the ship had already prepared enough provisions to sustain the hundreds of people from the copper smelter during their sea journey to Cyprus. This eased their worries and they hoped to reach Africa soon and start afresh. Little did they know that the Lord had no intention of letting them set foot on land again.
As per the Lord’s instructions, the ship, along with everyone onboard, must be buried in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.
One day after the freighter set sail, the ship was 200 kilometers away from Port, the northern entrance of the Suez Canal, when its engine suddenly stopped in the middle of the night. The ship lost power and floated on the sea. Several welders used electric welding equipment to seal all the windows and hatches of the ship with steel bars as thick as thumbs.
All moveable items on the deck were transferred to the cabin and the welders proceeded to weld the doors and windows. This meant that after the welding was complete, they would be unable to exit the cabin on their own.
The welders worked swiftly, completing the door and window welding before returning to the cabin to weld all the doors from the outside. Next, they went to the cargo hold at the bottom, covered all the goods with steel wire mesh and welded it securely to the bottom plate of the cabin.
Upon finishing these tasks, several individuals approached a middle-aged man and respectfully reported, “Deputy Governor, all entrances and exits have been sealed and the goods have been secured.”
The middle-aged man who was addressed as the deputy governor was Gabriel Martinez, responsible for the line between Turkey and Cyprus and one of the three deputy governors of the Right Army Governor’s Mansion.
Upon hearing the report, Gabriel Martinez nodded solemnly, feeling both grief and indignation.
He murmured, “Today’s sacrifice for righteousness is not only to show loyalty to the Lord, but also for our wives and children to live better lives. I hope no one will be too saddened…”
The leader responded with a mournful smile, “Sir, our life and death have long been beyond our control. If the Lord allows us to live, we will live. If the Lord intends for us to die, then we must die…”
He then asked, “My lord, I have only one question. After we die, will the Lord truly grant freedom to our wives and children?”
Gabriel nodded and said, “Do not worry, the Lord will take it seriously and prioritize his reputation. Otherwise, who would be willing to sacrifice themselves in the future?”
Upon hearing this, several individuals breathed a sigh of relief. They had been instructed by the Lord long ago, aware that everyone on the ship would meet their demise.
What was even more ruthless was their final mission, which involved destroying the ship and everyone on board themselves.
However, the Lord had promised them that their family members would be granted freedom after their deaths. For these individuals, who were already living on borrowed time, they saw no other alternative. It was better to embrace their fate and give their families a chance.
These individuals were different from the Cavalry Guards and the Dead Soldiers. They were Gabriel’s trusted aides. When Gabriel had brought them here their families had not followed them, nor could they.
From the moment they assumed their positions, they had shouldered the responsibility of self-destruction. If this place ever needed to be destroyed, they were the ones who would execute the self-destruct mission.
The reason why the Lord had arranged this was as a precaution. If a significant problem arose in a particular station, they could self-destruct quickly, severing all possible risks. Their families were the key to their gracious deaths.
Gabriel checked the time and said, “It’s almost time. Prepare to sink the ship.”
The leader nodded and along with his men, placed directional explosives in the bow and stern of the vessel.
After completing the task, several individuals returned to Gabriel, handed favonovel.com the detonator and respectfully said, “My Lord, you can detonate it at any time.”
Gabriel took the detonator and asked, “Are all exits sealed? Ensure that nothing floats to the surface of the sea after the ship sinks. Otherwise, if other vessels discover it, they will realize that the ship has sunk.”
The man bowed and replied, “Do not worry, my Lord. All cabins are closed, all doors and windows are sealed and the goods in the warehouse are secured with dense iron nets. Once the explosion detonates, seawater will flood the ship instantly, causing it to sink quickly. Nothing will surface. Additionally, the fragments resulting from the explosion will sink to the bottom since they are all made of iron, so you can rest assured.”
Gabriel nodded and said, “There are only a few of us left now. It’s time. Follow me to the captain’s cabin…”
“We obey your orders!” Several individuals followed Gabriel to the captain’s room.
He locked the heavy cabin door securely, then took out a bottle of spirits, poured a few glasses and handed them to the people in front of him.
He said, “We have worked together for many years. It is fate that we will die together today. This glass of wine is for us!”
At this point, several individuals had accepted their fate and nodded in agreement, taking the wine glasses.
Gabriel clinked glasses with his companions, raised his head and drank the spirits in his cup. He then picked up the detonator and pressed it without hesitation.
Suddenly, two muffled sounds emanated from the cargo warehouse at the bottom of the ship, blasting two large holes about one meter in diameter at the bow and stern of the vessel. A significant amount of seawater rapidly flooded the cabin and the freighter began to sink rapidly. However, no one on board attempted to escape in haste.
Gabriel had arranged for a special medication to be added to the meals of all other individuals, causing them to fall into a deep sleep. They were all sealed in their respective cabins and the influx of seawater did not rouse them from their slumber. Consequently, they suffocated in their sleep, one after another.
Soon, the seawater began to flood the captain’s cabin. Gabriel and a few others sat on the floor, accepting their fate until the seawater filled the entire space.
Twenty minutes later, the 8,000-ton freighter sank entirely into the water. Due to the preparations made in advance, the ship left no traces except for a vortex on the sea surface. It was like a colossal cage that sank to the bottom of the sea without any regrets.
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