Chapter 264: Chapter 30, Episode 5: I Should Gain the Rewards of Labor
“Hahaha!”
He erupted in laughter. The warmth from her small body dissolved away the tornt and stress he’d accumulated over 49 days. So what of it? A good ending made everything better.
“Wael, how is your leg?”
“Ma-ma yaeni hada?”[1]
Wael looked down at him curiously. Black Mamba pointed at her leg.
“Aha!”
Wael jumped down, ran all the way up with a bounce, and ran back.
“Haqqan ka-na mushalian.”[2]
“Ya Ilahi! Haqqan?”[3]
Black Mamba exclaid in surprise. Regardless of age, n could only outlive won by agreeing and reacting to their words. “Wow,” “Really,” “Woah,” and “Oh my god” were the four combinations of words that would make any conversation flow between a man and a woman. It was “exaggeration” in theory.
“Ya Ilahi[4]! Kyahaha!”
The child’s cheeks turned peachy as she giggled. Her black eyes twinkled in excitent. She was so adorable that he wanted to bite her. He wanted to protect her laughter. He had turned into a monster who ate other monsters, and he ended up being envious of naive humans instead. However, his dreams were too extre for an ordinary life, and he’d co too far to go back.
“You’re too young to be out here all alone. Let’s hurry ho.”
It seed as though she went around everywhere after she had healed from her unilateral paralysis. He lifted Wael in the air and set her on his shoulders, giving her a shoulder ride.
Kya-haha—
The ringing of laughter filled Maydanki Lake, which had lost a fair bit of water.
Black Mamba, who was walking toward the lake upstream, turned his feet slightly toward the sparse forest. There were a lot of villagers gathered in front of the village. The small village with 160 houses near the lake was Gobelaka Village. Bakri’s house was one kiloter away from the village.
A middle-aged man was kneeling on the ground. Five n with their entire faces covered in cloth were standing before him. They wore dishdashas and khaki military uniforms that were in tatters while carrying rifles and knives. The atmosphere was very intense.
A man wearing a keffiyeh was reading off a scroll. Other than the few words such as Wahhab[5], fatwa[6], al-wusul[7], and hisbas[8], he didn’t understand anything else.
Once the man finished reading, the villagers cheered. Based on Black Mamba’s experiences, the temperant of Arabs was like a narrow canyon or a wadi. Rapid currents would flow through the narrow canyon when it rained, and the dry wadi of deserts would turn into streams. After so ti, it always returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
One of the ard n raised a machete and stood behind the middle-aged man.
Is he…?
Curiosity killed the cat. The machete fell. Black Mamba imdiately covered Wael’s eyes and ears with his hands.
“Ahhh!”
Blood spilled out like a fountain along with a pitiful cry. The middle-aged man struggled after the blade fell onto his neck. Cutting off a human’s neck wasn’t easy. Only those who were specialized with a knife could cut off a person’s head at once.
Bang—
A gunshot rang. The man stopped moving.
“Ajussi!”
“Shh, let’s go.”
There were laws in Syria. It wasn’t a pleasant scene to watch, but he couldn’t just interfere either. The ergence of an unknown ard organization was a threat. He started worrying about Bakri’s family.
A single-floor house with walls made of earth appeared. Wael jumped down. She shot into the house like an arrow.
“Ha, that little brat.”
The child, who had been expressionless and quiet, beca playful.
“Dad, ajussi ca. I was right, wasn’t I?”
Bakri, who had been fixing the broken fence, leaped to his feet.
“You little brat, you went down there again, didn’t you?”
“Hmph, but I t ajussi!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
Wael nodded her head like a spring. Bakri’s heart raced. Ever since his daughter learned the word “uncle” from Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, she used the Korean word “ajussi” instead of “amm[9].” There was only one person who Wael would call ajussi. His daughter didn’t even call her uncle Mohammad “amm.” Her illness had healed, but the wounds in her heart hadn’t.
“Akh Jamal, it seems as though Sir has arrived.”
Akh, which also ant “my brother,” was a term used to refer to a close friend or soone of the sa religion.
“Who are you speaking of?”
Jamal, who had been milking the sheep, turned to look at Bakri.
“Akh, there’s no one I call ‘Sir’ other than Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa.”
“Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa?”
Jamal grabbed the half-filled bucket of sheep milk and got to his feet. He had been waiting with a desperate heart, but that was too abrupt. How could he trust the words of a six-year-old child? On top of that, she was a girl. The perception of won in Arab was too pitiful. They considered won as possessions, like cows and sheep. A woman’s word had no power.
“Hadritak Bakri, are you certain?”
“Hadritak” was an appellation for the elderly or soone respectable. It had a similar aning to Korea’s “old pal” or “teacher.”
“Do you still not know him? Sir is soone who cos and leaves as he wants. An exploding dam or a collapsing mountain won’t stop his feet from moving. He cos in Allah’s stead.”
“Those are very kind words, Bakri, but I’m just a normal human.”
A man whose private parts were barely covered with a skirt made of reeds and face full of hair stepped into the yard.
“Ah, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa!”
The bucket of sheep milk in Jamal’s hand dropped.
Whoosh—
In a flash, Black Mamba crossed the distance of 10 ters between them and carefully raised the bucket with his foot.
“You shouldn’t throw away food.”
He raised the 20-liter bucket and gulped it down. The half-filled bucket of sheep milk disappeared instantly. Black Mamba, who emptied the bucket of sheep milk, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Kah, it’s good. The sour taste is refreshing.”
“Dubi, you’re a pig!”
Wael, who was jumping around Black Mamba the entire ti, shouted.
“Hahaha, you’re right. I’m a pig, ajussi.”
Black Mamba chuckled.
Clang—
The empty bucket fell. Bakri and Jamal’s consciousness, which had drifted to Androda, returned. He was wearing a strange costu, but they recognized Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa at a glance. The reckless actions of soone instantly drinking an entire bucket of sheep milk could only be him.
They hurried to kneel. Arabs didn’t lower their heads or bowed to others. They also didn’t kneel. They only kneeled because they didn’t regard Black Mamba as a human.
“Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, what happened to—”
“Bakri, I need so clothes.”
“Ah, right!”
Bakri slapped his forehead as he rushed to his feet. Wael ran over carrying a tobe.
“Oh, jeez.”
It seed as though the won inside the house had seen his figure. Unlike most Syrian households, Bakri’s family was open-minded. No won donned the niqab or hijab. Even so, they couldn’t shake off the traditional culture that centered around n. If another man had stepped inside the house naked, there would be chaos. Bakri would have stord over with an ax in hand, while the won would be questioned as to whether they had seen the man’s body.
Black Mamba sat on a large rock in the middle of the yard after covering his body with the tobe.
“Bakri, Jamal, it’s nice to et you again.”
“Allahu Akbar. Hada afdal yaumin pi-hayati-duh shuduh Ddu-bai-buru-pa wa sadi!”[10]
“Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, I hope you’ve had a safe journey.”
“Ashkorak[11]! What was Wael doing down at the lake so early in the morning?”
“She always visits the place where she first t you, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa. Every morning since you left, she always sneaks out despite our countless protests.”
“Haha. It seems like I’ve gained the affections of a young lady. Jamal, you’ve found your way here.”
Jamal lowered his head further.
“I’m sorry, Master. The Syrian Army rushed into Kaparja Valley in large numbers. I couldn’t wait for you, Master, and had to extract myself.”
“Good job. One’s life can’t be compared to so re gold.”
“Ah!”
Jamal and Bakri exclaid at the sa ti. It was as expected of Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa. Who else could be that generous! Bakri, who had heard of the events that had happened in Kaparja from Jamal, shivered from head to toe. He thought he knew Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa well, but it seed as though he still had more to learn. Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa’s abilities knew no bounds.
“Master, Jamal brought so of your belongings with him when he evacuated. Mohammad and Jamal also moved the gold over. We’ve hidden them in the castle ruins’ basent, on top of the hill.”
Black Mamba jumped to his feet in surprise.
“Why, you’ve done sothing dangerous. There should be countless Mukhabarat and soldiers scattered around Aleppo City. Did anyone get hurt?”
“No, we are safe because of Allah’s grace and your protection. I couldn’t leave your wealth be, Master.”
Black Mamba shook his head at Jamal’s words.
“Jamal, gold may be important, but it is not comparable to the weight of life. What would you have done if soone died? Next ti, place your life as the highest priority. Anyway, good job.”
“I’ll keep your words in mind, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa.”
The two n bowed deeply. Those were the words of a true apostle. They were determined to serve Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa with their lives once more. Black Mamba’s protests had gathered their loyalty instead.
“Jamal, did you bring your parents here?”
“Yes, sir. I am indebted to Hadritak.”
“Good. What happened to Kaparja?”
He was worried whether the pouring lake water had created any problems for the village downstream. His target had been the terrorists and soldiers and not the average citizens.
“I moved the backpack filled with gold to a higher terrain after you infiltrated deep inside the valley, Master. The Kindall B-zone was an entryway to the valley, which doubled the risks of exposing the backpack. In the end, my timidness saved your wealth, Master. Even the tanks were swept away by the strong currents. The backpack would have long disappeared if I didn’t move it. Hehehe!”
“You’ve made the right decisions.” Black Mamba smiled widely.
“My limbs still tremble thinking about the water that filled the valley, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa. The 50-ter tall lake water rushed down faster than a car. The Third Airborne Regint, who had moved forward with tanks in the lead, were washed away and destroyed. Both cliffs in Kaparja Valley collapsed, and the entire valley disappeared.”
“Woah! Was it so extre? I’ve gone a little too far. Assad must be pissed,” Black Mamba replied as though he’d simply ramd a stake into a pumpkin.
Flabbergasted, Bakri and Jamal’s mouths were agape. Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa had blown apart Ruman, the biological and chemical weapons storage facility, the strategic air command post, and the dam. He’d also incapacitated the Third Airborne Regint and changed the entire Kaparja terrain. He had the cheek to call that “a little too far.” He was soone who could sink the entire Arabian Peninsula if that was considered “a little too far.”
“The spear and shield, which Assad had prepared with great care, disappeared. He must be gritting his teeth. Hadritak has sent akh Mohammad to gather information. It’s ti he returned. We should be able to get so detailed information when he returns.”
“Mohammad is trustworthy. Bakri, restrict your family and followers from going out for now. There’s going to be a rise in conflict. So unfortunate displays took place in front of the village’s entrance.”
Bakri’s facial muscles loosened up. He understood the situation imdiately.
“It’s the Wahhabis acting up. They are people who call themselves the warriors of Islam, using the principles of the Sunni fundantalists.”
“It seems like the Mukhabarat have overlooked them.”
Black Mamba got straight to the point. Intelligence agencies were neither good nor bad. They were good if it benefited the country and bad if they produced losses. There were no concepts like terrorism to them. Their only concern was whether soone was useful or not. There were tis when decisions were solely made for the benefit of their organization and not the country. It would be faster to find a virgin in the red-light district than requesting for morality from an intelligence agency.
Terrorism could be a reason behind the existence of intelligence agencies or the justification of intelligence-gathering activities. The British intelligence agencies had been established because of the Irish Fenian’s explosives attacks in 1870. Russia’s secret police, the Okhrana, had also been established because of the attacks between anarchists and nihilists.
Most intelligence agencies, including the CIA, used terrorism as a ans of survival during information acquisition. The terrorism defined by the state agencies were different from the public’s definition. In simple terms, intelligence agencies and terrorism were like Siase twins. After all, Assad had raised the ANO and Black September Organization of Ruman as the first blood too.
The Saud royal family were nobilities of Wahhabism. They were a representative royal family who used Wahhabism as the national law to suppress public disapproval and maintain their tyranny. On the other hand, Assad, who was pan-Arabism, used the destruction of Wahhabism to gather the citizens under one dictatorship. Regardless of their moralities, both governnts were involved in terrorism.
That brought about the rise of complex dynamics and heterogeneity of the Arabs. When Assad mobilized his army to destroy the Muslim Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia secretly supplied military funds and weapons to the Muslim Brotherhood.
That was also the reason why the Arab world couldn’t do anything about Israel, continuing on their self-destructive ways. Black Mamba’s title was the foreign relations cultural counselor of the French Embassy in Korea. Although it was a worthless seat without a desk, he had constantly received reports on the international dynamics.
“Yes, you’re correct. They’re using the violent follower cells of Wahhabism to control the sa Sunni faction. The man that Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa saw was a Sunni follower who went against the religious laws. The reason was his negligence to punish his 18-year-old daughter for not wearing a hijab and for loving a man of a different religion.”
“Woah! How can that be a reason?”
Black Mamba was shocked. The hijab was sothing that he could force himself to understand, but killing a father because he failed to punish his daughter for loving a man of a different religion? There was no other madness.
[1] “What does that an?”
[2] “I really love it.”
[3] “Oh my god! Really?”
[4] You gave a shock!
[5] The founder of the Islamic fundantalism movent, Wahhabism.
[6] A forr ruling or interpretation on a point in Islamic law given by a qualified legal scholar.
[7] Islamic fundantalists.
[8] An Islamic doctrine that ans “accountability.” It is an individual or a collective duty of intervening to maintain the norms of Sharia law.
[9] Uncle in Arabic.
[10] “Allah is great. My master Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa has returned. May the greatest day of my life be praised!”
[11] Thank you!
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