Serpent Boniface is known for his rough ways of controlling his operations.

  Black Mamba emanated his anger. A human who met a tiger in the wild would always end up losing his grip. It was amazing to see the old man resisting to fall prey to such a temptation.

  Boniface was drenched in cold sweats. The thought of being attacked by a wildcat, no, a monster, had him trembling in fear. If he had never experienced meeting Ocelot before, he would have already shat his pants right now. He regretted ever having underestimated him just because he looked young.

  Idiots, he was not a wildcat but a monster. Black Mamba’s ranking for danger should be doubled.

  The alarm in his head was ringing loudly, warning him that he might die in this situation if he wasn’t smart about it.

  “I’d like to see that you are willing to come to a compromise. If you had foolishly come with guards by your side, I would have killed all of you. Unwrap the bundle you have ready for me.”


  The monster’s growling snapped Boniface back to his senses.

  “Many ears are listening in.”


  Boniface looked at Ombuti, Sun WooHyun, and Edel.

  “I’m the judge of that. If it’s something my friends cannot hear, then I won’t hear it either. The assassins are currently out of commission. They won’t be able to listen in.”


  Black Mamba’s reference to the assassins pressed the urgency of the situation.

  “Can I send the black punks and the idiot away? They are expensive assets to France.”


  “Ha, they are proof that the DGSE tried to assassinate the heroes of the war. I’m glad I appeared merciful to them by sparing the life of the assassins. I will send these punks to the French courts to await judgment. I already received their statement on the matter. You and colonel Tanshe will be sitting up on the stands too.” the man who looked like he wouldn’t shed a single drop of blood even if you poked him with a needle said those hard-hitting words with a cold expression on his face.

  “Hoo, you idiot!”


  Boniface glared viciously at Landre. Even before all this happened, they had been in a bad position to reach an agreement. Now, he had to start the negotiation without a shred of clothing on his back.

  “Of course, we will award you what is due. For the idiot, I’ll give you 1,000,000 francs, and for each black punk, 100,000 francs.”


  Boniface put down an offer that could not be refused. Ombuti and Edel, who had been listening, took in a deep breath. 1,900,000 francs, it was an imaginable amount of money. It was enough to buy 20 of the well-known and expensive 80 square meters Paris Gustave Eiffel’s apartments.

  Black Mamba multiplied 258 won to calculate the amount. Converted, it amounted to about 500,000 won. If he sold it at Nam Dae Moon foreign exchange, he could get 1,000,000 won with it. The sudden outpour of money almost made his jaw drop. The reason he became a mercenary had been to acquire enough money to go find his mother. It was better to have more money than none at all.

  Haha, he must be desperate. So he’s the bundle of money we were looking for.

  Black Mamba was content. Those punks deserved to die, but he was glad he decided to keep them alive for negotiation’s sake.

  “Include 15,000 square kilometers of land in Chad.”


  “Huh, what are you talking about?”


  Boniface’s eyes grew wide. Black Mamba smiled slyly.

  “There’s nothing to be surprised about. I won’t ask for the fertile, southern part of Chad. The land I’m requesting is the abandoned badlands 13 degrees north of Pitri lake.”


  “Why would you want a land full of nothing but lizards and scorpions? I could give you a land that belongs to another country?”


  “I already know that the political power of Habre has been handed over to you. Tombalbaye, who had been helping Gaddafi, even gave 100,000 square kilometers of Aoju to Gaddafi. Technically, Chad belongs to France now. It’s a land that the FROLINAT had taken over. Habre won’t blink an eye over that tiny piece of land anyway. That, or you can sit up on the stands in court with the idiot over there.”


  Would Antonio, who had to go against Aoju, felt like he did now?

  Black Mamba, who was only saying what he wanted to say, looked like he had the devil’s horn coming out of his head.

  Ah, you damned punk, if the 15,000 square kilometers of space in Départements is a tiny piece of land, then show me around there too!

  Boniface yelled to himself silently. If Black Mamba handed over the statement of Landre’s attack to the courts, then their political position would be in jeopardy. France would become a laughing stock.

  No, this man was the one who got rid of the meddlesome punk for me.

  Even the cold Boniface, who was called the serpent, was no match for Black Mamba, who was cutting him off continuously to get what he wanted.

  “It is a political problem. Even if we assume that Chad is under French rule, we cannot give up foreign land to a personal entity. Not only the Chad government, but the legalities of it all will go on for two pages.”


  Eventually, Boniface raised his white flag.

  “It’s not like you’re asking for my land anyway. If you make it look like it’s a reward for conquering the Tuareg tribe’s land, it will give them adequate reason, and they can flaunt it as well.”


  Has the ghost of Faubourg Saint-Honore[1] possessed this guy!

  Boniface ended up being surprised several times. It was like being up against a veteran politician.

  “I will let you know the location of the badlands that I want in a month.”


  Black Mamba emphasized it as badlands instead of land. Ombuti, who was listening, inwardly exclaimed in amazement.

  “Oh Allah, my assumption had been correct. Allah has sent Wakil here to save us from the rebelling Tuareg tribe. Praise Wakil! Allah hu Akbar, Allah hu Akbar…”


  Edel dragged the zealous Ombuti into the bedroom. Boniface was sincerely curious.

  “Why are you obsessing over that useless piece of land? There is no oil in Chad. There is only a little in the Kanem province. Do you want to crown yourself king or something?”


  “You don’t need to know.”


  Black Mamba cut him off. He wasn’t in the mood to have a prolonged dialogue with the old man. He wanted to kill him, but because he needed him, it was taking all his energy to suppress that desire. According to the information that Landre had given him, Boniface was quick thinking, practical, and realistic. He was the best man to be negotiating with. Trying to negotiate with a stubborn military man or a pencil pusher bureaucrat would have made his mind numb. Boniface’s cooperation was pivotal to get the things he wanted.

  “Now that we’ve established our egos, should we move on to the needed transactions? If the conversation gets too long, it will make my backside sore. There is a comfy sofa in the room. Edel, please prepare us a cup of coffee.”


  Boniface stared at Black Mamba’s back as he went back into his room. He was a lowly Legion Etranger private in his mid-twenties. After rolling around in Africa, he gained the nickname Kanma and came back with all sorts of evil around him.

  Boniface opened the silver-colored case that had a number keypad on it. Even the thin document lock case had a number keypad on it. Boniface opened up the document after opening the lock. The feast on the table had been a menu he had devised relentlessly for the last two days. He glanced over nervously while trying to stay calm.

  Black Mamba looked over the document for a long time. The reason it was taking so long was because of his lack of French reading skills. Boniface, not knowing that, was getting frustrated. He gulped down the coffee Edel had brought over. The coffee scraped down his dry throat as it went down.

  “I don’t want to talk about my exploits or rewards. You forgot to add in the hazard recovery.”


  “Hazard recovery is something the Legion Etranger will take care of.”


  “The reason these men died was because of the Aubagne meeting. When lieutenant Paul was requesting the rescue helicopter, these people were alive and well. France had abandoned their country’s soldiers and thrown them into the fires of hell in hopes of extracting a criminal murderer.”


  When Black Mamba cut him off, Boniface looked back at him nervously. The man who defied logic would speak beyond logic. It was as expected.

  “The participants of the Aubagne meeting will go to the Sahel for repatriation. You, Montagne, secretary of treasury Peron, and colonel Tanshe. You will apologize and plead for their forgiveness in front of their graves.”


  Boniface’s face turned white.

  Why is that name there? I can’t believe that idiot told him everything.

  He wanted to grind Landre to shreds. On the other hand, he doubted if any of them could have resisted blabbing about everything if they had been turned to rags just like him.

  Borku, northern Kanem province, Ennedi, and TIbesti were currently in disarray. The places where Black Mamba had torn through like a tornado left FROLINAT in a state of panic. The dwindling FROLINAT troops were frantically looking for new recruits to fill up their numbers. The cycle of attacks and counter-attacks were happening in an effort to regain more recruits on their side.

  You want me to go into Mondo Cane where the crazy hyenas are running around?

  He could not allow that at all costs.

  “Black Mamba, you know this is not realistically feasible for us. We are old men with nothing but bones left. Is there no other way?”


  Boniface tried to look as pitiable as possible.

  “What are you talking about! How beautiful would it be to see the generals and their staff personally paying their respects to those who lost their lives while fighting for their country? Not only will Le Monde and Canal+ come, but reporters around the world will come with their cameras in hand.”


  “If we die, then what’s the point?”


  “That’s right. I forgot that you are old men of Oecophylla smaragdina. I’ll let this pass then. Go to the families of the deceased and give them a sincere apology. Otherwise, you will all get hit once with my fist. Pick one of the three.”


  Boniface’s face turned grim at the mounting pressure. All three were impossible. Every soldier who had been beaten by Black Mamba’s hands and feet had died. Their heads were bashed in, their chests collapsed, and holes were made in their stomachs. He was scarier than a starved lion.

  It would not be easy to even issue an apology. The participants of the Aubagne meeting were not individual entities. The government and military representatives would all crash onto the ground. He was especially lacking the confidence in persuading the government officials.

  Black Mamba glared coldly at Boniface, who was suffering greatly. The men who used others as pawns refused to bow down to those same pawns. Boniface didn’t want to be beaten to death, and he couldn’t go to the Sahel.

  “Your decision is taking too long. I will add in another request.”


  “Wha…what!”


  Boniface jumped.

  “Those who participated in the Aubagne meeting will donate 3,000,000 francs to the family members of every Ratel team member that had died.”


  “Ack!”


  A clashing ring echoed inside of Boniface’s head.

  It was the sound of HK54 bullets falling out of the crushed box.

  “These are the bullets I found on the body of Makumbo’s guard.”


  Boniface jumped in surprise and glared at the bullets. HK54F 10 millimeters were bullets used by the GIGN and DGSE.

  How did this punk end up with this?

  Another clashing ring echoed at the top of Boniface’s head. This time it was a Beretta with a silencer attached. The Beretta, with its serial number erased, and a silencer attached had belonged to the double contract hitman.

  “Ack!”


  A deep moan escaped his mouth. There was no way out. The guy’s threats were notorious. He didn’t even give him a chance to breathe.

  “I will go to the Sahel.”


  Boniface surrendered. If he kept resisting, he couldn’t imagine what other additional requests and pressure would come his way.

  “I wish you luck.”


  Black Mamba smiled. Boniface’s face turned sour.

  “Promotion to lieutenant for Pieff, promotion to colonel for Paul, promotion of the sergeants and privates to the second rank, the warriors to the third rank, Legion d’honneur award certificates, citizenship for all the surviving soldiers, payments for battles and special services, three months extended vacation…good.”


  It was luxurious, to say the least. He was worried that it would pull the pillars out of France’s government.

  “I will add a couple more things.”


  “Add? What more do you want to add?”


  Boniface jumped in surprise and started to stutter. The dignity of the cold-headed serpent had disappeared, and he was now a mere old man being chased down by loan sharks.

  “You will give citizenship to my servant Ombuti and my sidekick Sun WooHyun. You will donate 5,000,000 francs to the famine fund in the Sahel. For the families of the killed soldiers, you will set up an insurance policy for them amounting to 1,000,000 francs. In the case that it does not increase in revenue by at least five percent, the government will pay out the remainder. The insurance will stay in place for 50 years. Finally, you will give the doctors without borders 1,000,000 square meters of the 0.1 millimeters Messi.”


  Boniface’s face turned grim. He closed his eyes to go over the unbelievable things that Black Mamba had requested from them. Getting citizenship could be done right away. The 5,000,000 francs donation would look like a noble cause. The problem was the insurance policy. It’s not the cost but the legalities of it.

  Do I have to beg at the pant legs of Jacque Lang and Gissing? Would it work to scare Germaine?

  The faces of the picky cultural minister and the treasurer came to his mind.

  “You are asking for too much.”


  “No, you can do it. You will do as I request within five days.”


  There was complete silence.

  Black Mamba’s confidence caused Boniface’s heart to fall to his stomach. He could not fathom what gruesome situation this man would cause this time.

  “What’s the purpose of the 0.1 millimeters Messi?”


  “In the Sahel, there is an outbreak of a parasite called filariasis. It is a terrible organism that interferes with the ability of one’s legs. Messi is a medium that can filter out the parasite.”


  Boniface stared at Black Mamba with surprised eyes. The cold-blooded murderer, Black Mamba, did not match with the character of a caring donor. It was the same for the famine fund donation. He couldn’t understand why he was requesting millions of francs to help a bunch of blacks he had no association with.

  “What is your reason for doing this?”


  “Eungmu soju eesang kishim”


  “Emmu sottu eesam kittam?”


  Black Mamba smiled without responding. The smile spread from the ends of his lips to his eyes.

  “Oh!”


  Edel, who was bringing out the fruit, became entranced as if she was dreaming. She saw an aura of light emanating from Black Mamba’s face. She, too, had contracted the Ombuti virus. The virus seemed to be highly contagious.

  [1] It is a street located in the eighth arrondissement of Paris and is cited as one of the most luxurious and fashionable streets in the world.