Chapter 378
2-in-1-chapter
----------------
"A direct rejection might not be wise. It could provoke him. The government army may be weak, but they're still our allies. And the President and his ruling elite are still the legal authority. If they officially break ties with us, we'll be at a disadvantage."
Takemura thought carefully before answering, "We can accept—but accepting is one thing, carrying it out is another."
"Like we said before, the President won't turn on us until the insurgents are fully wiped out. As long as there are still remnants of the rebels and the Shining Group, we can continue cooperating with him."
Leo rested his hand on his chin, considering.
"You mean, preserve the enemy to maintain our own leverage?"
"Yes. Just like the CIA once did during the Cold War."
"But many believe the U.S. created bigger problems down the line because it propped up certain regimes. If they had cut them off early, maybe those threats would never have grown."
"With respect, boss, the Cold War didn't end because of those regimes. It collapsed under its own weight. And even if it hadn't been that particular dictator, it would have been someone else—Smith, Jones, or Brown taking his place."
Takemura's view echoed Leo's own.
A flat-out rejection wasn't the right move.
Aurora PMC's current alliance with the government was the only buffer against the dual threat of the insurgents and the Shining Group. Angering the government would leave them isolated.
That wasn't the direction they wanted things to go.
But going all-in to help someone else secure power wasn't a good option either. The President had only promised Aurora PMC control over eastern Bolivia. If they helped him eliminate the insurgents and the Shining Group, all the land they captured beyond that would go to someone else. That wasn't acceptable.
Moreover, as Takemura said, once all opposition had been crushed, Aurora PMC would likely become the President's next target.
History was full of such examples. And the only lesson humanity ever learned from history was that humanity never learned anything at all.
So the best course of action was to agree—for now—but proceed slowly, advance cautiously, and intentionally draw out the campaign.
"But won't that be obvious to everyone?"
"They'll notice," Takemura replied. "But no matter what they say, we stick to our pace. If they want it faster, they can fight it themselves. Besides…"
Takemura paused. "Boss, if you have other plans, this could be a chance to strengthen the company. We don't need to rush the front lines. Every bit of land we take should be secured and fortified, building up our strength."
"The villages and territory we capture don't have to be turned over to the President. We can keep them under our own control. Of course, that depends on your decision."
After discussing a while longer, Takemura concluded:
"Boss, I suggest that tonight we sleep in the same room. I'll stand watch."
"Even if the President likely won't try anything, this is still his turf. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."
Leo did not refuse Takemura's loyalty.
He knew he had placed real trust in him, and Takemura was trying to repay that trust.
He wasn't like the others—he had joined Aurora PMC later, and wanted to prove himself.
Leo had no reason to say no.
So Leo went to rest while Takemura kept watch in the living room, seated on the couch facing the door.
...........
....
.
Around midnight:
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out from the distance.
Even in such a well-insulated room, the sound was unmistakable—so much so that it spoke to the sheer power of the blast.
It wasn't just noise—the floor and bed shook violently from the shockwave.
Leo rolled out of bed instantly.
Outside in the living room, Takemura burst through the door, his voice tense.
"Boss, you're okay—thank god."
Leo and Takemura locked eyes.
The two stepped out of the bedroom into the living room.
Takemura strode quickly to the large floor-to-ceiling window, yanked the curtain aside, and looked out.
From their vantage point, they could see several columns of thick black smoke rising in the distance—at the edge of the wealthy district, near the outskirts of the city.
Leo's first thought was a fire.
But he quickly ruled that out.
Switching to his tactical goggles, he scanned the area—inside the Presidential Palace, chaos had already broken out.
Takemura opened the door to the hallway. Outside, people were rushing past in a panic.
He grabbed one of them by the arm to ask what had happened.
Coincidentally, the man Takemura Goro grabbed was the very same Minister of Defense the President had introduced to Leo during the banquet.
The man instinctively tried to break free, but Takemura's right hand shot out like lightning, seizing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall.
He struggled hard but found himself unable to break free, his expression quickly darkening with panic.
"Let... let me go."
"Answer my question clearly, and I'll let you walk."
"Are you an idiot? The rebels have breached the city—if we don't run, we're all going to die!"
"Rebels?" Hearing this, Leo stepped forward and stood beside Takemura. "What do you mean the rebels breached the city? Wasn't the army still holding the front line against them?"
"Holding the line? The front collapsed a long time ago."
Leo and Takemura exchanged a glance, both taken aback.
Takemura barked, "Speak clearly. What exactly is going on?"
The Minister of Defense understood that unless he gave a full explanation, Leo and Takemura wouldn't let him go.
He struggled once more, but realizing he couldn't escape, he gave up and let out a bitter laugh.
"Mr. Leo, the reason the President asked Aurora PMC to assist in this war wasn't just because the army lacked efficiency or couldn't execute orders. It was out of sheer desperation."
"There was a mutiny at the front. Many of the lower-ranked soldiers were swayed by the rebels—they killed their commanding officers. That led to massive breaches in our defensive lines, allowing the insurgents to bypass the front and push directly toward the capital."
"Our initial estimate was that the rebels would need at least a month to regroup, consolidate control, and absorb the defectors. But none of us expected them to reach the capital this quickly."
Hearing the Minister's words, Leo and Takemura were stunned.
So the reason the President had hired Aurora PMC wasn't because the military was underperforming—it was because the military had already collapsed.
That level of deterioration was absurd.
The army had received a full year of training from Aurora PMC. They'd also acquired large quantities of weapons and equipment from them.
Before Aurora even arrived, the Bolivian military had managed to fight the insurgents to a standstill for years. Now, with superior gear and professional training, they were somehow losing ground?
Leo gave Takemura a look. Takemura released the Minister from the wall.
But just as the Minister thought they were letting him go, Takemura suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and forced him toward the elevator at the far end of the corridor.
Realizing Leo and Takemura had no intention of releasing him, the Minister panicked.
"Mr. Leo? Mr. Leo! What... what are you doing? I already told you everything I know. You can let me go now, right? If the rebels reach this building, none of us will make it out alive!"
"Relax. You want to leave, and so do we. We're heading to the elevator together. But before we part ways, I have a few more questions for you."
The Minister looked up. They were indeed heading toward the elevator, and after thinking it through, he realized Leo had no real reason to kill him.
His nerves eased slightly, his posture relaxing.
"What... what do you want to know?"
"Why was the army able to hold out for years against the insurgents, but now, after just one year, they've fallen apart? I even supplied them with Mag-Lizard armored vehicles and Medusa heavy assault flyers. And yet, the military keeps losing ground—how do you explain that?"
The Mag-Lizard, while technically an armored personnel carrier, was effective enough in Latin America to serve as a main battle tank.
Even with charged tech-based weaponry, its armor was difficult to penetrate. To destroy one, the enemy would either need another armored vehicle of similar caliber or a sustained barrage of rocket fire.
But the insurgents didn't possess comparable vehicles. They did have RPGs, but the Mag-Lizard offered superior optics and was always accompanied by infantry support. In theory, RPG teams should never be able to get close enough.
And even if the Mag-Lizard was vulnerable on the ground, the Medusa—within this country—was the undisputed king of the skies.
The rebels might own rocket launchers, but they definitely didn't have anti-air missiles. The Medusa didn't even need to fly low—so how could they possibly lose air superiority?
The importance of controlling the skies didn't need elaboration. Airstrikes dealt devastating damage to both morale and coordination.
Even without the Mag-Lizards, just having Medusae should have been enough to turn the tide in the army's favor.
But thanks to the Minister's explanation, Leo finally understood how things had gone so wrong.
While Aurora PMC's training had improved some aspects of the military, their combined-arms coordination—between infantry and armor, and air and ground units—was a disaster.