The Imperial Hunter Chapter 46 - El Maestre (1)

The relationship between the United Kingdom and Mexico had traditionally been relatively good. The first nation that was the first to recognize the sovereignty of independent Mexico, was none other than the UK. There had been some discomfort regarding debt recovery in the past, but it never escalated into direct armed conflicts. The conflicts that did arise were settled in the mid-19th century, and from the early 20th century onwards, they maintained friendly relations. Even during the Falklands War, they covertly supported the UK, despite officially claiming neutrality.

‘It’s funny how those same folks now support Argentina.’

Well, that was international diplomacy for you. Ethics were a forgotten excuse with time, and self-interest was the one unchanging truth.

Anyway, the friendship between Mexico and the UK continued to strengthen into the 21st century. I, who was highly sensitive to every move of that detestable island nation, found it intriguing to watch how the UK, which had committed Brexit suicide, was trying to salvage the situation by discussing FTAs with countries like Mexico. I had desperately hoped that all their attempts would fail and crumble.

Today, two days before the arrival of the cargo to be exchanged for the submarine blueprints, the major Mexican television channels had been flooded with similar breaking news reports since morning.

[According to a statement by Marcelo Ebrard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the military support provided by the ‘FPDA+1’ nations in response to the Guadalajara incident was formally proposed by the ‘FPDA+1’ nations themselves and accepted by the Mexican government.]

[As a result, at 1:30 AM local time, British Royal Air Force transport planes began landing at the Miguel Hidalgo International Airport, followed by the deployment of security maintenance units from six nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and India. It has been confirmed that all members of these security maintenance units are ‘Blessed Ones.’]

[These security maintenance units immediately started joint operations to assist our National Guard upon arrival, and by 7 AM, they had already stabilized one-third of the city of Guadalajara. During this process, the British forces successfully engaged the Los Caballeros Templarios Cartel in three separate encounters, resulting in the elimination of twenty-six ‘The Damned,’ but it has been reported that they failed to arrest or assassinate the notorious ‘Knight Commander (El Maestre).’ No casualties among the British forces have been announced.]

One-third of the city.

Considering this was the result of a surprise attack, it was quite remarkable. To push back the cartel lunatics, who used civilians as shields, so quickly was impressive.

‘They’re not showing any battle footage.’

There must be videos recorded with head cameras during the battle. However, they weren’t even showing the corpses of the dead cartel members. The news was listing dry, uninformative facts.

If there was any scene in the news footage that was worth noting, it was the number of drones flying over the city. Just the ones captured in a single frame rivaled battalion-level assets. It appeared they had allocated an unusually large amount of reconnaissance assets, considering the urban warfare scenario.

Certainly, the United Kingdom, having borrowed abilities and wisdom from “The Round Table of Light and Truth,” and the other five nations who received their filtered knowledge from the UK, wouldn’t expose their capabilities so easily. There was a possibility that they had faced unforeseen consequences when clashing with the Cartel’s Knight Commander.

The news continued to show videos related to the special forces of each country, with the UK being the most impressive, followed by the other four FPDA member nations, and India, which seemed to lag behind. India’s video footage of their special forces showed a four-story inverted pyramid structure placed on top of a vehicle. The news anchor mentioned that this structure had set a new record for the Indian military, surpassing their previous record, and was officially recognized as the largest human-made structure ever registered in the Guinness World Records.

Watching this, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was really necessary to display their abilities in such a way. India’s unique circus sensibility was truly hard to comprehend…

The screen changed, and the British Ambassador to Mexico appeared, delivering some empty and sentimental speech. While the British upper class was known for their eloquent speech, Spanish subtitles were provided.

[According to Marcelo Ebrard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the support from the ‘FPDA+1’ for Mexico is purely humanitarian, with no political motives. We extend a helping hand out of friendship and compassion to establish peace in this land. We will do our best to assist Mexico.]

It was quite amusing.

I had barely slept last night. I closed my eyes for about thirty minutes only when dawn broke. Nevertheless, what I felt now was more tension than fatigue. Elevated heart rate, higher body temperature than usual, and a slightly dry mouth. It was the sensation of adrenaline secretion due to stress. My trembling fingertips, stimulated by survival instincts and aggressive hatred, were eloquently expressing it.

This day had finally come.

Since my master died of dehydration in my mental labyrinth, the presence of London had never felt so close. I had always hidden myself, concealed and concealed again, living a life where I never exposed myself.

This was both a disaster and an excellent opportunity for me. If I could eliminate them without leaving any traces and then kill those people who were trying to project their influence on the world with the plans of the Round Table, it would be the ultimate payoff from the start.

‘It might also keep the Round Table’s attention fixed on Mexico for a while.’

London’s masters would never allow a group of awakened individuals they had nurtured to be eliminated by a mere natural genius. They would naturally suspect the involvement of someone with the “Eye of the Golden Age.” While they wandered down the wrong path, I would be able to advance further into the preparation stages of the London campaign with greater freedom.

Suyeon, who had been observing my complexion, asked quietly. 

“Shall I prepare some coffee?”

“No.”

I needed something else right now.

“Bring me some stimulants.”

What I carried with me was a preparation for when solo action became unavoidable. Suyeon sighed briefly and found the pills in the bag, along with a glass of water. The pills were 200 milligrams each, and there were about five of them. Considering the diminishing effects due to physical enhancement, it was an overdose. It was a somewhat experimental and intuitive administration, as there wasn’t precise research to back it up.

“Are you not planning to sleep at all?”

I swallowed all five pills in one go and dryly replied.

“For the next 48 hours, perhaps. It might even be longer.”

The recently consumed Provigil was a member of the Modafinil family, with fewer side effects compared to amphetamines used in the past. At Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s “Building 503,” this drug had been studied to enable missions lasting over 80 hours consecutively. (+) ^[1] TLN: Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant medication used to treat sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea

However, having few side effects did not mean it was completely safe. Was there really no harm in forcing awake a brain that should be asleep? The longer it was used, the more aggressive it became, making logical thinking difficult and even causing hallucinations in severe cases.

Among these, I had experienced hallucinations myself. It was an old story from the days when I often had to jump into more dangerous situations before the organization had fully established itself.

Looking back, it was like a dream that overlaid itself onto reality, as if the hook didn’t catch properly.

Blink, blink. Intermittent and momentary hallucinations erode reality. It felt like a part of my brain was nodding off even though I was awake.

Being sleep-deprived, I was more vulnerable to these side effects than most other people. That was why Suyeon had sighed when I demanded these pills.

The short pause in the conversation was filled by the monotone voice of the news anchor.

[The ‘FPDA’ is an Asian-Pacific regional security community of the British Commonwealth, comprising the member nations of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Their military cooperation among member countries used to fall short of even a passive mutual defense treaty, but on July 27th of this year, under the leadership of the United Kingdom as the host nation, it was elevated to a military alliance that jointly conducts offensive and defensive operations. India, as the ‘+1,’ joined as an associate member starting September 5th.]

[Experts in diplomacy and security agree that the UK’s recent actions are aimed at countering China. As tensions escalated over Hong Kong, it’s been suggested that they needed a card to militarily pressure China. Additionally, countries like Australia, which faced political trade sanctions from China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Malaysia and Singapore, which have felt threatened by China’s continued territorial claims in the South China Sea, have actively supported the UK, leading to the swift promotion of the military alliance.]

[This support is the first step in demonstrating that ‘FPDA+1’ has the capability to project military power internationally…]

[The reactions of the United States and China couldn’t be more contrasting. The White House spokesperson praised the unity of ‘FPDA+1,’ stating that it contributes to global peace, while the Chinese Foreign Minister expressed strong displeasure, likening this deployment by ‘FPDA+1’ to nothing less than a conspiracy by forces attempting to infringe upon China’s sovereignty.]

Kyung-tae, who had been lost in thought, spoke up.

“It seems like the Mexican government intentionally dispersed their forces, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s what the Mexican government said. When I first heard they allowed the expansion of the Sinaloa Cartel for security stability, I just thought, ‘This is Mexico.’ But now, it seems like they intentionally induced the dispersion of Sinaloa’s forces, planning to sweep them up as the next target for the Knights.”

“…That’s possible.”

I, too, had reached a similar conclusion. With Double A stationed in this port, only one of the three major armed factions under Sinaloa, “Los Mexicles,” remained in Ciudad Juárez, the core stronghold of the cartel. 

Los Mexicles might have nearly 40,000 members on the surface, but the true hardcore members were no more than 2,000 at most. Even that 2,000 would be generously classified as a militia force. They were proficient at maintaining secrecy due to their unique Nahuatl dialect, but they fell short in terms of combat capability compared to the other two armed factions.

Apart from these factions, there were other armed groups as well. However, these were more like armed militias of local drug lords rather than cartel armies. “Los Ántrax,” headquartered in Culiacán, Sinaloa, the birthplace of the cartel, was one such group. The central government and the state government operated separately, and the state government enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.

‘Judging by how the city’s police are unable to act decisively, it doesn’t seem like the president planned this from the beginning…’

If this assumption is correct, they initially considered an inevitable collaboration with Sinaloa, but perhaps they changed direction when they received a favorable offer from the UK. It was like swapping out the knife of a violent murderer.

However, the prolonged presence of foreign troops operating within the country poses a burden that may be difficult for the president to handle. Given the considerable civilian casualties already accumulated, there is a possibility that they will try to quickly resolve the situation while adhering to the agreement with Sinaloa. Such rapid stabilization would provide strong evidence to support the president’s claim that he made the right decision.

The overall probability is roughly fifty-fifty.

Coincidentally, the news anchor reports that President Obrador is facing a political backlash. The entire opposition is against his actions, as he deployed foreign troops onto Mexican soil without congressional approval. Even some factions within his own party are reported to be joining the movement.

However, in a situation where everything must be conducted in secret, how could they obtain congressional approval beforehand? Among those lawmakers, there are undoubtedly individuals who would leak information to the cartels.

“Are Double A and the military still in a standoff?” 

Suyeon immediately responded to my question.

“Yes. I believe the Sinaloa Cartel has noticed that things are unfolding strangely too, but for now, they seem undecided on how to proceed. They are likely mobilizing their connections in Mexico City.”

Suyeon put her hand over her ear and listened to the audio coming from the in-ear receiver. After a moment, she turned to me with new information.

“This is a report from the field command center. Analysis of satellite images taken 17 minutes ago reveals that the British military convoy has left Guadalajara. They are heading west along Route 15 and Route 70.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Given the circumstances, it’s highly likely that their target, the cartel leader, has fled to the west.”

“That’s a possibility…”

At present, there were three Cubesat satellites served as my eyes in the skies over Guadalajara. One belonged to the organization, and the other two were owned by satellite companies affiliated with the organization. These satellites, orbiting at an altitude of 620 kilometers, captured and transmitted photographic data of the Puerto Vallarta area at intervals of 2 hours and 3 minutes, 7 minutes and 30 seconds, 41 minutes and 1 second, and 74 minutes and 29 seconds, respectively. This provided us with a real-time overview of the Guadalajara region.

Approaching the window, I gently part the closed curtains with my fingertips.

“There’s one good thing about this country called Mexico.”

The tense city was enveloped in silence. Everyone could sense that a storm was imminent, even the flickering streetlights didn’t find the courage to light up the streets. Even the fiery Perucho had not sought out Huan. Citizens to whom I had distributed food had no motivation to go fishing in the storm. At least not at this moment.

Turning back to face the room, I leaned against the window frame and continued.

“That’s the fact that no matter what we do, the cartel will be the one hunted and suspected.”

Even if we detonated bombs in the heart of the city, used explosive magic, or fired machine guns and rockets in all directions, the authorities would soon point the finger at some cartel as the perpetrator. Why? Because Mexican cartels were known to possess a massive arsenal of explosives, machine guns, and rockets. All we needed to do was put in a little effort to conceal our identities.

The blueprint of the submarine and the hunt for the imperialists. I didn’t want to give up on either one.

• 1. TLN: Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant medication used to treat sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea