His intention was to have the marines perform a stylish rappel. After all, special forces and marines often rappel from helicopters during urgent missions, which looks impressive and cool, potentially earning the Maldives military some prestige. Having allowed terrorists to infiltrate was already embarrassing, so a strong performance could help regain some face.
But the commander awkwardly said, “Sir, our soldiers haven’t practised rappelling in ages. I suggest we don’t take the risk and let the helicopters land smoothly on flat terrain.”
The senior official snapped, “This is an urgent mission! We need to show urgency. A slow landing seen by netizens worldwide would be embarrassing. You must make our military look good!”
The commander, embarrassed, said helplessly, “Sir, a few years ago, the Indian military tried to show off with rappelling to gain prestige. One soldier fell during the rappel, injuring two comrades below. The Indian military was humiliated globally. Our soldiers train even less than theirs. If we try to show off and fail, the world will mock us!”
The senior official fumed, “Your job is to defend the nation, and you’re neglecting training? I’ll investigate this thoroughly and give you the harshest punishment!”
The commander, frustrated, said, “Sir, I’ve long requested budgets for things like new helicopters and increased training funds, but they’ve never been approved! Our helicopters lack basic maintenance. How can we afford rappelling training?”
The senior official, feeling cornered, said irritably, “Fine, I’ll figure something out. Since that’s the case, skip the rappelling and find a suitable landing spot!”
The people in the bar and netizens worldwide watching Tawana’s live stream were expecting to see soldiers rappelling down, but after hovering for a while, the helicopters chose a flat, open area and landed slowly.
This sluggish behaviour left global netizens dissatisfied, and things got even stranger. When the soldiers saw the bullet-ridden corpses scattered on the ground, many began vomiting while clutching their legs.
Fortunately, Tawana’s camera could only vaguely capture that there were bodies on the ground, not their gruesome state, or the video platform might have had to censor the footage.
The commander, suppressing the urge to vomit, led the few soldiers who could hold it together into the bar. As soon as he entered, he shouted, “All terrorists, raise your hands and surrender, or we’ll open fire!”
Bernard Elno stepped forward, his face full of disdain, “The living terrorists have already left. I don’t know if you can catch up to them.”
“What? They left?!” The commander panicked, blurting out, “How could you let them go?! Why didn’t you keep them here?!”
Bernard Elno pointed at himself, eyes wide, “You’re asking me? If I had that ability, what would we need you for? I might as well form my own army to protect you!”
The commander, embarrassed, touched his nose and quickly asked, “How are the people on-site? Is anyone injured?”
“No,” Bernard Elno said curtly, “I don’t know what your military is good for. So many armed militants sneaked in, and you had no idea. That’s outrageous!”
Trying to gain some credit, he added coldly, “Thanks to my financial strategy at the critical moment, I caused these terrorists to collapse internally. Otherwise, Ms. Sweet, all the guests on Baima Island, and I would probably be cold corpses by now!”
For Bernard Elno, money spent had to be maximised for benefit.
Though he didn’t actually give Ma Kui $100 million, he had given Baima Island to Ye Chen and had to buy JD Island from the Dubai consortium to give to Ye Chen. Between losses and expenses, over $1 billion was gone.
However, Ye Chen was fair, giving him a chance to be a hero who saved over a hundred people, including the big star Tawana Sweet—a French hero.
As long as he seized this opportunity, the benefits would far outweigh the $1 billion loss. From now on, he had to keep this achievement on his lips.
The commander, also embarrassed, could only flatter, “Mr. Elno, we owe you today. Rest assured, we’ll strengthen national defence to prevent this from happening again!”
Noticing Tawana’s live-stream camera aimed at him, Bernard Elno cleared his throat and said loudly, “These are all honoured guests of Baima Island. For their sake, I’d spend any amount of money without hesitation. My only regret is that my bodyguards and Ms. Sweet’s bodyguards perished in this attack, and I couldn’t save them!”
Pointing accusingly, he continued, “It’s mainly because you were so incompetent, you know? With so many tourists coming here to vacation and spend, ensuring their safety is your basic duty. I hope you take this seriously from now on!”
The commander nodded quickly, “Mr. Elno, you’re right to criticise. I’ll report to the higher-ups, request increased defence funding, and ensure all tourists’ safety.”
Bernard Elno waved his hand grandly, “Tell you what, once this is over, I’ll donate $50 million to your defence department to bolster your maritime defence capabilities. I hope this never happens again!”
