Chapter 400: Episode 23: Ituri, Fist of Justice

“This is fun. This is addictive. Hehehe!”

Samedi’s eyes flashed with sadistic glee. Wakil said that five fingers were the limit. He said there was no point in torturing a person further by breaking the remaining fingers and toes when he could withstand all five of his fingers breaking. He was curious whether Pretty could last through five broken fingers.

“Ujiji, Ujiji![1]” Wallaby cried.

The priest gave his followers blue liquid to drink from a calabash[2] once a week. He said that once consumed, one wouldn’t bleed if they suffered a cut on their skin, and one would feel no pain if their bodies got beaten.

So, what was this pain? Either the priest lied, or those people were devils. Wallaby’s faith cracked.

“Il isi bacca oh lwar rux!”

“What is this guy saying?” Samedi asked Ulumbo.

“He is asking the spirits for help.”

“Tell him that mere spirits don’t dare come near Samedi. Hehehe!”

When Samedi laughed, his nostrils flared like cave entrances, and his thick lips curled inward. Wallaby shivered at the sight of the devil’s laughter.

“Pretty, you can hold on, can’t you?”

Samedi grabbed his forefinger, expressionless.

“Lus!”[3]

Wallaby’s dark face grew even darker. Betraying the organization meant being abandoned in the forest. He drank the magical liquid two days ago. The effects of the liquid would fade after five days. That’s when all hell would be let loose. One suffered from pain that came with twisted intestines and became the target of predators and poisonous insects. Since the priest could read one’s mind, lies didn’t work.

I’ll just die.

Wallaby squeezed his eyes shut.

Crack—

“Kuuuuh!”

The blood vessels in Wallaby’s eyes burst. He couldn’t describe the pain that he felt throughout his body, from head to toe. He bit the palm that was covering his mouth. His teeth couldn’t penetrate. His teeth bounced off as though he just chewed on a car tire. Wallaby nodded unconsciously. What else was he supposed to do when the devil was right before him!

“Tsk, how am I meant to have fun if you stop at two? Ulumbo, find out their numbers and why they’re here.”

Disappointed, Samedi shook his hands and moved away. His hands felt dirty, as though there were deadly germs on them. Wallaby answered Ulumbo’s questions as though he had given up.

“Great master, this guy’s name is Wallaby. He says that the Pygmies they gathered a month ago have escaped. They’re tracking down the Pygmies who have escaped. He says out of the 30 people who set out from the Holy temple, 10 went to search Kidamba’s village, and the rest went to search the forest.”

“What? There are 10 people left in the village?”

Black Mamba clicked his tongue. It was obvious why those b*stards remained in the village. They intended to vent their anger on the remaining villagers and drag the rest of the Pygmies away.

“Find out how many people there are and the location of their base.”

“He won’t answer. He says it was fate that he didn’t receive the magical liquid and was chased out of the forest because of his betrayal. He says if he reveals the location of their base and numbers, the spirit in his stomach will eat his intestines.”

“What an unrealistic dreamer. If you’re stupid, your body suffers.”

Samedi broke his right thumb without a second thought. Wallaby gritted his teeth and shook his head, although his red eyes were bulging out like they were about to explode, and he was drooling. Black Mamba stopped Samedi. The Black man, Wallaby, was under mind control. Like any other cult guerrillas, the organization was thorough. Brainwashing done with the imprint of fear could only be reversed with greater fear.

“Samedi, hold on. Ulumbo, tell the guy who I am. I’ll show him what the Ddu-bai-buru-pa curse is.”

Boom—

He began to compress the air around Wallaby with his resonance waves. It was a skill he didn’t use as it was too inhumane and wasted too much of his energy.

There existed a rule of 3333. Three minutes without air, three minutes without stable body temperature, three days without water, and three weeks without food—those were the conditions of death. Brain cells would start dying when the oxygen supply was cut off for more than three minutes. Dying brain cells placed tremendous stress on the nervous system.

Whooo—

When the air density exceeded a certain level, a barrier formed like a plastic film.

Kuuh—

Kuuuuh—

Wallaby, who was suddenly breathless, trembled violently. The bit of air that he inhaled wasn’t enough to cover the required amount of oxygen intake.

Wallaby’s face started to turn blue. When his lungs shrank, his brain, which recognized death, protested. Wallaby pounded on his chest and pulled at his face. His face turned bloody. The air around Wallaby’s face heated up, and red blood evaporated with a sizzling sound.

Ulumbo’s face turned pale. The true face of the humane and benevolent Mahabharata was horrible. Olonge and Kidamba hugged each other as they trembled. That was the first time they witnessed a spirit’s curse.

“Samedi, look. A person who denies the wheel of humanity has no other choice but to be treated like an animal.”

“Samedi’s learning well. Those who are not human do not deserve human rights.”

His concentration wavered as he talked.

Whoosh—

The air that regained its freedom rushed in.

Kugh—

Kuh—

Kuuuuk—

Wallaby desperately filled his lungs with oxygen. The consequence of going against Black Mamba’s intentions was great. Wallaby, who was a mess, collapsed on the floor.

“Ulumbo!”

“Ye… yes, sir. I’ll begin.”

Frightened, Ulumbo started interrogating. The devils before one’s eyes were scarier than the distant King of Hell. Wallaby didn’t dare protest. Wallaby talked, unaware of what he was saying.

“Great master, he says that the organization that kidnapped the French is called Damballa, separated from the Mai-Mai rebels. Damballa is a Tubu tribe guerilla faction from Rwanda, and the leader of their guerrilla group is Kamuge. Kamuge is a Vodou priest, and all the group members who follow him are Vodou followers. This guy’s a squad leader.”

“Isn’t Damballa Wedo a fat snake god? Houngan, who called himself Ntaganda’s master, also ordered a snake around. Why did Damballa separate despite following the same religion?”

“An internal conflict started because Ntaganda claimed a diamond mine near the Nyiragongo volcano as his own. It seems like Kamuge’s faction was pushed out of the fight due to the lack of manpower and firepower.”

“Aha!” Black Mamba exclaimed, coming to a realization.

Now, he knew why those b*stards requested weapons during the hostage negotiations. Kamuge was planning to steal the diamond mine using additional firepower. Everyone was blinded by greed.

Kamuge had slid into the Ituri Rainforest, fearing that Ntaganda would track him down. Zakar Houngan Kran was most likely tracking down Damballa at Ntaganda’s request. France ended up suffering because of the Vodou religion’s internal conflict.

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“The location of their base and their numbers?”

“The holy place where they’re keeping the people hostage is Apadombe. Apadombe is a point where the Eplu River and Ituri River meet at a low current. There are at least 500 members.”

“That’s quite a lot. Apadombe, hm…?”

He didn’t have a problem with the number of guerrillas. Their location was more important. He entered Apadombe in the GPS, but nothing showed up. He spread the map open and searched for Apadombe. As the DGSE said, the map was almost empty because there weren’t enough resources. He marked the point where the Ituri River and Eplu River met and temporarily registered Apadombe in his GPS. He deleted Katanga, which he had saved before. Although it wasn’t an exact location, that was enough.

“What about the place Kidamba referred to as Katanga?”

“Ah, the Black locals there call it Apadombe. Katanga is just a word used by the Pygmies to refer to an island. It’s the same place.”

Bingo! Black Mamba cheered.

Now, he had everything that he needed. He would have nothing to worry about after finding those kidnappers. He loosened up since the problem was solved. He almost wanted to carry Kidamba around on his back.

“Who is this Karungo guy?”

“He’s a separate unit leader under Kamuge. He says that he’s in the village.”

“Ugh, these useless b*stards!”

The DGSE made another wrong assumption. That was why information was important. Kamuge had purchased guns through a straw purchaser. He hid his intentions and body by sending a buyer out on behalf of himself.

The Fist of Justice fell for the trick of Kamuge, who left his body behind and died while chasing the unit leader. Well, it was understandable considering Ituri Rainforest’s harsh environment. If it wasn’t for the Vodou religion’s mystical magic, which chased away predators and poisonous insects, the Damballa followers wouldn’t have dared enter the Ituri Rainforest.

“Did you look into the hostages’ condition?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I will, now.”

Ulumbo and Wallaby’s conversation grew longer.

“He says three died out of 23, leaving 20 alive.”

“That’s a relief.”

Black Mamba celebrated silently. The chance of survival was great if 20 people were still alive six months after they were kidnapped. That was probably because of the spellcaster called Kamuge. Although Vodou spellcasters were feared, they were also competent doctors.

Once Black Mamba obtained all the information that he needed, he instantly relaxed. It was like a flashlight that turned on in complete darkness. He wanted to kick the asses of the DGSE and GIGN that crawled around but couldn’t gain any information.

To be frank, that didn’t happen because of the French intelligence agency and strike squad’s incompetence. Black Mamba’s respect for life simply brought good luck. It was because he willingly cooperated and saved Olonge from being killed by an elephant. The reason why the DGSE couldn’t get any information was that they were a cult. Even if they caught the tail of their kidnappers, they couldn’t gain any information. People who were overcome by religious beliefs and fear didn’t succumb easily to mere torture.

“There’s something strange, sir. He says four of the five women are pregnant.”

“What, pregnant? Did the whites have intercourse, no, s*x between themselves?”

Black Mamba’s eyebrows raised. That was one of the things he was worried about.

“He says he doesn’t know about that. He didn’t rape any women.”

“Hm!”

The wickedness of Vodou was beyond one’s imagination. Humans were mere tools. If the b*stard Kamuge gave up on being a human and sinned instead, the situation would be harder to resolve.

There was nothing more to gain out of Wallaby. Apadombe was registered in his GPS, and he had Olonge and Kidamba, who were Ituri’s best guides. Breathing in the same air as someone who ate children was foul itself. He was overwhelmed with hatred at the thought of inhaling the air coming out of that b*stard’s lungs.

“Kidamba, take your revenge.”

Black Mamba released the safety from his Glock and handed it to Kidamba. The confused Kidamba looked at Ulumbo, anticipating a translation.

“Ua, Do, dou!” Kidamba, who refused, turned pale.

“He says he can’t.”

“Tsk tsk! This idiot’s a coward.”

Samedi clicked his tongue at Ulumbo’s words. He couldn’t tell whether the boy was kind or just a coward. That man was his enemy who killed his tribe and ate their children, the future of their tribe. His family must have been killed too. The human who refused to pull the trigger on his greatest enemy didn’t seem normal to him.

“A human who’s unlike a human doesn’t deserve to die like a human.”

Bang—

The guy’s head exploded at Samedi’s kick. Samedi kicked the body away. It was a messy yet neat ending, just like Samedi himself.

“Samedi, you take care of the b*stards who’re searching the forest. There are 20 of them.”

“The Pygmy didn’t take care of his own. Is there a need for revenge?”

Samedi glared at Kidamba.

“It’s not revenge. We’re getting rid of those who gave up on being human and turned into animals. That’s the purpose behind my existence and yours. I’m not nice enough to stand up for those who can’t exact fair revenge. The Pygmies can live in their own way while we do our job. The Karungo b*stard has to pay the price anyway.”

“Wakil is always right.”

“There are 20 of them. Try not to use a gun if possible.”

“Okay. I’ll get rid of them for sure.”

Samedi shook his fist and disappeared into the forest. Black Mamba looked at Olonge and Kidamba. The Pygmies would be undefeatable in the Ituri Rainforest if they ever decided to use guns on top of their hunting skills.

“Ulumbo, ask Olonge and Kidamba if they want to use guns.”

10 of Kamuge’s subordinates remained in the village. It was Kidamba’s job to take revenge as a Pygmy tribe member. He only needed five minutes to learn how to use an Akabo gun.

Olonge and Kidamba shook their hands and patted their bows. He couldn’t understand that tribe. What were they going to do with arrows that could only fly 50 meters? He wondered if it could kill anything within 20 meters. However, it was their decision, so there was nothing he could do about it.

“Huh?”

Olonge and Kidamba took a step further by hiding in the forest. Black Mamba sighed. He really couldn’t understand the tribe who went into hiding instead of exacting revenge on those who committed genocide against their own.

Genocide! It was a horrible word but not a foreign one. Ironically, the greatest genocide of humankind was committed by the Yankees. They were the same people who criticized Hitler’s genocide against the Jews.

People cheered when Hollywood movies portrayed Native Americans as the villain, when in fact, they died at the hands of the white immigrants in Europe. No matter how much they talked about human rights, it wouldn’t erase their past.

The U.S. criticized Hitler but not Japan’s emperor and Tojo Hideki, who were mass murderers. It might have been because they were on the same page about genocides, or they recognized Japan as a pillar of the world’s economy that kept Russia and China in check.

Japan was a sneaky, childish, and cowardly country. The Japanese had a strong tendency to bow down and serve anyone stronger than them, and they tormented and tortured anyone weaker than them. Japan wasn’t fond of Korea’s economic growth. The tension between Korea and Japan was expected to increase as the power gap between the two countries narrowed.

[1] Liar, liar!

[2] Africa’s traditional long bowl.

[3] “Devil!”

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