Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 91 - Terms Of Exchange

“General Shukla, don’t be an alarmist.” Deputy Minister Gupta of the Secret Service was displeased. “I told you, we’re watching them like a hawk. As soon as they enter the country and pick up the weapons, they’re as good as dead. Yes, innocent lives may be lost in the process, but this is for the good of the country. Their sacrifice will not be in vain.”

“For the good of the country? Wow, I did not expect to hear that from you, Deputy Minister Gupta.” Sidharth sneered as he let go of Deputy Minister Chauhan’s frail neck. Deputy Minister Chauhan immediately lapsed into a coughing fit, but Sidharth pointedly ignored him. He wiped his hands
disdainfully with a paper towel.

“Enlighten me, Deputy Minister Gupta, if you please – what do you consider to be in the interest of the country’?”

Deputy Minister Gupta opened his mouth to remind Sidharth of the Indian lady’s immense wealth, as well as the blueprints in her possession.

However, he saw the bone- chilling looks on both Chairman Bhatt and General Rawat, and stopped cold. The words died in his throat.

He had seen nothing wrong with his plans; now, all of a sudden, his actions seemed unreasonably selfish.

Sidharth pulled out a chair and seated himself. He threw Deputy Minister Gupta and Deputy Minister Chauhan a frigid sideways look. “Let me get this straight: Deputy Minister Gupta and Deputy Minister Chauhan, the both of you are perfectly willing to allow mercenaries into the country – using the lives of your own countrymen as bait – in order to help rid a foreign millionaire of her enemies. You claim that this is in the best interests of the country. It seems to me, however, that the two of you are coordinating with outside forces to undermine the India, and may even be foreign spies sent
to infiltrate our government. A
situation like this calls for intervention from the Sixth Military Region, no?”

“Nonsense!”

“Lies and slander!”

Deputy Minister Gupta and Deputy Minister Chauhan jumped to their
feet at the same time, elbowing each other as they jostled to declare that they were innocent: they had not wronged the country or their fellow men in any way.

“No? Really?” Sidharth had received a list of the military munitions that had been smuggled in from Deepak; he now tossed the list onto the conference table.

“Here’s a list of the smuggled weapons, have a look for yourselves. If these powerful guns ended up in the hands of the mercenaries, all hell would break loose in C City. What would happen to the citizens then?”

“…But we promised Miss Gill we’d help eradicate the mercenaries.” Deputy Minister Chauhan ignored the list of
weapons. “We promised a friend, so we’re going to pull it off, no matter what. We have to show the world that we deserve our reputation as a global leader – we must be charitable and altruistic!”

“Charitable my ass!” Sidharth could not help swearing. “What sh*tty ‘friend’ are you talking about, and how is their friendship more valuable than the lives of our own people?!”

“General Shukla, please refrain from swearing. Miss Gill may be young and unknown within the India, but she has
something our India desperately needs, and she has agreed to give it to us free of charge. However, she is currently in some trouble and wants our help – we cannot stand idly by.” Deputy Minister Gupta of the Secret Service looked at General Rawat. “We have to help her. I will send a copy of the exact terms of exchange to the military, as soon as
possible, for your perusal and review.”

General Rawat brows were knitted together. “You’re absolutely set on doing this?”

“You seem to have forgotten, so here’s a friendly reminder: these foreign mercenaries are formidable,
highly-skilled army veterans. We don’t even know if the soldiers in our regular army are able to deal with them, let alone men from your Secret Service. In other words, the Secret Service messed up. No one is under any obligation to wipe your ass for you.” Sidharth tapped out a cigarette, lit it with his lighter, and inhaled. He toyed with the lighter in his hand, the anger on his face gradually subsiding.