Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Truth
Not finding any children in the mining area, Solomon felt both happy and sad. He was glad that Dia wasn't there, as it meant there was a high possibility that Dia was still alive. However, he was sad because he still didn't know where his son was, nor did he know where to look or when he would find him.
Solomon lay on the hillside, feeling down as he pondered where Dia might be. But before he could dwell too long on his sorrow, his face suddenly lit up with joy. The headset that had been silent since arriving at the mining area suddenly came to life. Solomon heard Christmas's voice, saying they had found a child named Dia. After asking the child's parents and sibling's names, they confirmed it was Solomon's son, Dia.
Christmas hadn't expected to actually find Solomon's son, who was currently in the hands of some tribespeople. This news reassured Christmas, who then revealed the true plan of their operation to Solomon. The reason the mining area was so heavily guarded was to prevent Archer from monopolizing the diamonds and to force him to seek help from Jette Frobe. This way, they could lure Jette Frobe into the mining area with the diamonds.
Finding his son allowed Solomon to relax. He put down his binoculars and glanced at Archer, who was on the phone, listening carefully to what Archer was saying.
When he heard Archer was talking to Jette Frobe, Solomon was overjoyed, as it meant his mission was about to be completed. Afterward, he could take his wife and children to a peaceful country free from war.
However, Solomon felt a pang of guilt when he thought about the possibility of Archer dying. Over the past few days, Archer had not only saved him but also rescued a priest. Even though Archer had been reluctant, he had spent an entire night helping Solomon search for his son, and he had indeed found Solomon's wife and daughters.
When Archer finished his call, he noticed Solomon staring at him. "Damn, why are you staring at me like that? Did you find your son?" Archer quickly crawled over to Solomon, grabbed the binoculars, and started scanning the mining area.
"Solomon, where's your child?" Archer said after looking for a minute, "Why are there no children or women in this mining area?"
Feeling something was off, Archer grew tense. He had been solely focused on how to sneak into the mining area and hadn't considered anything else. Now, distracted by thoughts of the child, Archer immediately noticed the oddities. "Why is the entire mining area filled only with adult males? There's no one being beaten, and they seem to be building fortifications. Could it be that another tribe is planning an attack? No, I need to warn Frobe to bring more people."
Just as he finished speaking, Archer suddenly felt his handgun being pulled from his waist. Instinctively, he flipped over and sat up, only to see Solomon pointing his gun at him.
Staring down the barrel, Archer broke into a cold sweat. He had already disengaged the safety and chambered a round when they climbed up, so the gun was ready to fire.
Archer cautiously raised his hands, looking slightly pitiful as he said, "Solomon, we're friends. What are you doing? Don't forget where we are. If you fire that gun, neither of us will get out of here alive. Besides, Solomon, I saved you, helped you find your wife and daughters. We're friends; put the gun down, we can talk. I promised to help you find Dia, we're partners, Solomon."
Hearing Archer's words and recalling their journey, Solomon confirmed in his heart that he didn't want Archer to die. However, he also couldn't allow Archer to ruin William's plan, especially since his wife and children were in William's hands, along with the promise of $3 million. Solomon tightened his grip on the gun, stepped back a few paces, and said, "Throw over the satellite phone, Archer. I don't want to hurt you. Just squat there and don't move. I'm doing this to save you."
"Save me?" Archer, seeing Solomon suddenly act smart by keeping a safe distance, cursed angrily, "Save me? How? With a gun? Or have you been using me all along, pretending to be crazy to get me to lead you through the war zone? You never intended to split the diamonds with me, did you, Solomon?
Damn it, I went to great lengths to help you find your family. I should have suspected you when we left the city. I was completely blinded by the diamonds. How could a simple fisherman like you lead me safely out of Freetown?"
Seeing Archer slowly stand up as he spoke, Solomon quickly retreated a few more steps, pointing the gun at him. "Squat down, Archer. Don't think you can rush me while I'm distracted. I don't want to hurt you, but if you move again, I'll have to shoot. My mission is complete; now all that's left is to wait. Don't force me to pull the trigger, Archer."
"Mission?" Seeing Solomon's determined eyes, Archer realized he wasn't joking. He squatted down helplessly and asked, "What mission? For God's sake, what mission involves me? I'm just a poor guy, Solomon, you must be mistaken."
"No, the mission involves you. From the moment you made that call, everything ended for me. I'm sorry, Archer. The diamonds were sold the day after you found me. I also knew early on that Jesse and the kids were at the Tashing refugee camp. Just now, someone told me Dia had been found too. My mission is over. I think you're a good person, so I don't want you to die. Just lie down and don't move, and wait for this to end."
Hearing Solomon repeatedly say he didn't want to kill him, Archer relaxed and lay on the ground, saying, "So this was all a trap. The people in the mining area are all yours, targeting Jette Frobe."
"Yes, throw over the satellite phone, Archer. If the plan is exposed, my whole family will die. You don't understand how powerful the people targeting Jette Frobe are. From the moment you contacted me, everything has been under their control. The helicopter pilot who took us to the Tashing refugee camp was one of their people. Do you know why Jesse was conveniently at the barbed wire fence when we arrived?"
Archer shook his head, his heart sinking.
"Because when we arrived, the soldiers around us had all been bribed by them. Someone notified Jesse to go there and deliver supplies. Not long after Jesse entered the Tashing refugee camp, they protected and monitored her. Archer, our every move has been under their watch."
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