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Chapter 395 Mora Kottir
🕑 Added 2023-07-29 15:42:24 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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"Ministry of the Interior Chief..."
Numar glanced at the man in front of him, whom Yuri had introduced with great solemnity, but his face remained expressionless.
Although he came from a military background, he still understood the basics of politics.
The appointment of the Ministry of the Interior Chief was a deal made to gain support from Yuri and his backers for launching a coup against him. Although the other party was so eager to come forward and force him to admit it, it was a rather unpleasant sight. However, after all, it was a promise he had made.
So, reluctantly, he nodded and pinched his nose, acknowledging, "Mr. Mora Kottir, the provisional government is in shambles and in desperate need of talents like you to join!"
However, that was just empty talk. Numar didn't even have the intention of chatting with him or probing his background.
Yuri raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
He knew it was unseemly for the Ministry of the Interior Chief to be appointed so hastily, but that was the decision from above, and he had no choice.
Speaking of which, this man named 'Mora Kottir,' an indigenous Bolivian of Indian descent, was the first time he had ever seen him.
Considering that this guy probably knew about the Decepticons just like himself, Yuri was a bit wary and decided to give him an opportunity.
"Your Excellency, Mr. President, don't you think it's time to introduce yourself since Mr. President knows nothing about you?"
Mora Kottir, the middle-aged man, smiled politely and nodded at both of them before speaking, "That's only fair!"
"Let me introduce myself first, Mr. President. My name is Mora Kottir, a Bolivian from Santiago. I studied in Spain and have been working in European companies since graduating from university. I only returned to Bolivia in the past two years!"
"Santiago, Bolivia..."
Numar took a closer look at him. He was familiar with this southeastern city, which was considered one of the better ones in Bolivia within South America. However, apart from two locations, one being the capital, La Paz, where many violent shootings and forced disappearances had occurred in recent years, the other chaotic city was Santiago.
There was no way around it. It was close to Paraguay and Brazil, and since Bolivia had strict gun control, a lot of arms and drugs smuggling took place through Santiago and flowed into Bolivia.
During the 1998 Bolivian-Paraguayan border crisis, Numar had led troops stationed in Santiago for a period of time, so he knew about the chaos there.
Naturally, he also understood that if someone wanted to hide their identity, claiming to be from Santiago would make it impossible to investigate further. It was a lawless area where the police were virtually ineffective.
Although he felt annoyed, the provisional government was still in its early stages, and all the messy affairs and problems were weighing heavily on his shoulders. Numar felt a bit overwhelmed.
Mora Kottir had come at an opportune time, so Numar thought it would be a good idea to see what he was capable of. He asked, "So, Mr. Ministry of the Interior Chief... Are there a lot of issues that need to be resolved in La Paz right now, and are the other regions in the country similar? Is the military delaying its acknowledgment or support for me? Is there no response from Sucre...? Internationally, apart from the three countries in the community calling to inquire about the situation, the attitudes of other countries are unclear... What should we do next?"
The so-called community of five countries refers to the Andean Community, which was established by Colombia, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, in May 1969. It was named after the fact that all member countries are located in the foothills of the Andes.
Venezuela and Chile had briefly joined the community, but for various reasons, they eventually chose to withdraw, leaving only Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
Yuri took a seat on the side. He was not familiar with this sudden appearance of 'Mora Kottir' and even had some wariness. He was afraid that this person's appearance would diminish the support he received from the Decepticons.
After all, in just the past two or three months, he had received over a billion dollars from the No. 2 and the base, along with more weapons and drugs. His current luxurious lifestyle and position of power were all provided by the Decepticons, and he certainly didn't want to share it.
However, he didn't dare to disobey Forerunner's direct order.
Yuri lit a cigar for himself and sat back, eager to see how this guy would deal with the obese Numar.
The Ministry of the Interior Chief was actually quite important within Bolivia. Bolivia was a presidential system, and the president not only served as the head of state but also as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
During the military government period, Bolivia had appointed a vice president, but it was abolished after the coup. The previous president had been trying to restore the position of vice president, but he was overthrown in a coup before he could succeed.
In this country without a vice president, the Ministry of the Interior Chief was the most crucial part of the cabinet. Their power included overseeing the national police system, managing all public facilities, state-owned land, mineral resources, etc. They were also responsible for disaster relief, veteran resettlement, and immigration management. The Ministry of the Interior had considerable power, equivalent to the sum of three or four other departments, and it was also one of the government's most important sources of funding. That was why Numar had been reluctant to trade away the Ministry of the Interior Chief.
Sensing that both of them were waiting for his answer, Mora Kottir smiled calmly, showing great composure.
"Your Excellency, President, the problems you mentioned do exist, but they are not difficult to solve. Let's start with La Paz. As the location of all government institutions in our country except the Supreme Court (La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, and Sucre is the nominal capital), the most pressing issue is public security. I suggest deploying troops to protect the embassy district so that no country has an excuse to interfere. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can assure ambassadors from various countries that their interests in Bolivia will not be affected. At the same time, extend military control over the entire city for a week, cracking down strictly on crimes such as robbery, theft, and forced disappearances. Considering that the law enforcement system has been severely damaged during the coup, I propose that Mr. Yuri dispatch his mercenaries to patrol the entire city in shifts, 24 hours a day..."
It was a relatively standard response, and both Numar and Yuri nodded without much further expression. But then Mora Kottir changed his tone, "...Of course, these are just temporary measures. What the provisional government needs most now is to unite all available forces. Therefore, I hope you will approve of me taking control of the prices in La Paz and even opening the disaster emergency supplies storage facility under the Ministry of the Interior to provide limited food, edible oil, and canned goods to the people in the city. This will help rally more people around you, Mr. President!"
Numar's eyes lit up. He couldn't easily agree to controlling prices, as it would offend businessmen, especially foreign investors. However, the latter was a good choice.
The Ministry of the Interior was responsible for national disaster relief. Although Bolivia's national strength was limited, they did have some emergency reserves. Using them to win over people's hearts and gain more popularity for himself wasn't a bad idea. After all, these were not his things but legacies from previous governments.
"...Go on," Numar finally changed his attitude slightly. A smile appeared on his face, and he nodded to Mora Kottir, signaling him to continue.
"Alright!"
Mora Kottir continued, "There are indeed many problems within the country, but they are relatively simple to solve. Regarding the law enforcement system, please give me three days, and I guarantee that I will have control over the national law enforcement system within that time. As for the military's lack of response, I believe it is because they cannot determine the situation in La Paz and are hesitant to bear the accusation of participating in the coup. After all, the previous president had purged the military several times in the past few years..."
"Hmm!"
Numar nodded. He had narrowly escaped being detained and stripped of his military power by the previous president.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Numar couldn't deny the fact that the previous president had been one of the most capable and resolute leaders in Bolivia's history.
Mora Kottir turned to Yuri. "On the other hand, some senior military officers are probably waiting for the provisional government to make them an offer. Many of them are expecting to share the benefits of the coup. And those officers who were recently promoted by the previous president are likely concerned that they might become targets of the provisional government's purge. This is where your assurance is needed."
"Compared to them, Sucre is actually easier to handle. Therefore, I suggest that Mr. Yuri immediately dispatch a team of mercenaries to capture Sucre and ensure that the voices in La Paz and Sucre are aligned!"
"As for the international aspect, my suggestion is to temporarily ignore it. We only need to be wary of Chile's unilateral military intervention. As long as we can stabilize Bolivia's political situation as quickly as possible, both the Andean Community and the Union of South American Nations will eventually come forward and recognize the legitimacy of the provisional government!"
After carefully considering it, Numar's eyes suddenly lit up.
He looked at Mora Kottir, unable to deny that the person backed by Yuri's forces had a good overall perspective and political wisdom.
"You make sense... However..."
His expression immediately turned troubled. Knowing the problem was one thing, but finding a solution was another matter.
The presidential residence had been almost reduced to ruins, and the previous president was undoubtedly killed in the recent coup. So Numar wasn't worried about anyone continuing to fight in the name of the president against the provisional government.
But as Mora had just mentioned, there were definitely people within the military waiting for him to make an offer, eager to share the spoils of the coup.
Compared to them, the officers promoted by the previous president would be easier to handle.
Furthermore, Sucre had government troops stationed there. Although it was not as fortified as La Paz, it would not be easy to conquer without any troops. Hiring Yuri's mercenaries would require additional funds.
When he thought about it, it seemed that dealing with the international aspect would be relatively easier. Apart from Chile, the South American hegemon, possibly increasing troops at the border, what they needed more was not international recognition but a swift resolution of domestic issues.
But all of this required money!
He looked at Yuri with a worried expression, and Yuri blew out a smoke ring, his face wearing a very affable smile.
"Mr. President, I can take the liberty to apply to my boss for an interest-free loan of at least 2 billion US dollars for your great cause. At the same time, I can increase the number of mercenaries by two thousand... However..."
He stopped speaking, just smiling and waiting for Numar's response.
Numar's expression became even more grim. It seemed that he would have to pay a higher price.
"These damned scoundrels..."
He cursed inwardly. He looked at Yuri and then at the seemingly harmless Mora Kottir. With a determined grit of his teeth, he reluctantly agreed.
"Fine, I understand. Discuss with Minister Mora about your demands, but you must confirm and report them to me by today."
After all, the mineral resources and assets belonged to the country. Only power and the money in hand were his own. He knew that he had nothing now, and opposing it would be futile. So he simply assigned the task to Mora Kottir to negotiate.
It seemed that Mora was prepared to shoulder the blame in the future.
Upon hearing his appointment, Mora Kottir nodded immediately.
The successive demands had affected Numar's mood, and he no longer had the intention to continue talking with them. He quickly bid them farewell.
Yuri and the others were not upset. They walked out of his temporary presidential office together and descended to the lobby on the first floor of the Ministry of the Interior. Apart from a team of mercenaries guarding the entrance, there were no outsiders around.
Yuri then extinguished his cigar, his smile fading, as he looked at Mora Kottir who followed beside him.
"...Minister, how should I address you?"
Sensing a subtle hint of hostility, Mora also stopped in his tracks, showing a toothy smile.
"Just call me Mora, Mr. Yuri."
As they locked eyes, his irises suddenly changed from brown to pure red.
In an instant, Yuri felt a chill run down his spine.
...
"...Have they finally created the humanoid Decepticons I requested?"
After reading the detailed information transmitted from Bolivia by Forerunner, Sun Cheng couldn't help but clench his fist, his face filled with uncontrollable excitement.
They had finally succeeded!
Mechanical life was an extraordinary form of higher life, no less than humans, even in terms of the level of biological evolution. Whether it was in the "Transformers Universe" Earth or the reality Sun Cheng had come from before, humans had not yet developed to the extent where they could match the Autobots and Decepticons, the mechanical life forms from Cybertron.
Similar to cells in the human body, Mechanical Life Forms contained billions of tiny components called "gears," some as small as tens of nanometers. These gears were the key to their ability to transform, allowing Autobots and Decepticons to constantly change their forms by scanning other objects.
Sun Cheng, not being from the "Transformers Universe," had also brought some Decepticons back to the real world, hoping to make them his important allies. However, the distinctive appearances of the Decepticons meant that if they were exposed to the public, Sun Cheng himself would immediately become the target of various countries.
Therefore, ever since the establishment of Base No. 1, Sun Cheng had been considering the idea. Since Decepticons could transform into different vehicles, tanks, or even aircraft by scanning them, why couldn't Mechanical Life Forms also transform into the appearance of humans?
This idea had been prioritized as the second project, right after designing a new mechanical body for himself. In the initial stages, it was handled by 'Atlas,' but later on, Sun Cheng simply handed it over to the highly intelligent Cybertron supercomputer in Base No. 2—Teletran.
Due to the lack of good news for a long time, Sun Cheng had almost forgotten about it. He even thought that it would take three to five years before he could see the successful realization of this concept.
And then, Atlas and the others silently produced a major breakthrough.
They had actually succeeded!
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 396: Pushing Forward
