Chapter Seventeen: Loyalty Beyond Faith

  PS: The ranking is far beyond reach.

  The motorcade made a few laps on several busier streets before heading towards the Bossaso International Hotel.

  As the fleet approached the hotel, Li Ran was shocked to discover that this rare green color over the past month was quite abundant here.

  The scenic trees by the roadside, the flower beds along the road, the neat buildings and the beautifully decorated houses, if not told, no one would believe that this is Bossaso.

  This is also Li Lan's first time seeing trees and shade after arriving in Somalia, it's really rare.

  "This place used to be a gathering place for foreign embassies, but now many houses are empty. Except for the embassies of countries like Italy and the UK, which are still in use, basically all of them withdrew in 1991 and never came back. Many countries have also placed their Somali embassies in other countries, such as Djibouti, where there is a Chinese liaison office for Somalia."

  "You seem to care about these things a lot." Li Lan said.

  "I think those who still have hope for the country will pay attention to these things. Actually, I've been thinking that if it weren't for Somalia being located on the Horn of Africa, with the international shipping route of the Gulf of Aden outside and the existence of pirates, probably no one in the world would care about tiny Somalia, because this place is just too poor."

  Li Ran nodded in deep agreement, just as Muhanmudi said, Somalia is too poor. If it weren't for its strategic location and the pirate issue, no one would pay attention to it. Of course, if the news that Somalia has a lot of oil is confirmed by foreign countries, perhaps the situation will change. But at that time, it might not be good news for the Somali people either.

  Although it is no secret to the outside world that Somalia has oil, the extent of its oil reserves has not been fully explored. Due to security concerns and other issues, many countries and companies interested in Somalia's oil are hesitant to invest, fearing they will not get a return on their investment. Once it is confirmed that Somalia has a lot of oil and there is enough profit to be made from investing, there will no longer be any hesitation.

  "I used to think Somalia was the most chaotic, but now I think it's actually okay, just tribal conflicts are more frequent. Not like Palestine, although small, but the contradictions involved are huge, involving the world's three major religions. And with a long history, entangled together, it's hard to resolve. So, my friend, as long as it's not a conflict of religious beliefs, there's always a way to find a solution. The whole Somalia is 99% Muslim, which is also a good thing for Somalia, and can be said to be an opportunity for peace and unity."

  Muhanmudi didn't continue speaking because the fleet had already arrived at the hotel entrance.

  Here is the translation:

  There were no pedestrians with weapons in sight, but there were many patrolling soldiers. Especially around 9 o'clock, there were many armed soldiers guarding. When they saw Li Lan's motorcade, they just looked over vigilantly and didn't make any other moves.

  "It seems that the boss of this hotel is quite powerful!" Li Ran sighed in her heart as she looked around at the scene.

  The motorcade stopped at the entrance, Muhanmadi opened the car door and walked straight into the hotel, while Li Ran and the soldiers did not move.

  "Ahmed, you said we should save Somalia." Muhandis left and while waiting, Li Ran asked Ahmed who was sitting in the front row.

  "Sorry commander, I only know how to fight, and I haven't thought about these issues. But I trust your wisdom, you will definitely be able to resolve the problems in Somalia." Ahmed replied.

  "It's also not your specialty, but why are you so sure I'll change things here? What makes you think that?" Li Ran was somewhat curious about the latter sentence. Although these soldiers were extremely loyal to themselves, loyalty did not equal blind trust. They also had their own thoughts and judgments.

  "Because the entire base is commanded by one person, even if the commander really can't solve it, isn't there still the base? If we say that the whole world has the most hope to completely solve the various problems existing in Somalia, then it must be the cooperation between the commander and the base." Ahmed said with certainty.

  "Is the base really that amazing?" Through today's understanding, Li Lan has already realized the difficulties of the future, and Ahmed's words made him feel a slight relief. He leaned back in his chair and said softly.

  "No, the base is not magical at all." Ahmed shook his head after hearing Li Ran's words. However, it was very obvious that this was completely opposite to what he had just said.

  At this point, Li Lan was somewhat unexpected, but Ahmed's next words made him understand what Ahmed wanted to express.

  "It is only with the coordination of the base and the commander that the base can exert its magical functions. Without a commander, the bases are just meaningless buildings. It's like Allah and the Quran, one cannot be missing."

  Li Ran was really surprised to hear Ahmed's insight and couldn't help but ask: "How did you know all this?"

  "Does it seem strange to know these things? Each of us brothers knows them, our mission is to serve the commander, and we come from the base. It doesn't need to be understood, it's just naturally known, and the commander can also understand that this is our instinct." Ahmed replied naturally.

  "What else do you know about the base?" Li Ran shook her head and continued to ask.

  "That's all I know," Ahmed said.

  Seeing the serious face of Ahmed, Li Ran also believed that he was not deceiving himself. However, he still had a question, an important one to ask: "Ahmed, I hope you will answer this question sincerely. Let's assume for a moment, if one day I were to leave the base, would you choose to guard the base or continue to follow my orders?" He seemed to feel that the question was not asked well enough, so he rephrased it: "Let me put it more clearly, if in the future the base were to select another commander, whose orders would you follow? Mine or the new commander's."

  "Commander, this problem doesn't exist. My instincts tell me that there will only ever be one commander of the base, no matter what happens to you, the base will never have a second commander." Ahmed replied with some doubt.

  Actually, since inexplicably obtaining the base, Li Lan has always had this anxious and uneasy psychology in his heart. Moreover, the base holds too many secrets for him, making him constantly feel that the base doesn't seem to be his at all.

  He had asked the assistant this question before, and the assistant's answer was the same as Ahmed's just now. However, he couldn't calm down about this matter. At that time, the base assistant even praised him, saying that this was a thought that a true commander should have, with the potential to be a great leader.

  "No matter if it's possible or not, answer my question." Li Ran, who had already received the same answer before, didn't take Ahmed's response as an answer. He wanted a more direct one.

  Upon hearing Li Lan's words, Ahmad saluted without hesitation and said: "Our mission is to be forever loyal to our commander. The commander can command us through the base, but the base cannot arbitrarily command us because it is not the object of our loyalty. Even if we change commanders in the future, our loyalty to you will not change. You are the true master in our hearts and there can only be one true master. Not even God can replace your position in our minds. Your words surpass divine revelation; every word and action of yours is our standard. Those you dislike are our enemies. Even if you told us to return and destroy the base immediately, we would carry out the order without hesitation."

  A solemn salute, a firm gaze, Li Lan was once again deeply moved. Whether it was the base's explanation or living together for these days, he had a deep understanding that although they were just the most basic soldiers in the base, each soldier had their own thoughts, their own life values, seven emotions and six desires, and their own beliefs.

  Perhaps starting from the relationship with Somalis, these soldiers all believe in Islam and perform prayers. On Sundays, they all eat vegetarian food, and it can be said that each one is a qualified Muslim.

  And Ahmed's reply moved Li Lan, who also clearly understood their thoughts. With such soldiers, Li Lan had reason to believe that even if they held wooden spears, they would still intimidate the enemy.

  Ahmed's final reply also made Li Lan's originally floating heart completely calm down.