Chapter 1054:
When Rylie heard Brock calling Brad urgently in the background, she immediately understood he was busy but had still made time to reach out to her. She gently pulled her hand back and said softly, “Go ahead. Take care of your work. Just text me when you get a moment.”
Brad hesitated for a second before finally ending the call. When he turned around, the warmth on his face disappeared, replaced by a calm, focused look. “What’s going on?” he asked firmly.
Brock walked over with another man, snapped a salute, then moved aside to let a middle-aged man with glasses step forward. “Admiral Morgan,” Brock said respectfully, “this is Elliot Hinks. He’s the First Secretary, sent directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he’s leading the talks for this negotiation.”
Elliot gave Brad a brief nod, skipping any small talk. His tone was serious from the start. “Admiral Morgan, the matter we’re dealing with isn’t simple. The situation is sensitive. East Islet’s side—Deputy Foreign Minister Fairchild Hall—has just submitted their last offer.”
Brad said, “Go ahead.”
Elliot pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and explained, “They’ve agreed to immediately halt further troop deployments to the Verdant Isles. They’ll also allow us—along with a group of international monitors—to enter a few designated areas, though access will be restricted.”
“Under what terms?” Brad’s tone tightened.
“They’ve attached two conditions to their agreement,” Elliot replied. “First, they expect us to simultaneously halt what they call ‘offensive military construction’ on our reefs in the Strait of Emerald. They’re presenting it as a mutual de-escalation measure.”
𝘠𝗼𝗎𝘳 ո𝗲𝘹𝘁 𝘧а𝘷o𝘳it𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗮𝗱 𝗂𝘴 o𝘯 𝗀𝗮lո𝗼vе𝗹ѕ.с𝗼𝘮
Brad’s forehead creased in a slight frown.
“Second,” Elliot continued more carefully, “there’s the matter of the inquiry into the soldier who died accidentally. They’re no longer demanding to handle the investigation independently. Instead, they propose that senior military officers from both sides form a joint field team to visit the incident site and conduct an on-site inspection. According to Fairchild, our technicians will operate all the core detection systems. They’re only sending a handful of observers and a light escort.”
Brock muttered under his breath, “Admiral Morgan, even though the soldier’s death occurred in contested waters, that’s exactly the kind of unclear boundary where traps are easiest. The body washed up on an island in the Verdant Isles, and East Islet used it to provoke us. Now they want us to inspect the site ourselves, which essentially means stepping into their territory—and we have no familiarity with that area.”
Brad looked at Elliot. “What’s the ministry’s assessment?”
Elliot paused briefly. “Formally, the Kingdom of East Islet has made a genuine concession. There’s risk involved, but it falls within reasonable diplomatic parameters. If we refuse the offer entirely, we’d damage our international standing—making us appear dishonest, or even as if we’re attempting a cover-up.”
“And what do you propose?” Brad asked.
Elliot spoke frankly. “If the aim is to de-escalate quickly and prevent the situation from worsening, the plan could work. But from the president’s perspective, he has explicitly forbidden you from entering high-risk areas. It puts you in a difficult position.”
Brad went quiet, his fingers drumming lightly on the table.
Refusing would risk the talks collapsing and the situation spiraling out of control.
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