Little King of The South Part 5 is the twenty-fifth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on April 19, 2024.
Plot[]
At a Popular Action office, the military has taken over the building and forced the inhabitants to surrender. In one room, the intelligence officer Melgar has interrogated and tortured Farias Cordero. Later at the guerrillas' hideout, a large man, Víbora, kicks down the door and sniffs the air inside. His handler reports to Melgar that no one is present, and the latter asks what the noise was. Hearing his subordinate clarify that it was just Víbora kicking down the door, Melgar orders him to keep an eye on him in case he goes crazy. As Paula examines the bullet hole-riddled vehicle in the garage, Melgar assesses that the Mercedes belongs to the CIA, who he claims is working with the guerrillas. In the kitchen, Víbora notices that a pot on the stove is still cooling down, indicating that the enemy has not escaped far. Melgar tells his team that the enemy cannot use the main road if they want to avoid the checkpoints. With that in mind, he shouts the order to hurry up and move fast so that the reputation of the Intelligence Bureau can be restored.
Elsewhere in the country, Luciana drives a van with Eda in the front passenger seat while Enrique, Mayte and Jaden stay in the back. Smoking a cigarette, Eda remarks that she prefers a bulletproof and fast CIA car but laments that their car had bullet holes everywhere that would give away their presence. Enrique replies that their van is not bad either because its engine is tuned and its wheels are big enough for the dirt roads. Jaden is curious about the mountain road, prompting Luciana to comment that it is a natural choice for a secret crossing. Enrique adds that the military most likely has the main highways covered, wondering if they were ever followed. Eda confirms that they were under surveillance the entire time in the country, and she asks Jaden if he still has the supplies from the embassy. Looking through his suitcase, he sees guns, spare bullets, temporary ID, and extra cash for pulling through the campaign. Eda appreciates that they have bullets, though Luciana asks if he has 7.62mm rounds for an AK rifle. Jaden apologizes because he does not have that ammunition, so the guerrilla asks for something powerful and with lots of bullets. He hands a pistol to Mayte, who hands it to her older sister.
Pulling out a map, Enrique notes that the hidden road is only known to the locals and is not on the map at all. Accordingly, he advises Luciana to drive as discreetly as possible, annoying her enough to claim she does not need to be told twice. Immediately up ahead, Eda points out a military vehicle going in the opposite direction of them. Because Luciana speeds past them, the two soldiers turn their vehicle around and begin pursuing them. Enrique reminds her to be discreet, but she yells back that it was hard to pass them anyway. The soldiers warn them to stop and intentionally rear end them, so Luciana gives her AK to Eda, telling her she only has one magazine and asking her to use it wisely. As the soldiers begin opening fire on the van, Eda peers out of the back passenger window and fires at them, injuring and incapacitating the driver. The soldier veers off to the side into a tank truck, causing an explosion that kills both men. On edge, Luciana chastises Eda for making such a loud scene, though the latter angrily reasons that it was out of their control.
Soon, Paula receives a report about the incident from an on-duty guard unit, informing Melgar that it was a van fleeing the scene to approximately the outskirts of Cobian. She wonders if they were CIA, but Melgar claims they cannot know yet. He realizes that the enemy is escaping toward the mountains, so he orders everyone to split up into three units and surround the area. As they exit town, Luciana notices that the smoke from the gas explosion has risen quite high, criticizing Eda for giving a noticeable marker to the tracking party. In response, Eda mutters that not everything works out as they desire. Luciana retorts that not everything goes smoothly at the CIA, angering Eda. She purposefully teases Eda to provoke her, making Enrique urge them to stop since it is not an appropriate time to fight amongst themselves. The boy asks "Jay" if they still have any pursuers on their tail. Not seeing anyone, Jaden guesses that the military may be cleaning up the explosion aftermath or possibly gave up. Insulting him as being naïve, Enrique, Eda and Luciana all warn him to keep his eyes open and not let his guard down, making him quiet down.
Soon, Luciana tells everyone that they are en route to the mountain path. Nonetheless, Enrique posits that they cannot rest yet since they need to make as much distance as possible while they still have daylight. He asks Jaden if he is hungry, to which the CIA agent angrily answers that he did not eat anything in preparation for their escape. Mayte offers him some sweet bread and also gives some to her sister. Jaden grabs the bread and shoves it into his mouth. As he chews it, Enrique and Mayte ask him if he is all right due to his flushed face. Saddened, Jaden claims he is pathetic and recalls that he joined the CIA after the Cold War thinking that he would not have to do any rough work. Continuing to insult himself, he states that he is a Harvard graduate who is now in a "crappy van" in South America reduced to sneaking across a border. While driving, Luciana asks him if he is okay, to which Eda remarks that she has no idea. Jaden asks his fellow agent if she joined the CIA around the same time he did, also wondering how she fits in so well. Enrique admits that she has been the same since he first met her, and Luciana jests that she did tell her she was born a stray dog, annoying her. In despair, Jaden claims he is the only sane and civilized one among everyone.
Suddenly, their car gets rear ended by another vehicle, startling them. Excited to attack them, the driver proclaims that he has caught up to the CIA agents as he rear ends their van again. His accomplice shoots at the van and breaks their back window, causing everyone to duck to avoid the gunfire. In response, the driver reminds him that they are only trying to scare the enemy and capture them alive. Frustrated with the order, his accomplice wonders what he can do, so he shoots at the tire but misses and then resumes shooting the right side of the van. Luciana tries to outmaneuver them but the enemy car again hits them on the side. Lining up with the car's front window, Eda points her pistol at the driver and opens fire, causing the pursuers to slow down. With only their windows damaged, the driver warns his associate to do the job right. Subsequently, he shoots at the back and successfully hits the back left tire, forcing Luciana to warn everyone to grab onto something. Their van slides on its bumper and is violently thrown onto its side. Stopping from a short distance, the two officers exit their vehicle but are forced to take cover when Jaden shoots at them. Angrily baffled, Eda asks him what he is doing and surmises that they need to draw the enemy closer.
Assessing that their van is no longer useful, Luciana recommends taking the enemy's car. Agreeing, Eda suggests that they wait for the men to leave the car. Enrique covers for Mayte and Jaden as they quickly take cover, with the latter complaining that he was not told of the plan. The boy volunteers to cover the two women and advises them to attack from opposite sides while he attacks from the front in a three-direction attack. Before they begin, Luciana warns Eda not to damage the enemy car, and the former agrees to take the left whereas the latter will take the right. Breaking down the windshield, the two women shoot at the two officers as they run to some rocks for cover. Enrique tells Jaden not to let the enemy shoot, pinning the officers down. Frustrated, the passenger officer exclaims that their enemy is too coordinated to take on.
Pulling out a grenade, the driver throws it at their vehicle, but Luciana shoots it before it can touch the vehicle, making it explode. Reloading her pistol, Eda believes she will not last long if she is hit directly, admitting to herself that the enemy guessed well. As the passenger officer continues to shoot at her cover, the driver decides to throw another grenade. As he pulls it out, Eda quickly shoots him in the arm, causing his grenade to drop. Panicking, the two men attempt to run as the grenade blows the car into the air seconds later, shocking the agents and guerrillas. Seeing that the enemy vehicle is unusable, they realize they cannot travel by car anymore.
Notes[]
- There is a typo on the first page where the Spanish adjective "Popular" is misspelled as "Popularo."