Little King of The South Part 9 is the twenty-ninth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on August 19, 2024.
Plot[]
To both sides' surprise, a helicopter shows up above the scene and fires missiles at the military trucks, killing the government soldiers. As the helicopter descends, Jaden commends Eda for her rescue call successfully being answered. To Eda's shock, Amber Whinberry is there and extends her hand to them, urging them to hurry up. Accordingly, Jaden advises Enrique and Mayte to hurry up as well. Smirking, Amber asks her if she missed her, but the stern Eda merely answers that she did not expect her. As the two women exchange sarcastic remarks, Jaden and Enrique attempt to help Mayte into the helicopter. Before the helicopter can ascend, Víbora suddenly appears and jumps at them, latching onto Mayte and trying to drag her down. As the three try to grab the child, Enrique warns Jaden that Víbora is gradually tearing Mayte's arm off. Cocking her pistol, Eda jokes that a persistent monkey like Víbora should go back to the jungle. Before she can fire a shot, he grabs the pistol and jumps into the helicopter, ceasing his grip on Mayte.
Taken off guard, Amber is knocked in the face and onto the ground, so she yells at Eda to cover her eyes. Immediately, she detonates a flash grenade and successfully blinds Víbora. Eda, Enrique and Mayte use the opportunity to simultaneously shoot at Víbora, who continues to stand despite being hit with bullets. He charges at Mayte and exclaims that he will take her down, but Eda quickly shoots him in the head, knocking Víbora out of the helicopter. Catching her breath, she claims that "King Kong" is bound to fall to his death. Later that day as the helicopter travels across the country, everyone rests while Eda and Amber smoke cigarettes and exchange gratitude for their respective work. Looking at the two children, Amber asks if Enrique is the trump card she has heard about. Irked, the boy asks what they want to use him for, causing Amber to claim he is a "cocky brat." Even more annoyed, Enrique guesses that they seem to be doing what they always do as CIA agents, but she cuts him off and rhetorically asks why he is jumping to conclusions about his savior.
Seeing that he is confused, the impatient Amber claims that he and the girl have no position to be in their helicopter and normally would be dead in a sewer without their help. Eda advises her not to be so uptight, but the latter asserts that the CIA does not owe the children a single thing, adding that they were supposed to make all of the country's troubles "disappear," including him. Amber continues that Eda told her the idea of using Enrique along with the request for help, recalling that she was told Enrique was still valuable as an intermediary to the opposition coalition. When she says that he would be handed over to the president if he refused, Jaden shouts in disbelief that they came for ulterior reasons, assessing that the CIA would not send in a team just to rescue two rookie agents. Insulting him for not realizing it earlier, Amber nonchalantly tells him that the children's knowledge could be used by the CIA as blackmail. Smoking a cigarette, Eda reframes the plan as a "proposal" that will ultimately benefit the CIA. She also reasons that they were desperate and thus had to call for help, reminding Amber that her proposal has essentially been accepted since she did come for her in the end. Amber clarifies that she can thank Ravencroft for the mission's approval, and Eda sighs and mutters that she just wants to finish their job.
Later, at the presidential hall, Eda, Jaden and Alcock meet with President Duarte and General Tovar to discuss his future. Skeptical that the United States will agree to make a clean slate in its relation to the opposition and normalize diplomatic relations with his country again, Duarte asks what they want in return. Eda answers that he must withdraw all of his troops from the city and end any further repression of the opposition coalition immediately. Furthermore, she threatens to expose the military's slaughter of civilians in the name of counterterrorism if he refuses to accept the terms, specifying that the U.S. has witnesses ready to testify against him if he is willing to create a scandal. Angered, Tovar yells that they will not accept such demands, urging Duarte to keep the troops stationed since withdrawing would be a disgrace to the military. The general additionally claims that if they let up, the opposition will likely reconnect with the guerrillas and threaten their regime. Addressing the president, Tovar angrily asks what guarantee they have that the U.S. will not betray them. Smirking, Eda remarks that the opinion of the president is more important than what the military thinks.
Sitting back and advising him to calm down, President Duarte admits to Tovar that the deal is not too bad compared to the uncertainty of the political wind's direction. Duarte informs him that he is appreciative of his work and promises to repay him some day, infuriating the general. After the meeting, Tovar storms off and insults the president as a spineless opportunist and a "crooked bastard." In his office, Paula repeats that Tovar was quite furious, to which Duarte responds that a mere soldier does not know how to run a country. He then orders her to keep an eye on the general especially if he does any unusual activity, also asking if she dealt with Melgar. Paula replies that she is working on it but cannot find any trace of him, prompting Duarte to demand that she get him quickly. Emphasizing that he gave Melgar's position to her, the president orders her to show that she is truly qualified, so she agrees.
At night elsewhere, Eda's group eats pizza in their residence as Amber concludes that their job is settled albeit not perfect. Jaden jokes that the president seemed easy to convince and that their offer must have been a godsend to him, mentioning that he probably was at a loss for plans after being backed into a corner and staging a coup d'état. Amber informs them that the ambassador was pleased that they can observe the rift in the relationship between President Duarte and the military, stating that it will be hard for them to carry out civilian control. Talking to Enrique, Eda points out that he will likely be under scrutiny from both sides and will have to put up with it as the price of life. With a defeated look, Enrique sighs and suddenly wonders where Mayte is. When the adults admit they thought she was in the bathroom, the boy becomes worried and runs out of the residence, frantically calling for Mayte. As she walks down the street, she hears Enrique calling for her and turns around. He wonders if she is worried about what happened with the president, to which she asks if he is okay with letting the president and the general off the hook.
Though Enrique assures her that the deal was merely a way to get the government to listen to the people, Mayte shouts back in frustration and wonders why they risked their lives if the outcome is dependent on the U.S.'s mood. Calming down, she reminds him that he is a foreigner to her land, accusing him of caring more about his own business and position than their lives. Surprised, Enrique rebuffs the accusation and rhetorically asks if she actually believes he is okay with the situation. He repeats that he put up with all of the chaos for her sake, but he stops talking when Mayte continues to glare at him. Enrique suddenly notices Eda standing behind him as Mayte solemnly states that commoners like herself will be crushed just like her grandmother if they do not take up arms and fight. Stating that she realizes why her sister and brother fought so hard, Mayte reasons that she cannot simply go along with the decision to make everyone's actions and sacrifices in vain. Baffled, Eda only tells her that she does not believe giving flowers to the government means disrespecting her family.
Infuriated, Mayte draws her pistol and points at Eda, who is unfazed by the action whereas Enrique blocks her line of sight and pleads with the girl to sheath her weapon. Smirking, Eda pulls her pistol on her in turn and asks if she wants to try it, mentioning that she already did her duty and can focus on her. Urging Eda to stop as well, Enrique tells Mayte that she does not have to do something meaningless after surviving their tribulations. Though she glares at him, Mayte reluctantly lowers her gun and announces that she will disappear, saying that Enrique will not have to put up with her or stay where he does not want to be. The girl bids him farewell and thanks him for everything he has done thus far. Enrique pleads with her not to go, but Mayte runs away, disappearing from their sight.
Later that night, Eda smokes on the balcony as Amber tells her that it cannot be helped since they and the children live in different worlds. Smiling, Amber jokes she is surprised about her dedication to the children, rhetorically asking if she did not learn her lesson in Bosnia. Comparing the debacle to a car accident, Eda guesses that she became involved due to a bad turn of events and happened to be on the same wavelength as the children, thus why she could not get rid of her feelings. Looking at the city, Eda comments that she still has a long way to go. Meanwhile, Jaden watches Enrique lay back on the car hood and mutter that he has let his kingdom slip through his fingers. Jaden expresses his sympathies, but Enrique tells his deceased older brother that even if the CIA helps him out, he is all alone again.