A few days ago, Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico.

Dick Beale knelt before a white officer, his upper body prostrate on the ground, his forehead banging repeatedly against the earth. The dust on the ground mixed with the blood seeping from Dick's forehead, turning it into a muddy black mess.

The white officer had a stern expression, his immaculate uniform spotless. Beneath the brim of his hat, a pair of predatory eyes stared intently at the man on the ground. The guard beside the officer kept his hand on the holster at his waist, awaiting the officer's command.

"General Potter, spare me, spare me, General Potter!"

The white officer, General Potter, remained silent. Dick dared not raise his head. He could only kowtow incessantly, waiting for Potter's judgment like a lamb to the slaughter.

...

At three in the morning on the day of the exchange between Dick and Jennifer, General Potter, the former head of the naval base, suddenly led a team of soldiers to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station without prior notice.

General Potter seemed to have known about Zoey's group's whereabouts in advance and wanted to intercept them. However, he had some conflicts with local troops on the way, which delayed him. By the time he arrived, Dick had already left the base to deliver the "goods" to Zoey and the others.

After General Potter arrived at the base, he immediately ordered it cleared. General Potter's soldiers took control of all the American soldiers and local laborers working at the base, drove them into a warehouse, and had soldiers guard them, forbidding them from leaving.

After the clearing was completed, General Potter replaced all the sentries in the base with his own men, waiting for Dick to return.

After delivering the goods, Dick was extremely happy. He took out the million-dollar check from his boot, unfolded it, and confirmed the numbers again—ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions—a full million U.S. dollars.

He held the check in both hands, kissed it hard, then carefully folded it and placed it in a secure compartment inside his boot.

Dick had already planned his future. He intended to apply for retirement next month and use the money to start a business, open a bar, or simply enjoy life for a while.

Imagining his future life, Dick's heart surged. He dragged the dock manager who had helped him launch the submarine into the water for a drink.

The taverns and red-light districts near the U.S. naval base were booming, and the tavern owners and hostesses were making a fortune by catering to the American soldiers. Puerto Rico did not have the same racial discrimination against blacks as the American mainland. Dick, who spent generously, was a wealthy customer they relied on for their livelihood. For the sake of money, they would do everything to make Dick happy.

Dick threw down the bills, and the beauties flocked to him. He embraced them on both sides, drinking one glass of wine after another, his hands wandering unrestrainedly over their bodies.

After a night of revelry, Dick didn't get up until dawn. He got out of bed, got dressed, and made a special point of checking the check in the compartment of his boot. After confirming that the check was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Dick pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills from his wallet as tips, threw them onto the girls who had spent the night with him and were still asleep after being tormented by him for half the night, and left the red-light district.

Back at the base, Dick was still hungover and reeking of alcohol. He was only thinking about going back to his quarters to catch up on sleep and didn't notice the changes inside the base.

"Major Dick Beale."

Two soldiers stopped Dick.

Dick looked at the two soldiers in front of him and thought it was strange. He had never seen these two people in the base before.

But he didn't think much about it. Maybe they were just soldiers who had just arrived for duty. So, he waved his hand, signaling them to let him pass.

The two soldiers were unmoved. One of them said, "Major Dick Beale, please come with us."

Dick didn't want to pay attention to these two blockhead soldiers and reached out to push them away.

The two soldiers grabbed one of Dick's arms each, lifted him up, and dragged him towards the warehouse.

Dick instantly became angry and furious: "Do you know who I am? Put me down."

But no matter how Dick struggled, it was useless. The two soldiers' iron-like hands firmly held Dick's arms.

The soldiers took Dick to a warehouse, which was where the submarine Dick had sold had been stored.

General Potter and his guards had been waiting for a long time.

When Dick saw General Potter in front of him, he realized that something was wrong. He wondered why General Potter had suddenly visited after the naval base was closed and he had returned to his country.

"Potter... General Potter!" Dick staggered and straightened his clothes, then stood at attention and gave General Potter a military salute.

General Potter did not respond to Dick's salute. He scrutinized Dick and said, "Confess yourself."

Dick felt a little uneasy, wondering if General Potter already knew about his arms dealing.

So, he had a flash of inspiration and said, "I'm sorry, General Potter, I shouldn't have stayed out all night."

General Potter was furious: "You son of a bitch, are you kidding me? Do you think I don't know about you selling weapons?"

Dick was shocked by General Potter, so he quickly confessed to selling weapons to local gangs. At this time, he still had a glimmer of hope, and he didn't mention the submarine at all.

Seeing that Dick was still not being honest, General Potter gave his guard a look. The guard immediately stepped forward and punched and kicked Dick, knocking out two of Dick's teeth.

General Potter stopped the guard's violence and said to Dick, "Where did Jennifer take the submarine?"

Dick was shocked. He didn't expect that his every move was already known to General Potter. General Potter's trip was originally for Jennifer's group.

Thinking of this, Dick gave up resisting and explained the whole process of their transaction, as well as the approximate destination of Jennifer and the others after the transaction.

Dick knew General Potter's methods. He was a ruthless character who had once whipped a deserter to death. God knows how General Potter would pry open his mouth, so he might as well confess everything and maybe get a good ending.

"Anything else?" General Potter said expressionlessly.

Dick said, "No."

General Potter took out a pistol from his arms, pointed it at Dick's head, and said, "I'll give you one last chance. I'll ask you again, is there anything else?"

Dick panicked all of a sudden. Would this old guy take his life because of this kind of thing? Was he crazy? But he didn't dare to have any other thoughts.

Dick quickly took off his shoes, took out the million-dollar check, and handed it to General Potter's guard, saying, "This... this is the payment from Jennifer, it's all here, I've confessed everything, there's really nothing else."

This old man might be crazy. Dick only wanted to save his life now, and all those beautiful dreams were completely forgotten.

Seeing that all the secrets on Dick's body had been squeezed out, General Potter put away the gun with satisfaction. He smiled and said to Dick, "Major Beale, thank you for your honesty. We've already dealt with the first thing, and now we're going to deal with the second thing. I hope you can cooperate well."

Seeing that General Potter's attitude had eased, Dick immediately flattered him and said, "General Potter, I will definitely cooperate with you fully. What do you need me to do?"

General Potter nodded with satisfaction: "Well, I need your life."