At Flame Farm, everyone received a salary. De Silva's was relatively high since he was a technical specialist. The three of them drove for more than forty minutes to reach the cinema.
Basali asked her daughter, "Reisla, which movie would you like to see?"
The little girl pointed to an animated film. "Let's watch this one."
De Silva bought the tickets, and the three entered the theater. The movie was scheduled to start in ten minutes. They sat in a row with Basali in the middle. De Silva felt a surge of excitement, as if recapturing the feeling of being in love from years ago. He carefully reached for Basali's hand and wasn't rejected, which boosted his confidence.
Suddenly, he remembered the line he had rehearsed before the date and began mumbling to himself.
"What are you saying?" Basali asked.
"Nothing, really nothing," he replied, his voice unusually loud, as if afraid she wouldn't hear him.
A large man sitting behind them stood up and smacked De Silva on the head. "If you want to chat, go outside. Don't make so much noise in here."
Having been hit on the head, De Silva felt humiliated in front of the woman he loved. He abruptly stood up and angrily demanded, "Why did you hit me?"
The big man, seeing that De Silva was short, laughed and said, "Starting to date at such a young age?"
De Silva became furious. He jumped onto his chair and swung his fist at the big man, but his punch was too weak and was easily blocked. Their commotion disturbed everyone around them. Basali stood up to intervene, while the little girl shouted from the side, "Go, Bald Uncle! I'm rooting for you!"
De Silva threw another punch, this time hitting the man's left shoulder. Now angry, the big man reached for De Silva's hair, only to pull off his wig. "So you really are bald," the big man laughed.
The movie had already started. A staff member came over, shouting, "Do you still want to watch the movie? If not, all of you need to leave!"
Basali tugged at De Silva's sleeve. "Let it go. We won't argue with him."
Both sides stopped fighting. The big man tossed the wig back. "You're a lucky guy to have such a beautiful girlfriend."
This incident actually brought De Silva and Basali closer. After the movie, as they were leaving, the little girl asked, "Bald Uncle, why were you holding Mom's hand the whole time?"
De Silva looked embarrassed, unsure how to answer. Seeing his silence, the little girl added, "Can I try on your wig?"
Basali intervened, "Reisla, stop messing around!"
The three got into the car and drove back to Flame Farm in silence. As soon as they walked through the door, Alena rushed over with an anxious expression. "I'm glad you're back. Quickly pack your things. Our location has been compromised. We're leaving in half an hour."
Before De Silva could ask for details, she had already turned and left. The two hurried to pack their belongings. Everyone at Flame Farm wore a grave expression. Fifteen minutes later, over 400 people had boarded vehicles. At Simon's command, more than thirty cars departed in a grand convoy.
Only then did De Silva have a chance to ask, "What exactly happened?"
"Our undercover agents were captured," Alena replied.
"How many were caught?"
Alena remained silent, as it was essentially a total loss.
"Were all of them captured?" he pressed.
Alena finally nodded. "Yes, there was a traitor among them."
"Where are we going now?"
"Simon is taking us to meet someone."
"Who?"
"The newly appointed Illuminati General, Ethan."
"We're seeking refuge with someone from Illuminati?" De Silva thought he had misheard and asked several times.
"Brother, have you heard of Greenway Orphanage?" Alena asked.
De Silva shook his head.
Basali interjected, "I've heard of it. General Ethan came from there."
"Yes, he's now Illuminati's highest military commander in Africa," Alena confirmed.
"Then why are we still being hunted?"
"The people after us are Illuminati regional administrators, not military personnel," Alena explained further.
"Why would General Ethan dare to shelter us?"
"He won't shelter us directly. He'll arrange a place for us to stay."
The newly appointed General Ethan had, with Uwa's help over the past few years, gained control of seventy percent of the military forces in Africa. His reason for sheltering the Courage Alliance was to use them against his opponents, though Simon and the others were unaware of this.
After driving for more than twelve hours, they arrived at an abandoned warehouse. They were greeted by Sean, an old acquaintance of Alena's.
Her first question was, "So you're one of General Ethan's men."
Sean smiled. "We're brothers, not in a superior-subordinate relationship."
Hearing this, Alena found him even more mysterious.
Simon also got out of the car and shook hands with Sean. "Thank you for warning us in advance. It would have been dangerous otherwise."
Sean smiled. "We're comrades with a common goal. It was the right thing to do."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Sean pointed to the warehouse ahead. "The conditions here are a bit harsh. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Basali had been watching him the whole time. Suddenly, she asked, "Do you know that ugly-looking woman?"
"You mean Uwa?" Sean asked.
Basali nodded, thinking to herself, "So her name is Uwa."
Then she asked, "Where is Uwa now?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that," Sean replied.
De Silva found the name Uwa strangely familiar. "Could she be the woman who was with my father?"
He then remembered that when he first met Sean, Sean's first question had been, "Are you Amandine's family?" It seemed they must be connected somehow.
While lost in thought, Basali's next words made his blood run cold: "She killed my husband. I need to find her and get answers."
Sean, usually gentle, suddenly changed his expression. "You don't need to find her. If you want revenge, you can deal with me directly."
Basali couldn't help asking, "Is she your wife?"
Sean angrily retorted, "Woman, don't talk nonsense!"
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Alena quickly stepped in. "Both of you, say no more. The enemy hasn't even arrived, and we're already fighting among ourselves. How embarrassing."
Sean and Basali both fell silent. De Silva became dejected again, realizing this woman was still thinking about her former husband.
The members of the Courage Alliance gradually disembarked and began cleaning the warehouse. Basali stood to the side, holding her daughter's hand and wiping away tears.
"Mom, that uncle was too mean. Let's ignore him," the little girl said.
Alena walked over and said softly, "After all these years, you still haven't forgotten him."
"I just want to know who actually killed him. That's not too much to ask."
The little girl spoke up, "Mom, when I grow up, I'll definitely avenge Dad."