The General's Last Gift

"This war ends here," Shen said in a strong, commanding voice. "You have ruled out of fear, twisted justice, and betrayed your people." But now it's all over.

The general laughed in a sharp, evil way in response. "Is that so?" he hissed, his voice full of scorn. His hand slowly moved to the pocket of his jacket. Shen's eyes narrowed as he watched the movement, ready for any surprise attack.

He said in a cold, determined voice, "No one will rule this country if I can't." He pressed a button while holding the device high, and the room filled with a purposeful click. Shen's mind was racing as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

"The central city of this country is wired with bombs," the general said happily. In five minutes, they will go off. If I can't, no one else will have this land. Everything will come to an end.

But instead of stopping there, the general's voice changed to sound more urgent and almost begging. He looked Shen in the eye and said, "Do you think I wanted this?" Do you really think I wanted to be the monster they made me into? As soon as I showed strength, all of these countries and this kingdom turned against me. They were scared of me because I didn't do what they asked me to. Emporia cut off my trade routes, Unitas sent in spies, and even Maveron stood by and watched as my people starved!

Shen's face showed surprise as the sword shook in his hand. "So you decided to kill them all?" he asked in a tone that showed he didn't believe it.

The general's face twisted into an angry one. "You don't understand!" he yelled. "The moment they left us, they were dead! All of the treaties and connections are lies!
The only way to stay alive on this planet is to have absolute power. I also realized that no one else should have that power when I came to terms with the fact that I couldn't have it. If I can't run this country, I'll take everything with me!

Was this man a villain, or was he just the result of all the chaos and betrayal in the world?

"You can judge me now, boy, but one day you'll see it too," the general said, his eyes shining with a crazed intensity. The kind people don't belong in this world. It is only for the cruel.

Before Shen could do anything, the general violently snapped his head, breaking his own neck. Shen was shocked and couldn't move when his limp body fell to the ground.

After a short trance, Shen looked at Zack. "What can we do?" he said urgently, his voice full of fear.

Zack was shaken, but he quickly got himself together again. The city center is the monument. I suspected it could be tampered with. It's the perfect place to hide, but I don't have time to go into detail. We need to go there right away!

Shen jumped right in. "Kelly, Fenix!" he yelled. "Stay here and keep the guards from getting too close. Zack and I will take care of the bombs. This is our one chance!

Fenix nodded sternly. "We can do this." Kelly nodded firmly, saying she agreed. "Go." "Stop those bombs," she said. "We'll occupy them."

Zack and Shen ran out into the castle's courtyard. Shen helped Zack get on one of the waiting horses and then pushed the horse into a full run toward the city center. Shen thought the sound of hoof pounding was like a clock ticking. Shen knew he had to stay focused and trust Zack's knowledge, even though time was running out.

Their arrival at the city square was not a clear sprint to the bomb; the entire area was filled with a frantic crowd, blocking their path. People from the town were in a frenzy, their faces showing confusion and fear. Zack took charge right away and climbed up on a low stage to talk to the crowd.

"Listen to me!" Zack's yelling cut through the noise. "The general has died! It's over for him! We are still not safe, though. We only have a few minutes to stop the bombs he has set up in this city!

People in the audience gasped, and whispers spread like wildfire. Zack raised his hands to calm everyone down. "I promise you we can stop this, even though it sounds awful." Shen and I will disable the bombs. Please clear the square and stay safe!

After a short break, the crowd began to leave the main monument in an orderly fashion. Some of them clearly knew that Zack was a good person.

Zack and Shen ran toward the main statue in the square, which was very tall.
Zack saw a small hole in the ground right away and began to look at it more closely. Shen asked Zack, "How do you know it's here?" as he watched him focus.

Zack said quickly but firmly, "Before the rebellion, I helped plan some of this city's infrastructure." The general made me set up hidden compartments in places like this. I would put something this dangerous there.

They began digging close to the statue's base with frantic movements. It took longer than any of them thought it would, but it wasn't right away. Every shovelful of dirt seemed like it could reveal the bomb.
After a few tense seconds, Zack's fingers hit metal. As he pulled out more dirt, he yelled, "Here!" to show off a metal box.

Inside the box was the complicated bomb mechanism, which was a terrifying mix of wires, timers, and magnets. Shen kept an eye on Zack as he worked hard and sweated.

Zack said in a low voice, looking at the parts, "This is hard." But I've been in this kind of situation before. The idea behind it is simple, even though its goal is to scare. I can disarm it if I don't make a mistake.

There was a lot of tension in the room, but Shen kept watching the crowd for any signs of trouble. He asked, "How much time do we have left?" with urgency.

"Not enough!" Zack got angry. "But we'll make it if I cut the right wires."

He started with the timer, managing to bypass a circuit and pause the countdown for a moment. He then disconnected several key cables. Every move was planned, but the timer ticking in the background made every second painful.

Zack finally cut the last wire with a final, clear snip. The machine stopped making noise when the timer hit zero. They defused the bombs. Zack and Shen both let out a long sigh as the weight of the coming disaster left them.

For a while, the square was quiet. Zack then went back to the crowd and spoke louder.
He shouted, "The general is gone!" "We stopped him from destroying this city out of spite! This is not his win; it's ours!

People cheered as Zack's words took hold.