Mission Brief:
Interrogate the captured Sangley courier. Extract the names behind the Binondo operations. Secure protection from Governor-General allies—or risk open war.
Taal, Governor's Mansion – 10:15 PM
The mansion stood like a relic from a forgotten empire—paint peeling gently from its white walls, but its grandeur undeniable. Balconies of carved balayong, antique capiz doors swinging open to the night wind, and at the center of it all, the sala principal, lit only by gas lamps and an antique chandelier.
Juan entered slowly, his boots still stained from the streets. He was greeted by a butler in a stiff camisa de chino, who nodded wordlessly and led him inside.
Don Eduardo was already there, seated on a high-backed chair beside the fireplace. A bottle of old tuba was on the table. Opposite him, smoking a fat tabaco and wearing a guayabera, was Governor Silvino Vergara, an old Ilustrado-turned-politico from Pampanga, now the most powerful civilian ally they had left.
His voice boomed.
> "I expected a diplomat… you brought me a killer."
"I brought you a survivor," Eduardo replied, pouring another drink.
Juan sat without waiting for permission. "We need protection," he said. "And names. Now."
Vergara looked at him for a long moment.
"The Americans are watching. The Sangleys are buying land. I have three mayors under threat of death and a senator whose daughter disappeared last week. What do you think I am? A priest? A miracle worker?"
Juan didn't blink. "You're the only man who isn't bought."
Vergara exhaled smoke, then stood. Behind him, guards dragged in the prisoner—Ping Wei, a known courier of Señor Lim Tionco. Bloodied, but alive. Still defiant.
He spoke in a hoarse voice. "You think you're still in control of your country? It was sold a long time ago."
Juan approached him. No theatrics.
Just a blade.
He placed it gently across Ping Wei's throat.
"You're going to tell us where Lim's next shipment is… or you'll leave this room piece by piece."
Ping Wei smiled. "I'm not afraid of pain."
Juan looked at the governor. "Permission?"
Vergara nodded without emotion.
Interrogation Sequence – 11:00 PM
The old sala echoed with screams muffled by old curtains and wooden walls.
Bandurria music from the plaza outside faintly filtered in. A cruel irony.
Don Eduardo stepped in when it got too brutal. "Start with a finger," he advised. "They're proud of their tongues. But fingers… those remind them they're human."
Juan sliced cleanly. No reaction. Ping Wei spat blood, but stayed quiet.
Then the name slipped out like a curse.
> "San Rafael… warehouse... pier number twelve... next week."
Juan leaned in. "Who protects it?"
Silence.
Ping Wei spat again. "Ask your Americans."
A pause.
Then Juan stood up and delivered the iconic line:
> "Tell Señor Lim this… if we find out where his rats are hiding, we will torture them. And kill them. Very slowly."
Aftermath – Midnight
Governor Vergara walked Juan and Eduardo out to the balcony. The view overlooked the dimly lit lake, where shadows of fishermen danced across the water.
"I can only protect you for so long," Vergara said. "This… vendetta you've started… it's awakening old ghosts. Old debts."
Juan lit a cigar. "Good. Let the ghosts wake. Let them scream."
Vergara turned to Eduardo. "And you? Still believe in justice?"
Eduardo simply said, "I believe in fear. And fear keeps the empire in line."
Back in the car, Juan stared out the window as they left Taal. They passed a plaza still glowing with late-night lanterns, people laughing, unaware that beneath their streets lay rot and fire.
"I want to know everything about that pier," he told Eduardo. "Lim Tionco is building an empire under our noses."
Eduardo nodded. "Then we burn it."