Kabul had been thick with the smell of gunpowder every day since the British and Russian representatives arrived.
Just moments ago, the Russian delegates had publicly delivered an anti-British speech, drawing wave after wave of applause from Kabul's citizens.
By comparison, the British delegation kept a far lower profile. As the head of the delegation, Walters knew perfectly well just how unwelcome he was.
In the mere two weeks since their arrival, they had suffered three terrorist attacks and been surrounded twice. Had the Afghan Government not dispatched troops to protect them out of concern for their safety, the British delegation would likely have been wiped out long ago.
Though he had come here to stir up trouble, Walters had no intention of gambling away his life. After witnessing the enthusiasm of the Afghan people, he began keeping a low profile and rarely venturing out.
A young officer said indignantly, "Mr. Walters, the Russians are giving another anti-British speech. This is a provocation against Britain—we must show them what we're made of!"
Walters reached out and patted the young officer on the shoulder. "Henry, calm down.
"This is Afghanistan. Any excessive action we take will play straight into the Russians' scheme.
"Don't forget the mission we came here for. Before the Afghan Government clearly states its position, we should first try to win them over.
"War is the last resort. If all we wanted was to start a war, we could do so anytime. Why make such a grand fuss over it?"
Those were his true feelings. His life was his own. On someone else's turf, if he did not keep a low profile, dying would mean dying for nothing.
In fact, the British Government had tried many times to win Afghanistan over, but because of hatred and issues of