The Government Forces' car stopped outside Tahlara Palace.
It was now 10 p.m. on the second day.
The general assigned to accompany Bruce opened the car door for him personally.
"Mr. Wayne, I hope this place won't disappoint you."
Bruce held the door as he stepped out, first catching sight of a high wall assembled from solid metal panels.
Barbed wire lined the top.
Four armed guards stood on either side of the entrance, with two off-road vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns behind them.
A gold sign without any lettering hung over the door, light flowing across its surface.
It looked very welcoming.
Especially to guests wealthy enough to warrant a few extra machine guns.
Bruce took off his sunglasses and handed them to the attendant beside him.
"It had better not."
The general smiled warmly.
The doors of Tahlara Palace opened.
Music came surging up from underground first.
As they descended the patterned steps, the lights grew brighter. The bar, casino, and dance floor were connected, with another corridor leading to private rooms behind the columns.
Some people sat at gaming tables, pushing chips forward.
Others raised their drinks in toasts over freshly negotiated arms contracts.
Several people in military uniforms had draped their jackets over chair backs, their guns still at their waists.
The people here might not know each other's names, nor whether they would appear on opposite sides of the battlefield tomorrow.
None of that stopped them from drinking together tonight.
Soon after Bruce entered the hall, several gazes appeared beside the dance floor.
The guards arranged by the Government Forces had indeed remained outside Tahlara Palace.
That meant the ones inside weren't guards arranged by the Government Forces.
One stood by the bar, another guarded the VIP passage, and three others were scattered through