Brussels, European Union Headquarters Building.

The early morning mist had yet to dissipate, with the glass curtain wall reflecting the pale morning light.

In the corridors, officials holding coffee hurried along, exchanging in low voices briefings on the progress of implementing the United Kingdom's "White Paper" and the latest exchange rate intervention assessments by the European Central Bank.

However, inside the small crisis response room on the seventh floor, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Jinkel, Director of the German Federal Intelligence Agency (BND), looked livid as he slammed a stack of satellite photos and signal intercept records in front of De Villepin, Director of the French External Security General Bureau (DGSE).

"Look at this."

Jinkel's voice was low, but the fury within almost burned through the roof, "In the past 72 hours, the military communication traffic of Republika Srpska surged by 300%. Their 'Special Police Force' is gathering outside Banja Luka, equipped with… these."

The photos were enlarged.

The images, blurry but discernible, showed: not old Yugoslav stock weapons, but brand-new armored personnel carriers and mobile artillery with unique camouflage paint. A clearer photo captured figures in foreign uniforms, instructing Serb soldiers in operating portable air defense missile systems.

"Mexican armored vehicles, and 'Venom' portable missiles... Damn, even the trainers have Latin American faces!"

De Villepin grabbed the photo, his eyes narrowed behind the glasses, "Are they crazy? Extending their hands into the Balkans? This isn't Scotland, not their backyard!"

"They're not crazy; they've calculated that we wouldn't dare move."

Jinkel pointed to Bosnia and Herzegovina's location on the map, "Bosnia and Herzegovina, a five-year 'peace' scar for the European Union and NATO. The Serb Republic has always wanted independence, or to join Serbia. We've been barely suppressing it with the Dayton Agreement and tens of thousands of Peacekeeping Forces. And now? The United Kingdom has collapsed, our attention all on the west, the United States is cleaning up their mess. Mexicans, or their Serbian 'friends', have seen an opportunity."

"Milosevic of Serbia?" De Villepin frowned, "He's always secretly supported the Serbs, but was somewhat restrained before..."

"The cost of restraint has lowered."

Jinkel pulled out an economic report, "In the past three months, Serbia's imports of 'civilian industrial machinery' and 'agricultural technical equipment' from Mexico increased by 1500%. The payment method... is barter, settling accounts with Serbia's certain 'mineral exploration rights' and 'old military industrial enterprise transformation projects'. Our intelligence shows that at least two Serbian weapons factories are under Mexican technicians' guidance, undergoing production line upgrades, products... including lightweight artillery suitable for mountainous guerrilla warfare and anti-tank missiles."

De Villepin felt a chill down his spine. The Balkans powder keg was silently fitted with a new fuse from the Americas, carrying the scent of oil and chips.

"What do they want to do? Start a new Balkan War? Drag Europe into it?"

"Not necessarily a full-scale war."

Jinkel analyzed, "It could be a 'controlled crisis'. The Serb Republic suddenly announces independence, or militarily occupies several disputed corridors connecting Serb-controlled areas. Bosnian Government Army and Croatian weaponry will inevitably react, conflict breaks out. What do we do? Deploy more troops? In the midst of the British Isles falling apart, and the Eurozone in turmoil, should we plunge back into the Balkans quagmire? Not deploy? Then watch the Dayton Agreement being torn apart, the European Union proving to be powerless at its own doorstep."

He paused, his voice even colder, "Then, Mexicans can stand out, in the name of a 'non-regional concerned major power' to call for 'restraint among all parties', even suggesting a 'new mediation plan'. Serbia and the Serb Republic would appreciate them, and Europe would be forced to negotiate with them, exchanging concessions in certain fields for them to 'restrain' Serbia. Killing several birds with one stone. Testing our limits, expanding influence, and driving a nail in Europe's heartland."

"We must stop it." De Villepin stood up, "Immediately notify NATO and the European Union Council, raise the alert level, deploy rapid response forces to Bosnia and Herzegovina, warn Serbia and the Serb Republic..."

"Warn?" Jinkel sneered, "With what warning? Money? Our own economy is a mess. Military deterrence? We both know the morale of our troops in the Balkans. Political pressure? Milosevic is a tough nut to crack, and now he has the dagger handed by Mexico, fears us even less."

The phone rang. It was the emergency line of the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. De Villepin picked up, listened for a few sentences, his face instantly turned pale.

"No need for additional troops."

He hung up the phone, voice dry, "…It's already started. Half an hour ago, the Serb Republic's 'Special Police Force', in the name of 'striking terrorist hideouts', raided and occupied three checkpoints and one barrack of the Bosnian Government Army in the Brcko area. Exchanges of fire... casualties involved. The Bosnian Government has announced a state of emergency and requested NATO to carry out military intervention according to the Dayton Agreement."

Jinkel slammed his fist on the desk. The coffee cup toppled, brown liquid soaking into the satellite photos of those brand-new armored vehicles.

"Damn it... they really dared?"

It's started, it's started!

Simultaneously, in England, Birmingham, the temporary headquarters of the "English Congress" (relocated from a church basement to a rented old office building).