UNKNOWN LAND - CHAPTER 21: WHEN HOPE BEGIN TO DIE

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Chapter 21: When Hope Begins to Die

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"A man can survive hunger for days and thirst for hours, but when hope dies, the soul begins to starve."

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The discovery that Emeka was alive should have filled Tunde and Musa with joy.

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Instead, it filled them with fear.

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For three weeks they had searched endlessly.

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Prayed endlessly.

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Cried endlessly.

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And now they finally knew the truth.

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Emeka was alive.

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But he was trapped.

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Held by dangerous men.

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Men willing to silence anyone who threatened their secrets.

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As darkness covered the city that night, Tunde and Musa sat inside their room.

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Neither spoke.

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The weight of what they had witnessed at the abandoned factory hung heavily between them.

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Finally, Tunde broke the silence.

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"We have to save him."

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Musa nodded.

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"Yes."

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"But how?"

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The question remained unanswered.

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Because neither of them knew.

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The men guarding Emeka were dangerous.

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Powerful.

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Organized.

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One mistake could cost lives.

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And yet doing nothing was impossible.

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A Yoruba proverb says:

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"The person whose brother is drowning cannot stand on the shore and discuss the depth of the river."

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Emeka was their brother.

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Not by blood.

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But by life.

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By struggle.

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By sacrifice.

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They could not abandon him.

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The following morning, they went to the police.

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At first, they believed help would come quickly.

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Surely the authorities would act.

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Surely someone would listen.

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Surely someone would care.

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But reality was cruel.

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The officer behind the desk listened patiently.

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Then shook his head.

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"Do you have proof?"

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Tunde's heart sank.

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"We saw him."

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The officer sighed.

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"That is not enough."

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Musa stepped forward.

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"We found his notebook."

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Again, the officer shook his head.

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"We need stronger evidence."

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The conversation ended there.

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The two friends walked away feeling defeated.

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The city seemed colder than ever.

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For the first time since finding Emeka, doubt entered their hearts.

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What if they could not save him?

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What if time was running out?

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What if they were already too late?

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Days passed.

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They continued watching the factory from a distance.

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Every evening they took turns observing the area.

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Every evening they hoped for an opportunity.

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Every evening they returned disappointed.

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The guards remained alert.

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The trucks continued moving.

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And Emeka remained trapped.

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Meanwhile, inside the factory, Emeka was fighting a different battle.

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The battle against hopelessness.

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The small room where they kept him had no windows.

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No sunlight.

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No clock.

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No way to know whether it was morning or night.

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Only darkness.

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Only silence.

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Only fear.

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At first, he remained strong.

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He believed rescue would come.

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He believed his friends would find him.

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He believed God had not abandoned him.

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But as days became weeks, those beliefs became harder to hold.

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Harder to trust.

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Harder to feel.

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The human spirit can endure many things.

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But uncertainty is one of its greatest enemies.

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A Yoruba proverb says:

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"Even the strongest rope weakens when soaked in water for too long."

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Emeka felt himself weakening.

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Not physically.

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Spiritually.

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Emotionally.

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The darkness was winning.

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One evening, one of the guards brought him food.

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The man looked younger than the others.

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Less cruel.

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Less hardened.

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As he placed the food on the floor, he spoke quietly.

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"You should stop hoping."

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Emeka looked up.

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The words pierced his heart.

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"What?"

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The guard avoided his eyes.

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"No one is coming."

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Then he walked away.

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The door closed.

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The lock clicked.

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And silence returned.

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For the first time since his disappearance, tears filled Emeka's eyes.

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Not because of pain.

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Not because of fear.

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But because he almost believed the guard.

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Almost.

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Across the city, Tunde and Musa were fighting their own battle.

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Money was running low again.

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Work performance was suffering.

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Sleep had become a stranger.

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Every moment was consumed by worry.

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One afternoon, the warehouse manager called them into his office.

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"You've both changed."

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Neither replied.

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The manager sighed.

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"I know you're worried about your friend."

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The mention of Emeka reopened the wound.

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"But if this continues, you'll lose your jobs."

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The warning was serious.

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Yet neither man cared.

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What was a job compared to a friend's life?

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That evening, after another unsuccessful day, Musa finally snapped.

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His frustration exploded.

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His anger exploded.

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His fear exploded.

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"We can't save him!"

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The words echoed through the room.

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Tunde stared at him.

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Shocked.

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"We don't know what we're doing."

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Musa's voice trembled.

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"We are fighting people stronger than us."

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Silence followed.

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Tears filled his eyes.

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"What if he's already gone?"

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The room felt suffocating.

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Painful.

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Heavy.

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For several moments, nobody spoke.

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Then Tunde stood.

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Slowly.

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Quietly.

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He walked toward the window.

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The city lights stretched endlessly before him.

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Then he spoke.

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His voice was calm.

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But powerful.

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"When we left Ajanaku, people said we would fail."

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Musa remained silent.

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"When we were robbed, people thought we were finished."

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Still silence.

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"When we got lost in the wilderness, hope nearly died."

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Tunde turned.

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Looking directly at his friend.

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"But every time we fell, we stood up again."

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Musa lowered his head.

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A tear rolled down his cheek.

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Tunde continued.

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"Hope is not believing everything will be easy."

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His voice grew stronger.

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"Hope is refusing to surrender when everything becomes difficult."

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The room became silent once more.

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But this silence felt different.

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Lighter.

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Stronger.

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Healing.

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A Yoruba proverb says:

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"No matter how long the night lasts, dawn will eventually arrive."

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The words settled deep into their hearts.

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For the first time in days, a small spark returned.

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Not certainty.

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Not confidence.

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Just hope.

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And sometimes hope is enough.

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Later that night, far away inside the dark factory, Emeka sat alone.

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Exhausted.

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Broken.

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Defeated.

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Then he remembered something his father once told him.

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"As long as you can still breathe, God is not finished writing your story."

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The memory brought tears to his eyes.

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Slowly, he wiped them away.

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Then he whispered a prayer.

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A simple prayer.

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A desperate prayer.

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A prayer for strength.

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And somewhere beyond the walls of the factory, beyond the darkness, beyond the fear, destiny was already moving.

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Because while hope may bend.

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While hope may weaken.

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While hope may tremble.

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True hope never dies.

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And the dawn was closer than any of them realized.

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