Chapter 2 The Morning After
As dawn broke, the jungle came alive with a chorus of chirping birds and the calls of various animals, including monkeys. The cacophony stirred Wan Yunting, Nie Xiaoyu, and Li Yuxiu from their uneasy slumber.
After Wan Yunting had channeled his energy to heal Li Yuxiu’s gunshot wound the previous night, she had significantly improved, though she remained weak. Nie Xiaoyu’s injuries were less severe, and the rest had helped her recover considerably, restoring her mobility. She picked up her assault rifle and stood, her eyes scanning the mist-shrouded forest. The symphony of animal sounds, instead of being pleasant, filled her with tension.
“Let’s head south,” Wan Yunting suggested, helping Li Yuxiu to her feet. He glanced at his wristwatch, which had a compass, and pointed towards the southern direction.
“Okay,” Nie Xiaoyu agreed. The trio packed their meager belongings. Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu shouldered their packs and carried their rifles, while Li Yuxiu leaned on a sturdy wooden stick, supported by Wan Yunting as they moved south into the jungle.
Behind them, Qin Guowu and Luo Guowei led over a hundred peacekeepers deeper into the jungle. They soon found the location where Wan Yunting had eliminated Pizarro and his group the night before. The sight of the corpses scattered throughout the forest left Luo Guowei, Qin Guowu, and the others stunned.
“What did they encounter?” Qin Guowu knelt to examine Pizarro’s now cold body. A bullet hole above his forehead was a testament to the shooter’s precision. “It must have been Officer Nie’s marksmanship…”
Luo Guowei also examined the other bodies, shaking his head slightly. “It shouldn’t be Nie Xiaoyu!”
Qin Guowu turned to him, a surprised expression on his face. “Could it have been Doctor Wan?”
Luo Guowei stood up and nodded. “Don’t forget, Doctor Wan assisted the police in taking down many drug traffickers. These individuals were all top-tier special forces soldiers from various countries. Any one of them could have gone toe-to-toe with Xiaoyu.”
“Therefore, it’s likely Doctor Wan killed them!”
Qin Guowu nodded, having counted the bodies. There were twenty-nine in total. “They are all mercenaries from the Molca Company. This Pizarro was likely the leader of this group.”
Luo Guowei frowned. “These people were targeting Doctor Wan!”
“What?” Qin Guowu and several other peacekeeper NCOs exclaimed in shock. Luo Guowei nodded. “According to investigations from headquarters, the head of the Molca Company is a Mexican named Molton. He was once a deputy captain of the elite armed escort team for the largest drug trafficking cartel in Mexico, Los Carranquines.”
“He probably escaped the Mexican government forces’ pursuit and fled to Africa. Later, he recruited soldiers and established the Molca Company. The attack on Doctor Wan and his group this time is very likely Molton’s revenge!”
Qin Guowu nodded and then surmised, “If that’s the case, then the ambush Doctor Wan and his group encountered on their way back from the slums last time might also have been orchestrated by this Molton?”
“Yes, it was them,” Luo Guowei affirmed. He continued, “According to investigations by our personnel and the UN, the Red Ebola infectious virus was indeed a man-made public health incident.”
“Therefore, Molton of the Molca Company and this incident are likely connected!”
This news astonished Qin Guowu and the other NCOs, including Lu Xin. They exchanged wide-eyed glances. They had heard before from the military doctors that the Red Ebola virus might have been artificially developed, but they had never expected it to be true.
Luo Guowei waved his hand. “Leave a squad to deal with the bodies. Guowu, Lu Xin, we’ll continue searching southwest. We must find Officer Nie and Doctor Wan…”
Meanwhile, Wan Yunting was supporting the still weak Li Yuxiu, with Nie Xiaoyu walking ahead, assault rifle in hand. The trio was heading south. As the morning sun filtered through the trees, the tropical jungle began to grow muggy.
“Officer Nie, watch your step…” Wan Yunting reminded her frequently. The trio proceeded with extreme caution, constantly alert to their surroundings. A moment’s carelessness could lead to injury from venomous creatures hidden amongst the leaves and grass, such as camouflaged snakes, spiders, or insects. A bite from any of them would be extremely troublesome.
Nie Xiaoyu, having participated in special forces jungle survival training, was well aware of the constant dangers. She remained vigilant, and after walking for about three hours, they paused to rest a few times. Li Yuxiu’s weakened condition meant she couldn’t endure strenuous activity for long, and the humid jungle was not conducive to healing their wounds.
“Careful…” Nie Xiaoyu stumbled, but Wan Yunting quickly reached out to steady her arm, preventing a fall. He noticed her pale face, beaded with sweat, and immediately asked with concern, “Officer Nie, are you alright? Let’s stop and rest for a moment…”
They halted, and Nie Xiaoyu, looking unwell, panted slightly and waved her hand. “I’m fine, just a bit tired…”
“Sit down quickly, let me check your wound…” Wan Yunting urged her to sit, suspecting the issue was with her injury.
“It’s bad. It’s infected,” he said, after examining the shrapnel graze on Nie Xiaoyu’s right abdomen. Though not severe, it had become infected. Wan Yunting placed his forehead against hers and frowned gravely. “And you have a fever.”
Li Yuxiu, sitting beside them, also looked at Nie Xiaoyu’s infected wound. “It’s caused by the infection. Let’s give her some medicine first.”
Wan Yunting nodded, opened his backpack, and retrieved several medicinal items. These were the supplies carried by the group, intended for treating wounds. Wan Yunting picked out an antiseptic solution and began applying it to Nie Xiaoyu’s wound.
“Who’s there?” In an instant, Nie Xiaoyu’s tired expression became tense. Her sharp eyes fixed on the foliage ahead, and her rifle, never leaving her grip, was aimed into the jungle.
Wan Yunting, who was applying the medicine, felt a jolt of alarm and turned his head towards the trees. Six local African men, clad in their distinctive traditional attire and adornments, emerged. They held bows and arrows, the arrows already nocked. Their eyes, filled with hostility, were fixed on Wan Yunting, Li Yuxiu, and Nie Xiaoyu.
“Don’t be alarmed, they’re local indigenous people!” Nie Xiaoyu immediately lowered her assault rifle and told Wan Yunting not to show any hostility.
“Are you from a local indigenous tribe?” Li Yuxiu, standing beside them, then addressed the six indigenous people in a local Kordofan language.
As the six tribal people looked at the yellow-skinned woman speaking their language, one of them, a tall, slender man of middle age who appeared to be their leader, gestured for the other five to lower their bows and arrows. He then began to communicate with Li Yuxiu in Kordofan.
Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu, watching their exchange, looked stunned. Finally, Li Yuxiu turned and said, “They are indigenous people from a local tribe, and this is their chief.”
Li Yuxiu gestured towards the tall, slender man. Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu, recovering from their surprise, managed polite smiles and nodded at the indigenous people.
Li Yuxiu exchanged a few more words with the chief. Upon learning that they were Chinese, the indigenous people broke into warm smiles and greeted Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu.
“Hello…” Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu greeted them with awkward smiles and then asked Li Yuxiu, “What did you say to them?”
Li Yuxiu replied, “I told them we are from China, and the chief has invited us to visit their tribe.”
Upon hearing this, Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu nodded. “Sister Yuxiu, please tell them we’d be honored to visit their tribe.”
Li Yuxiu then spoke with the chief, whose face lit up with genuine enthusiasm as he extended the invitation.
Li Yuxiu turned to Wan Yunting and smiled, “They agreed and said they will take us back to their village now.”
“That’s great! With them leading the way, I can get out of this jungle,” Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu exclaimed excitedly. They profusely thanked the six indigenous people, not caring if they understood, their faces beaming with gratitude and enthusiasm.
The six indigenous people were also very pleased. They had evidently been hunting for quite some time. One of them carried a large monkey on his back, while another held several large birds of unknown species. The chief, conversing with Li Yuxiu, waved them to follow.
After Wan Yunting bandaged Nie Xiaoyu’s wound, he helped her and Li Yuxiu, and together they followed the six indigenous people out of the jungle.
With the guidance of the six indigenous people, they emerged from the jungle in just over half an hour. Before them lay a plain covered in tall grass, dotted with occasional baobab trees. In the distance, a herd of elephants ambled past. The scene was alive with the untamed spirit of Africa.
Wan Yunting supported Li Yuxiu and Nie Xiaoyu, and together with the six indigenous people, they walked for about a kilometer. In the distance, they spotted the structures of a local indigenous village. These buildings, much like those seen in documentaries of African tribal villages, were constructed from wood and various leaves. They were conical in shape, similar to yurts, though very primitive.
Li Yuxiu had been conversing with the chief along the way. As they neared the village, she informed Wan Yunting, “This tribe is called the Baka people, an indigenous ethnic group of this region.”
“The chief also said that our peacekeepers visited a few months ago to deliver many supplies, which is why they know we are Chinese and are so warmly welcoming us to their village.”
“So that’s why,” Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu finally understood the reason for the indigenous people’s overwhelming hospitality.