Chapter 27: The Dire Situation

When Qiao Jia woke up, he found himself lying in a medical room. The bulletproof vest he had been wearing had been removed, and an IV needle was inserted into the back of his left hand. Groggy and disoriented, Qiao Jia felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and then he turned to his side, extending his head over the edge of the bed. With a retching sound, he vomited a mouthful of acidic bile that landed squarely in a conveniently placed trash bin.

After vomiting, Qiao Jia immediately felt a sharp pain in his previously compressed chest and noticed a cool sensation at the back of his head. Instinctively, he reached back to touch the area and discovered that the hair on the back of his head had been shaved off, revealing a noticeable bump from where it had been stitched up.

The aftereffects of a concussion were incredibly uncomfortable. Struggling to sit up, Qiao Jia tried to get a sense of where he was. But before he could move further, a voice came from behind him.

"You're awake. Don't move. Your head was just stitched up with fifteen stitches, and you're showing signs of a mild concussion."

Qiao Jia turned to look and found that it was the female server who had helped him escape earlier. Glancing around the room, he realized that he had been taken to a hospital.

Doctors and nurses hurriedly passed by, and the hospital was filled with the painful cries of many wounded. A middle-aged man in a white robe was carrying a young child in his arms, the man's body completely drenched in blood.

Seeing the massive wound on the child's shoulder, likely caused by a stray bullet, Qiao Jia knew that the child was already dead.

Shaking his dizzy head, Qiao Jia looked at the female server with a calm expression and asked in Arabic, "What happened at the hotel?"

The server shook her head and said, "The SD security forces attempted a forced attack but were repelled. The terrorists have planted many car bombs throughout Khartoum, and the explosions have caused a significant number of casualties."

She then pointed to a nearby hospital bed where a corpse lay covered in a white sheet. Her voice remained calm as she said, "Your embassy provided a lot of help. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to retrieve my brother's body."

"Your brother?"

Qiao Jia was confused. He didn't remember the woman mentioning a brother, and he still didn't know her name.

The server remained composed as she lifted a corner of the white sheet, revealing the familiar face underneath. It was the hotel manager in the black suit from earlier.

"He was your brother?"

Qiao Jia couldn't comprehend how a brother could treat his sister with such a harsh attitude. But thinking back to their faith and the man's final act of protecting them, it seemed reasonable enough.

But Qiao Jia had no time to ponder the server's personal matters. He struggled to get off the bed, looked around to ensure no one was paying attention to him, and then said to the server, "What's your name? Thank you for saving my life. But I need to leave now. Can you give me your phone number? I'll contact you in a few days. Maybe I could attend your brother's funeral since he died protecting us."

The server, who had been watching Qiao Jia's disheveled state, hesitated for a moment before saying, "My name is Nis, Nis Mansour. I'm from Liberia. If it weren't for you saving me on the second floor, none of this would have happened. You helped me; I helped you. We don't owe each other anything."

After a brief pause, she continued, "But I do need some help now. If you're leaving, could you take me with you?"

Qiao Jia was taken aback. He looked into Nis's big eyes and hesitated for a long time before saying, "That might not be possible. You should know by now that my work isn't exactly safe..."

Before Qiao Jia could finish, Nis interrupted, "Your shooting is quick and accurate, better than many so-called special forces soldiers I've seen. I don't care if you're a mercenary, a spy, or an assassin. I just want to leave here. My passport was left at the hotel, and I can't stay here and be questioned by the SD security forces."

Qiao Jia quickly understood that Nis likely had a shady background as well. But this woman had just helped him out of a hail of bullets a few hours ago. Even if it was only a few steps, it was still a life-saving act.

Since he wasn't a saint with a clean background and had just taken out a dozen terrorists, staying here wasn't an option.

If they both needed to leave, why not do it together?

In the chaotic emergency center, no one paid attention to Qiao Jia and Nis. The two of them easily slipped out of the hospital. Qiao Jia contacted Kaman to pick them up, and they quickly left the area, quietly returning to Qiao Jia's villa.

Once back at the villa, Qiao Jia asked Nis in detail about what had happened after he lost consciousness. According to Nis, after the embassy's armed guards secured them, the terrorists turned their guns on the hotel staff, slaughtering them while collecting hostages.

Furthermore, several major streets in Khartoum were simultaneously hit by car bombs when the hotel attack occurred, plunging the city's security situation into chaos.

Given Qiao Jia's unstable condition, the embassy didn't have the equipment to confirm his status, so one of the armed guards drove them to the hospital. That guard, due to the proximity of the embassy to the attack, left to ensure the embassy's safety, only recording Qiao Jia's passport number before leaving.

Before he left, the guard also contacted the SD security forces, instructing them to ensure Qiao Jia's safety and asking Nis to look after him.

Qiao Jia knew that his situation was suspicious. After a shootout with terrorists and escaping, it didn't make sense that no one had questioned him. Could the SD security forces really be that incompetent?

Nis, hearing Qiao Jia's doubts, turned on the TV in the living room and, watching the news, said, "The hotel attack was carried out by a Darfur warlord named Kindewake. His goal was to attack, kidnap, and intimidate. His men killed many people in the hotel and kidnapped several high-ranking corporate executives before successfully escaping Khartoum. Kindewake achieved his goal, and he likely made demands to the SD government. Restoring the city's operations and rescuing the hostages are now the top priorities. It's no wonder no one is paying attention to us."

Qiao Jia nodded in agreement and said, "That does make sense. I was just unlucky. Even leaving a few minutes earlier would have made a difference."

Just as Qiao Jia was lamenting, his work phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name "Boss Huang" on the screen, Qiao Jia answered in Mandarin, "Hello, this is Jackal."

On the other end of the line, Boss Huang sounded particularly anxious. In a hurried tone, he said, "Jackal, do you have goods? I need a lot, and the price is not an issue."