Chapter 31 Congo Basin, 4° 46′ 43″ S, 11° 51′ 49″ E, Cuvette Centrale

Cecilia raised her hand. This group of Pygmies made a threatening gesture. Cecilia was trying to find the elder she had spoken to before. He was not among them. She started to speak in their language.

"Please forgive us if we violate your territory. We didn't mean anything bad. We're trying to find the people who first contracted the bacteria some time ago. I once spoke to one of your elders."

One of them came forward to face Cecilia. He signaled to his friends to let go of Akiko and Lian Xi. There was a thud as the ropes that bound Akiko's legs were slashed with machetes. Akiko swore in Japanese. Her head was a little dizzy after hanging for a while. Her forehead was bruised from the fall.

The person who seemed to be their leader pointed in one direction at Cecilia.

"You come with us. Our elder is sick. You can talk to him in his house."

The group led Cecilia and her friends deep into the forest. The gunshots were no longer heard as the attackers lost their track. Lian Xi managed to hide the Anaconda so well that it wasn't easy to find.

Lian Xi was amazed as they walked further into the forest, she noticed that the forest floor was very clean making it easier for them to walk. The Pygmies did not confiscate all their weapon. They only took the M16.

They arrived at an open field with not many trees. But in front of them she saw the dark canopy of trees loomed again. The trees were not as big as in the forest they went through but no easy to navigate forest floors to walk on. The forest ahead grew upon black water puddles. Lian Xi shuddered slightly. What forest is that?

Fortunately they did not go into that black water forest. The Pygmies started making peculiar sound with their mouth. Not long after, a small group appeared walking towards them. Four of them were guiding someone who looked very ill. Cecilia immediately recognized that the person on the stretcher was the Pygmy elder she met to in the past.

As a doctor, Cecilia's instinctively moved closer to check. None of the Pygmies tried to stop her. Apparently, these Pygmies understood that she meant no harm.

Cecilia gasped. The elder's body was very hot. Cecilia took out a small flashlight and asked the old man to open his mouth. Cecilia also checked his pupils. Akiko approached to help.

She took out the pathogen detector. It was the moment of truth. Only one beep. Akiko checked the detector screen. Hmm, Plasmodium falciparum. Pygmies elder was suffering from an early stage of Malaria so it was not too dangerous. Not Bacillus anthracis. There was a simultaneous sigh of relief from Cecilia and Akiko's mouths.

Cecilia took out Malaria medicine from her waist bag. Give it to one pf the Pygmies and asked him to have the elder to take it.

The elder coughed a little after taking the medicine. His eyes opened. Looking at Cecilia and nodding gratefully then closing her eyes for a while then getting up and sitting on the stretcher that had been placed on the ground.

"What are you looking for doctor? This forest is not save for you." The Elder asked weakly.

Cecilia let the old man calm down from the drug reaction. Malaria drugs do have an immediate effect that directly attacks the source of the disease in the form of protozoa in the bloodstream.

"I came back here because I needed your help. You certainly remember what happened some time ago when you led the burning and extermination of corpses, heavy equipment, and camp of a lumber company downstream, right? Well, there is 1 person we are looking for. The first person to catch the disease you used to call the Hidden Forest Ghost."

The elder nodded. His explanation was astonishing.

"We've seen that person before. The only survivors of the Hidden Forest Ghost. There were few others who didn't catch it and then fled to the city. He was wandering around aimlessly in the forest."

The elder stared for a moment then continued.

"The man is a native of the coast of the river Zaire but not a Pygmy. He was wandering in our forest for days. I'm surprised he's still alive. We didn't dare to approach because the Hidden Forest Ghost was very contagious. We've known that for a long time, so we always prohibit and protest if any logging company approaches the area." The Elder's hand pointed at the flooded forest in front of them.

"We call that part of the flooded forest the Secret Flooded Forest. Our tribe only enter the forest area if they want to take honey. We also forbid hunting in that area. The Hidden Forest Ghost is tucked away deep in the ground. As long as the trees remain standing and undisturbed, then the Hidden Forest Ghosts will not harm anyone."

Cecilia who had been crisscrossing the forest understood what the Elder was referring to. The so-called Secret Flooded Forest was a deep peat forest. But wasn't Afrormosia only grew there? Cecilia pointed at an Afrormosia trunk in the forest behind them.

"The bacteria came from a fungus that grew on the roots of the tree. Aren't the trees I'm talking about do not grow in the flooded forest?"

The elder nodded.

"Right. You guys are still lucky. That big tree over there did contain a disease that caused the entire camp to kill each other. But what is in the Flooded Secret Forest is the mother of all those diseases."

Cecilia shuddered. Fortunately, the peat forest was not yet open. In the mapping reference he had read, the Flooded Secret Forest lay very wide in a special area called the Cuvette Sentrale. An area designated as a Biosphere Reserve and under UN protection. Thankfully Sefu had not cut down a single tree in Cuvette Sentrale. Cecilia believed what the Elder told them came from local wisdom gathered from years of experience.

"So how can we find this person, Sir?" She asked

"He must still be around this forest area. I don't know where but if I saw him wandering around aimlessly, I'm sure that person has lost consciousness and sanity."

Wow, so Sefu had lost his mind! But it's also good news for them. The search area would be small around the Pygmies forest and Cuvette Sentrale. Cecilia turned to Akiko and Lian Xi who had been listening to the conversation without even understanding what it meant.

"Good news! Sefu was still wandering around this forest. Our search area is manageable."

Cecilia spoke to the Elder again.

"Can you help us find that person? He is very important to us in order to find a cure for the Hidden Forest Ghosts immediately. You might be surprised if I say that Ghost has killed hundreds of millions of souls out there."

The elder was indeed shocked. But only briefly.

" We'll help you find that person. But we're not going any closer. It's your job to catch him. We're just helping you guys not to get lost or attacked by Leopard."

Cecilia shuddered again. Remembering Leopard who had almost got her and Akiko if only Andalas had not acted quickly to save them by killing it.

The leopard that already has Bacillus antracis in its blood!