Chapter 19: The Hero Returns

Gao Yang actually had no idea where to go. After driving dozens of kilometers, Gao Yang found a place, and he, along with Morgan and his son, took turns keeping watch through an uneasy night a few hundred meters from the car.

It was a long time after daybreak the next day when Gao Yang finally led Morgan and his son to the pond where Professor Buck and his group were staying. After he called them with the walkie-talkie, Professor Buck and the others quickly emerged from their hiding spot.

The relationship between the Chieftain and Gao Yang was like that of family. Seeing Gao Yang return safely naturally elicited a round of excited greetings and hugs. While they chatted away in Akuri language, the others naturally couldn't get a word in. After everyone had calmed down, Professor Buck came forward to give Gao Yang a hug, patting his shoulder vigorously as he said, "Thank you for your courage. You saved all of us. Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Professor. I just did what I had to do. I've said before that my tribe and I will do our utmost to repay your kindness for saving our lives."

The injured Yves, the cameraman Daniel, and that black man, one by one, came forward to thank Gao Yang. Then Catherine walked up to Gao Yang with a smile, extended her right hand, and said, "I told you, heroes don't die easily. I'm so glad to see you again."

Gao Yang took Catherine's hand and smiled, "Whether or not there's a dragon, I'm always glad to be the knight protecting a beautiful princess. But Miss Catherine, shouldn't we be hugging right now?"

Catherine just smiled, not embracing Gao Yang, but instead brought her face close and gently kissed his left cheek. She giggled and said, "This is how a princess shows her gratitude to a brave knight."

Three years in the military, a pig winning a beauty prize—though Gao Yang wasn't in the military and he did see women, dealing day in and day out with women in the tribe who painted their bodies and walked bare-chested, he might as well have been a soldier who hadn't seen a woman in three years. Besides, Catherine was truly a great beauty. Now that a beauty had bestowed upon him a gentle kiss, Gao Yang not getting carried away really showed great restraint.

Unfortunately, now was really not the time to be courting women. With effort, he discarded the inappropriate thoughts in his mind and, after chuckling sheepishly and reluctantly letting go of Catherine's hand, Gao Yang gestured towards Morgan and his son, "Let me introduce them to everyone. This is Mr. Morgan Reeves and this is Mr. Morgan's son, Bob Reeves. You might already know that they were also attacked, and they were actually the targets of those terrorists."

Mr. Morgan appeared to be over fifty, with somewhat graying hair and piercing eyes that exerted an intense pressure when he looked at people. His gaunt face also looked very authoritative, but at that moment, Mr. Morgan's face was solemn. He stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "I'm sorry for bringing misfortune upon you all. Please allow me to express my condolences and apologies to those who were unfortunately killed. I'm really very sorry."

Professor Buck walked over to Mr. Morgan, shook his hand, and said, "This isn't your fault, and you don't need to apologize. Although something unacceptable has happened, it is those terrorists' fault. We are all saddened by what happened, but that is no reason for us to take our anger out on you, Mr. Reeves. You don't need to apologize."

Mr. Morgan nodded, thanked Professor Buck, and said, "I admire and am grateful for your understanding and magnanimity, Professor. I think our first concern now should be to leave this place; the danger is far from over. Don't you think?"

Professor Buck frowned and looked at Gao Yang, "I also think we should leave here as quickly as possible. I must find the bodies of my team members, and I also need to report this incident to the American consulate. But, are you suggesting that the terrorists might come back?"

Gao Yang nodded and said, "Yes, I think they will come back. What I can't understand is, how can they accurately locate us in this vast grassland?"

After pondering for a moment, Morgan said, "I went out hunting yesterday. When I left, I told some people about my whereabouts. Maybe someone leaked my movements."

At this point, Professor Buck suddenly asked, "Mr. Morgan, might I ask who wants to kill you and why do they want to kill you?"

After a moment's contemplation, Mr. Morgan shook his head, sighed deeply, and said to Daniel, who was still holding the camera, "Please turn off the camera, sir. The following cannot be recorded."

Daniel looked at Professor Buck, and after receiving a signal, turned off the camera. Then Mr. Morgan said in a serious tone, "I shouldn't be speaking about such matters, but given that I have already brought disaster upon you, I feel I shouldn't keep you in the dark any longer. Gentlemen, given my good relations with some of the high-ranking officials in South Sudan, the US government asked me to handle some matters, to secure some benefits for the US government after the independence of South Sudan. In doing so, I could also gain a lot during my visit. But now that my whereabouts have been compromised, it could be my competitors or it might be people from other countries who do not wish to see me succeed and return. So, they want to kill me. Gentlemen, please keep this a secret, for my sake as well as yours."

Professor Buck let out a long sigh and then angrily said, "Damn politics. Alright, we won't divulge this matter. However, Mr. Morgan, as you know, we will have to explain the situation to the American embassy in Sudan and to NGC. I'm afraid there are some details I can't keep secret."

Morgan nodded and said, "I understand. At the embassy, you don't need to hold back, but please keep as many secrets as you can for me at NGC. Of course, even if you tell others, I won't admit it, and no one else will acknowledge this matter."

After finishing his words, Morgan pointed at Gao Yang, then said with seriousness, "Gentlemen, if you appreciate everything he's done for you, please make sure not to broadcast any footage of him. What he has done has undoubtedly offended powers that neither he nor you can afford to provoke. I dare say that if you air what you've filmed, his life is over. Someone will want him dead, no matter who it is. The safest way, of course, is to delete any footage of him."

Upon hearing Morgan's words, everyone's gaze fell on Daniel, who had a pained look on his face. He glanced at Gao Yang, then at Professor Buck, and after scratching his head furiously, he finally gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, took out a memory card, gave it a regretful look, and then suddenly put it in his mouth and bit down, snapping it in two with a "crack" before throwing it far away.

After throwing the memory card away, Daniel said with a pained expression, "The footage of Gao Yang was mostly on that card, and now it's destroyed. However, the card I'm using now contains evidence of those terrorists' crimes; it can't be destroyed yet. I'll delete the footage involving him, I promise."

Professor Buck also nodded and added, "I will delete it myself."

"Now, I think it's time for us to go. We drove here from Malakal. What about you, Professor?"

"Same here. The nearest city is Malakal, and it's the only place with an airport around here. Our plane is in Malakal."

Morgan nodded, then addressed Gao Yang, "It seems we share the same destination. We can travel together, Mr. Gao Yang."

All eyes were on Gao Yang. His actions during this period had impressed everyone profoundly. With Gao Yang, their safety was greatly increased. But now that there was a real opportunity to leave, Gao Yang felt conflicted.

Gao Yang looked at the Chieftain and the others with difficulty. After three years of daily interaction, the Akuri tribe had become his second home, and the Chieftain's family felt like his own relatives. Gao Yang truly could not bring himself to leave abruptly.

Seeing Gao Yang's eyes filled with reluctance and hesitation, the Chieftain probably sensed something, stepped forward, patted Gao Yang's shoulder, and said gently, "Go, White Child, go back to your home. You don't belong here; go back to your real home."

When he heard the Chieftain's words, Gao Yang couldn't hold back his tears, which started falling. It wasn't that Gao Yang was too emotional; he knew that once he left, he really didn't know if he would ever have the chance to see the Chieftain and the others again in his lifetime.

Seeing Gao Yang in tears, Big Bali, Little Bali, and Kusto gathered around him, performing the Akuri tribe's hunting dance and singing their farewell song. After the dance and song concluded, the Chieftain took off the necklace he wore around his neck and put it around Gao Yang's neck, then said in a low voice, "You are the bravest warrior. You deserve to wear it. With this necklace, the ancestors and spirits of the Akuri tribe will bless you. Go, White Child, go back to your own home."

Choking back tears, Kusto said, "White Child, you'll come back to see me, right? You have to come back. I will miss you."

Gao Yang wiped his tears, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say. It was then that he suddenly remembered something and started running towards the off-road vehicle he had been driving.

Gao Yang brought down six AK-47 rifles and said to the puzzled crowd, "Help me. Bring all the magazines."

After bringing the six rifles to the Chieftain, Gao Yang picked up an AK and said, "I have to go. I'm leaving these for you. Let me teach you how to use them. It will make hunting much easier, and you will not fear bad men anymore. When I come back to find you, I will take you to a safe place where you no longer have to worry about those villains."

Professor Buck approached and said with a frown, "Gao, by doing this, you'll cause them to lose their basic survival skills, and they might abandon their own civilization."

"Professor, I understand, but I think surviving is more important than preserving primitive civilization. If primitive culture was more important, shouldn't we all live like them? Professor, you haven't seen how hard life is for the Akuri tribe. I don't want to return only to find the Akuri tribe destroyed by famine or misfortune. I can't bear the death of even one person, and I will work hard to relocate them to a safe place, to live a modern life. So whether they keep their current survival skills isn't important."