Chapter 65: Namibia
Chen Chen tidied up his affairs at the Swiss branch and left the primate research project in Samuel’s hands. He got ready to leave for Namibia.
It just so happened that Zurich had a direct flight to Namibia. It would take less than fifteen hours to cross the Mediterranean and the African Continent, reaching Walvis Bay on the east coast of the Atlantic.
It was just that the scheduled plane was a small, ancient, old-fashioned plane, with no more than fifty seats which were not separated into different travel cla.s.ses. Moreover, the flight service was extremely poor.
Although General Manager Wynn said that they could get Chen Chen a private plane, Chen Chen turned down the offer. He came from a working-cla.s.s family and had not reached that level of extravagance.
The next day, Chen Chen boarded the plane without having anyone send him off.
He did not speak throughout the entire journey.
In the early morning of the third day, Chen Chen arrived in this mystical country that he had heard so much of.
From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Namibia was colonized by Germany and later governed by South Africa. It was not until the 1990s that Namibia was able to break away from South Africa.
This was a country that mainly relied on minerals, agriculture, fishery, and tourism. It covered an area of 820,000 square kilometers, but only had a population of 2.53 million.
At the end of December, it was cold enough in Switzerland that one had to wear down jackets. However, after arriving in Namibia, Chen Chen peeled off the layers until he was only wearing a shirt and a thin coat.
Even so, it would be wrong to a.s.sume that Namibia was as hot as the rest of Africa.
Due to its alt.i.tude, Namibia’s climate was not scorching and was rather pleasant.
Each year, March, April, and May comprised the hottest season in Namibia. Even then, the temperature did not exceed thirty degrees. In July, August, and September, when it was the coolest, it was around twenty-five degrees in the day and fifteen degrees at night.
One could say that it felt like spring all year round.
When Chen Chen got off the plane, it was late at night. Nonetheless, there was a long, snaking queue at the immigration department. Most of them were white people who came here for travel. There were occasionally a few Asians too, who seemed to be Korean.
“Sorry, excuse me, please let me through...”
Just as Chen Chen was frowning at the queue, a group of bureaucratic-looking black people, surrounded by airport police, came toward the crowd of pa.s.sengers who had just disembarked from Chen Chen’s plane.
Such a large crew immediately attracted the attention of the tourists who were at immigration.
Chen Chen glanced over. Sure enough, Qian Wenhuan was in that group.
The group came over and stopped before Chen Chen. Qian Wenhuan took two steps forward and whispered in Chinese, “Boss, the officials of Namibia are here to welcome you.”
With that, he indicated to the group and said in English, “This is Mr. Setterson, the manager of Walvis Bay International Airport and next to him is Mr. Chicurel, the deputy director of the Namibian Department of Investment.”
Then, he turned to both of them and proclaimed, “This man beside me is the chairman of Blackwatch – Mr. Chen Chen!”
“Mr. Chen Chen, I’ve looked forward to meeting you!”
Both of them broke out in warm smiles as they each stepped forward to shake Chen Chen’s hands.
What was even more surprising was that the black man named Chicurel directly spoke in Chinese, albeit a little imprecisely, “I’ve never thought that you’d be this young. It makes me think of a phrase in your language — you’re what they would call a young hero!”
“Yes, yes, I thought so too!” Setterson, the manager of the airport, agreed at once.
“You’re both too kind. I’m merely a businessman. Please don’t treat me so ceremoniously.” Chen Chen quickly waved his hand.
“How can we do that!”
Chicurel immediately turned serious and said sincerely, “I’ve always liked Chinese culture since I was a kid. China has five thousand years of history, the only ancient civilization still existing in the Earth Federation. With such ancient tradition, a talent like you can only be described as — a giant among men!”
Setterson chimed in. “I agree.”
Chen Chen wiped off his sweat. “Thank you for the generous praise.”
“I still remember when I was studying in China. Your people were so welcoming. Now, you’ve come to our country, so please, think of it as your country as well.”
Chicurel continued to heap on the flattery. “After all, isn’t there a saying in China — home is where the heart is!”
Setterson nodded solemnly. “I echo that sentiment!”
“...”
Qian Wenhuan saw that Chicurel seemed ready to go on forever with his chatter and quickly cut in. “Mr. Chicurel, our chairman has just gone through more than ten hours of journey and must be tired. Why don’t we...”
“Oh, look at this brain of mine, how could I have forgotten that...”
Chicurel patted his head and swiftly took out a stack of doc.u.ments, saying in English, “These are your immigration papers and pa.s.sport. We’ve prepared it for you.”
“Thank you.” Chen Chen nodded in thanks and Qian Wenhuan took the papers for him.
“We’ve booked a luxury suite for you at the Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel in Walvis Bay. Please, this way.” Chicurel turned sideways and gestured politely.
After Chen Chen had left the immigration office, he saw the true appearance of Namibia.
Although this was called Walvis Bay International Airport, in truth, it was just a simple, ordinary airport. Small bungalows were built upon an endless plain that had a wild and natural beauty and a vast starry sky could be seen above.
There were many internationally certified dark sky reserves in Namibia. As there was no light pollution and the climate was dry, it was the most suitable region in the world for observing the night sky.
This was a scene that those bustling cities would never see.
Although the Namibian officials were rather overenthusiastic, they still maintained a proper level of decorum. After escorting Chen Chen to the car, they both took their leave and made an appointment for a meeting tomorrow evening.
“Boss, this is Cheng Cao, the person you asked the head office to send over,” as Qian Wenhuan got into the car, he pointed at the driver and said.
“Boss.” The driver turned around, revealing a young face in his twenties and a bashful smile.
“I remember you.” Chen Chen observed the young man carefully. “So, you’re our trump card, huh?”
“Mmm.” Cheng Cao nodded in embarra.s.sment, seeming rather shy.
“Right, Boss, here’s the thing you want.” Qian Wenhuan seemed to remember something and he took out a pitch-black item at his waist. “It’s fully automatic, with 20 rounds of large magazines.”
Chen Chen reached out and took it, seeing that it was a Glock 18C.
[Glock 18C, total length 185mm, barrel length 114mm, weight 620g, barrel diameter 9mm, muzzle velocity 360 m/s, fires 9mm bullets, muzzle energy 530J.]
All the information about this gun automatically surfaced in his mind. Chen Chen nodded and gently tossed it in his hand. “Do they know about it?”
He was undoubtedly referring to the Namibian officials.
“I didn’t let them know. After all, it’s a fully automatic weapon, which is pretty restricted.”
Qian Wenhuan said uncertainly, “Still, even if they learn about it, I’m guessing they’ll probably turn a blind eye.”
Chen Chen said nothing, only rested his head against the headrest, and slowly closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan hurriedly gave Cheng Cao a gesture. Cheng Cao nodded and started the car, driving along the asphalt road toward the downtown area of Walvis Bay...