Chapter 21 Beijing, 39° 54′ 24.84″ N, 116° 23′ 51.36″ E PBC Bank Office

"I guess we really have to solve this series of puzzles first before going to the Gobi Facility." Cecilia concluded. Everyone agreed.

The trip to Beijing went smoothly. The plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport or BCIA. Again, Luigi had arranged everything they needed at the airport. The plane was brought into a hangar. The Wuling Almaz car was there, ready for them to use.

Andalas then remembered the message from the old man in the cabin in Siberia about someone who could be reached at any time if they needed help. Was that person really Luigi? But didn't the old man mention that Doctor Aslan's assistant was in Seoul? Andalas felt dizzy just thinking about it. His adoptive father turned to be a shrewd chess master.

Slowly the Wuling Almaz left the airport area to the city center. The PBC Bank was in the center of Beijing. Everyone was silent. Each hoped that there were no more mercenaries waiting for them there.

Andalas managed to enter the office and met with the receptionist to give the code 141-AA1313 and hand over the small key from the deposit box in New York. Nothing happened. No one was threatening in or around the bank.

Akiko and Lian Xi who were armed on standby in the car didn't see anything suspicious. Apparently both the Organization and the OWC were reluctant to cause chaos in Beijing.

Andalas walked back calmly into the car. They were in no hurry to leave. Everyone was curious about what was inside the deposit box in Andalas' hand.

Using the small key from the deposit in New York, Andalas carefully opened the box. As expected, the contents of the deposit box were two keys. One small key to open the last box in Geneva, and a rather large key with a label that read deposit saving-New Delhi Central Train Station-141. Wow!

Cecilia shook her head. In her mind, she understood that Doctor Aslan had to be careful, but she was upset that they had to go to a city that they must avoid since Delhi was one to the worst hit area by the Tropical Bacteria pandemic.

In the cockpit of the plane, Andalas opened the permit for the flight route itinerary. The flight document stated that their route on this date was Beijing-New Delhi. Andalas was amazed. It seemed Luigi knew where they had to go after Beijing. In fact, they could fly directly to Geneva if the business in Beijing turned out to be in order.

Andalas wondered who Luigi really was.

The flight to New Delhi would take 7.5 hours. Andalas began to calculate the possible risks in the air. It was possible that the Organization would send a fighter jet en route to India.

But what could he do? That was the risk they had to take. Andalas checked the secret control panel that contained the complete weaponry. Four Irish-T missiles, two Maverick missiles, two M2 Browning. Andalas frowned in surprise.

Didn't he use one Irish-T to beat one of the two Tomcats earlier? Why did the statement on the panel say the air-to-air missile was still intact?

Andalas then thought of Luigi. Ah, that old man really was mysterious. He must have equipped this Gulfstream arsenal here. Amazing! Luigi did it at Beijing Airport!

The Gulfstream soared through China's air gracefully. Banking 10 degrees left towards New Delhi while continuing to climb to reach cruising the designated altitude.

Andalas told Lian Xi that they should take turns watching the radar screen. They should not go to the rear cabin at the same time. Lian Xi agreed. It was too dangerous indeed if they were careless in monitoring the radar. Once they overlooked the enemy aircraft through the radar, they were tantamount to digging their own graves.

Now it was Andalas's turn. Lian Xi was told to eat and rest in the back cabin. The 7.5-hour journey couldn't be handled alone. That would be quite tiring. Moreover, they had to always be on the standby mode for whatever risks ahead.

Andalas didn't use the stealth mode and chose to keep flying at the altitude recommended in the itinerary. As long as they were still in Chinese airspace they would be safe. At least for the time being.

In the background, Cecilia was flipping through her little note since the start of this mess in the Congo Basin. The notes were still neatly tucked away in the folds of…shoes! Akiko was surprised when Cecilia took off her shoes and socks and took something from there. A tattered piece of paper that looked very wrinkled because it had been in the crease for too long.

Lian Xi who also looked surprised to see the shabby notes, Cecilia reread what she had written earlier;

1. Infectious diseases caused by unknown bacteria.

2. Samples must be immediately taken to the laboratory to determine the type of bacteria.

3. Ground zero is Golden Logging Timber Company camp in primary forest near Cuvette Centrale in Congo Basin.

4. Info from Fabumi, a Phallus fungus commonly found in tropical rain forests. This fungus could be the first host of bacteria.

5. The fungus was found by Sefu, suspect zero, in the roots of the Afrormosa tree.

6. Fabumi may be immune to this disease. He was infected and then recovered by himself.

7. Symptoms include aggressive behavior, eyes as red as blood, face as pale as a corpse, and black foaming at the mouth.

8. Contact Marc-WHO to immediately investigate the ground zero.

Cecilia circled number 3 and 5. Gosh! Suspect 0 is Sefu! So, what the Gobi Facility team really needed was Sefu. Not Fabumi. And the baby leopard was also not the right specimen for taking samples of the Tropical Bacteria genome. They should have taken a sample of Sefu's blood or tissue.

Cecilia shook her head with a murky face. How could she forget about Sefu? An important figure for the progress of making Tropical Bacteria serum.

Cecilia raised her face to look at Akiko.

"Looks like we'll have to cross the Zaire River to the Congo Basin again after Geneva."

Akiko gaped. Why in the world they had to go to the forest that had turned into a mass grave?

Cecilia understood Akiko's bewilderment.

"I forgot something very important. Suspect 0 is a person named Sefu. It was he who first contracted Bacillus antracis attached to the Phallus fungus on the roots of the Afrormosia tree."

"But weren't all the people and things in the camp burned down by the Pygmies?"

Cecilia shook her head.

"I was there when the first outbreak happened. Sefu was nowhere to be seen among those involved in the chaos. I suspect he fled out of fear."

"So how do we find him?" This time Lian Xi, who was very interested in hearing the story, also asked.

Cecilia let out a short breath.

"There's only one way. Ask the Pygmies Elder in the deep forest over there."

This time Akiko and Lian Xi both gaped.