Chapter 24: A Thought in Mind

In the courtyard of a small stone villa in Ad-Damazin...

The witch medicine bag hanging above the porch dispelled the surrounding mosquitoes, providing Joe Ga a piece of tranquil space.

Karman was tending the garden with his son Muto, removing weeds and planting the vegetable seeds purchased by Li Wei.

A trip to southern SD brought Karman a hefty profit, with a third of the gold shares and a third of the captured shares making him a millionaire overnight.

Joe Ga knew that what he was about to do could bring him big trouble, so he had been urging Karman to send his son to Ethiopia.

But he hadn't expected that Karman's aspirations were growing; he was no longer satisfied with sending his son to Ethiopia.

He set his sights on Europe, wanting his son to go to Italy first, then attempt to move to Germany or Switzerland; the United States was also an option.

Joe Ga couldn't help but laugh at Karman's grand ambitions. He, as a boss who had come from Africa, found it absurd that Karman, illiterate and simple, wanted to send his son to the most developed countries in Europe and America.

However, laughing at an employee's dreams was not what a competent boss should do. According to Karman's own words, following the boss would easily achieve a small goal of half a million.

As long as he could get his son to Italy, even through Liberian channels to enter a refugee camp first, any subsequent difficulties would be worthwhile.

The saying "a parent's heart is always with their child" seems to find its suitable subjects everywhere.

But Karman's heart was bigger, he didn't seem to bother at all with the 'risks' he might face.

Joe Ga took a sip of sickly sweet SD red tea, then took out his phone, looked it over several times, used editing software to cut out the final part about himself, and then used a voice changer to obscure his voice.

This information definitely had to be handed over to the consulate people, but he could bypass the southern SD consulate and directly deliver it to the SD embassy.

By doing this, Joe Ga was solidifying his involvement in the kidnapping of a UN official.

He didn't know much about the Chinese government agencies; if they were to trace it back to him, it was really hard to say what his fate would be.

This was Joe Ga's dilemma because he was just a minor player; quitting the SD business wouldn't matter, he could always start over somewhere else.

However, once this minor player got involved in major events, he might be used as a bargaining chip.

The information had to be given out; otherwise, Ailin's death would be utterly meaningless. The only issue now was how to give it without implicating himself.

Actually, Joe Ga knew very well, sometimes Europeans and Americans do dirty chores without anyone getting blamed.

If you don't know, I'll just quietly do it, spend less, and take more advantage.

If you know, then I'll do it loudly, using media resources to dominate public opinion, with plenty of people cheering for them.

Providing this video to the embassy early was aimed at letting them prepare in advance and reduce the losses among our people, at the very least avoiding casualties.

This darn place in SD isn't much better than southern SD; that deceased Libyan Colonel Ka troubled surrounding countries all his life, and Chad and SD suffered greatly. Even now, SD's Darfur region remains a mess, easily ignited by slight provocation.

Joe Ga's previous company was responsible for construction projects and knew many oil field locations near Koldovan and the Blue Nile regions—both contentious areas and also where oil fields were most concentrated.

He must prepare his compatriots mentally, even if fleeing earlier is advisable.

So, he planned to personally go to Kamu tomorrow, to find a chance to leave the items at the embassy's doorstep.

Don't talk about whether they will deploy spies to trace him; if they genuinely intend to investigate him, sending just a few veteran detectives would be enough for him not to have any hiding place.

After all, with things having reached this point, if you ask me, I would definitely know nothing and push everything away, but if you want to mess with me, then I would run.

The worst-case scenario in this lifetime is just ending up in Africa, after all, with money, can't you enjoy life anywhere?

Joe Ga was well aware that once he handed over the goods, there would be no turning back for him.

If he returned to his country, he'd lose all initiative because he had killed a United Nations official. Should the matter come to light, not only would he be doomed, but his brother would suffer too, and it might even pose difficulties for his country.

Since he had already done something terrible and killed someone, let it be. If he lost his moral baseline in the end, Joe Ga would despise himself.

Having completely thought it through, Joe Ga stood up from his chair and loudly complained to Karman, "Didn't you say someone was coming to install the air conditioner today? They are already two hours late. Do they have any sense of time at all?"

Placing a hand on the silent son's shoulder and walking over to Joe Ga, Karman said, "I thought you would have gotten used to this place and its people by now."

Joe Ga shook his head and said, "This is truly a damned place!"

As Joe Ga looked around the nearly tidy yard, he nodded and said, "Tell Muto to stop fussing around, just go buy some food, vegetables, fruits, antelope meat, and preferably a chicken too.

We're going to have a good meal tonight, and tomorrow, you'll come with me to Kamu.

If things go smoothly, we should be able to continue our business. If something unexpected happens, you need to take Muto to Ethiopia immediately."

Upon hearing this, Karman furrowed his brow and said, "Why? We've killed everyone. No one knows it was us."

Hearing this, Joe Ga smacked his lips and said, "That depends on whether there's someone specifically investigating.

These days, people leave traces of their actions, like footprints on the prairie. Even if you cover them carefully, you'll still leave clues.

The Xiluk people are dead, but we didn't retrieve the guns we sold to them.

Who knows whether that Italian and the woman left behind any call records or something like that?

There are very few Chinese selling arms in SD. Once someone catches a clue, they can quickly trace it back to us."

Not understanding, Karman furrowed his brow and asked, "Then why did you spend ten thousand US dollars to buy this place?"

Joe Ga replied helplessly, "I wanted to keep a memento for myself because I've always dreamed of having a courtyard of my own.

Moreover, I feel like things might not necessarily take a turn for the worse…"

Karman didn't fully grasp what Joe Ga was saying. This guy was a typical Africa person; unless a gun was pointed at his neck, he wouldn't change his plans.

Now that he had money, he was using Sayram, the airport boss, to sort out Muto's visa.

As long as nothing apocalyptic happened before Muto's safe departure, Karman wouldn't give up.

Although slightly confused by Joe Ga's words, Karman eventually said, "Hu Lang, you're a good boss, and a sharp shooter. You can definitely make a fortune here in Africa.

I'll listen to you, I'm already 45 years old, and being alive at 45 in Africa is lucky by itself.

I want to make money, enough money for Muto to live a happy life for generations."

Joe Ga understood Karman; just a week ago, this guy was willing to sell his soul for twenty thousand US dollars, but now he saw a real chance to change his life.

With five hundred thousand, maybe even a million, his son could completely escape his past shadows and start anew in a safe place.

If Joe Ga were in his shoes, he probably wouldn't give up either!