Chapter 99: New Arrangements

Henry brought a chair so Audrey could sit in the shade beneath the hangar. "Boss, we need to unload the supplies from the plane. It'll take some time—please rest here."

Audrey complained, "I've been on a plane. Now that I've finally gotten off, you want me to sit again? Kid, go ahead and work. I'll walk around and stretch my legs. I'll sit when I'm tired."

"Alright, Boss. But don't go where we can't see you," Henry conceded.

Several big men rolled up their sleeves and prepared to move the plane's cargo onto two vehicles.

Small passenger planes don't have dedicated cargo holds like large airliners; instead, they have special baggage compartments for large items. But this time, they brought so much that some of it was additionally strapped to the floor.

Brian commanded, "Henry, you take that stack of cardboard boxes."

"Got it."

Besides Henry's affirmative response, Old Bernie also helped carry the boxes. Inside were donated relief supplies meant for the protection agency—mostly clothes and food, along with some impractical plush toys.

There were also provisions they had prepared for themselves: rations, water, sleeping bags, and other essentials.

Brian and the other two moved larger wooden crates and smaller metal boxes—these were logistical supplies for the security team, including firearms and ammunition.

For safety, Brian and his team handled these items themselves and kept Henry away from them.

Normally, they only concealed short guns on their persons and never carried long rifles in hand—mainly to avoid frightening the children.

In this land of Africa, the people were no strangers to firearms. Some of the children who ended up in child protection centers might have been survivors after their families were shot dead.

To avoid triggering these children's sensitive emotions, they were not to walk around with long rifles in front of them—that was Lady He Ben's requirement before departure.

After all the supplies were loaded onto the vehicles, Henry watched the Italian pilot park the plane beneath the hangar. Airport staff came over, took the fee, then went off to handle the rest themselves.

With everything ready, Henry's group did not leave the airport. They stayed on the tarmac, waiting for local officials and guides to arrive and lead them.

Otherwise, even if they knew where they were going, just charging ahead might cause trouble—the local protection staff might not recognize a group of white people, and misunderstandings could arise.

So, during this waiting time, Henry asked about the next arrangements.

Brian explained, "The airport facilities are too basic to handle night landings or takeoffs. Even if we rush back at top speed after visiting the site, we'll arrive after dark—and the airport will be closed."

"So we'll definitely have to spend a night here. Where we sleep depends on how the local officials arrange it. I've brought some camping gear—that's our last resort."

"What about the pilot and flight attendants? I see they aren't leaving," Henry asked.

Brian replied, "They'll stay at the airport to inspect and clean the plane. Mostly because this godforsaken place has no bars where they could spend the night. Even the local lodges might be less comfortable and sanitary than the plane."

"If they need to wash up, they can use the airport facilities—for a fee."

"And staying on the plane prevents the locals from getting overly enthusiastic—everybody trying to steal a part, until the plane's left as nothing but a skeleton."

Henry exclaimed, "That actually happens?"

Brian smiled and gestured around. "Look—no walls, no barbed wire. Anyone can walk into the airport. Look under the hangar—whenever a plane is parked, there are always people around it."

After giving these two clues, Brian shrugged and said, "This is Africa. Nothing here surprises me. That's why I insisted on bringing guns—you don't have to use them, but you can't be caught without them when you need them."

That last remark was directed at Lady He Ben. Before departure, Audrey had objected when she heard Brian's team planned to carry weapons.

She thought their purpose was simply to visit children—why bring weapons?

But after seeing UN personnel arrive with armed peacekeepers, she relented—only demanding that Brian's team never display firearms in front of the children.

After waiting a long while, the local officials finally arrived.

Two black men—one fat, one thin. The fat one wore a cotton T-shirt and dress pants; the fabric was cool and breathable, quite a premium material.

The thin one was lean and muscular, dressed in a camouflage shirt and jeans. If he carried a machine gun and wore a belt of ammunition, he wouldn't even need to shout "robbery"—he'd radiate the aura of a hardened bandit.

They chattered rapidly in their native tongue, their pace so fast it sounded like a quarrel.

Then the fat one stepped forward, greeted them in broken English: "Are you the delegation of UN Ambassador Lady He Ben? I'm your liaison officer. The man behind me is your guide."

Lady He Ben stepped forward to shake hands. Seeing this, Henry naturally pulled out his camera to take photos.

It's said officials love photos proving their achievements, but Henry noticed the fat black man was avoiding the camera lens—clearly uneasy, not at all composed.

After hastily snapping the photos, the fat man said, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's go. It'll take a while to drive to our destination."

No one objected. Everyone got into the vehicles.

The fat black man rode in the jeep driven by the guide.

Henry drove one vehicle, Old Bernie sat shotgun, and the back seat held Lady He Ben and Brian, who was assigned to protect her.

The other vehicle had Mark driving and Sam in the passenger seat. The rear seats were piled high with supplies too large to fit in the trunk.

Without further ado, they drove out of the airport and sped toward their destination.

Mark's driving was easily able to keep up with the wild jeep. Brian's real concern was Henry's driving.

But after watching briefly, he saw Henry maintained a distance of exactly three car lengths behind the jeep, staying precisely within the same tire tracks. That was crucial for following on irregular roads.

Clearly, Henry's driving skills were solid—at least for now.

Yet Brian felt slightly uneasy: Henry spoke Somali, and his recent behavior showed he enjoyed interacting with these locals. So why wasn't he approaching them now?

Even during conversations, he gave no sign he understood Somali.

Others might assume Henry was too embarrassed to speak his broken Somali.

But Brian didn't believe that. His instincts were usually right—especially about bad things…

Day2, Celebrating Launch, Extra Chapter at 9 PM

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(End of Chapter)