Wu Zhao had recently approached Zhuang Rui, revealing that he wanted to work at Zhuang Rui's museum after graduating with his doctorate. Zhuang Rui immediately agreed, saying that he didn't lack money, but rather collections and professional talent.
"real?"
"Wow, long live the boss!" "Mr. Zhuang, thank you so much..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the two flight attendants were so happy they almost jumped for joy. Even the usually composed He Shuang and Ding Hao had beaming smiles. Although their incomes would easily allow them to travel abroad, who wouldn't love something free?
"Alright, almost filled up the tank, let's get ready to go..."
Zhuang Rui touched his nose, thinking that those who were hailed as "Long live the Emperor" rarely ended up in a good way, right? ...
After leaving the beautiful and pleasant Maldives, the plane flew for another seven or eight hours before finally landing at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa.
The temperature in Johannesburg was much higher than in Beijing, around 20°C. Sitting in the car, almost everyone he saw was Black, and Zhuang Rui realized that he had arrived in Africa.
Because the Dutch launched colonial wars against South Africa from the 16th century until the British took over in the 19th century, this resource-rich country remained in a state of colony.
So although more than 80 percent of South Africa’s population is black, and blacks are in power now, the country’s lifeline is still controlled by whites. The owners of gold mines, diamond mines and other rare energy mines are mostly whites, while blacks can only work for capitalists as cheap labor.
Take Johannesburg, where Zhuang Rui is currently located, for example. Racial discrimination remains very serious. Soweto, 25 kilometers southwest of the city, is the most concentrated segregation area for black people in South Africa, where a horrific tragedy that shocked the world once occurred.
Before coming, Zhuang Rui also brushed up on his knowledge about South Africa. He knew that Johannesburg was the largest city and economic center of South Africa, as well as the world's largest gold-producing center, and was known as the "Golden City".
One day in 1886, a white man named George Harrison was walking on a farm north of present-day Johannesburg when he tripped over a stone that had protruded from the ground. It turned out to be a gold nugget, which sparked a gold rush that drew prospectors from all over the world.
However, Harrison was an adventurer. Although he obtained a "Gold Mine Discoverer's Certificate" that allowed him to enjoy tax-free treatment, Harrison himself was penniless and had no funds to develop the gold mine. In the end, he sold the ownership to someone else at a very low price, making him arguably the unluckiest gold mine owner in history.
Over the past century, Johannesburg has become the world's largest gold-producing city. Gold mining has driven Johannesburg's development, making it the most prosperous city in South Africa. Tall buildings of various shapes stand side by side, and a modern highway network covers the entire city.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange, one of the world's top ten financial markets, is located in a bustling part of the city, with exceptionally active trading and modern shopping centers in elegant surroundings.
When Zhuang Rui arrived, night had already fallen. The entire city was brightly lit, and the neon lights on the buildings shone brightly, adding to the atmosphere of a modern metropolis.
Another specialty of South Africa, diamond trading, was naturally arranged in Johannesburg. Every year, in addition to gold merchants, the largest number of people who come here are diamond merchants from all over the world.
Zhuang Rui waited for He Shuang to complete the check-in procedures before leaving the airport with them. At the airport exit, a black man was waiting there holding a sign with the Chinese characters "Zhuang Rui" written on it.
"Dude, you speak Chinese?"
Zhuang Rui saw that the two characters on the sign were written in a vigorous and powerful style, even resembling calligraphy. He couldn't help but joke with the person who was picking him up at the airport. South Africa used to be a British colony, so language was not a problem for Zhuang Rui.
However, the black man's reply made Zhuang Rui both amused and exasperated, because he said that the "painting" he was holding up was something he had drawn for three whole hours based on a fax sheet given to him by the hotel.
"Alright, everyone get on the bus..."
Zhuang Rui waved to the people behind him. It was a minivan, just big enough to accommodate them all. The people in Hong Kong had been very thoughtful.
"Brother Zhuang, I heard that gold coins and diamonds are cheap here. How about we go out for a stroll tomorrow night after we finish our business during the day?"
Before he left, Peng Fei promised his wife that he would bring back a large diamond as a gift for her.
"Okay, we want to go too..."
Women have always been powerless against sparkly things. Upon hearing Peng Fei's words, the two beautiful flight attendants cheered happily. Even He Shuang and Ding Hao, who were sitting in the back, were a little tempted. South African diamonds are world-famous.
"Forget it, if you want to buy things, wait until I'm done with my work during the day, and then we'll go together. Remember, you absolutely are not allowed to go out at night..."
Zhuang Rui, who had been laughing and joking with the others, suddenly turned serious. What a joke! Going out for a stroll in Johannesburg at night was practically suicide.
It's important to know that while Johannesburg is a city of wealth, it is also one of the most dangerous cities in the world with the highest crime rate. It has been estimated that, on average, a robbery or rape occurs in this city every few minutes.
South Africa's unemployment rate is as high as 40%, and the vast majority of the unemployed are unskilled and poorly educated black people. The deteriorating security situation has led to frequent robberies and is also creating an atmosphere conducive to racial conflict.
This forced the upper and middle classes, or large capitalist companies representing South Africa, to relocate to the northern suburbs, and urban functions continued to move to the outskirts.
In addition, foreign capital, fearing risks, also moved out, causing restaurants, clubs, nightclubs and other establishments in the city to close one after another. This once bustling and noisy golden city becomes an abandoned city at night, appearing unusually deserted.
Although the lights outside the car window were flashing, Zhuang Rui and the others could see that there were very few people walking on the side of the road, only groups of three or five black people whistling at the passing cars.
Qin's Jewelry originally had an office in Johannesburg. Although it was just one person, it was still a base. However, the unfortunate office manager was stabbed while out picking up girls at night. After recovering from his injury, he never dared to stay there again and would rather give up his job and return to Hong Kong.
Qin's Jewelry no longer has any staff in Johannesburg. Zhuang Rui is staying in hotels in Hong Kong that are easy to contact, but this is not a problem in today's world of advanced communication.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's explanation, everyone on the bus was speechless. The two flight attendants were so frightened that their faces turned pale. When they looked back at the brightly lit outside the bus, their eyes were filled with deep fear.
Actually, Zhuang Rui hadn't planned for the two girls to come to South Africa, but they felt bad about just taking money without doing any work, so they insisted on coming along.
The atmosphere inside the car became somewhat oppressive. About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a hotel near Saunders Square.
"Oh no, a thief!" No one noticed that a small figure was hiding in the shadow of a flowerbed full of tropical plants opposite the hotel entrance.
As Tianya, who was at the back of the group, got off the bus, that figure rushed towards her at lightning speed.
Chapter 811 The Crying Africa
Normally, a proper flight attendant only has one hand luggage after getting off the plane, but Zhuang Rui doesn't follow those rules, so Tianya also had a women's handbag on her shoulder.
The figure hiding in the shadows was trying to snatch the bag from Tianya's shoulder, but just as he grabbed the bag and was about to run away, Tianya subconsciously tugged at it.
However, women are never as strong as men. Even though it was just a boy, he still managed to pull Tianya to the ground. It has to be said that black people have great explosive power. After succeeding, the ten-year-old black boy took off running wildly out of the hotel.
"Thief! Thief!" "Tianya, are you alright?"
Tianya, who was lying on the ground, froze after letting out a scream. She kept muttering "Catch the thief!" Liuli saw blood seeping from Tianya's arm and hurriedly opened her box to take out a first-aid kit to bandage Tianya's arm.
"Is this still a thief? He's more like a bandit, practically trying to rob someone with a gun..."
Upon hearing Tianya's words, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly. He had heard that bag snatching had become quite popular in coastal areas of China in recent years, but he never expected to see it happening in Africa as well.
Seeing that the boy was about to disappear behind the flowerbed, Zhuang Rui knew he couldn't catch him. These locals were very familiar with the terrain, and once he disappeared into the alley across the street, it would be very difficult for him to catch him.
Just because Zhuang Rui couldn't do it didn't mean Peng Fei couldn't. Just as the black boy's figure was about to disappear, Peng Fei suddenly swung his right hand, and the black boy, who had already run more than ten meters away, suddenly let out a scream and fell to the ground.
"Liuli, help Tianya into the hotel, don't let her stay outside..."
Seeing Peng Fei make a move, Zhuang Rui quickly stopped Liu Li. This city truly lives up to its reputation as a city of sin; even at the hotel entrance, people can be robbed. If Liu Li opens her suitcase here, she might just attract another group of robbers.
Peng Fei had already run to the black boy's side, bent down and pulled the knife from the boy's leg, followed by another scream.
"Damn it, is this waiter an idiot?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at the hotel waiter at the entrance. The black guy seemed to have ignored what had just happened and was now trying to help Liuli with her suitcase. However, Liuli pushed him away. Who knows where he would take the suitcase?
Zhuang Rui sighed softly. He knew that South Africa was not safe, but he did not expect it to be this chaotic. Even at the hotel entrance, the safety of guests could not be guaranteed.
"Brother Zhuang, what should we do with this guy?"
When Zhuang Rui arrived at Peng Fei's place, Peng Fei had already subdued the black boy. The knife he had thrown had stabbed the boy's thigh, and now he had torn off the boy's clothes, bandaged him up, and stopped the bleeding.
However, Peng Fei also tied up the black boy's hands and feet. The little boy kept cursing in his native language, with a defiant expression on his face.
"Fine, let him go..."
Zhuang Rui carefully examined the child, who was about thirteen or fourteen years old. His face still had a touch of childishness, and when he opened his mouth to curse, he revealed a set of snow-white teeth.
However, the boy's face would occasionally show a look of pain, clearly indicating that Peng Fei's knife had caused the little guy a great deal of harm.
Seeing the boy's hateful eyes, Zhuang Rui sighed, took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out about ten hundred-dollar bills, squatted down, and stuffed them into the boy's tattered clothes. He said in English, "Don't rob again. Be a good person." "Peng Fei, let him go, let's go..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head, pulled Peng Fei, who was still a little indignant, and said, "Why are you arguing with a kid?"
Zhuang Rui felt that Peng Fei's reaction was a bit excessive. This wasn't his own country. If he injured someone and was taken away by the police, the embassy might have to intervene to resolve the situation. Zhuang Rui didn't want to cause any trouble.
"child?"
Peng Fei sneered and said, "Brother Zhuang, I've seen children kill people before. Let's not talk about this anymore..."
Seemingly thinking of something unpleasant, Peng Fei retorted to Zhuang Rui, then lowered his head and used the knife in his hand to cut open the clothes binding the little boy.
"Sir, thank you." Just as Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei had walked about seven or eight meters, a boy's voice suddenly came from behind them, tinged with a slight sob. Zhuang Rui paused for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Don't do this again..."
The black boy stood up, bowed deeply to Zhuang Rui, and then limped into the darkness.
"See? As long as you're human, you still know what's good for you..."
Zhuang Rui patted Peng Fei on the shoulder and walked into the lavishly decorated hotel lobby.
"Brother Zhuang, never do anything like this in Africa again, or you'll be targeted. African children can be more terrifying than adults sometimes..."
Peng Fei shook his head and followed. Seeing Zhuang Rui's indifferent expression, he continued, "Once, I was on a mission with a comrade. That comrade was shot in the head by a child who had been injured by a landmine while trying to save him. Do you know that he was only nine years old..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui still didn't quite believe him, Peng Fei told him about an experience he had had in the past.
Five years ago, Peng Fei and a platoon of comrades went to Africa on a special mission, which took them deep into the war-torn Congo.
The mission went very smoothly, but when they were about to leave after completing the mission, they encountered a child in the jungle whose leg had been blown off by a landmine. Peng Fei's comrades couldn't bear to see the child die, so they went up to help him bandage his leg.
Who knew that just as Peng Fei's comrade bent down to bandage him, the black boy actually pulled out a pistol from behind his back, pointed it at Peng Fei's comrade's head, and shot him.
Peng Fei and the others were unable to avenge their comrade, because after firing the gun, the boy detonated a grenade, his resolute manner showing that he didn't care about his own life at all.
Peng Fei can still remember the madness and indifference in the boy's eyes. They were like the eyes of a dead man, devoid of any life, like a walking corpse.
Zhuang Rui fell silent upon hearing this. Some things, you can never truly understand the feelings of the person involved without experiencing them firsthand. In his eyes, they were just children, but as Peng Fei said, if it were on the battlefield, even children could become killers.
After listening to Peng Fei's account, Zhuang Rui suddenly recalled an internal report he had seen on Yuquan Mountain not long ago, which described the situation in Africa as child soldiers, and was extremely cruel.
According to the internal report, in the armies of African countries such as Congo, Uganda, and Liberia, all captured children are regularly injected with cocaine or other drugs that cause madness, and those who refuse are immediately beaten to death.
The atrocities committed by these drug-addicted teenagers were appalling; they even used bayonets to cut open the abdomens of pregnant women. In order to gain merit and rewards, these "Boy Scouts" indiscriminately killed innocent people, regardless of age, cutting off their hands, feet, and heads to present to their leaders.
These child soldiers have no concept of good or evil; they only worship and obey their leaders or chiefs because they can obtain drugs from these people to control them.
In order to train Boy Scouts to be violent, they are sometimes required to kill their parents and friends and drink their blood.
During the ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone, rebel leaders forcibly conscripted nearly 10,000 child soldiers aged 9 to 15. These child soldiers carried AK47 rifles that had been phased out in Asia, wore camouflage uniforms, and smoked, drank, and played with women like adults.
After the civil war ended, these surviving child soldiers, besides war and killing, no longer knew how to survive. Many died from drugs, and many more went to countries still in conflict to continue the killing and madness.
Zhuang Rui knew these things, and Peng Fei certainly knew them even better. South Africa was not far from those war-torn countries, so Peng Fei was very vigilant. Who knew if this black boy was a child soldier who had fled to South Africa from another country?
"He Shuang, what's wrong?"
When Zhuang Rui arrived at the hotel reception desk, he found He Shuang arguing with the waiter who had been standing by at the door, while Liu Li and the others also had indignant expressions on their faces.
"Mr. Zhuang, this guy has the nerve to ask for a tip? He didn't care that we were robbed, and he insisted on getting a tip even though we didn't ask him to carry the suitcase..."
He Shuang had served in the military for many years and had a fiery temper; if this were in China, he would have already thrown a punch at her.
Before Zhuang Rui could even finish speaking, Peng Fei, unable to contain his anger, stepped forward and shoved the tall waiter aside, saying in English, "If you don't want to die, stay away from us..."
Peng Fei, who usually appeared rather lazy, suddenly revealed a murderous aura, his eyes flashing with a cold light, causing the black waiter to retreat repeatedly.
Peng Fei is different from He Shuang. Although he also comes from a disciplined force, he is not bound by so many rules and regulations. Especially when carrying out missions abroad, he has a high degree of autonomy. Killing one or two people is nothing to him.