Chapter 51: Citizenry Evacuation

Translated by: kevin1782

Edited by: Isalee

Before leaving, Gao Yang handed over some last few things in Libya: he gave the guns to Abdullah and asked him to return them to Bob and Simon. Gao Yang then took Grolev’s money. He was ready to go home.

Abdullah drove a very ordinary car. He wanted to personally send Gao Yang to the airport. Gao Yang didn’t even know how he was going to board the plane and get back to his homeland afterward. The reason why was because there weren’t any direct flights from Tripoli to China.

Walking down the streets of Tripoli, Gao Yang felt that Benghazi and Tripoli belonged to two different countries. Benghazi was already a mess. Tripoli at least seemed peaceful and secure superficially. Everything seemed normal.

When the car drove out of the city, they encountered several checkpoints, but Abdullah easily pa.s.sed through each time. His demeanors were same as the locals, he spoke the same language and wore the same clothes. If Gao Yang hadn’t known Abdullah’s true ident.i.ty, he definitely wouldn’t think that Abdullah’s time in Libya was shorter than his.

After a checkpoint, Gao Yang couldn’t help but asked, “Abdullah, can you tell me what Libya is like? Whether this country’s really good or bad, or if the people are good or bad? To be honest, I'm just speaking from a tourist’s viewpoint, but I’d like to know more. Since, you know, I almost died here.”

After a very long silence, Abdullah’s voice sank as he said, “This country is very good, and so are the people. They are very warm and generous, no matter rich or poor. They’ll entertain you with the best they have. The precondition to all that is, no war!”

After hearing Abdullah’s words, Gao Yang recalled everything he had seen in Libya: a jihadistic militia, callous robbers who killed without blinking, angry mobs crowded in groups. It was hard to believe Abdullah’s words from what Gao Yang had witnessed. But Gao Yang knew that Abdullah hadn’t lied because he knew that war could change too many things.

Gao Yang thought that he should have been minding his own business. No matter what Libya was like, he was just a pa.s.serby. Although Libya had changed him, he wouldn’t affect Libya at all.

After a long way out of the city area, Gao Yang couldn’t bear but to ask curiously, “Abdullah, how are you gonna send me home? Really.”

Like several times before, Abdullah just shrugged and replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be able to go back. Now’s not the time to reveal the answer. I want to give you a surprise.”

Gao Yang smiled bitterly and said, “Please, I don’t want any surprises. I just wanna know how I can get home as soon as possible. I heard the airport is already closed and doesn’t allow flights to take off. But you insist on sending me to the airport and it’s really difficult for me not to be worried.”

Abdullah smiled and replied, “Just wait a bit more. Anyways, it’s just another few minutes to the airport. You'll soon understand everything. By the way, do you want to get home ASAP immediately or patiently wait a while more?”

Gao Yang unhesitantly answered, “Still need to ask? Of course the fastest speed home, I don’t want to wait a moment more.”

Abdullah nodded and said, “Understood. As you wish, you will immediately reach home.”

Just when Gao Yang and Abdullah were talking, they could already see the airport terminal building. At this time, Gao Yang didn’t ask anymore. He had already reached the airport anyway and it’d be just as Abdullah had said, the riddle would uncover itself.

After Abdullah led Gao Yang very smoothly through two checkpoints, they directly went to the terminal building. They entered the terminal building. Gao Yang was immediately stunned.

The ma.s.sive terminal was in huge chaos. Foreigners of all colors and faces almost filled up the entire terminal. Pandemonium was everywhere. Some people were crazily shouting into their phones. Someone in bellowed in rage. There were cries of both women and children. Gao Yang just wanted to get the heck out from the terminal.

The huge flight schedule board showed that all flights were grounded. Gao Yang thought it wasn’t possible to leave the airport.

Gao Yang frowned and said, “Abdullah, I don’t think I can get outta here. Did you get something wrong?"

Abdullah sighed and pointed at the people in chaos. “Look at those people. What do you see?"

Gao Yang looked and shook his head before replying, “Except for all the foreigners, I found nothing.”

Abdullah smiled and said, “You have to improve your observation skills. Look closely, there are all sorts of people here, mostly Indians and Pakistanis. Then the Europeans. There are people from all over the world, but did you find any Chinese?”

Gao Yang discovered under Abdullah’s tip that there were only a few East Asians. Just as Abdullah had said. Gao Yang also saw familiar faces, but they were either Korean or j.a.panese. Not a single of them spoke Mandarin Chinese.

Gao Yang was astonished and asked, “What’s really happening?”

Abdullah sighed and said, “Follow me, you'll see soon.”

Abdullah led Gao Yang through the crowd. They squeezed through the crowd and reached a corner of the terminal. After reaching out his hand he pointed and said, “This is where all your countrymen are. You can go there and you will be able to go with them.”

There were about four to five hundred people gathered together in one corner. They all looked ruffled up and dejected whether they were standing or sitting and yet n.o.body was crying. Unlike other foreigners who had anxious looks or were at a loss, they looked very calm and very orderly in contrast.

Gao Yang saw familiar complexions and heard a familiar language. Gao Yang knew at once that those gathered here were people like him from China.

As they were calmly waiting for the evacuation, it was a stark contrast compared to other desperate people from the other countries. Gao Yang saw a lot of foreigners bringing their children and begging piteously at the corner where the Chinese gathered. A few Chinese stood outside and couldn’t do anything else except refuse. Gao Yang heard that they at most said that they were sorry and that they could only give priority to the [1] Chinese. They also said that no matter how much money was given, they couldn’t help nonetheless.

“What’s going on?”

Abdullah sighed, and said, “I thought the United States would be the first to evacuate, but I didn’t expect that you Chinese would be evacuated first instead. Also with the fastest and largest manpower. Perhaps other countries’ planes will come, but Heaven knows what this place will be like when their planes get here. You understand now, right? You got in just time for evacuation. I don’t know what your opinion regarding your government, but I have to say that you’ve really lucked out this time. At least you don’t have to wait for so long and hard like the others. I also know that there are military planes here for the citizenry evac’. Taking it can take you home straight away.”

Gao Yang really wanted to cry. Whatever it was before and how the Chinese performed in other instances, at the very least, at this moment, Gao Yang was proud and gratified to be Chinese.

He shook hands with Abdullah, saying, “Thank you. Frankly, I didn’t expect to leave in this manner, but I still have to say, you really gave me a huge surprise.”

Abdullah smiled and said, “What do you intend to do?”

“Go to the gathering area where the Chinese are of course, and then wait for evacuation. It’s an evac’ anyways, doesn’t matter if I don’t have a pa.s.sport. How else am I gonna do it?”

Abdullah shook his head. “No, no, that way, you would go Egypt then Tunisia after probably, or even Italy first. Too slow. According to me, there’ll be a military plane arriving real soon. If you wanna go China straightaway, you gotta listen to me. I can make you go there in the fastest way possible.”

Gao Yang hesitantly asked, “This ain’t right, eh? Everybody’s anxious to leave so I better queue up honestly. I can get back sooner or later anyway.”

Abdullah shook his head and said, “No, I promised to make you go back immediately, so you will go back immediately. Stand still, don’t move. Bear with the pain, it won’t be too painful.”

Gao Yang trepidatiously asked, “Hurt? Will it? What are you doing?”

Abdullah didn’t speak and waved after reaching out his hand. Out of who-knows-where appeared a small knife; Abdullah pulled Gao Yang still and lifted the other hand to make a long shallow cut.

Seeing that his chest was instantly soaked and flowing with blood, Gao Yang was shocked and frightenedly asked, “What are you doing?”

Abdullah grinned slightly and kept his knife, saying, “To allow you to go home, man. Rest a.s.sured, the incision was very shallow. You don’t even need any treatment and it will be fine. The blood will coagulate fast. Let’s use this opportunity to get over there quickly since you look quite scary.”

After saying that, Abdullah took hold of Gao Yang and dashed towards the Chinese section. He shouted as he ran with Gao Yang, “Help us, help him, he was attacked by a radicalized mob! He’s seriously injured.”

Gao Yang felt afraid looking at himself also. There was a huge hole in his clothes from his left shoulder to his right rib. The incision could be seen through the ripped clothes. Gao Yang’s top half was almost inundated with blood. It looked really dangerous and fatal, but only Gao Yang and Abdullah knew how superficial and shallow this wound was. The blood would soon stop without any treatment.

Abdullah tugged Gao Yang all the way to the outskirts of the gathering area. Two Chinese men in suits immediately came up. They inhaled a puff of cold air in shock when they saw Gao Yang’s wound. One of them roared urgently, “What happened? What’s happened?”

Abdullah shouted, “We were a.s.saulted by radicalized mobs, he’s hurt really badly, can’t you see? He’s a Chinese, you gotta get him out quick!”

Translator’s note(s):