235: Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Three: The Boss 235: Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Three: The Boss Gao Yang planned to meet the leader of the Skull Gang alone, but Li Jinfang and Frey flat out refused, insisting on going together.
In the end, Gao Yang conceded and let Li Jinfang accompany him to see the leader of the Skull Gang.
Gao Yang and Li Jinfang boarded Abu’s boat, each carrying a handgun and a walkie-talkie.
Meanwhile, Fernando and Frey joined the other crew members after breaking out of the Skull Gang’s encirclement and met up with Cui Bo, waiting out at sea on three speedboats for news from Gao Yang.
Commanded by Abu, all the boats docked at the shore, where the battle had ended.
The majority of the pirates chose to surrender, dropping their weapons and squatting on the ground with their hands over their heads, while the Skull Gang members were busy gathering up the corpses.
Gao Yang had been imaging what the Skull Gang’s boss would look like: maybe a burly strongman, a wily old strategist, or an unassuming figure with ruthless methods.
Abu seemed to hold his boss in high regard, which led Gao Yang to believe that the Skull Gang’s boss ought to be a powerful strongman.
Even though this guess had no basis whatsoever, Gao was convinced that the boss should be a muscular giant.
When Abu led Gao Yang to meet the Skull Gang’s boss, he was completely stunned, as the boss was nothing like what he had imagined.
The leader of the Skull Gang was less than one meter sixty, small and thin, wearing black-framed glasses, and dressed in a very white short-sleeved shirt paired with black trousers, looking like a high school student.
Seeing a black kid even younger than Frey, if Gao Yang hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed such a person could be the boss of the Skull Gang.
Looking at Gao Yang’s surprised expression, the leader of the Skull Gang smiled and extended his hand, saying something in Somali that Gao couldn’t understand, though the intention to shake hands was clear.
As Gao Yang shook hands with the leader of the Skull Gang, Abu said in English, “My boss says his name is Maide Hassan, and he’s very pleased to meet you.
You are his first foreign guests.”
While shaking hands with Maide, Gao Yang gave a wry smile and said, “I’m very pleased to meet you as well.
You first gave me a huge shock, then the shock turned into a surprise, and I hope this surprise can last till the end.”
After finishing his words, Gao Yang released Maide’s hand.
While Abu was translating his words to Maide in Somali, Gao Yang said to Li Jinfang beside him, “Why do I feel so unreal?
If this guy really is the boss of the Skull Gang, isn’t he a bit too young?
Could it be that he inherited the position as the boss?”
Gao Yang knew his action was impolite, but he was so astonished by Maide’s appearance that he expressed his amazement to Li Jinfang in Chinese.
After smiling and saying a few words, Gao immediately turned his attention back to Maide, waiting for him to speak and for Abu’s translation.
“Actually, I was just wondering if you were Huaxia people.
I thought you looked like it but wasn’t sure.
But since you speak Chinese, I can now confirm that you are indeed from Huaxia.
By the way, I should add that I’m not as young as I look.
I’m already twenty-seven, but I can’t help it—I have a baby face.”
Gao Yang and Li Jinfang were collectively shocked, their mouths wide enough to fit a fist.
The reason was simple: Maide had spoken in fluent Chinese, with a bit of an accent, but it wasn’t a foreign accent—it was a Sichuanese Mandarin accent.
Li Jinfang’s eyes widened as he looked at Gao Yang in shock and said, “Brother Yang, when did Chinese become so widespread?”
Gao Yang did not answer Li Jinfang’s question, still unable to compose himself, and watching the shock on Gao Yang and Li Jinfang’s faces, Maide Hassan smiled again, then extended his hand and said, “Let’s get reacquainted.
My name is Maide Hassan, my Chinese name is Ma Donglai, you can also call me Little Ma.
I studied in Huaxia for four years, at the Medical College of Sichuan University.”
Gao Yang shook hands with Maide again, and after Li Jinfang also shook hands with Maide, Gao Yang shrugged and said with a bitter smile, “This is so surprising, encountering a foreigner who can speak Chinese in Somalia.
My apologies, I’m just too shocked.
Please don’t take any offense if we’ve been rude.”
Maide nodded and with a smile said, “Excuse me, please wait a moment, I need to give some instructions.”
Abu was stunned as well, watching his boss suddenly converse in an incomprehensible language with two foreigners, apparently just as shocked as Gao Yang.
After Maide Hassan spoke a few words to Abu in Somali, Abu nodded and then turned to leave.
Following that, he shouted in Somali for a while, and the captives who had been scattered around gathered together with their hands raised.
Watching Abu carry out his orders, Maide Hassan smiled and said, “I apologize, but I can’t delay here for too long.
Although I would like to show off my Mandarin, I think I should speak directly.
May I ask who you are?
Are you armed escorts or crew members from a merchant ship, or do you work for a certain government?”
Gao Yang shook his head and replied, “Actually, we are neither.
We are mercenaries, but we are currently taking on an armed escort mission for a merchant ship.”
Maide Hassan sighed and said, “I really didn’t expect to encounter Huaxia people here.
Actually, meeting you was completely accidental.
I must thank you for your unintended help.
If it weren’t for you, we would have suffered much greater losses.”
Gao Yang chuckled and said, “Actually, it’s not our first encounter.
I mean, I’ve met your men before.
That Abu, I’ve already seen him three times.
Please excuse my boldness, but now that I’m fairly certain you are indeed the boss of the Skull Gang, I still need to ask you directly, are you really the boss of the Skull Gang?”
Maide Hassan nodded and said, “Yes, I am the boss of the Skull Gang, but that’s what we’re called at sea.
On land, we are known as the Alliance of Fairness and Justice.”
Gao Yang smiled again and said, “Our meeting is indeed dramatic, almost like a movie.
I’m even at a loss for words now.
Anyway, I should be more concerned about my own situation.
May I ask why you wanted to meet with us?
Just to clarify, I’m asking purely out of curiosity.”
Maide Hassan also smiled and said, “Actually, I had no expectation that you would come to see me.
I just wanted to declare the Skull Gang’s purpose and to thank you for your accidental assistance, of course, and most importantly, I wanted to inquire if you have paid the maritime fee.
If you have, then the Skull Gang is responsible for your safety.
So, if you need any help, you can ask, although I know that since you are armed escorts now, it’s likely the merchant ship you’re protecting has not paid the fee.”
Gao Yang first nodded and then burst out laughing, “I knew it!
The notion of a maritime fee is so characteristic of Huaxia, and sure enough, this idea was indeed conceived by someone with Huaxia roots.
Now I understand why there’s such a thing as a maritime fee in the Gulf of Aden.
I must say, this is way more profitable than piracy; collecting fees is surely faster than robbing ships.”
With a sense of resignation, Maide Hassan said, “There’s no other way; Somalia has nothing.
I have to focus on the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
Apart from this, I have no other way to secure enough money to support my ideals.”
Gao Yang shrugged and asked, “May I ask what your ideal is?”
“Peace!
To end Somalia’s civil war and the current chaos.
Right now, I don’t even think about making Somalia a wealthy nation, but I want Somalia to at least have peace.
My ideal is to bring peace to Somalia, to let the Somali people live a normal and safe life.”
Maide Hassan stated his ideals with a calm and determined voice, and Gao Yang was genuinely taken aback by the scope of his vision, looking at Maide Hassan dumbfounded and saying, “I must say, that is quite an ambitious ideal.”
Maide Hassan pursed his lips and said, “If we don’t even dare to dream, if nobody aspires to bring real peace to Somalia, then the people will forever live amidst war and strife.
Putting an end to the chaos in Somalia has to be done by someone.
It won’t be Americans or any foreigners; it can only be the Somalis themselves, because no one else cares about the kind of life they lead.”
Gao Yang nodded solemnly and said, “I hope you can realize your ideal.
Though it may be difficult, I believe that as long as there is effort, there is hope.
No matter how difficult, taking action is always better than doing nothing.”
Maide Hassan nodded and said, “My ideal might seem hard to achieve, but in fact, it’s not difficult at all.
People in the past couldn’t achieve it simply because they were using the wrong methods.
I believe that when everyone yearns for peace, then peace will surely come.”
Gao Yang hesitated briefly but still voiced his question, “It sounds beautiful, but reality is often harsh.
May I presume to ask how you plan to accomplish this?”
“It’s simple.
Collect money at sea, and with money, you can do a lot.
Feed those who agree with us, develop our strength, gradually grow our power, and eliminate all pirates and armed factions until the day comes when the flag of the Alliance of Fairness and Justice flies throughout Somalia.
It’s a hard process, but I am confident I will ultimately succeed.
Maybe I will achieve this ideal, or maybe someone else will, but that isn’t important.
What’s important is that somebody has to start making a change.
Do you know what the difference between us and the pirates is?
When pirates get ransom money, it only makes their leaders richer.
But when we get money, we put it to use for everyone who supports us.
That’s the key to why my approach will succeed.”
(To be continued.
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