300: Chapter 298: Reality Isn’t That Great 300: Chapter 298: Reality Isn’t That Great Clinging to the control stick, Gao Yang’s heart was filled with excitement, but after a short while, once the novelty wore off, it felt just so-so without any real sensation of flying the plane.
Flying over the vast grasslands, the view below was clear at a glance, but the familiar scene below only made Gao Yang’s heart tighten further.
Until he found the Akuri tribe and confirmed their safety, it was impossible for him to feel at ease.
In the end, Gao Yang dared not move the control stick to seek some feeling of flight.
Just as he was starting to feel bored, he saw a large cow herd on the ground, dotted with mud huts.
Spotting signs of human life on the ground, Gao Yang couldn’t help but look down.
The plane quickly passed over the nomadic tribe he had spotted, and when Gao Yang’s gaze returned forward, the pilot beside him said with interest, “Going hunting?”
“Yes, going hunting.”
“Just you?
For long?”
“Just me, I’ll probably stay for a few days.”
The pilot confidently waved his hand and spoke loudly, “You’re as good as dead, buddy.
Going to the grasslands alone this season, you’re a goner.”
Gao Yang merely smiled without saying much.
Of course, he was aware of the dangers of the tropical grasslands, but having lived on these grasslands for three years, surviving was not particularly difficult for him.
“It’s not too late to have regrets now.
If you want to hunt, it’s best to hire a couple of guides, get your gear ready.
Do you think having a gun will suffice?
No, what’s going to kill you are things you can’t solve with a gun.
Take my advice; you should go back to Malakal and hire some people.”
The most fatal threats on the tropical grasslands were indeed not the beasts, but various venomous snakes and insects, a fact well-known to Gao Yang who had already suffered their pain in the past.
Now Gao Yang had enough knowledge and means to survive on the grasslands.
Although he had no need to explain too much, the pilot’s advice was well-meaning, so Gao Yang still smiled and replied, “Thank you for the warning, but I can handle it.”
The pilot pursed his lips and said, “Whatever you say, but you better be careful.
If things go south, call for help quickly.
Maybe I can still make it in time to pick you up.
Another thing, watch out for the Dinka and Nuer tribes; they’re warring right now, especially the Nuer people.
Stay well away from them, particularly their cows.”
Gao Yang was surprised and said, “That’s inconsistent with what I’ve heard.
Isn’t it quite peaceful now?
What, is there a war going on?”
The pilot laughed and said, “Buddy, when did the Dinka and Nuer people ever stop fighting?
Pastures, water sources, cow herds—they fight over everything.
Whenever they meet, they clash, and clashes mean deaths.
Of course, you wouldn’t hear about it in the city.
The so-called peace is just an absence of full-scale warfare, but the tribal conflicts never cease.”
After finishing his words, the pilot pointed at the ground and spoke loudly, “Look over there, another tribe.
It’s about to meet with the one we just saw.
If these two tribes belong to different ethnic groups, then conflict is about to break out.”
Gao Yang frowned and said, “Is it that serious?”
The pilot nodded and replied, “It’s that serious.
Just wait and see, the Dinka and Nuer people are going to be at full-scale war soon.
They’re expanding their territories with all their might.
I guarantee it won’t be long before a major war breaks out.”
Gao Yang was worried and said, “Where are they active now?
I mean, are there Dinka or Nuer tribes where I’m planning to go?”
“Haven’t seen any.
I flew near there not long ago, didn’t spot any cow herds, but their migration is quick, and no one knows where they might move to.
If you come across a Dinka tribe, that’s somewhat better; the Dinka are more open and tend to accept outsiders more easily.
But the Nuer, they’re different; extremely xenophobic, and their beliefs and customs are much more primitive.
So if you run into the Nuer, you better keep your distance.”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Thank you for your advice.
I’ll remember that, but how can I distinguish between Dinka and Nuer tribes?”
“The Dinka people are all very tall, extremely tall and skinny.
The average height for men can reach 1.95 meters, and women are also around 1.8 meters, and they are very dark, exceptionally dark.
See my skin color?
They are much darker than me.
If you see a particularly dark and tall individual, that’s a Dinka person.
The Nuer people are basically similar to the Dinka, also tall and thin, but still shorter than the Dinka and not as dark.
They also have different tattoos, but I can’t explain those in detail to you right now.”
After taking to heart what the pilot had said, Gao Yang spoke in a deep voice, “Thank you, I really appreciate you telling me all this.”
The pilot waved his hand and said, “If you offend one Dinka person, you offend an entire tribe.
And if you offend a tribe, it’s as if you’ve provoked all the nearby tribes, and they won’t rest until they’ve sorted you out.
The same goes for the Nuer people, but the Nuer are even more dangerous.
Those living in towns are somewhat better, but the nomadic Nuer tribes are very xenophobic.
Sometimes they might even attack people proactively.
Nonetheless, bumping into a tribe isn’t the end of the world.
What you should be most worried about are those roaming armed groups.”
The pilot was quite talkative.
He turned around and, with dramatic gestures, said, “Whether it’s the Dinka’s armed forces or the Nuer’s, it’s all very dangerous.
They are neither city dwellers nor do they belong to a tribe.
These people are capable of any evil.
They could kill without any reason whatsoever, especially the Nuer’s armed elements.
Sometimes they even loot towns and kill complete strangers for fun.”
Gao Yang had once fought with the Nuer.
The attack that he encountered when meeting Professor Buck and Catherine was a joint act by the Vulture Mercenary Group and the Nuer, and the armed Nuer militants were the ones who, without asking anything, simply killed everyone in Professor Buck’s camp right away.
Morgan is now collaborating with one of the larger Dinka tribes to develop an oil field.
Morgan has only bought a piece of land from the Dinka tribe, but Gao Yang doesn’t know where that oil field is located.
He only knows that Kolm and his people stayed in South Sudan to work on the development of the oil field.
After arriving in Malakal, Kolm had given Gao Yang a detailed explanation about the Dinka and the Nuer, and Gao Yang had gained some understanding.
The situation in Malakal City, where Kolm was, seemed much better, and the oil field to be developed was also located in the Dinka’s gathering area, so from Kolm’s perspective, the situation didn’t seem too serious.
However, to local pilots who flew everywhere, the realities were apparently clearer.
Both the Dinka and Nuer’s main areas of activity were closer to the banks of the Blue Nile River, while the Akuri tribe’s region was far from the Blue Nile.
Grazing would be feasible during the rainy season, but come the dry season, the grass and water sources were insufficient to support grazing requirements.
Hence, Gao Yang, living on the grasslands for three years, had never encountered a nomadic tribe.
Gao Yang felt that the situation probably hadn’t changed much.
Even if the Dinka and the Nuer started to fight over territories, it would be over areas suited for grazing and likely wouldn’t reach the more primitive areas where the Akuri tribe roamed.
Just because the tribes wouldn’t reach a certain area didn’t mean armed groups wouldn’t go there.
The Akuri tribe had once been attacked by unidentified armed militants, and to avoid those threatening armed militants, the Akuri tribe kept moving south, closer to the rainforest.
After pondering for a moment, Gao Yang asked in a grave tone, “Do you know where those tribal militants are mainly active right now?
Do you think there will be signs of them in the place we are heading to?”
The pilot laughed heartily, drew a big circle in the air with his hand, and said loudly, “They could go anywhere.
They show up in any place.
These people rob cattle from other tribes, they poach; ivory, live cheetah cubs, it’s all money.
To get cash, they’ll do anything.”
After finishing, the pilot, with great enthusiasm, said, “I’ve once transported cheetahs from the grasslands, baby cheetahs purchased from poachers.
If the person renting the plane is dealing with armed militants, I wouldn’t dare go.
They trap the mother cheetah with her cubs, kill the adult, and keep the young.
People from the Middle East pay big money for them, you know how much a young cheetah is worth?”
“How much?”
“A million!
US Dollars!
It only costs between fifty to a hundred thousand US Dollars to buy from poachers, but once sold, it’s at least a million US Dollars.
And that’s just the middleman’s cut.
It’s said that a live cheetah can sell for even more once it’s in the Middle East, but I don’t know the exact amount.”
Listening to this, Gao Yang felt somewhat disheartened.
He was not an extreme animal rights activist, but when he was with the Akuri tribe, he had to hunt every day for survival, and he never killed any animals beyond what was necessary for sustenance.
Akuri’s practices wouldn’t cause any ecological issues, but the idea of killing increasingly rare animals for fun was something Gao Yang couldn’t accept, especially those actions by poachers that could quickly lead to the disappearance of a species.
Gao Yang, though carrying a hunting rifle, only did so for self-defense.
If necessary, he would aim his gun at an antelope or such, but he definitely wouldn’t kill elephants or lions just for fun.
The pilot didn’t notice the disapproving expression on Gao Yang’s face.
Curiously, he asked, “What game are you planning to hunt?
Most people who come here want to bag an elephant or a male lion; those are the most popular trophies.”
Gao Yang shrugged and replied, “If they don’t attack me first, I won’t shoot any of them.
I’m just here to look for someone, to find a primitive tribe.
Do you know where there might be one?”
Realization dawned on the pilot’s face as he said, “You’re in the humanities?
You should have said earlier.
I actually know where there’s a primitive tribe, not too far from where you’re going.
Do you need to fly over and have a look?” (To be continued.
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