Chapter 17 16

In the center of the square room stood a large table on which some chemical instruments and glassware were placed.A row of large iron cages stood against the wall.Due to the darkness inside, Mary couldn't see what was locked in the iron cage for a while. An African woman in a blue robe was sitting on a low stool at the table.The uniforms are printed with intricate geometric patterns in yellow and orange.With her back to the window, she swayed back and forth gently, humming a peaceful and sad song, as if she was holding a baby. Mary eyed the woman curiously, strangely and bewildered.The hut apparently belonged to a field laboratory.And it's rare for this woman to put the child to sleep in this place.

The woman stopped chanting, stood up, and turned around.Embarrassed by her sneaky behavior, Mary wanted to turn around and leave, but found that the woman was holding neither a baby nor a human being, but a monkey.Maybe a chimpanzee.No, its face is pitch black, it must be a young gorilla!Now, she saw several pairs of eyes in the big iron cage. Mary was stunned, the orangutan was locked here! Seeing Mary, the African woman opened her eyes wide in horror.She quickly put the baby gorilla in an iron cage, closed the door, and rushed out, speaking a string of Swahili as she ran.The woman appears to be apologizing in a panic, fearing severe punishment.

Mary shouted behind the woman in English, telling her to wait so she didn't have to be afraid.But the woman did not stop, but quickly disappeared into the dense forest. Mary stepped into the cabin bewildered.It stinks.Two adult gorillas sat in the narrow iron cage indifferently, looking at her blankly.The little orangutan stretched out a hand towards her from the gap in the iron cage. Mary's tears welled up.She was furious.This is what Ofana did in Africa: using orangutans as experimental subjects!And it's an endangered wild gorilla.According to the guide book, there are only a few hundred gorillas living in the Villagang Volcano area.

Raphael was right. She closed the door and rushed to the laboratory.Just when she was about to rush out of the dense forest, she suddenly realized that she must act cautiously.What happened here not only violated all international conventions for the protection of species, but also violated German and Ukanda laws. She waited for a while until she could breathe calmly again, then walked out of the bushes and walked into the laboratory as nonchalantly as possible. She was about to enter the lounge when the opposite door opened and Berg came out.Seeing her expression, he was immediately full of suspicion.Miss Ashe!You are not feeling well?

Mary swallowed.I went to the toilet.she answered. Berger nodded understandingly.Yes, it's uncomfortable if you're not used to it.Sorry, but unfortunately we can't offer better conditions here.Want a glass of water? Well no problem.thank you!Before Berg could ask further questions, Mary had already slipped into the lounge.This is the room Berg allocated to her and Rafael. God!what's wrong with youHis face is so ugly!Rafael asked in surprise, what happened? Mary's throat choked and she could barely speak.The lady is terrible!You feel right!me I went to the bathroom and saw a path in the jungle behind me.So I walked down the path and heard singing again.There's a hut there where they conduct animal experiments.Raphael, experiment with wild gorillas!

What?Are you sure? Mary gradually calmed down, and told Rafael what she had seen.show me.He said. I don't know if it's a good idea or not.If Berg finds out, I don't know what to do. Raphael nodded.He will definitely spend several years in prison.As far as I know, the Ugandan government is serious about protecting gorillas.If we're going to stop what's going on here, we need evidence.He rummaged through the clutter of his computer bag and found a small silver digital camera.I was going to take pictures of beautiful scenery. At this moment, Mary is really glad that Rafael treats this business trip as a holiday trip.Come on!

They put their ears to the door and listened.It was very quiet outside.They opened the door softly and peeked out, but there was no sign of Berg or his assistant.The other doors were also closed.The two quickly left the laboratory and disappeared into the jungle. They came quickly to the hut.It's unbelievable!Raphael looked at the iron cage, dumbfounded.The small space in the cage leaves little room for the animals to stretch out.Mary saw now how strong the cage was made.It's covered in leather, like a rubber room in a mental hospital. Rafael took pictures everywhere until the memory card was full.To be on the safe side, he immediately took out the memory card and put it in his shirt pocket.What now?he asks.

Call the police.What else could be done?Mary's cell phone had no signal in the area, otherwise she would have made the call. Raphael nodded.How can we save these gorillas? I don't know either.Opening the cage can be dangerous. The animals appeared to be anesthetized, or under the influence of sedatives. They must not be safe outside.Time for a vet to check it out.Better let the police get them out! listen to you. They closed the door and slipped back quietly.As soon as the two entered the room and turned on the computer, Berg walked in. Mr. Berlant called just now.He asks you to call back.You can use the satellite phone in my room.We only have one phone here.Too bad cell phones don't work here.

With her heart pounding, Mary followed Berg to his room.When the phone call came through, Berlant's female secretary told her that the boss had just left for a meeting.They agreed to talk again in the evening.Mary was sure that Brandt didn't know what was going on here.Better to call him from the hotel, though.She thanked Berg and went back to the lounge.Rafael waited for her. Did you tell him? He's not in now.And, Berg was next to me. We can't make a phone call from here and have to go back to the hotel right away. If we leave now, Berg will become suspicious and clear the evidence before the police come.Perhaps, he would have killed those gorillas.If so, it will be difficult to testify against him.

We have photos. I don't know if photos alone can prove it?Photos can be faked, it is difficult to prove that it is related to him. We still have this!Rafael took out a small glass bottle containing a transparent liquid.Ofana's label affixed to the bottle states: Add 2/42. What's this? have no idea.It's on the table in the hut.I thought we might have a piece of physical evidence.I tried to make the vial visible in as many photos as possible. Mary nodded approvingly.good idea. What now? We're going to pretend it's okay and keep working.After returning to the hotel tonight, he will expose the incident and bring out his boss in Dreiech.

Just do it. For the rest of the day, they tried to do what seemed reasonable.However, both of them were too excited to concentrate on their work.At noon, Berg's assistant brought a bowl of frozen fruit and some cornbread.The fruit is delicious, but Mary has no appetite at all. The whole day is spent in torment.In order to give Berg the impression that they are concentrating on their work, Mary specially asked him to provide a list of research projects and tests completed a few months ago.She felt that this experimental station was more closed than before.Did he suspect it?But he couldn't find out. Finally stayed up until evening.Berg was sitting at his computer when Mary walked in.He looked up at her.Dr. Berger, I think we're done for today.She tried to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible. Berg looked at his watch.I was going to take you to a restaurant, but there's still an experiment to be done here. No problem, we can call a taxi ourselves. Want me to call? Just as Mary was about to ask him to call, she suddenly noticed Berg's leather shoes, which were covered with fresh black dirt. A chill ran down her spine.He's been to the cottage!Had he spotted them?But his appearance is quite calm, there is no suspicious sign.no thanks!She said, let me call it myself! whatever you want. She dug out the business card the taxi driver had given her this morning.She has no interest in experiencing another adventure at all, but after all, knowing him, plus he can speak German, will give her a sense of security.Perhaps, he could call the police through the pager on the taxi.She called and the driver promised to be there soon. How about it?Did you find anything?When she hung up, Berger asked out of the blue.He stared intently at her face, as if observing her reaction. Mary was taken aback.What did you find?What do you mean? Nothing, you're not here to find out what potential this lab has to offer Ofana.Did you find something? Well, we haven't come to a conclusion yet. How long are you going to stay here? Mary felt like a figure skater who, after a false jump, was desperately trying to prevent the next fall.Our return journey is the day after tomorrow early in the morning.Will come again tomorrow. Berg's eyes were fixed on her.You still don't understand what the hell we're doing here, do you? It is indeed unclear.Mary wanted to answer that, to reassure him.But it occurred to her that a business consultant should never say something like that.This is Berg's trap! She tried to look annoyed.Dr. Berger, we are not biochemists, but we can still assess the commercial value of research and development! Berg nodded.Understood.I trust that Dr. Scooper will give me a copy of your report.Let's see how credible it is then. Of course, goodbye, Dr. Berg! Goodbye, Miss Ashe, I wish you a smooth return journey! A loud honking signaled that the taxi was waiting outside.Mary and Rafael walked out of the experiment station without saying goodbye to Berg. Nathan.Gombali was all smiles and seemed happy to see them again.Perhaps, he is happy for this business trip!The fare that Mary paid him this morning amounted to less than three euros, but by Ugandan standards, perhaps a lot. Please call the police immediately!As soon as the car started, Mary said immediately. Gombali looked at her in surprise.police?Why, your stuff was stolen? No, we have one thing to report.She pointed to the beeper on the dashboard.please.Can you contact the front desk through the pager? Gombali shook his head.It's too far here, the pager can't get a signal.Only in Kisoro.Same as cell phone.He grinned.But never mind!I can drive to the police station in no time! OK, come on! The old Mercedes blazed down the hill at the same terrifying speed as it came.But now, Mary is lucky to have this speed.The farther they were from the experiment station, the more at ease she felt. Oh shit!Suddenly, Gombali yelled and threw a bunch of obscenities in Swahili.Behind the curve, two jeeps painted in tan camouflage lay across the road.Standing by are two Africans, one of whom raises his arm. Gombali slammed on the brakes, trying to stabilize the shaking Mercedes.Then, while the car was still moving forward, it backed up sharply.The transmission clattered loudly and backed away at maximum speed.Mahalami!Kidnappers! Just as Gombali accelerated, two Africans jumped into the jeep.One of them raised a semi-automatic rifle. The taxi has already moved forward for a certain distance, and it is only a few meters away from the curve.Once around the bend, they were out of bullet range. Gunshots rang out.The front glass of the taxi was broken.Gombali fell to the side with his eyes wide open.The out-of-control car sped backwards, just over the bend. All at once they sank into a thick leaf, and the next thing Mary knew, the car was falling. jump!Rafael yelled and pushed open the car door. Mary seemed paralyzed.The rear of the car hit the hillside and rolled sideways backwards several times.She couldn't tell the direction for a moment.Her head hit the roof of the car, slammed to the side, and hit the ground again. When the car finally stopped, it was almost upright.Mary lay across in the backseat.Nathan.Gongbali was lying on her body, staring at her with empty eyes.Blood trickled from his half-open mouth.silence.Only the diesel engine still hums. Mary felt no pain, and was very light, unnaturally light.She turned her head and saw that Rafael was not there! really weird!She never thought that she would die in Africa.With this thought, she was surrounded by darkness, as if there was a warm and soft towel covering her face.