Chapter 1234 'Gift of the Sun'
Zhao Shanhe asked in confusion, "What is this? The shape is quite unique, and it has African characteristics. The color of the gemstone is quite beautiful. Is it citrine? Or yellow tourmaline?"
Xiao Peng explained, "This is golden beryl, or golden emerald. If there's iron in the beryl, especially divalent iron, the emerald will appear blue, known as 'aquamarine.' If there's trivalent iron, it will appear yellow, known as 'golden beryl.' Beryl with a yellow tint is not uncommon, but one this yellow and this large is quite rare. This gem is called 'Sun.' The English word 'golden beryl' means 'gift of the sun.'"
Zhao Shanhe suddenly realized: "So it's very valuable, right?"
Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "I'm not showing off my wealth to you. This 'sun' is stained with blood: at least five thousand people died because of it."
Seeing Zhao Shanhe's confusion, he continued to explain, "This gem is the spiritual symbol of the Zaghawa people of Nigeria. It has been passed down since the 8th century. When the British colonized Nigeria, they heard about this gem and wanted to find it. However, among Nigeria's 250-plus ethnic groups, they initially couldn't figure out which ethnic group it belonged to. When they learned the Zaghawa possessed the gem, they wanted to plunder it and began a massacre. About 5,000 people died because of it, but the Zaghawa refused to surrender and preserved the gem."
"Then how come this gem is on you?" Zhao Shanhe raised his doubts.
"Their king gave it to me," Xiao Peng said. "You heard right, 'king'. Actually, it's equivalent to the leader of the tribe. To be more precise, I am now the king of the Zaghawa people. This bracelet is the symbol of the Zaghawa leader."
Zhao Shanhe looked at the huge gem and exclaimed, "What did you do to deserve such a precious gift? Did you sleep with the king's daughter?"
Xiao Peng shook his head: "No, no, no, I only saved their king and his three brothers, two sisters and four 'princesses'."
Zhao Shanhe became interested: "Hey? Tell me what's going on?"
Xiao Peng explained, "In Yola, Adamawa State in southeastern Nigeria, a kidnapping occurred. All the students in a school were abducted by armed gangs and held for ransom. Local police were helpless, believing the gang to be 'extremely experienced and sophisticated, with strong anti-detection capabilities.' Over 200 students were kidnapped without a single clue. The Zaghawa 'royal family' also attended this school and were wiped out."
"Go to school?" Zhao Shanhe was stunned. "Are you talking about the king?"
Xiao Peng nodded. "This is quite normal over there. It's not uncommon to see twelve or thirteen-year-old 'chiefs' or 'kings'. I was playing in the rainforest at the time and spotted this group of people. I grabbed the robbers and saved them."
He said it lightly, but Zhao Shanhe was terrified. This was a group of armed criminals, and they kidnapped over 200 people, so how could there be fewer people? You captured them all by yourself? Do you think you're Rambo?
Seeing Zhao Shanhe remained silent, Xiao Peng misunderstood his meaning, so he explained, "What those kidnappers did was more brutal than you can imagine. They raped and tortured me... I couldn't stand it anymore, so I offered my help."
"Aren't they after money?" Zhao Shanhe asked.
Xiao Peng shook his head: "They're after money, but no one says that if they're after money, they can't do other things, right? Besides, they kidnapped over 200 people!"
Zhao Shanhe said, "I see. You saved him, and he gave you this as a token of his gratitude? Hey, they're quite sincere."
Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "That's not what I want to say. What I want to say is: Do you know why these kidnappers are so difficult to catch?"
"Why?" Zhao Shanhe asked puzzledly.
Xiao Peng explained, "The police were involved throughout the kidnapping, from planning to execution! The first thing Babaka—oh, that Zaghawa King—did after being rescued was kill a robber and chop him into pieces. I later learned that the deceased robber had raped his princess and sister right in front of him. He also chopped off the hand of one of his two younger brothers and carved words on the face of the other. The gangster was actually a local Zaghawa policeman. He tortured Babaka because he wanted the 'sun,' as many of the robbers were Zaghawa. Because of this, Babaka gave me the 'sun,' but of course, I paid a price."
"The price? How much did it cost?" Zhao Shanhe asked in confusion.
"Hmm... twenty bazookas, ten boxes of rockets, twenty boxes of grenades, and fifty AKs. We bought them locally, so they were cheap. The total cost was less than 20,000 Euros." Xiao Peng explained, "Don't think Babaka doesn't know the value of something his ancestors risked their lives to protect. How could he not know the value of this gem? He's not uneducated either; he knows the value of this gem. But if an innocent man possesses a gem, he's guilty. If his tribesmen were targeting him for this gem, his future safety wouldn't be guaranteed. In the end, I helped him send his younger brothers and sisters to study abroad in Daxia. I arranged for a prosthetic limb for one brother and facial skin surgery for another."
Zhao Shanhe wanted to sigh that Xiao Peng had gotten a good deal, but then he thought, not everyone can get such a good deal. After all, how many people can rescue someone from so many armed robbers?
Xiao Peng said, "Later, I inquired and found out that there are many kidnapping cases in Nigeria, and according to many cases solved in the past, the police are basically involved. I have finally figured it out. Don't live here with the way we think in Daxia. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do' not only refers to local customs, but also includes understanding the local security and laws. Just like that kid just now, I still have something to say even if I kill him! After all, he broke into the house and I was in self-defense. But if I really go to the mayor's house to arrest someone? Then I would be committing a crime. Now do you understand? You thought I was fierce just now, but in fact I have always abided by the law. Do you understand now?"
"You said so much just to prove that you are a 'law-abiding citizen'?" Zhao Shanhe was a little confused.
Xiao Peng nodded. "That's right. Otherwise, why would I talk so much nonsense with you? I said, aren't you tired after running so far? Why don't you go back to sleep?"
Zhao Shanhe: "How can you still sleep after such a big thing happened?"
"Of course, even if the sky falls, it can't affect my sleep! That kid just now got what he deserved for disturbing my sleep!"
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