Besides a very strong intuition, Edward Baker was also quite certain that John Foster was lying at this moment.

John Foster was always a bit petty in daily life.

Even when it came to his own affairs, he would find ways to get the company to reimburse him—how could he possibly take on something for someone else?

Edward Baker didn’t call him out, just watched as John Foster, besides water and food, also dug out a pile of trinkets like nail clippers and keychains from the car, as well as two rather expensive, finely crafted hunting knives, saying they were all gifts for the local villagers and the chief.

These two handmade hunting knives had rather ordinary blades and tempering, which Edward Baker didn’t think much of, but the handles were made of local ebony, decorated with ivory and copper, making them very beautiful.

These were bought two months ago when Edward Baker and John Foster accompanied the newly arrived Emily Carter to visit a national forest park in Oyo State.

John Foster had been very fond of these two hunting knives, and now he was being overly generous.

This only made Edward Baker believe even more that his initial strong intuition was correct, but he also reminded himself to keep his cool and not snatch the knives and stab him right there.

……

……

Old Chief Felician rushed back after hearing the news from Lili, though no one knew where he had come from.

John Foster gave the other cheap but much-loved trinkets to the children and villagers who had gathered around, then presented the two valuable hunting knives to Old Chief Felician as a token of thanks.

Old Chief Felician, shameless as ever, accepted everything with open arms, happily taking the two fine hunting knives and even brandishing them fiercely a couple of times.

After John Foster finished talking with the old chief, Edward Baker walked over, took off his Seiko watch, and, in halting Yoruba, expressed his gratitude to Old Chief Felician for sheltering and saving him these past few days.

Old Chief Felician shamelessly accepted Edward Baker’s Seiko watch, happily strapping it onto his wrist, which was as thin and dry as a dead tree branch:

“You may not be one of our tribe, but you are blessed by Ibogu, and are destined to be safe and sound—please be sure to come back again if you have the chance.”

Old Chief Felician hadn’t left the village in many years, and when he grabbed Edward Baker’s shoulder and spoke kindly in English, his words were quite awkward, mixed with the local Yoruba accent.

Edward Baker had to pause for a moment to understand what he was saying. Looking at John Foster’s bewildered and slightly embarrassed face, he figured that when John Foster had just spoken with the old chief in English, it was probably a completely mismatched and awkward conversation.

Still, who would want the “blessing” of that viper! If it’s really a “blessing,” give me my watch back!

Even though he was complaining in his heart, Edward Baker instinctively felt that the old chief’s words were sincere, not just empty pleasantries.

However, another problem arose.

He had always been rational, so why, after this incident, was this kind of intuitive feeling—without any rational analysis—so strong?

Could it really be, as Old Chief Felician said, that he was blessed by Ibogu and now had the ability to see into people’s hearts?

That would be too ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

Edward Baker’s thoughts were a bit jumbled. Even if he wanted to complain silently, he didn’t know where to start. After saying goodbye to the old chief, he and Charles Baker went into the hut to pack up their belongings.

When he walked out of the hut, Edward Baker saw from a distance that John Foster and Emily Carter were already in the car. He quietly asked Walter Baker:

“When Mr. Foster left earlier, was I completely out of breath, or was I still barely breathing?”

“You still had some breath left, but you really didn’t look good,” Walter Baker replied. “Why do you ask?”

He didn’t quite understand why Edward Baker was asking so seriously; he didn’t think there was much difference.

“It’s nothing.” Edward Baker smiled on the surface but was cursing inside, but there was no need to explain too much to Walter Baker. To keep his smile from stiffening, he rubbed his cheeks, got in the car with Walter Baker, and left Ibogu village…

Chapter Four: Arrival

By early June, it was already the rainy season in West Africa, and there were hardly any decent regional roads in Oyo State.

They set out from Ibogu village in the afternoon, made a detour through the state capital, Katelo, in eastern Oyo, and only arrived in Degulamo city late at night.

The medical standards in Degulamo were considered among the best in West Africa, but compared to back home, it was like Han Hong racing Bolton in a sprint.

However, besides a few Chinese clinics, Degulamo also had a China-Cameroon Friendship Hospital built with Chinese aid in the 1970s.

The China-Cameroon Friendship Hospital was built in the early 1970s and had never been expanded or renovated since, so the conditions were rather basic. It stood as a symbol of friendship between China and Cameroon, but on domestic BBS forums, it was often criticized—yet the country still regularly sent top medical teams to the hospital to provide aid.

For the sake of his own life, Edward Baker didn’t return to the dormitory but went straight to the China-Cameroon Friendship Hospital for an emergency check-up. As he put it, if he was going to die, he wanted to die on the resuscitation table at the China-Cameroon Friendship Hospital, so he could rest in peace.

However, apart from still feeling a bit weak, Edward Baker showed no signs of residual snake venom, and even the previous symptoms suspected to be African malaria had disappeared. The emergency department was staffed by two local doctors, who suspected that Edward Baker had come just to mess with them.