Kaman had no idea what Joja had realized, but he waved to Salim, who was about to take off, and quickly changed into the clothes and shoes Joja had provided.
After jumping in place a couple of times, he pocketed the money Joja had given him and ran toward his son.
Muto, who had just finished disposing of the body, took the dollars his father handed him and suddenly burst into tears, hugging his father tightly. It was only under Kaman's comfort that he left the airport.
Kaman watched his son disappear into the distance, then slowly walked over to the plane. Before boarding, the old man glanced at Zabu, who was missing some teeth, scaring the young man into stepping back.
Under Kaman's cold, emotionless stare, the young man smartly made a zipping motion over his lips, indicating that he would never speak of what had happened today. Most importantly, he promised not to tell anyone that Muto was carrying $20,000.
By this time, Salim was getting impatient. He opened the cockpit window, banged on the door, and shouted, "Hurry up, you old dog! We need to take off!"
Kaman, clearly familiar with Salim, didn't mind his attitude at all. The old man showed a level of professionalism that exceeded Joja's expectations. First, he checked the boxes strapped to the luggage rack to ensure they were securely fastened, then he boarded the plane.
Once Salim had taken off and stabilized the flight, Joja, sitting in the co-pilot seat, took out a gun holster and a Glock 17, handed them to Kaman, and said, "You should know how to use this. The AK-74 is a work necessity; this is your welcome gift."
Kaman took the pistol and eagerly strapped the holster to his thigh. He spent some time examining the Glock 17, clearly fascinated by its simple yet elegant design, but he also seemed a bit puzzled.
Joja quickly noticed Kaman's confusion and smiled as he explained, "This is a good gun. Its safety is linked to the trigger, so you can disengage the safety and fire by simply pulling the trigger. But unless absolutely necessary, never put your finger inside the trigger guard, and don't try spinning it like they do in the movies—it could go off and kill someone."
Kaman nodded in understanding, then did something that shocked Joja: the old man opened the plane window, stuck the gun out, and fired a few rounds at the ground.
After testing the Glock 17's burst and single-fire modes, Kaman, ignoring Salim's furious shouts, contentedly reloaded the pistol and holstered it.
"Thank you. I've never used such a light pistol before. I used to have an M1911—it was a great gun, but the spring broke."
Joja misunderstood Kaman's point and laughed, "You know, working with me, the one thing you'll never have to worry about is guns. If you like the M1911, I can help you trade for one when we make our delivery. My client bought three M1911s, and I bet they'll be happy to swap."
Kaman politely declined, shaking his head. "No need, no need. This gun is great; I really like it. I was just saying, if we're just going into the savannah, this gun isn't powerful enough, and its report is too small. But if it's just for people, it's a fine weapon."
Having only ever explored the edges of the savannah, Joja was curious and asked, "Why?"
Kaman shrugged. "Because it doesn't make enough noise to scare away wild dogs and hyenas, and its bullets are too small, with insufficient range and power. If you encounter a wild buffalo or a lion, having only this gun would be dangerous. But if it's for dealing with people, it's more than enough. However, in Africa, the chances of needing a handgun aren't very high."
Joja started to understand a bit. He was about to ask for more details when Salim, who was flying the plane, yawned and said, "Enough with the chit-chat. Take the controls for a bit. The GPS is set—just keep flying in this direction. I need to get some sleep. That booze last night really knocked me out..."
Joja immediately grabbed the control stick in front of him, feeling the feedback from the controls. He shouted at Salim, who was already tilting his head and closing his eyes, "I paid you! Do I really have to be the pilot too? Aren't you afraid I'll crash us?"
Salim adjusted his seat, finding a comfortable position, and said, "You fixed this plane, so you can fly it just fine. Didn't you always want to learn how to fly? This is your chance—you've got this!"
Joja couldn't help but laugh in frustration at Salim's carefree attitude. He swore at the irresponsible pilot and then grasped the control stick with both hands, tentatively using the foot pedals to adjust the plane's heading, then trying out left and right turns...
The plane's controls responded well, making Joja, who was flying for the first time, feel a bit more at ease.
This battered old C-172 was almost scrap, but Joja had used his universal toolbox's detection system and parts printing feature to painstakingly repair it.
He was quite familiar with the plane, and to be honest, while he had no experience with large passenger jets, flying this small plane wasn't much more complicated than driving a car.
The throttle lever was straightforward—just push it all the way to increase engine speed. Once you reached a certain speed on the runway, you simply pulled the control stick back, and the plane took off.
The foot pedals controlled the tail rudder, much like a ship's rudder, steering the plane while in level flight.
Push the control stick forward, and the nose dips down; pull it back, and the nose lifts up. Move it left to bank left, and right to bank right.
As long as you're not trying to perform high-speed maneuvers like a fighter jet or engage in complex aerobatics, flying a plane is quite simple, especially since you won't have to worry about "car crashes."
There's no air traffic control in Africa, so Joja, finding some joy in the experience, began following the GPS coordinates, lowering altitude to enjoy the beautiful savannah scenery as he flew toward his destination.
Joja's destination was Wau in South Sudan, chosen because there was a peacekeeping force there, making it relatively safe. Lu Jun had set the meeting location there.
Moreover, Salim had friends in Wau who could provide a landing spot at a farm and refuel the plane.
Most importantly, Wau was a transportation hub where Joja could buy a second-hand pickup truck, drive 100 kilometers north to a place called Alwey to make the delivery, and then return to fly back to Damazin.