Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 218 The Old Man Has a Kind Heart

The cabin was stifling, with the smell of disinfectant mixed with the hot air.

The window was completely covered in clouds, preventing sunlight from getting in.

Zhou Yi sat in the middle section by the window, wearing a seatbelt, with a medical kit with a red cross logo piled up next to him.

Their current identity is that of a volunteer team of an international humanitarian organization, participating in a "tuberculosis screening and vaccination campaign" in the suburbs of Kinshasa.

Passport endorsements, personnel lists, and background information are complete.

This setup was done in Goma, and the whole thing cost less than $20,000.

The boss is Lebanese, and it's said that he used to work in logistics at the United Nations, so he can get any kind of stamp.

It's a bit pricey, but the results are excellent.

Before takeoff, staff members even saluted them.

Sitting in the front row, Bard looked impatient, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, his right hand occasionally reaching for his empty waist.

Colin, on the other hand, seemed to be completely in the zone.

He was holding a plastic water cup and chatting with the French nurse sitting next to him.

"Let me tell you, I originally studied veterinary medicine," he said casually.

The nurse was taken aback: "Really?"

“Really. Because at that time I felt that animals are more honest than people.” Colin paused. “Later, I went to the mountains of Myanmar for a medical mission, and a child died in my arms. That was a turning point in my life.”

So you changed careers?

"Yes, I understood at that moment that I could no longer avoid the suffering of humankind."

"Especially those children, whose voices were swallowed up by the war."

This sentence didn't move the woman as much as she had hoped.

The nurse didn't respond immediately; she simply turned her head and glanced out the window.

After a long pause, she slowly began to speak:
"I underwent tuberculosis screening at East Lake for seven months."

"On the last day, a father came to see me with his twelve-year-old daughter."

"She was in respiratory failure and weighed less than 30 pounds."

“I looked at her, and there was nothing I could do.”

"I tried to get her to lie down and give her water, but she couldn't swallow anymore."

She only asked me one question: 'Will you come again tomorrow?'

"What did you say?" Colin leaned closer, his right hand resting naturally on the woman's back, gently stroking it.

The woman seemed to be enveloped in sadness, and she couldn't escape it.

“I lied to her and said I could.”

"Then, she died in my arms."

"There's confusion in her eyes, maybe even resentment, I don't know."

"So since then, I've never made any promises lightly again."

Colin stared at the barely visible glimpse of her cleavage and swallowed hard. "I never lie."

The nurse sniffed, not looking at him, and said, "I don't believe you."

“No, seriously,” Colin raised his left hand, three fingers held upright, as solemnly as if he were receiving a medal.

"I swore that I would only lie in special circumstances, such as when facing death or a beautiful woman."

"And what about you now?" The nurse asked after a few seconds of silence.

“I’m sitting on a plane to Kinshasa right now, and a pretty woman next to me is asking me if I have the right to lie.”

Colin spread his hands. "This is definitely a special occasion."

Zhou Yi rolled his eyes, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

That's the only good thing about small airplanes.

As long as you don't bring explosives up, nobody cares what you do.

Meanwhile, Colin was still spouting nonsense.

“I saw a boy in Kisangani whose leg had been cut off by his own chainsaw.”

"His mother tried to stop the bleeding with a plastic bag, and the whole yard looked like a slaughterhouse."

"and then?"

"Then, I fainted from fright."

"When I fell, I also broke my eyebrow bone, and it was bleeding profusely."

Colin shrugged. "The girls in the infirmary thought I was the injured one."

This time, the nurse couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth. "You look a lot like her when you laugh," Colin said.

"Who?"

"That nurse."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Or maybe I just think you have a nice smile, any excuse I can come up with."

The woman raised her hand and tidied a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Colin asked casually.

The nurse didn't answer, but her expression softened noticeably.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you a doctor now?"

“No, I’m a nurse too,” Colin said seriously.

"Because I'm better at providing psychological comfort and emotional guidance. Just like you are now."

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "When you listen to me, don't you feel a sense of peace?"

The nurse blushed slightly: "You're very special."

“It’s not that I’m special, it’s just that I’m kind-hearted.” Colin tapped his chest. “I never kill. Except for mosquitoes.”

In the front row, Bud let out two strange cries, seemingly mocking him.

Colin, enraged, kicked the back of his chair.

Then, he explained to the nurse, "Don't mind him, my colleague isn't very bright."

He spoke very sincerely, his voice low, as if afraid the other person would hear him.

The nurse blinked: "Your colleague?"

"Yes, our team is from Canada."

"Specially sowing hope in the most dangerous corners of the world."

"Look, this plane is full of like-minded people."

“They have love, faith, and skills, and some even—” he pointed to himself, “and a bit of an artistic temperament.”

The nurse smiled, then subconsciously bit her lip.

“Just think about it, how rare is that?” Colin said. “A whole plane full of good people.”

"Everyone is working hard for the future of humanity."

"How much like the ending of a movie?"

"I've already thought of a title: 'Kind People Ride the Wind'."

“It sounds like a documentary,” the nurse said, watching him.

“I’m inclined to make it a romance,” Colin said seriously. “The ending has a heavy rain, and the two of them kiss under the awning outside the clinic.”

"I like this idea."

"Really? Then you might prefer this one."

"."

"."

Bud, sitting in the front row, noticed that Colin had stopped nagging and turned around in confusion.

What comes into view is a man and woman embracing each other, reluctant to part.

Bard froze, as if he had seen a ghost. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, but ultimately remained silent.

However, just as he was about to get up and complain to Zhou Yi, the cabin announcement came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain."

"We are about to arrive at our destination airport."

"Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelts. We are expected to land in three minutes."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi took off his sunglasses, sat up straight, and looked out the window.

Sunlight streamed in through the broken clouds.

A wide, muddy river flows slowly through the city from afar, carrying silt and sand.

The densely packed corrugated iron roofs on both sides of the river gleamed with a dull light, interspersed with exposed red soil and unfinished concrete buildings.

On the main road, rows of blue and white minivans moved about, while pedestrians and motorcycles passed by.

Across the river is Brazzaville.

And this is Kinshasa.

(End of this chapter)