Africa is home to thousands of languages. Thanks to centuries of colonial history, outsiders can hear English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and even the only language not introduced by colonizers: Chinese.
Swahili is a language with distinct colonial influences. Originally written in the Arabic script used by early African colonists, it later transitioned to the Latin alphabet introduced by missionaries and colonial administrators.
Many people have heard of Swahili. The theme song from the fourth game in the Civilization series, "Baba Yetu," is a rendition of the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.
Many have been mesmerized by this majestic song, unknowingly hitting the "next turn" button, only to look up in bewilderment to discover their entire day had been stolen.
The train quickly collected the missing tourists' electronic devices, and a military attaché from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam also arrived.
He would quickly deliver these phones, tablets, and cameras, along with other physical evidence, to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, the largest US military base in Africa.
These evidence would then be sent through military channels to New York, where they would be handed over to the BAU team.
The tiny nation of Djibouti is a unique gem in Africa. With a land area of 23,000 square kilometers and a population of less than one million, it single-handedly houses military bases for three of the five permanent members of the United Nations.
China, the United States, and France all maintain military presences in Djibouti, with the Chinese and American bases only 12.7 kilometers apart. The transport plane Jack and his companions were on had seen a vibrant five-star red flag before landing during a refueling stop at Camp Lemonnier.
After completing this, Jubal concluded his conversation with the train conductor and returned to the group. "For now, we can rule out any suspicion of collusion among the train staff. However, to be on the safe side, I'd like you to confirm the status of his family."
He addressed this to Detective Pollino. The black officer understood his meaning and summoned one of his officers. The two began to whisper.
Jubal then explained to the group, "Working on a train in Tanzania is an extremely rare and advantageous position for locals. Not only do they receive generous salaries and pensions, but their children also receive excellent educational opportunities."
The fact that the train conductor chose to stay after reporting the incident indicated that he truly valued his job, which indirectly reduced his suspicion.
"Did you get any important leads?" Jack glanced at his notebook, which contained very little useful information.
Jubal nodded. "That car was the last on the train. I've confirmed with the conductor, driver, and several staff members that, while it slowed down, it didn't stop at any stations."
Aubrey scratched his head. "So it's still collusion, but it's likely not with the train staff, but with one of the tourists colluding with the kidnappers?"
While this conclusion seemed a bit implausible, judging by the vandalized door lock, it seemed the closest to the truth.
"Inform Garcia and Alice of this theory first, and have them investigate the identities of those tourists as soon as possible."
Jubal was also scratching his head. A day and a half had passed since the incident, and the information they had was extremely limited. New York still hadn't sent a complete list of missing persons.
"What was the slowest speed during the deceleration? And where was it?" Clay spread a map on the hood of the Hummer and took out a pencil.
"It's a dilapidated railway bridge, about 150 kilometers from Agatha. According to the train driver, the train must slow down to 5-10 kilometers per hour to pass through it."
Clay quickly drew a small circle on the map based on the location information Jubal provided. "Okay, that's our priority search area."
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As a country with long-standing political stability, Tanzania stands out somewhat among African nations. They even have a fairly well-enforced gun ban.
At least until this point, they hadn't encountered another stereotype of Africa: everyone carrying an AK-style rifle seemed nonexistent in this country.
But then a paint-chipped Liberation Army truck, older than Jubal, pulled into the station. A group of strong black men, carrying Type 81 rifles and shovels, emerged from it. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"Jack?" Jubal instinctively assumed a defensive stance. While they were armed on this trip, they were limited to their sidearms.
However, the Americans seemed the only ones feeling the tense atmosphere. Jack glanced at the vendors still hawking food and souvenirs to passengers on the passing trains and calmly warned them not to overreact.
"Haha, old Muto, you're finally here!" Detective Pollino extended his arms and hugged a white-haired, bearded man who had emerged from the cab. An
elderly black man, still wearing a yellow construction vest, whispered to Detective Pollino in Swahili for a long time before his gaze towards the FBI agents brightened slightly.
"What are they talking about?" Hannah asked, knowing Jack could understand.
"These are the search party helping out, the local militia." Jack struggled to understand. Although the man spoke Swahili, it was laced with local dialect.
He had trouble translating the actual words. The wrinkled old black man, whose age was indistinguishable, spoke rather unkindly at first, asking questions like, "Polino, you little bastard, why are you working for a white man?"
It was not until Detective Pollino roughly explained the whole story and pointed out that Jack and others were also here to help find the missing tourists that the old man put away his sharp eyes.
"Let's go, since you have determined the general area, let's set off quickly. Although the distance is not too far according to the map, the road is not easy to walk on."
Old Muto said with a wave of his hand, and the more than ten black militiamen who lined up consciously after getting off the car suddenly laughed and pushed and shoved to climb into the old Liberation car again.
What is surprising is that this black old man who can't be seen in age can actually speak fluent English.
Jack's eyes were fixed on the militiamen who shouted commands such as "Attention" and "At ease" while lining up. Jubal and others did not understand the Chinese commands with a slight dialect, and might have thought they were speaking the local dialect, but how could he not hear it?
(End of this chapter)