Otaku Translation: Honey Badger's Streaming Life C59

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Colonel had already come to terms with the fact that his good intentions might have inadvertently caused more harm than good. This realization was largely due to a message relayed by one of the soldiers earlier. Apparently, Zhang Jianming had directly contacted the embassy from Karatu, and the embassy, in turn, reached out to a high-ranking official in Dar es Salaam. That official then contacted another influential figure in the military command, and after a series of convoluted communications, the matter eventually landed back on Colonel’s desk.

The embassy’s intentions were, of course, well-meaning. They simply wanted to remind certain individuals within the system of their own incompetence—don’t act like you’re untouchable. Normally, they wouldn’t bother with petty squabbles or minor infractions, but this time, the incident had drawn national attention. If anyone still thought they could exploit the situation for personal gain or falsely accuse someone, they’d better be prepared to face the consequences.

That said, the embassy wasn’t trying to obstruct the investigation. If Gu Lang really was guilty of something, they wouldn’t stand in the way of justice. Whatever needed to be done, should be done. However, by the time this message filtered down through the chain of command, the tone had shifted significantly.

Colonel’s direct superior—a genuine colonel—had delivered the message bluntly: “So what if he broke through a checkpoint? Dozens of people run red lights in the capital every day! Since when did you become a traffic cop? Just smooth things over and stop causing me trouble.”

Though Colonel couldn’t defy his superior’s orders, the military’s perspective didn’t necessarily align with local authorities. After all, as the saying goes, “The county magistrate is less powerful than the local enforcer.” No matter how influential the military brass might be, they had no jurisdiction over local police matters. And now, the officers who had arrived were all shrewd opportunists, waiting for Colonel to cave so they could whisk Gu Lang away and profit from his wealth. Even Blake, who had been preoccupied with poachers, was now hanging around, eagerly watching the spectacle unfold.

Just as Colonel and the police officers were each lost in thought, unsure of how to proceed, the same orderly who had appeared last night returned, his expression even darker than before. Of course, the man’s complexion was naturally dark, but today it seemed to have deepened further, making him appear even more somber.

When Colonel heard the orderly’s report, he was momentarily speechless. This guy… this Gu Lang was truly something else, showing absolutely no sign of remorse for being detained. Not only did he demand an immediate bath, but he also insisted on having three times the normal breakfast portion—with extra eggs, no less.

It was said that the soldier in charge of logistics procurement was already cursing under his breath. Sure, eating three portions wasn’t unheard of—after all, the cooks and everyone else in the mess hall thought little of it. Gu Lang was Chinese, accustomed to a life of abundance, where meals often consisted of large servings of meat and fish. A big appetite was understandable.

But eggs? Did this guy know how much eggs cost in Tanzania? Three hundred shillings for a single egg! Even in the military camp, where food was relatively decent, soldiers rarely got eggs. Was this man insane?

And then there was the audacity to request a bath. The water tank on the roof held only enough for a week, and he’d used it all up in one night. Moreover, who took a bath first thing in the morning? Was this man a prisoner or some visiting official conducting an inspection?

Massaging his throbbing temples, Colonel instructed the orderly to comply with whatever requests were reasonable. As for the eggs… well, he chose to ignore that part entirely. Eggs were out of the question. Normally, breakfast consisted of boiled potatoes or fruit. Providing him with a hot meal was already an extraordinary exception.

Inside the room, Gu Lang flipped over the lid of the oversized lunchbox and divided the cornmeal soup—infused with the chef’s anger and resentment—and the vegetable-laden cornbread into two portions. Perhaps at Colonel’s specific instruction, there was even a grilled sausage included in the meal.

Of course, the smaller portion without the sausage, served in the lid of the lunchbox, was reserved for Gu Lang himself.

Wang Ping, holding a lunchbox larger than himself, began devouring the food with gusto, completely unfazed by Gu Lang’s astonished gaze. After all, he had already decided to stick with this guy, so he might as well get used to it.

Perhaps it was a side effect of his immense strength, but despite his diminutive frame, Wang Ping’s appetite had never been small.

Outside the room, two soldiers were busy refilling the rooftop water tank. They lowered the metal container, filled it with water, and hoisted it back up using ropes. A plastic pipe connected the tank to the room inside. During the day, the sun heated the water, which was then used for bathing at night.

By now, Gu Lang had mostly put his worries aside. If he had truly committed some grave offense or violated Tanzania law, Zhang Jianming wouldn’t have gone out of his way to protect him, nor would he be receiving such lenient treatment.

As things stood, Gu Lang couldn’t help but feel amused. This anticlimactic handling of the situation—could it be that the bald-headed colonel was just a temp worker?

As for Wang Ping…

The little critter absentmindedly nibbled on a piece of cornbread, his eyes wandering, clearly plotting something mischievous.

After finishing breakfast and waiting for Wang Ping to finish his bath, Gu Lang was about to enter the bathroom to wash his face and shave when Colonel arrived with his guards.

When Gu Lang had requested a bath earlier, Colonel had been skeptical. The man was wrapped up like a mummy—what kind of bath could he possibly take?

However, upon entering the room and seeing Gu Lang emerge from the bathroom with wet hair, Colonel understood. Being bald himself, he had momentarily forgotten about washing one’s hair.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, had already retreated to the upper bunk, lying flat on his back. No one suspected that such a creature was hiding in Gu Lang’s room, so he remained undiscovered for the time being.

Colonel had come to escort Gu Lang for questioning.

He already had a plan for how to conduct the interrogation. Moreover, he had just received word that Zhang Jianming, after arranging the rescue team, was now on his way to the camp and would arrive shortly.

In any country, there was a time limit for detaining suspects without sufficient evidence. While the specifics varied, it never exceeded three days. Gu Lang had been in the camp for nearly a day now, and Zhang Jianming might very well bring this up as a point of contention.

At this moment, Colonel was already regretting his decision to take on this matter. Even if it turned out that Gu Lang was indeed the one who had broken through the checkpoint at Makuyuni, so what? Knowing the corrupt tendencies of the local police, the whole thing would likely end with a fine anyway. What had Colonel done? Helped the police make some extra money? No wonder his superior had scolded him for meddling.

If he had just ignored the situation and let Zhang Jianming take Gu Lang away, it would have been the police’s headache. Want to extort money? Go try shaking down the embassy! Let’s see who ends up getting shaken down!

Now, not only had he gone out of his way to cater to Gu Lang’s every need—food, lodging, baths—but he had also received a reprimand from his superior, with nothing to show for it.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a routine inquiry. As long as you explain yourself clearly, you’ll be free to go soon,” Colonel reassured Gu Lang in English, noticing his hesitation.

Gu Lang hesitated for good reason. Zhang Jianming had warned him not to say anything unnecessary if he wasn’t present. Many skilled interrogators liked to extract confessions by subtly leading suspects to admit to crimes unintentionally.

Still, refusing outright wasn’t an option either. Gu Lang glanced instinctively toward the upper bunk before finally deciding to follow Colonel out of the room.

Once the group had left, a head topped with white fur peeked out from behind the railing of the upper bunk.

Wang Ping had heard everything Colonel said and was now beginning to sense that something was off. All this time, these soldiers had been catering to Gu Lang—bringing food, delivering water—as though he were some VIP guest. But wasn’t he supposed to be a suspect? Since when did suspects in Tanzania receive such luxurious treatment?

As he watched the group escort Gu Lang away, the guards stationed outside followed suit, leaving the barracks completely deserted.

The little critter slipped out of the room, climbed along the wall, and made his way onto the roof.

The camp wasn’t particularly large, and the layout of the barracks and training grounds was clear. Gu Lang and his escorts were heading toward the northernmost part of the camp, where the buildings were the most ornate.

With just one glance, Wang Ping concluded that this was definitely not an interrogation room.

Still, he decided to follow and see what was going on.

Shaking his head, Wang Ping silently cursed Gu Lang. How did this guy always manage to get into so much trouble?

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