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Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Prince's Prison Uniform
Zhang Qiu carefully put away the book, and Prince Banan smiled, saying, "I have another gift for all of you."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia looked at each other and asked in unison, "What is it?"
"Well, that's a secret for now. You'll find out tomorrow morning. I've arranged your flight for tomorrow afternoon, so you two should go pack your things. We'll head back to Bam together in the afternoon."
After finalizing the plans with Prince Banan, Zhang Qiu and Lucia returned to their room. In fact, there wasn't much to pack; most of the items they brought to Tanzania had been lost during their repeated escapes. After thinking it over, the only things they could pack were important items like their identification cards and phones.
While Zhang Qiu and Lucia were in the room, Azure Hawk came over and knocked on the door. Once inside, he said, "I've contacted Professor Bai and informed him that we're heading back tomorrow. Professor Bai told us not to worry; he will send someone to the airport to pick us up and take us directly back to the research institute. Have you told the prince about our return tomorrow?"
"I spoke with him; he arranged our flight for tomorrow afternoon. Also, you should go pack your things. In half an hour, we'll leave with Prince Banan for Bam."
"When is Zhao Yuanjia coming back?"
Zhang Qiu and Lucia both paused, and Azure Hawk realized he had brought up an awkward topic, but he had no choice. Professor Bai did not place much importance on the other five War Maniacs held here; in his words, as long as they were alive, it was fine for them to receive some education. But Zhao Yuanjia had to return home safely.
After exchanging glances with Azure Hawk for a moment, Zhang Qiu replied expressionlessly, "He is already over the Indian Ocean."
Azure Hawk nodded simply, and Zhang Qiu said, "Go back and pack your things."
"Okay," Azure Hawk said as he got up to leave; staying here would only make things more awkward.
"Are you okay?"
Lucia walked over, one arm resting on Zhang Qiu's shoulder. The sharp-eyed Lucia noticed that there had been yet another unpleasantness between Zhang Qiu and Azure Hawk.
Zhang Qiu smiled lightly, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking out the window.
Half an hour later, Zhang Qiu and Lucia gathered in the lobby on the first floor. By the time they arrived, the White Wolf Special Forces were already waiting there, five team members standing in a row, their formation neat and their postures upright, making them stand out among the officials. Prince Banan had not yet arrived, and the attendant officials were already waiting here, chatting in small groups.
Zhang Qiu and Azure Hawk exchanged glances but neither spoke. Lucia watched from the side, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, the wait was not too long; Prince Banan slowly descended the stairs from the second floor, drawing everyone's attention. To their surprise, Prince Banan was wearing a black-and-white striped prison uniform as he walked down, and in the quiet hall, one could hear a pin drop.
Seeing the astonishment on everyone's faces, Prince Banan merely smiled. When he reached Zhang Qiu and Lucia, he asked, "What's wrong? You all look at me strangely."
"Why are you dressed like that?" Zhang Qiu voiced his inner question.
Zhang Qiu recognized the outfit; it was what Prince Banan had worn when they first met in the palace. He clearly remembered that Prince Banan wore this prison uniform to constantly remind himself of his past. Later on, when Prince Banan changed clothes, Zhang Qiu did not think much of it. Now that the king had stepped down and unity had been achieved between north and south, why had Prince Banan brought this prison uniform back?
Prince Banan smiled faintly, looking around at the officials before asking, "You all have the same question, right?"
The officials stammered and were vague in their responses, but anyone could see what they meant.
Prince Banan stepped into the crowd and declared loudly, "When I walked out of prison, I vowed to restore Tanzania to its former glory. This prison uniform serves as a constant reminder to me." He lifted a corner of the uniform as he continued, "I took it off earlier because of the peace talks between north and south; I didn't want to face the public or our new Republic in tatters. Now that I'm back at the palace, I've put it on again. Logically speaking, Tanzania has changed greatly; I shouldn't need to wear it as a reminder anymore. But I choose to wear it because I fought my way from north to south in this uniform. Now that we are victorious, I want to wear it back home—to my palace, to where I truly belong."
As he became emotional, memories flooded back to him. The surrounding officials lowered their heads in respect. Zhang Qiu was the first to applaud, followed by a wave of applause from others. Prince Banan remained lost in his memories; today he returned to the palace wearing this freshly cleaned prison uniform—just as he had come, he would leave in the same way—everything deserved a perfect conclusion.
"Alright, let's get in the car," Prince Banan said.
A group of people boarded a vehicle outside the Temporary Palace, with five trucks escorted by four armored vehicles heading towards the Military Airport. Having learned from previous lessons, the airport was completely sealed off within a five-kilometer radius, and additional soldiers were deployed to guard the roads along the way. Inside one of the trucks sat the prince, military and political officials, Zhang Qiu, Lucia, the White Wolf Special Assault Team, as well as the king and his attendant. One truck was fully loaded with soldiers trained by the Azure Hawk for this security operation.
Due to traffic control measures, the convoy moved smoothly and quickly reached the airport. Zhang Qiu helped Lucia out of the vehicle, following the crowd towards the airplane while constantly surveying the surroundings.
Around the entire airport, a soldier armed with live ammunition stood every meter apart. Zhang Qiu noticed that a watchtower had been constructed on the slope where Zhao Yuanjia had attempted to assassinate Prince Banan, with a military flag fluttering fiercely in the cold wind atop it.
On the runway, Prince Banan's private plane was parked, with ground staff having prepared everything and pilots ready in the cockpit for takeoff. As Prince Banan walked up the boarding stairs to enter the cabin, he turned around and waved; all surrounding soldiers stood at attention and saluted him.
Prince Banan bent down to enter the cabin, followed closely by officials. Zhang Qiu took Lucia's hand and followed them inside, with the White Wolf Special Assault Team trailing behind. The last to board was the king along with several attendants, who were seated in positions typically occupied by bodyguards.
After takeoff, Prince Banan called Zhang Qiu and Lucia into his private compartment one after another before going to invite his father, whom he both loved and hated. King Muwadis IV was huddled in his chair, facing away from the servants and gazing forlornly out of the window. When he noticed his son approaching, he straightened up and tried hard to adopt a proud demeanor.
Prince Banan stopped in front of his father but suddenly found himself unable to speak the words he had prepared. The king lifted his head, and father and son locked eyes for a long moment. Prince Banan shook off all complex sayings in his mind and simply said, "Father, why don't you sit in front?"
"I'm fine here." As if to prove he was comfortable sitting there, the king shifted slightly in his seat, leaning back against it.
Prince Banan paused for a moment and said, "It's tiring to fly all this way; the seats in front have massage functions. Come with me." He then directly took hold of the king's hand. The king obediently stood up and followed Prince Banan towards the front of the plane.
The people in the cabin looked on with mixed expressions as they watched the prince and king walk hand in hand. When the king appeared outside Prince Banan's compartment, officials instinctively stood up and bowed to Your Highness before freezing in place, their eyes fixed on the king in confusion.
"Did it not mention in the agreement that no bowing is required when meeting the king?"
As soon as Prince Banan finished speaking, officials hurriedly bowed to the king. The king blinked; wrinkles on his aged face smoothed out as he raised his drooping mouth corners into a faint smile.
Prince Banan helped the King sit down in the chair and turned on the massage function, saying, "Father, you can rest here. If you feel tired, you can recline the chair and take a nap."
King Muwadis held the Prince's hand and nodded repeatedly. Prince Banan smiled at the King and walked back to his private room. Inside the room were only Prince Banan, Zhang Qiu, and Lucia. When Prince Banan left the room, the door was open, and Zhang Qiu and Lucia saw with their own eyes how the Prince settled the King.
"Prince Banan, you handled this matter beautifully. You are a person of great magnanimity."
Hearing Lucia's praise, Prince Banan actually felt shy and replied with a smile, "After all, he is my father. No matter what he has done, it is all in the past. From now on, he will no longer be involved in the core of Tanzania. As long as he is willing to awaken and enjoy his retirement peacefully, I will fulfill my responsibilities as a son."
Zhang Qiu also praised Prince Banan for his actions. The three of them discussed Tanzania in the private room, then moved on to global affairs, and eventually found themselves reminiscing about difficult yet beautiful memories.
Prince Banan's private plane landed at Bam Airport, where palace officials had been waiting since they received prior notice. The airport was still under military control, with armed soldiers everywhere. It was already getting dark as Prince Banan and his party descended the stairs from the plane. A red carpet was laid out on the ground, and a welcoming band played cheerful music while officials applauded enthusiastically.
Two young friends walked toward Prince Banan with innocent steps. He bent down so they could easily place flower garlands around his neck. The two friends looked at the Prince with childlike smiles as he patted their shoulders and said, "You must study hard so that when you grow up, we can build our Tanzania together."
"Okay!" the two friends shouted energetically.
At the end of the red carpet stood a luxury car, and Prince Banan got inside amidst a crowd of people. The others followed suit and got into their vehicles as the convoy slowly left the airport. As they passed through the gate, Zhang Qiu looked at the soldiers saluting from behind cover and sighed inwardly, "Soon, everything will return to normal."
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