Future Pet Shop

Chapter 212: Arriving in Africa

It seemed the economic ties between China and Africa had grown increasingly close over the years. Three-quarters of the passengers on this flight were Chinese. Judging by their clothes, they were either businessmen or workers on large-scale infrastructure projects. Upon seeing Hah’Er, they all wore expressions of surprise. ’How could there be a panda on a plane?’

"Uh, are you guys delivering a panda to a zoo in Africa?" the passenger behind Shen Yibin asked, craning his neck forward curiously. "Can this panda even adapt to the African climate? It won’t get sick, will it?" ’Huh, isn’t the annual lease for a panda really expensive?’ he wondered. ’Would an African country be willing to spend that kind of money?’

"I don’t know about an ordinary panda, but this one will be fine," Shen Yibin answered honestly. ’After all, Hah’Er is a panda from the future, much healthier than the ones at the Giant Panda Base.’ "This one isn’t for a zoo in Africa; he’s my personal pet. I’m planning to tour Africa."

’A personal pet?’ Everyone who heard this was left speechless, immediately assuming Shen Yibin was the young master of some wealthy family. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person have the means to acquire a panda as a pet?

Soon, however, their attention was captured by the adorable Hah’Er, and they eagerly asked to take photos with him. An encounter with a panda on an airplane was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The flight was over ten hours long, and it was bound to get a little boring. So, Shen Yibin didn’t stop them. The crowd only dispersed when the flight attendant came by to announce that the plane was preparing for takeoff.

After taxiing for a bit, the plane took off smoothly and entered the stratosphere. The flight attendants began their cabin service. "Sir, what kind of drink does your panda prefer? And what about food?" an Ethiopian Airlines flight attendant asked in fluent Chinese. Her eyes curiously sized up Hah’Er, and she seemed to be wondering when she could find an excuse to get a photo with him, too.

"Freshly squeezed juice will be fine for his drink. As for food..." Shen Yibin pulled a food container from his bag and handed it to her. "You have a microwave on board, right? Could you please heat this up for me? He’s a bit of a picky eater."

"Of course, I’ll go heat it up for you right away." The flight attendant paused for a second, then quickly took the food container. ’As long as a first-class passenger’s request isn’t too outrageous, we have to find a way to fulfill it.’

"You’re always so thoughtful. Do you have any more? Could you give me one, too? The airline food is just so..." Sylvie asked. ’If I could have a meal cooked by Shen Yibin, who would want to eat this airplane food?’

"I’m sorry, I only prepared two. The other one is for Hah’Er to eat when he wakes up, so..." Shen Yibin had just made these two meals in the hotel kitchen. His bag was already stuffed full of various seasonings, leaving no room for any more food containers.

"Alright. I just hope there’s something good to eat at the welcome dinner Patrice is preparing tomorrow," Sylvie said, leaning back listlessly in her chair. She decided she would just have some fruit and a drink to tide herself over on the plane. In the past, she might have been able to stomach the airline food, but now, after getting a whiff of the meal Shen Yibin had made, she had no appetite for anything else.

Alfred’s mouth moved. He seemed to want to persuade Shen Yibin to give a container to Sylvie, but ultimately, he was too embarrassed to say anything. ’If the last one was for Shen Yibin himself, that would be one thing,’ he thought. ’But it’s for Hah’Er. How could I possibly steal food from Hah’Er’s mouth?’

A short while later, the aromatic meal was heated and ready. As everyone watched Hah’Er dig in, the cabin filled with groans of dismay. They were all facing the same problem as Sylvie. After smelling that fragrance and then looking down at their own food, they had completely lost their appetites.

After the meal, Shen Yibin covered Hah’Er with a blanket, and everyone slowly drifted off to sleep. When they woke up the next morning, they all had to endure the same torture one more time. After a long, twelve-hour flight, the plane finally arrived at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Shen Yibin and his companions could finally get off the plane and stretch their stiff limbs.

"Ngh!" Hah’Er was too tired to walk properly, so he just hugged Shen Yibin’s leg and let himself be dragged along. This once again drew the eager attention of the locals. Children kept running over, shouting in delight, "Panda! Panda!"

Some of them even let out little martial arts yells and made a few chopping motions, apparently mistaking Hah’Er for the star of *Kung Fu Panda*. But they were still inside the airport, and there weren’t many children in the terminal, so they weren’t too bothered. In fact, having a few kids to play with seemed to help Hah’Er recover from his exhaustion more quickly.

"Let’s go, Hah’Er. Time for our connecting flight." After only a short rest, the four of them were on their way again, boarding a flight to Nedjili Airport in Kinshasa, the Capital City of the Congo. Fortunately, this leg of the journey was much shorter, only taking a little over four hours.

"It’s truly magnificent," Shen Yibin couldn’t help but sigh, gazing out the plane window at the vast landscape of the African continent below. But his admiration was tinged with worry. ’As far as the eye can see, there are hardly any major transportation arteries like railways or highways. This is going to make the search for that animal much more difficult.’

’Thankfully, I have Sylvie with me. She can help me get a helicopter. Otherwise, I really don’t know what I’d do. In a place like this, even with all my money, it would probably be difficult to arrange for a helicopter, wouldn’t it?’

After a while, the novelty of the view wore off, and Shen Yibin leaned back in his seat to rest. Before long, the plane began its slow descent. After so many hours in the air, the destination of their long journey was finally in sight.

Nedjili Airport was, without a doubt, much smaller than the airport in Shanghai. Shortly after disembarking, Shen Yibin and the others reached the exit, where an old friend of Sylvie’s was waiting. "My dearest Princess Sylvie, welcome to the Congo," a tall, young black man said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

Then his gaze fell upon Hah’Er, and a look of surprise crossed his face. "Is that... a Panda?"

"Yes, he’s the personal pet of my friend, Mr. Shen Yibin," Sylvie said with a smile, introducing the two.

"A Panda from China. That reminds me of an old friend," Patrice said with a shrug, stepping forward to shake Shen Yibin’s hand. After the handshake, just as he was about to step back, he saw Hah’Er extend his own paw, mimicking Shen Yibin.

"Ah, my apologies." Surprised that Hah’Er was so intelligent, Patrice quickly reached out and shook his paw. He then led them to a private car. "Let’s head to the hotel to rest for a bit, then we’ll go to the dinner party."