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Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Prince's Prison Uniform
Zhang Qiu carefully put away the book, and Prince Banan smiled, saying, "There's also a 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 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 gather 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 going 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 pack your things. In half an hour, we’ll leave with Prince Banan back to 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 care much about the other five War Maniacs held here; in his words, as long as they stayed 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 simply nodded. Zhang Qiu said, "Go pack your things."
"Okay." Azure Hawk stood 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 perceptive Lucia noticed that there had been another unpleasant encounter 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 posture 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 did not speak. 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 everyone's surprise, Prince Banan was wearing a black-and-white striped prison uniform as he walked down, and in the silence of the hall, one could hear a pin drop.
Seeing the astonishment on everyone's faces, Prince Banan simply 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 clothes Prince Banan was wearing; it was the same outfit he had worn when they first met in the palace. Zhang Qiu clearly remembered that Prince Banan wore this prison uniform to constantly remind himself of his past. Later, when Prince Banan changed clothes, Zhang Qiu did not think much of it. Now that the king had stepped down and there was unification between north and south, why had Prince Banan chosen to wear this prison uniform again?
Prince Banan smiled faintly and looked around at the officials before asking, "You all have the same question, right?"
The officials stammered and spoke vaguely, 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 his prison uniform as he continued, "I took it off before 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 now; I shouldn't need to wear it to remind myself anymore, but I want to wear it. Why? Because I wore it while fighting from north to south. Now that we have won, I want to wear it back home—to my palace, to where I belong."
As Prince Banan became emotional, memories flooded back to him. The surrounding officials lowered their heads in response. Zhang Qiu was the first to applaud, followed by a wave of applause from others. Lost in his memories, Prince Banan had intentionally worn this clean prison uniform for his return to the palace; he wanted everything to come full circle just as it had begun.
"Alright, let's get in the car," Prince Banan said.
A group of people boarded a vehicle outside the Temporary Palace, with five trucks moving towards the Military Airport under the cover of four armored vehicles. Learning from previous experiences, 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 entire truck was filled with soldiers trained by the Azure Hawk for security during this operation.
Due to traffic restrictions, 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. 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 jet was parked, and ground staff had everything prepared. The pilot sat in the cockpit, ready for takeoff at any moment. As Prince Banan ascended the boarding ladder to enter the cabin, he turned around and waved; all surrounding soldiers stood at attention and saluted him.
Prince Banan stepped into the cabin, followed closely by officials. Zhang Qiu took Lucia's hand and entered behind them, with the White Wolf Special Assault Team trailing last. The king and several attendants were the last to board, taking seats usually occupied by bodyguards.
After takeoff, Prince Banan called Zhang Qiu and Lucia to his private compartment one after another before going to invite his father, whom he both loved and hated. King Muwadis IV was slouched in his seat, facing away from the servants and gazing forlornly out of the window. When he noticed his son approaching, he leaned forward slightly, trying 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 raised his head, and father and son locked eyes for a long moment. Prince Banan shook off all complicated thoughts in his mind and simply said, "Father, please 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 for so long; the seats in front have massage functions. Come with me." He then directly took hold of his father's hand. The king obediently stood up and followed Prince Banan towards the front of the plane.
The people in the cabin watched with complex expressions as the prince and king walked 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 lifted 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 Prince Banan'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 vision."
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 has become 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 in the room discussed Tanzania, then moved on to global affairs, and eventually reminisced about their difficult yet beautiful memories.
Prince Banan's private plane landed at Bam Airport, where palace officials had been waiting since they had received prior notice. The airport was still under military control, with armed soldiers everywhere. It was already getting dark as Prince Banan and his group 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 towards Prince Banan with innocent steps. He bent down so that they could easily place flower garlands around his neck. The two friends looked at the prince with innocent smiles on their faces. Prince Banan 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 with determination.
At the end of the red carpet stood a luxury car, and Prince Banan, surrounded by everyone, got inside. 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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