Chapter 71 - Brushing Past
For Chen Chen who was no stranger to the display of international metropolises, Windhoek may as well be part of the slums. Everywhere he went, he only saw small buildings ranging from two to three stories tall. There were only a couple of high-rise buildings that barely met international standards a couple of hundred meters away.
The glimpse of reflection came from the top of the tallest commercial building among the bunch.
At that moment, that glimpse of reflection continuously flickered on and off like a chilling, radiant star shining mid-day.
Chen Chen remembered back when he was in high school, the teacher made a fitting analogy: When you stand at the side of a lake and look down at the lake by your feet, you would notice that the water appeared transparent. The reflection of the sun was not harsh either.
However, if you stood from afar and looked at the lake, you would see that the lake did not appear transparent. Also, the reflection would be incredibly harsh to a point where you could barely open your eyes.
This was what was known as the Fresnel Effect.
The Fresnel Effect was on observation that the amount of reflectance you see on a surface depended on the viewing angle. Apart from metallic surfaces, Fresnel Effect of varying degrees applied to all materials in the world.
By taking advantage of this natural effect and aligning his position and angle perfectly, Chen Chen had exposed the location of his assassin.
[He’s 15° above my line of sight. If I treat both of our locations as two points of a triangle, the angles of the said triangle will be 15°, 75°, and 90° respectively.]
[The three sides of the triangle can be depicted as a, b, and c. I know that the distance between the building and the stage is 560 meters, therefore b = 560. In that case, a=560tan15° = 560(2-√3) = 150. Using Pythagorean Theorem, the result of c will be c = √（a^2+b^2）= 580.]
[Which is to say, the distance between me and the sniper is 580 meters.]
[There’s a parapet on the building, therefore the assassin should have his sniper rifle set up on the parapet. The moment he fires, the powerful recoil will cause the reflection to vanish out of my sight. This means that the moment the reflection vanishes will in turn signal the moment the assassin fires his shots.]
[The wind is currently blowing from the northwest so the sniper’s shot will be carried by the wind. The current wind speed is at level 3 at approximately 4.5 meters per second. A large-caliber bullet fired from a sniper rifle from 580 meters out converted by the angular minute equation: Range / 100 x Wind speed (Kilometers per hour)/Constant 14, the resulting angle is 6.]
[Also, an experienced, qualified sniper will be aiming for my chest instead of my head due to the surface area of the chest being larger and the lowered chances of displacement. Considering the impact force of a sniper rifle, the damage caused by a shot directed at the head or the chest is similar. Factoring in the minute angle displacement, if the assassin is aiming for my right chest region, the wind and distance traveled should displace the bullet to hit me in my left chest which is near my heart. I can dodge the bullet by simply moving 20 centimeters to the right.]
[Just to be safe, I’d better move 25 centimeters to the right.]
[A bullet fired from a sniper rifle travels at a speed of 800 to 900 meters per second. This means that the moment the reflection vanishes, I have a 0.644 to 0.725 seconds window to avoid it. But I’ll also need to factor in the recoil delay, so the time is shortened to 0.5 seconds.]
[That’s more than enough…]
This string of calculations may seem like it had taken a long time, in truth, it had only been less than four seconds since Chen Chen noticed the flash of reflection.
After four seconds, Chen Chen had relayed the location of the assassin by tapping on his phone.
“Everyone, there’s a bright future ahead for nuclear power plants. As a form of clean energy, nuclear power plants will prove to be several folds more efficient than thermal power. By employing the most globally advanced third-generation nuclear power technology developed by my company, not only will it not cause any form of environmental pollution, the rate of error is equivalent to…”
At the same time that Chen Chen enthusiastically uttered the words “equivalent to”, he noticed the white glimpse of reflection disappearing in his peripheral vision!
[Now!]
Chen Chen smiled with his arms held upright and took half a step back. The moment he stepped back, he seemed to have tripped on his own feet and lost his balance. He barely managed to stagger 25 centimeters to his right.
“Swoosh–!”
At the same time, a piercing screech passed by Chen Chen on his left. The violent airflow tore his shirt apart and left behind the trace of a bloody ravine on his left arm!
When it happened, the audience burst into screams and similar exclamations. Several large men dressed in black immediately rushed on stage and shielded Chen Chen behind their backs.
…
“No big deal, just a slight scratch.”
They returned to the embassy. A Chinese medic expressionlessly treated his wound with iodophor and cotton swabs.
Most of the members of the expedition team gathered by Chen Chen’s side, including Qian Wenhuan, Zhou Jing, Wang Liang, along with Anthony and the legal counsel, Jennifer, who were in charge of the business discussions. There was a gathering of the staff under them.
“Will the wound be infected?”
Qian Wenhuan had a look of shock on his face as he asked the doctor, “Doctor, is there anything we need to avoid after this such as avoiding food that’s too spicy or too oily?”
“Just drink more hot water.” The doctor rolled his eyes at Qian Wenhuan. He then exited the room after packing his supplies in the medical box.
“I can’t believe that they’d stoop as low as this.”
Wang Liang, who stood beside, frowned as well. “It’s not like we have wronged anyone in Namibia. What’s the deal with the flat tires and then the assassination.”
“Spare the talk, get ready to pack up.”
Chen Chen rubbed his arm expressionlessly, took his coat, and headed out. “Wenhuan, book the earliest flight available.”
“… Understood!” Wenhuan answered. There seemed to be something else he wanted to say but he ultimately decided against it.
“Where are we going?” Wang Liang asked quizzingly.
“Leaving Namibia. Obviously.” Zhou Jing rolled his eyes at this fellow colleague of his and walked out of the room.
“Please wait, Mr. Chen Chen!”
However, before they even had time to leave the embassy, a group of members from the investment department made their appearance. Apart from Lydia, Chichurel was present as well. An elder with ashen-gray hair was leading in front.
“Mr. Chen Chen, please wait for a moment!”
Lydia said frantically, “We take full responsibility for this incident. We never expected them to do something as vile as this, you…”
“Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Chen Chen brushed past the few of them. “Let’s leave it at that.”
“Mr. Chen Chen, please hear me…”
Chichurel quickly chimed in as well. “There’s a Chinese saying: For a close friend to visit from a faraway place, is that not… Uh, no… Is that not reason to celebrate? You’re a guest, we…”
Chen Chen did not show any signs of stopping.
Despite their efforts of persuading Chen Chen to stay, he was already on his way out the door.
“Please wait for a moment, Mr. Chen Chen.”
It was at that moment when the elder leading them spoke.
“Mr. Chen Chen, this is Mr. Bajifi Zurama. He’s the minister of the Department of Investment, the Mining Department, and the Energy Department!” Lydia, who was beside him, suddenly informed.
It was only then when Chen Chen halted. “Minister Zurama, excuse my manners. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
“Only one thing.”
The elder looked at Chen Chen with steadfast eyes, his voice was clear and distinct when he spoke, “The Namibian government is willing to adopt a policy of tax exemption for three years and tax reduction for five years, provided that the other conditions remain unchanged. This is to make up for what has happened today. Will this suffice?”
Chen Chen finally turned around and faced him with a frown. “I trust that this policy will not affect the original offer by your country. If it will, then you’ll have to forgive me for refusing your generosity.”
“It won’t. I guarantee it on part of my position as the minister.” The elder nodded.
Hearing this, the corner of Chen Chen’s mouth finally raised into a smile. He stretched out his hand and firmly shook the hands of the elder before him.
“Pleasure working together with you, Minister Zurama!”