Chapter Eight: The Giant Tree

Yesterday afternoon, upon receiving a notice from his mentor, Anderson immediately abandoned the trip he had long planned. He swiftly traveled from the capital of the Banna Federation to the city of Marcus in Yasun State, and from there, boarded an armed helicopter into the remote town of Bouado deep within Yasun. The urgency and gravity of his journey were unmistakable.

Yet, his mentor kept the mission’s true purpose shrouded in secrecy, refusing to disclose any details. Was it a large-scale procurement of medicinal herbs, or an inspection into the pharmacology of certain rare plants? Did such matters truly require the esteemed professor himself to make the journey? Anderson doubted it.

Now, as Anderson pressed his mentor once again for an answer, his tone was insistent, seeking clarity.

Mallory, whose weathered face now broke into a faint smile at Anderson’s impatience, responded with a question of his own. “Anderson, do you remember the file on patient number 1092?”

“Number 1092?” The voice in his earpiece gave Anderson pause, but he quickly recalled the case he had personally overseen. “You mean Governor Pirco of Salarion State?”

Mallory nodded, smiling. “Late-stage colon cancer. You performed two tumor removal surgeries on him. Last year, you said he had less than half a year left.” He paused, his eyes searching Anderson’s. “Yet, at his next physical, just three months later, he was inexplicably cured. Surely you haven’t forgotten.”

Anderson fell silent. Indeed, he had placed Governor Pirco under extended observation, conducting blood tests and examinations, but found nothing. In the end, he could only attribute the recovery to the governor’s robust immune system and extraordinary luck.

In Anderson’s career, he had never personally witnessed a cancer remission, but he had heard his share of such stories—usually involving early-stage patients or miraculous, inexplicable recoveries.

“Professor, are you saying our purpose here is related to that?” Anderson’s mind was keen, and his tone, though hesitant, revealed he had already made the connection.

Mallory smiled and shook his head, then gazed out at the tropical rainforest beyond the helicopter’s window. “Some truths are only accessible at certain levels, Anderson. The world is far broader and deeper than you imagine. True miracles aren’t commodities to be bought or sold, nor can they ever be made common knowledge.”

Anderson regarded his mentor in silence. “Is that so? I suppose I’ll have to sign an even stricter confidentiality agreement when we return, won’t I?”

Mallory neither confirmed nor denied, but his meaning was clear. “To gain something, you must inevitably lose something in return. Anderson, I’m an old man now.”

These words stirred Anderson deeply, and he made his decision at once. “Professor, I won’t let you down.”

“I hope so,” Mallory replied, his satisfaction with Anderson evident—why else would he have brought him along?

Bouado, though nominally under the control of the Banna Federation’s government, was in reality ruled by a local traditional clan. One could call them a gang, or a minor warlord, but here, it hardly mattered. The region was desperately poor, and the Banna Federation’s governance was chaotic at best; in the vacuum, countless gangs flourished.

Yet amid the poverty and disorder, these gangs maintained a semblance of order in the slums. In the Banna Federation, chaos and order often coexisted.

Mallory’s visit had been arranged in advance with the town’s real power. In fact, he had been invited by the local rulers themselves. Nor was Mallory’s institution the only one to receive such an invitation. This was to be an auction, and an opportunity for the town to drive up the price of their so-called “sacred medicine.”

As the helicopter cut through the primeval forest, Mallory turned his gaze from Anderson and fell silent, letting his eyes rest on the endless green. Compared with the city’s barren concrete and the exhaustion of laboratory work, the lush forest brought a fleeting peace and tranquility. The air route into the rainforest felt like a brief pilgrimage for the parched soul.

For the old man, watching the mist-shrouded jungle blurred the line between dream and reality. If only the helicopter’s thundering rotors would fall silent, it would be perfect.

Above, the sun was climbing steadily toward its zenith. Dewdrops on the leaves caught the morning light, scattering reflections across the rainforest and offering a breathtaking view from above. Enraptured by the scenery—the emerald expanse, the sunlit droplets—everyone in the helicopter fell into a momentary reverie.

But as the helicopter neared its destination, the pilot’s sudden exclamation over the intercom startled everyone. “Good heavens, when did that tree grow so tall and massive? It’s only been a few days—utterly unbelievable!”

Clearly, the pilot had been here recently.

“Hm?” Both Mallory and Anderson shifted to peer ahead in the direction the pilot indicated.

Immediately, a colossal tree came into view, looming and receding into the mist beneath the morning sun. Even from a distance, the crown of the tree radiated a grandeur that was almost overwhelming. Its mighty canopy, dense and verdant, resembled an immense umbrella, shading a vast area below. Birds wheeled and played among the branches, sending dewdrops cascading from the leaves to sparkle like crystal beads in the sunlight.

The sight left everyone in the helicopter momentarily stunned. Trees of such scale—over a hundred meters tall—were rare in the world, with only a few known specimens (excluding the almond eucalyptus).

Yet what truly astonished them was the tree’s recent history: not long ago, it had stood barely forty meters tall and was on the brink of death. This fact was not widely known, but the pilot and Mallory were well aware.

Mallory’s eyes widened in disbelief, his emotions surging. Almost involuntarily, he traced a religious symbol over his heart in reverence. Remembering a recent conversation with a certain individual, he could not help but exclaim, “This truly is astonishing!”

With a long sigh, Mallory gazed at the giant oak in the distance, his eyes now burning with fervor.