When Gao Yang and Brian parted, it was about nine in the morning, and when Gao Yang's plane departed, it was a little after five in the afternoon.
Looking at the time, Gao Yang thought he should be able to arrive in Odessa around the same time as Brian, but that's based on the premise that Brian is driving to Odessa.
Ukraine's roads aren't too bad, certainly better than Africa's. There's a motorway from Kiev to Odessa, but this motorway hasn't received any decent maintenance or repair for at least ten years.
It's roughly seven hundred kilometers from Kiev to Odessa, and given the poor road conditions, Gao Yang thought he might very well arrive in Odessa earlier than Brian, arriving earlier at the place Yarebin casually mentioned, waiting for Brian.
