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墨書 Inktalez
The sound of gunfire, explosions, soldiers shouting, and metal being torn apart filled the air in an instant. The vehicle shook violently as bullets pelted against its body, creating a jarring noise that made my teeth ache. I gripped the handrail tightly, barely managing to keep myself from being thrown out.
My heart raced, almost leaping out of my throat.
"Enemy attack! Take cover! Return fire!" The calm yet urgent voice of Li Heng crackled through the radio.
The soldiers inside the vehicle reacted swiftly, using the body of the truck as cover and beginning to shoot back. The medical soldiers quickly shielded their medical boxes beneath them, huddling in the corners.
Instinctively, I raised my camera, wanting to capture this chaotic yet real scene. But my hands trembled uncontrollably, causing the lens to shake.
Fear.
It was a palpable fear, starkly different from the distant sounds of gunfire I had heard before. This time, the threat of death felt so close that it seemed like a bullet could pierce through the vehicle and strike me at any moment.
"Get down! Don't look up!" Old Wang shouted at me, pushing me down to the ground.
Bullets whizzed past my head. I could even feel the rush of hot air as they flew by. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.
The gunfire outside grew increasingly intense. Our transport vehicle seemed to have become a primary target; its body was riddled with holes from the barrage.
"Captain! We've blown a tire! We're losing power!" The driver reported anxiously.
"Everyone get out! Use the vehicle for cover and establish a defensive position! Alternate covering fire for retreat!" Li Heng's voice rang out decisively.
The door was yanked open with force. Soldiers jumped out of the vehicle with practiced precision, quickly finding cover and returning fire.
"Reporter! Get down here!" Zhang Meng yelled at us.
Old Wang grabbed me, and we tumbled out of the vehicle together. As soon as we hit the ground, a bullet whizzed past my scalp, kicking up a small cloud of dust on the ground.
I was so frightened that my legs felt weak.
"Over here!" Zhang Meng pulled us behind the wheels of a vehicle.
It was relatively safer here, but stray bullets still whizzed past our ears. I saw Li Heng directing the soldiers, constantly changing formations to suppress the gunfire coming from an unknown direction. His figure darted through the smoke, calm and decisive, like a war god. He was a far cry from the youthful boy I remembered.
In the chaos, I noticed a Medical Soldier not far away who seemed to have been hit, collapsing to the ground. A few soldiers attempted to rush over to save him, but they were pinned down by heavy fire.
"Cover me!" Li Heng suddenly shouted, then dashed out like a cheetah. Bullets zipped past him. He moved with incredible speed, executing several tactical maneuvers until he reached the injured Medical Soldier.
He quickly assessed the injuries and hoisted the Medical Soldier onto his back, preparing to retreat. Just then, a bullet flew in from an unknown direction, striking the ground beside him and sending shards of stone flying that cut into his arm. He let out a muffled groan and staggered slightly but gritted his teeth and carried on, struggling to return under the cover of his teammates' fire.
"Hurry! First aid kit!" he shouted to a nearby Medical Soldier as he set the injured man down. Blood seeped from the wound on his arm, staining his camouflage uniform. Yet he seemed completely oblivious to the pain, immediately diving back into directing the others.
I watched that bloody gash on his arm, my heart tightening painfully as if something had gripped it fiercely. It hurt. An inexplicable pain.
The battle raged on. The enemy's firepower was fierce, and they seemed to hold the advantageous position. We were completely suppressed.
"Captain! We're surrounded! We're running low on ammunition!" a soldier reported anxiously.
Li Heng furrowed his brow, surveying the terrain around us. His gaze swept over our side as if he were making quick decisions.
"Zhang Meng!" he suddenly called out.
"Here!"
"Take two people with you to cover the reporter and the Medical Soldier, and retreat through the dry riverbed on the west side! Hurry!"
"What about you, Captain?!" Zhang Meng exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.
"I'll take the others to draw fire and buy you time!" Li Heng's tone was firm and brooked no argument. "That's an order!"
"But—"
"Follow orders!"
Zhang Meng gritted his teeth, ultimately accepting the command. "Understood!" He immediately called over two other soldiers and shouted to me, Old Wang, and the remaining Medical Soldier, "Come with us! Quickly!"
Retreat? Leaving them behind to draw fire? No way! I couldn't leave!
"I'm not going!" I blurted out. "I want to stay!"
Li Heng whipped around, his gaze sharp as he fixed it on me. "Xu Zhi Yi! Don't be foolish! This isn't the time for heroics!"
"I'm not being heroic!" I retorted loudly. "I'm a reporter! I need to document everything!"
"Document what?!" he cursed, his voice laced with a desperation I'd never heard before. "You staying here will only be a hindrance! You'll cause trouble! Zhang Meng! Get her out of here! If necessary... knock her out and take her away!"
With that, he turned away from me and plunged back into the fight.
Zhang Meng looked at me with a troubled expression. " Reporter Xu, let's go. Don't distract the Captain."
I watched Li Heng battling through the smoke, blood seeping from his arm, my heart aching as if it were being sliced by a knife. I knew he was trying to protect me. But I couldn't just hide behind him.
Just as I hesitated, disaster struck.
A stray bullet hit an ammunition box beside us!
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted!
The force of the blast instantly hurled me away!
I felt like a leaf caught in a whirlwind, tumbling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
My ears rang; I couldn't hear anything at all.
Everything before me was a blur.
I struggled to get up, but it seemed my legs... wouldn’t move?
A sharp pain shot through my leg.
Looking down, I saw my calf was a mangled mess, as if it had been hit by shrapnel.
This is bad...
I couldn’t move...
In my hazy vision, I seemed to see a figure rushing toward me recklessly.
Is it him?
Li Heng?
How did he... get here?
Wasn’t he supposed to be commanding the battle?
He reached my side and knelt down, anxiously checking my injuries.
His lips were moving, seemingly saying something, but I couldn’t hear anything.
All I could see were the urgency and worry in his eyes... and a hint of... fear?
Is he afraid?
Afraid of what?
Afraid that I might die?
I gazed at his face so close to mine and suddenly felt like laughing.
Li Heng...
Didn’t you think I was a burden?
Then what are you doing now...?
I reached out my hand, wanting to touch his face.
But before I could reach him, darkness enveloped me, and I lost consciousness completely.
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