Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
There is a story circulating online that you can look up, about an incident in 1995 when the construction of the Yan'an Road Elevated Bridge in Shanghai was halted because the piles couldn't be driven down. A sorcerer later pointed out that they were hitting the Dragon's Back, and after erecting a Dragon Pillar, they were able to proceed. There are even pictures to support this tale. I don't know if it's true, but our story today is somewhat similar.
As summer arrived, our unit was set to begin Water Operations again. In July and August, the southern summer brought a thick haze over the River Surface, distorting distant objects due to the heat. Despite this, we had to wear Camouflage Uniforms and life jackets while continuing our training.
Previously, I sat on an Assault Boat on the River Surface. While it was hot, it was relatively easy for me as a Military Doctor; my main task during this season was to patrol and check for heatstroke cases and provide first aid. Generally, accidents were rare since everyone wore life jackets and the river was shallow. Now that I had become a Squad Leader, things were different. Standing on the boat in the scorching heat while directing my squad and shouting orders was exhausting. The platoon was quite spread out, and before long, I was drenched in sweat! My throat felt like it was on fire; being a Squad Leader wasn't easy.
That morning, we arrived at our designated training area only to see several boats anchored in the middle of the river upstream. People could be seen moving about on those boats, but I had no idea what they were doing. Coincidentally, since I was in Row A, positioned at the front upstream, those boats seemed to be conducting some sort of survey. I didn't pay much attention at first and ordered my platoon to spread out on the River Surface and begin training.
Before the sun rose high in the sky, this Kung Fu operation felt the easiest. Once it hit ten o'clock, it became unbearable on the River Surface, and we would need to take a break. So while urging everyone to review and solidify our Workflow, I contemplated the next training plan that our Company Commander had assigned us. After all, with my new role, I needed to get up to speed quickly.
I don't know how long we had been busy when suddenly a commotion broke out nearby. Looking up towards the source of the noise, I realized it came from those boats. I wondered what had happened as several soldiers around me paused their tasks to look as well.
“Get back to work!” I glared at them. Shielding my eyes with my hand for better visibility, I noticed one of the boats heading toward us. What was going on? I thought to myself. Our unit had an unwritten rule that those stationed at either end of the river had to take turns keeping watch to prevent fishermen or Dredging Boats from entering our training area. So I decided to leave a few groups on standby and jumped onto our Assault Boat, starting up the motor to approach.
As we drew closer, it became apparent that we were now less than ten meters apart. I raised my hands above my head and waved them back and forth toward the approaching boat. “This is a Military Control Zone! Please stop!” I shouted several times but suddenly felt something was off—should I say "please stop" or "please halt your vessel"? Just then, the other boat slowly came to a stop, and several people standing at its bow parted ways for an elderly man with white hair.
“Comrade,” he said urgently, “we have an urgent matter and need your unit's assistance. Can we speak with your Leader?”
“Who are you? What are you doing here? I'm the Squad Leader responsible for security; please tell me what's urgent so I can report it up,” I replied firmly. If it wasn't something serious, I'd be in trouble for reporting it without cause.
“Comrade,” he continued, “we're from the Provincial Department of Transportation. We're here investigating bridge construction sites when a serious incident occurred—one of our Divers is missing, and we need your help.”
“Oh, is that so?” I examined their boat closely; it indeed bore relevant markings. “Please hold on.”
I opened my Military Radio and called out, “Calling Otter! Calling Otter!” I wondered what kind of code these staff officers were thinking when they chose Otter as their call sign. After a moment of silence with no response, I reluctantly reported my own code: “Water Snake One calling Otter! Water Snake One calling Otter! Emergency situation report!” Water Snake was our unit's code name; One indicated Row A—what a hassle.
Amidst static sounds came a response: “Otter received! Otter received! Water Snake One, please proceed.”
"Otter, Otter, a vessel from the Provincial Department of Transportation has arrived in our Water Area, requesting support. Please advise if we should allow them to proceed. Awaiting your response."
After a while, perhaps they were reporting to the command center.
"Zla Zla Water Snake One, Water Snake One, transporting relevant personnel to the command center. Awaiting your response."
"Received, received." I was too lazy to say much more. I looked up at the old man and said, "Alright, you find a few people to come with me to see the Leader. Remember to bring your Work Permit."
The old man agreed, and I didn’t want to waste time. As I maneuvered the boat closer, the Assault Boat docked at an angle against the side of our vessel. I tossed a rope up for them to secure it and then let them slowly come down using the rope. The old man quickly descended, and I steadied myself below to catch him and helped him sit down on one side. Looking up, I saw another person in Work Uniform coming down. Their movements were not as smooth as the old man's; they swayed unsteadily. My heart skipped a beat as they neared the boat, so I quickly reached out from behind and grabbed them under their armpits.
"Ah!" A sharp scream rang in my ears, and at the same time, I felt my hands press against two soft areas. It was a woman! I was startled and hadn’t reacted when she suddenly turned around and slapped me! Smack! My vision blurred for a moment—wow, that was fierce! I felt a surge of anger rising within me. Just as I lifted my head, a beautiful face flushed red appeared before my eyes. "What are you doing, you pervert? Are you part of the People's Liberation Army?"
One of the soldiers behind me burst into laughter. Annoyed, I turned to glare at him—how was I supposed to know if she was male or female? She was wearing a Work Uniform and a hard hat; who could tell her identity or gender? In my mind, I cursed—this was so unfair! But indeed, I had touched her inappropriately despite my good intentions. Not wanting to escalate things further, I quietly walked past her and the old man, saying to him, "Make sure you sit tight!" Then I yanked on the throttle, and with a roar, the Assault Boat shot forward like an arrow. The old man sat securely while that woman stood on the boat glaring at me angrily. With a yelp, she stumbled and fell onto the boat this time—I didn’t help her.
She sat up, adjusted her crooked hat, ready to explode with anger when the old man spoke up. "Moya, stop making a fuss. Comrade didn't mean it; just sit tight; we have important matters to attend to."
Comrade!? I glanced silently at the old man—well then, he wasn’t very articulate either.
The rest of the journey was silent! After bringing these two to the command center, I stood by waiting for further instructions since I'd likely need to take them back soon. Just as I was chatting idly with Old Bi from security detail, Xu Staff Officer came out with them. Old Bi and I quickly stood at attention.
"Wang," Xu Staff Officer called out as he approached me. "Yes!" I stepped forward promptly. "Wang, take a few members from the Engineering Reconnaissance Unit who are good swimmers and bring equipment to assist them. Follow Professor Zhang's orders."
I stared in shock at Xu Staff Officer and opened my mouth slightly. He looked back at me. "Is there a problem?"
"I can't swim!" I whispered into Xu Staff Officer's ear.
"Ah!" Xu Staff Officer's eyes widened in disbelief. "Next time on sea patrol, you won't escape!"
“Squad Leader Bi, you lead the team! Squad Leader Wang, you’re in charge of support!”
“Yes!” we shouted in unison.
“Let’s go, Old Bi!” I nudged him, but he didn’t respond. I turned to look and saw him staring at that girl. I kicked the back of his knee hard, and he nearly fell in front of her, only managing to stand up again with an awkward smile.
“That girl is something else. Just looking at her got me slapped in the face,” I told Old Bi lightly, sensing that the girl was still glaring over here.
Old Bi was startled and glanced at her before looking back at me. “No way, really? She’s that powerful?” He quickly turned and ran off. What a guy! I called after his retreating figure, telling him to find a boat himself while I took them back first!
Watching Old Bi leave, I hurriedly took the old man—oh no, Professor Zhang—and that girl onto the Assault Boat to head back. Although Professor Zhang still seemed anxious, he was clearly much calmer than before. He briefly explained that they were here to survey the riverbed for a bridge construction project. They had come early to check the terrain because they were worried it wouldn’t be suitable for building a bridge. To their surprise, they discovered a deep hole. Initially, they thought it was caused by sand dredging boats operating in the area for years. However, when a diver went down, he didn’t come back up either. It was due to inadequate preparation; everyone thought the river depth this season would be around seven or eight meters and didn’t bring ropes. Just like that, he disappeared into the hole. The oxygen tank they had only provided air for about an hour, and now half an hour had already passed—things were critical!
As Professor Zhang explained the situation to me, Xiao Mo Ya—who I learned from Professor Zhang was this fierce girl with such a literary name and also one of Old Zhang’s students—kept rolling her eyes at me. What’s her problem? I thought. It’s not like I did anything serious; it’s not the old society anymore where a touch means you have to marry or kill someone, right? I pretended not to see her and ignored her as I drove the Assault Boat straight to their survey site. I told Professor Zhang, “Let’s wait here; there’s no need to board the boat. Squad Leader Bi will arrive soon, and once he does, we’ll start the rescue operation. However, it seems we don’t have oxygen tanks or diving suits; we’ll need to borrow yours.”
“No problem, no problem,” Professor Zhang hurriedly agreed.
“That’s not called an oxygen tank; it’s a high-pressure air tank!” Why is Xiao Mo Ya always targeting me?!
Comment 0 Comment Count