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墨書 Inktalez
The convoy drove through the night, and I glanced at my watch; it was nearly five o'clock. Outside, the darkness was thick, mixed with the storm, proving true the saying: the darkest hour is just before dawn! After a while, we left the city, and the rain outside seemed to lessen. I looked at Zhou Yilian Lianzhang, who was focused on driving, then turned my gaze back to the window, seeing nothing but darkness. I adjusted my position, resting my head against the glass, ready to doze off again.
Just as I closed my eyes, a loud bang startled me; something had hit the window. I quickly sat up to look outside and was surprised to see a dark figure collide with the glass again! Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Pudding! When did it fly in this heavy rain? Had it been following us? No, that couldn't be right; it had been pouring so heavily just moments ago—could it really have flown for that long?
Not having time to ponder, I hurriedly rolled down the window. Pudding darted inside with a whoosh, landing in front of me on the driver's stage. Water splashed everywhere as Zhou Yilian Lianzhang exclaimed, "What are you doing?!" I quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Brother! Sorry! It's my pet bird!"
The Vehicle One Squad Leader frowned slightly. Although he seemed displeased, he didn't say anything. I knew he must think I was childish for bringing a pet into the military.
After my apology, I noticed Pudding's dark eyes fixed on me. I whispered, "Pudding, don't cause any trouble. Just stay here; when the rain stops, you can fly back!" Whether it understood or not didn't matter; I closed my eyes again and drifted off to sleep amidst the sounds of wind and rain and the crackling of the radio.
I was awakened again by Zhou Yilian Lianzhang shaking me awake. He said sternly, "We're almost there; you better get everyone ready!"
I quickly sat up and looked out the window. The convoy had reached the reservoir area; we were driving along an embankment since below us lay a vast reservoir. The rain still hadn't stopped, and mist rose from the water's surface. In the distance, visibility remained poor, and closer to us, the water level was alarmingly close to overtaking the road. To our right was a mountain slope covered in vegetation; thankfully, otherwise I'd be worried about landslides due to the torrential rain.
"Attention! We're nearing the target area; everyone prepare to disembark! Put on life jackets and then raincoats! Middle vehicle, relay this message," I said into the radio.
"Middle vehicle received! Middle vehicle received!" came Li Squad Leader's voice from somewhere in the middle of our convoy.
After relaying the message once more to ensure everyone got notified despite potential communication issues caused by weather and terrain, we continued on.
At this point, the convoy slowed down as we approached a relatively flat area nestled between mountains and the reservoir. Ahead were some buildings that looked like a village; they appeared somewhat faded in color, and I could vaguely make out several figures standing in front of them.
"Are we almost there?!" I asked. The Vehicle One Squad Leader nodded. "Brother, if needed, I'll count on your help!" I expressed my concern about potentially lacking personnel for our mission.
"Don't worry; if necessary, I can have the driver get out and assist," he assured me.
As our lead vehicle slowly approached the village entrance, Vehicle One Squad Leader tapped the driver on the shoulder. The driver understood immediately and turned around to back up slowly toward the reservoir. I knew this was so that our Assault Boat could be launched smoothly from On the Vehicle.
As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, I put on my raincoat and jumped out. A few people dressed like village officials approached us. One of them, a middle-aged man with a slightly graying head and a square face, said, "I am Vice Mayor Zhang. I have been authorized to coordinate with the troops for emergency rescue operations." Another younger, shorter man with a Hunan accent chimed in, "I am Village Head Wang. I was the one who reported the request for the People's Liberation Army to come help us!"
I first saluted them and then shook Vice Mayor Zhang's hand. "I am Company Commander Wang. I have been ordered to assist you. Is the situation very urgent? Who can provide more details?"
Vice Mayor Zhang glanced at Village Head Wang, who immediately replied, "Let me briefly explain the situation. Due to the storm, the water level in the reservoir has risen dramatically! Our village is located on an island in the center of the reservoir, where there are still seven or eight households. I contacted them after dinner last night, and they were fine. However, during the night, I grew concerned for their safety. When I tried to reach them again, I couldn't get through at all. So I reported this immediately and requested assistance from the People's Liberation Army to check on the situation and evacuate people and property."
Vice Mayor Zhang added, "The island has a farm stay type of place where tourists come to boat and fish on weekends, so there are several households living there. Village Head Wang will accompany you over there shortly to help account for everyone while I stay here to organize accommodations."
"You must have boats, right? Why have you been waiting for us instead of trying to rescue them?" I asked, looking at the misty reservoir.
"Well, due to the unusual severity of this storm, we usually don't dare take out the boats we use for tourists," Village Head Wang explained reasonably.
I nodded and pondered for a moment before saying, "We have a duty to save lives. Mayor, here's what we'll do: I'll leave one squad here; there are some car drivers who can assist you with various tasks and prepare a venue for accommodating the villagers. I'll take the remaining personnel over to assess the situation. We need to act quickly!"
Without further pleasantries, I glanced back to see that the soldiers had already donned life jackets under their raincoats and were gathering together. Old Tang was directing them.
Sheng Xiong ran over with a life jacket for me just as I was taking off my raincoat. I quickly put on the life jacket and then my raincoat again but noticed Pudding silently perched on my shoulder. This little guy decided to join in on the excitement! "Get back! If you're not coming along, stay put!" I waved my hand dismissively, and Pudding flapped over to a nearby tree, watching us intently.
I turned around and walked briskly to the front of the line, raising my voice: "There is an island in the middle of the reservoir where people are living. Our mission is to evacuate both civilians and property! Use both assault boats and speedboats! Three Rows will go help in the village; Second Squad will set up a temporary dock onshore for support; A Row will come with me to the center of the reservoir! Is that clear?!"
"Clear!" The wind and rain intensified slightly, but the soldiers' voices were resolute. "Dismissed! Move out!"
The soldiers dispersed; Three Rows followed Mayor Zhang into the village while Second Squad immediately went to unload equipment from their trucks.
I turned to Old Tang. "You coordinate with Second Squad; I'll take my team ahead to assess!"
Before Old Tang could respond, I called out, "Jinghe, take a speedboat; Sheng Xiong and Xuanhua come with me to check on the situation!"
As the people who were called responded, they hurried to unload the Speedboat, while I walked to the water's edge, waiting for the Speedboat to launch. "Village Head Wang, shall we go together?" I shouted without turning around.
There was no answer, which struck me as odd. I turned back to look and found Village Head Wang staring intently at the surface of the water, lost in thought.
"Village Head Wang?!" I called again. "Ah? Oh!" He replied hurriedly.
"Let's go together!" I glanced back and saw that the Speedboat had already been launched, with Jinghe already on board conducting some adjustments. "Um, um, I'll have the accountant go with you. I... I have something else to do, so I won't be going," Village Head Wang suddenly said in a flustered manner.
I gave him a look but thought nothing of it; perhaps he was just a bit timid. "Alright then."
"Liu Accountant! You go up with Comrade from the unit and take a look!" Village Head Wang shouted. A younger man wearing glasses ran over.
I saw Village Head Wang say something to him, and he looked reluctant but still made his way toward me.
People are really strange, I muttered under my breath before turning around. "Prepare to launch!"
I jumped into the Speedboat first, followed by Xuanhua and Sheng Xiong, with the accountant trailing behind, taking his time to board.
"Fatty, head towards the center. The situation is unclear, so take it slow," I patted Fatty on the shoulder.
At that moment, with a fluttering sound, Pudding flew over and landed in its usual spot—the highest point of the Speedboat. I couldn't help but laugh; we weren't training anymore, so who was it trying to impress?
"Set sail!" I decided not to bother with it anymore.
The engine of the Speedboat roared to life as it slowly moved toward the center of the misty water. The Speedboat cut through the fog on the surface of the reservoir; although it was raining, the water remained a vast expanse of white. The edges had already whitened, yet there was an ethereal feeling on the water. After moving five or six meters away from shore and looking back, I could no longer see land—it felt as if we were adrift in an unknown place.
To be safe, I turned on the intercom. "Squad Leader! Hurry and adjust the other Speedboats and Assault Boats; wait for my signal!" After receiving a response from Squad Leader, I instructed Sheng Xiong to load the Signal Gun bullets. In this situation, signaling would be our only means of communicating directions to those behind us.
The surroundings were quiet, except for the roaring sound of the engine and the faint splashes of raindrops hitting the water. Occasionally, there were sounds of splashing, likely from large fish rolling in the depths. Everyone had experienced working on a flowing river before, but this was the first time in a reservoir. On the speedboat, silence enveloped us as we curiously glanced around.
“Liu Accountant, this reservoir is something else,” I said, trying to break the ice.
Liu Accountant kept his eyes fixed on the water surface and replied softly, “This is the largest reservoir in our city, with a maximum depth of one hundred meters. We’ve never worked here before.”
I chuckled, “With such a large capacity, how could it flood in the middle?”
Liu Accountant paused for a moment, “I don’t know. Maybe... maybe one of the sluice gates opened and connected to the Xiangjiang River? That’s never happened before.”
He adjusted his glasses and continued to stare intently at the river surface, looking quite tense.
I found his behavior a bit odd. “Liu Accountant, what are you looking at?” I asked curiously.
“I... if there are water ghosts in this reservoir, would you believe me?!” Liu Accountant turned to look at me earnestly.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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