Chapter 2: The Five Women Flee in Distress

  Ajiao wasn't injured, but coincidentally got her period at this time. Her stomach hurt so much that she frowned and hid behind a big tree to clean up. Perhaps the sudden onset left her with no other choice, so she simply took off her top and wrapped it around her crotch.

  When she walked out, Chang Lin almost burst into laughter. The girl's abdomen was bulging high, and her legs were walking in a ridiculously funny posture. The red-faced girl covered her chest with one hand and found a piece of cloth wrapped around her waist among the spoils of war.

  A Hua was still able to walk, her skirt had been pierced by a bullet and had a hole in it, but it didn't affect covering up the secret below. The three of them rested for a bit before heading towards a cave on one side of the mountain.

  Meng Lei Town, on the west side of Highway 4. The terrain here is complex and treacherous, with harsh weather conditions. Temperatures often exceed 38 degrees Celsius. Especially in the forest, it's like being roasted alive.

  As they walked into the cave, the three of them lay down on the ground and didn't want to move again. Chang Lin rummaged through the spoils that the girl had picked up and found what he was looking for. After resting for a while, A Juan got up and stood up, saying with a blush: "I'll go find some herbs for you, it's too hot, the wound will rot."

  Chang Lin stopped and raised his head, looking out of the cave and said: "It's about to get dark soon, you can't go far. Remember, even if we go hungry for a night, we can't have any accidents! Take this dagger with you, and it's best to bring some clean water back."

  "I'm going too!" Ah Hong looked at the young man with his back exposed and his lower body revealed, his eyes showing fear.

  "Haha, I won't hurt you!" Chang Lin pulled the little girl back down, laughing and saying: "You're injured here, it hurts just moving a bit."

  "Hehehe." Ajiao couldn't help but laugh and ran swiftly towards the outside of the cave.

  Chang Lin Song opened the girl, looking for what was needed while thinking urgently. Now it's impossible to return to the troops, and the enemy may arrive soon. The cave is too small, not to mention there is no water source or food, making it difficult to hide.

  "Tomorrow we must open it here!" He picked up the rifle that Ajiao had picked up, and found that there was an extra cylindrical tube on it.

  "M21 Sniper Rifle!" Chang Lin was excited, In September 1968, the US Army sent 1,800 M14 rifles with scopes that could accurately shoot to US troops in Vietnam. This rifle was later named M21 and used to fire standard 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition.

  The stock is made of walnut wood, impregnated with epoxy resin. The magazine holds 20 rounds and comes with a bipod. It has good shooting stability. The Viet Minh lost countless men trying to capture this weapon!

  He picked up the rifle, carefully examining it, slowly disassembling it, and wiping off the dust on top with a rag. After reassembling it, he stuck the magazine out of the hole on the shore and looked out through the scope.

  Chang Lin, who had been transferred from the infantry to the tank corps, was amazed by the weapon in his hands. Several hundred meters away, he clearly saw something the size of an egg, which made him want to try shooting it.

  His finger finally stopped on the trigger. On one hand, he was afraid that the gunshot would attract the enemy, and on the other hand, he didn't want to waste bullets. He reluctantly put down his rifle by his side and began to clean his pistol.

  When the sky darkened, Ah Juan finally rushed back. She put down a few long bamboo sections, chewed on some herbs in her mouth, untied Chang Lin's injured leg, spat out the herbs and applied them to the wound. After changing into clean bandages, she walked over to Ah Hong.

  "I won't!" The little girl was almost in tears, her wound on her buttocks, the bullet had only scratched a layer of skin. Ajiao forcibly lifted it up and laughed: "You cried out loud, does this count as an injury?"

  Chang Lin had picked up the bamboo tube and started drinking water, his throat parched and hoarse. He didn't look at the two girls, but instead focused on gazing outward. The night had already fallen, and it was impossible to see the soldiers in the distance. Lying on his back, he quietly listened with his ears for any movement outside.

  "Sleep, get through tonight, tomorrow we'll have to change places again." Chang Lin said with his eyes closed and a flat tone.

  "Watermelon, sweet and sour taste, fragrant and refreshing, very delicious." Ah Juan sat between Ah Hong and Chang Lin, pouring out the mountain-picked fruits from a bamboo tube.

  Chang Lin grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously as he shouted: "Delicious! This is even better than rice!"

  "A-Ling, do you still remember last year when you saved me? It was this cave, my arm was bitten by a leopard, and it was you who stayed with me for a whole night before sending me home at dawn." Ah-Juan was very excited, if it wasn't for Chang-Lin happening to pass by, her life would have been over!

  "Last year, we were brothers and comrades, but now we've become enemy nations!" Chang Lin thought of this and got a headache. He had spent a year driving trucks to transport rice and supplies for Vietnam, and now he was here to destroy the place.

  "What country? I live within the borders of Vietnam, but I have never acknowledged it as my motherland! The people have not had a single day of peace, constantly in war. Take Ah Hong for example, her two older brothers died at the hands of American soldiers, while her parents died from bullets fired by their own country's soldiers!"

  A Jiao was filled with grief and indignation, recounting the injustices in her heart and her disappointment with life. Chang Lin sighed and said: "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand people, a small part of Yue Guo manipulates the fate of all its citizens."

  "Ah Lin, I don't want to stay in this country. Take me away, to China. Even when I grow up and marry you, it's fine!" Ah Juan thought for a long time before finally revealing her true feelings to Chang Lin.

  "Silly girl, last year I could have taken you away and there might have been a chance for you. But now that the two countries are at war, do you think they'll let you leave?" Chang Lin patted the girl's waist, laughing and crying at the same time.

  "Stay here!" Ajiao was very clever, and she clearly understood everything that Changlin said. Seeing that the man did not refuse her, she leaned happily against his chest, face to face, and said: "This is a border area, with high mountains and dense forests, sparse population, we can hunt and farm, and have no worries about food and clothing for life."

  "Haha, I'm a soldier, silly girl!" Chang Lin couldn't help but laugh, this girl was too innocent.

  "But you can't go back to your country, at least not now." Ah Juan pointed outside the cave and said: "The east side was bombed by your big guns, opening up a reservoir, and the road became a muddy swamp and lake. The south is a heavily guarded area of the Vietnamese army, and it's impossible for one person to get through!"

  Chang Lin listened quietly, gazing at the little girl in amazement. Her mind was so sharp, she was practically a strategist. With nothing better to do, he said with a smile: "I can head north all the way back to our country to find my troops."

  "Head north? The north is a vast forest, and the Viet Minh have planted numerous landmines in the woods!" A Juan smiled wickedly, seemingly delighted that Chang Lin couldn't escape.

  "In the west, I can head west and then go north back to our country." Chang Lin had long planned out his course of action and spoke slowly.

  "On the west side is a lake." Ajiao flickered her eyes, warning the young man.

  "This——" Chang Lin really had no way out. But he soon calmed down, now that he was injured and unable to move, after his injury healed, he would rely on his own marksmanship and military quality to kill his way back to his country!

  Ajuan couldn't see Changlin's expression clearly, but from the other party's calm breathing, she knew that the other party was not disappointed or anxious. She said seriously: "A Lin, no matter where you go, take me with you. If we are separated, I will shoot myself!"

  "you——" Chang Lin was speechless, this girl is stubborn.

  "I'm uneducated and have no other skills, but I can hunt, farm, and in the future cook for you and bear children. If you look down on me, it's fine to keep me as a servant girl." Ah Juan spoke with tears streaming down her face, lying flat beside Chang Lin. She sorrowfully expressed her inner thoughts, indicating that she had accepted the man by her side.

  Mentioning hunting, Chang Lin suddenly thought of Ah Juan's incredible marksmanship. He turned to face the girl and asked softly, "Who taught you how to shoot?"

  "My sister." Ajiao also turned to face the man beside her, opening her eyes wide in the dark night and said: "My sister is ten years older than me, she taught me how to shoot a gun for hunting in the mountains and forests, and also for self-protection."

  "Your sister?" Chang Lin repeated in surprise, tentatively asking: "Is she a soldier?"

  "Uh-huh, he was forcibly conscripted and taken away. It's been three years since he left and hasn't come back, I'm afraid he must have died on the battlefield!" Ah Juan's voice was hoarse, but this time she didn't cry.

  "Sleep, no one can predict what will happen next. We are now in enemy territory and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to survive." Chang Lin patted the girl lightly and turned to face the entrance of the cave.

  Perhaps they were too tired, the three of them fell into a sweet sleep in the mountain cave where mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The coolness of dawn woke Changlin up, and he found that his injured thigh was no longer painful. He tried it out and could move, indicating that he could walk on his own now.

  Just as he was about to stand up, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps coming from the woods outside the cave. He picked up his sniper rifle and pushed the girl beside him: "Someone's coming, don't make a sound."

  Ajiao hastily picked up an assault rifle and crouched at the entrance of the cave, crossing over Changlin's body. When the figures in the woods revealed their faces, the girl exclaimed: "Ayun, Xiaoxue, Aying, you guys also escaped?"

  "Ah Juan!" The three girls were startled by the shout, and when they saw it was Ah Juan, they cried out and ran over, with all four girls hugging each other tightly.

  "They are..." Seeing that it was a familiar face of Ah Juan, Chang Lin put down his rifle again. But he became even more worried, three people were already starving, and now with the addition of three petite girls, how would they survive in the future?

  "These three sisters are from our neighboring village. The Viet Minh army is conscripting people everywhere, and the girls will also be taken to serve as their playthings." A Juan said indignantly, as if she was very familiar with the situation of the three girls.

  Tong Shi looked at the three girls in surprise, women from Vietnam are generally slender and small, possibly due to the tropical rainforest climate, 13-14 year old girls have already developed physically. These three girls were all in their tender years, with a charming and elegant appearance, no wonder they would escape into the deep mountains and old forests.

  "Take them away." Chang Lin made a drastic decision after some thought, to take the opportunity to separate from A Juan. These girls were enemies of his country, and the people he was going to kill were their compatriots. If these people shot him in the back, he would not forgive himself for dying at the hands of women!

  "Where are you going? Where are we going? What will you do if we leave?" Ajiao turned around and asked Changlin a series of questions.

  "Staying here is certain death!" Chang Lin was clear that there was no food here, so did they have to gnaw on tree bark and eat grass roots?

  "We'd rather starve to death than go back!" Xiaoxue suddenly took over the conversation, glanced at the man lying on the ground and exclaimed: "Are you Chinese?"