Chapter 55
May 3rd, 2006, morning, a town in Basra
A few days later, the team escorted a batch of supplies to a distant place. This is one of the small tasks that often occur. The team members almost completed it while appreciating the scenery along the way. Although the war zone was very chaotic, it didn't reach the point where unexpected events would happen as soon as they left the door. Along the way, internal conflicts arose again. The navy said the armed police were pretending to be heroes. It's clearly an armed police force, but they had to remove the "armed" and call them "police". People who didn't understand thought every policeman was a martial arts master; the army said the navy was poor and pretentious. Wearing white clothes was okay, but they also had to wear a cape to show off; the air force said the army was so poor that it was pitiful. They wore earth-toned uniforms and carried rifles. If they were given night vision goggles or something, they would go fight. Unlike us, even if one person went out, they would be flying an airplane. At the very least, it would be a small helicopter. No one believed in anyone else, and everyone was belittling others while boasting about themselves. The atmosphere along the way was very lively.
The vehicle drove through a vast expanse of Gobi Desert and entered a city that seemed more prosperous. The city was like a bright pearl on black velvet, bringing a breath of long-lost human civilization to this war-torn country. The team slowed down their speed, filled with wonder as they admired the exceptionally beautiful city. This place was considered an anomaly in Basela, but it still couldn't shake off the atmosphere of Basela. There were small shops and vendors selling goods on the streets, but there were many of them, and pedestrians walked by with peaceful expressions. The scene was bustling with cars and people, and the road was congested. Vehicles stopped and started, moving slowly for a long time without going far. Shao Hui suddenly saw a cozy cake shop in the distance. It had been a while since he arrived in this country, and he almost forgot that there was such a thing as warmth in the world. He couldn't help but want to eat a piece of cake. So he turned his head and said to the others: "We've been out for almost a day now, and the road is congested. How about I treat you all to some cake?" As soon as he spoke, the internal conflict immediately stopped, and everyone's opinions were surprisingly unanimous for the first time. In less than three seconds, Shao Hui was kicked out of the car by Hai, Lu, and Wu. He stood on the side of the road and sighed: "What a bunch of wolves!" As he walked into the store, he saw that it was filled with all sorts of cakes. He was delighted to see that they even had cherry cake, which was his girlfriend Yu Jia's favorite. This type of cake held very sweet memories for them. As he came to Basela on a mission, it had become a very sweet memory. He didn't hesitate to buy the cake and some other pastries to bring back to the car to placate the wolves. When he walked out of the store with a big bag of snacks, he suddenly thought of Liu Junhao and Zuo Ming. So he took out the cherry cake and took a small bite from each corner before putting it in his bag. The long-lost flavor touched his taste buds, spreading throughout his body. A sense of happiness immediately enveloped him. Shao Hui, wearing a camouflage uniform with a five-star red flag, carried a large plastic bag on the streets of a foreign country, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a commotion accompanied by two slapping sounds interrupted Shao Hui's brief happiness. He looked in that direction with dissatisfaction and was momentarily stunned. Over there, five sturdy men were surrounding a petite woman. One of them was holding a whip and lashing it at the woman with great force. As the whip rose and fell, the woman's back clothes were torn open, revealing her pale skin. Two bloody marks appeared before everyone's eyes. What was infuriating was that some people on the street stopped to watch, while the vast majority of people walked away numbly without looking. Shao Hui chewed the cake in his mouth and swallowed it with great effort, then turned around and walked to the car, opened the door, and got in.
"What happened in front?" Zhao Zhenhao asked.
It's their country's internal affair. That woman went out without wearing a headscarf, exposing her face and neck. Those men are disciplining her. Shao Hui looked over there and replied.
Alas, to encounter this in our own country... I'd have to cripple those few bastards. Here...... alas...... as if he hadn't seen it, Zhao Zhenghao sighed helplessly.
"Let's go," Shao Hui said, gritting his teeth. The car started moving slowly. Shao Hui patted Zhao Zhenghao's shoulder and consoled him, "Forget it, brother. Although this is a very ugly thing, it's just a normal thing in this country. Our brains can't comprehend some of the things that happen here. Just bear with it." Zhao Zhenghao swallowed his saliva and said, "Give me the cake to vent my anger." Shao Hui was taken aback, turned around, and scolded loudly, "Damn it! I thought you were talking about this matter. It turns out you can't stand the cake!" The eyes of the team members in the car all moved to the plastic bag in his hand, with a hint of green light flashing in their eyes. Shao Hui saw that if he didn't give it to them, he would have to fight alone in the car with his bare hands against this group of wolves. So he quickly took out the cake and fed them, and at the same time stuffed the cherry cake into his mouth. Liu Junhao looked at him and immediately put down the cake in his hand, which was full of food, and said unclearly, "Let's exchange." Shao Hui smiled slyly, "Hehe, this piece was originally for you to eat. But I was too hungry and have already bitten it into pieces. Forget it." Liu Junhao waved his hand, took another big bite of the cake, and said with a mouthful of food, "No...no need to be polite." Shao Hui didn't say anything else, stuffed the rest of the cake into his mouth in two or three bites, and said unclearly, "It's...it's gone." Liu Junhao didn't know whether he was unwilling to believe it or if he was choking. He stared at Shao Hui with wide eyes. Shao Hui ignored him, savored the cake contentedly, and turned around to sit properly. The scene in front of him suddenly re-entered his line of sight.
In China, it's possible to see five men beating up a woman on the street, but they would never be able to do so with such ease and confidence. The crowd and police would also intervene to stop them. However, if these military personnel with wolf-like eyes were to encounter this situation, I reckon that after the police arrive, all they could do is point at the perpetrators lying on the ground and ask eyewitnesses who was responsible for this good deed. Originally, taking them away would have been enough to close the case. Now, it's better to send them to the hospital for treatment for a few months first. This is the consistent principle of these bloodthirsty military personnel: anyone who commits violent acts against women, children, the elderly, and the disabled will be sent to the hospital first, then to prison.
However, in Basra, it is not allowed to do so. This country has a long history of being extremely discriminatory against women. They believe that women are only appendages of men and cannot work or see guests. If they need to go out, they must wear long robes that cover their entire body, without revealing even a hint of skin. This creates an interesting phenomenon where local women do not wear makeup, so there is no concept of beauty salons in the country. They also don't compare jewelry, and the only place where they can compete for beauty is with shoes. Therefore, there are many types of shoes here.
In this country, women are just a tool for giving birth. The side effects are cooking, cleaning, and farming. As time passed, some rich families' children went abroad to study, and the younger generation's thinking changed greatly. They abandoned some of the cultural dregs left behind by their ancestors and took control of their own lives and destinies.
Now, in Basra's capital city, you can see women with exposed faces on the streets. However, the idea of female inferiority is deeply rooted, and even open-minded women dare not wear beautiful dresses or bright clothes on the street. But this is already a kind of cultural progress, although it is small. In some remote areas, women still cannot enjoy this progressive life. People here continue to follow the old rules and customs.
If a woman with broad horizons dares to walk on the street with her head held high, she will definitely be flogged. This behavior was once part of the national constitution: anyone has the right to flog women who expose their skin in public places. Fortunately, this law has been abolished. Human civilization is always progressing, although the process is very tortuous and difficult. Although people living in the midst of progress are not happy, a glimmer of sunlight has finally appeared on the horizon, giving hope to those who love justice and peace.
Shao Hui was consoling himself like this, he lowered his head and tried not to look, but the crackling of whips, slapping sounds, and the woman's cries for help were incessant in his ears, piercing through the car window and hitting his eardrum. A few crisp joint sounds echoed. Shao Hui turned his face to take a glance. Liu Junhao was clenching his fists, gritting his teeth, and staring outside. Shao Hui followed his gaze and saw that the woman had her hands covering her head, crouching tightly against the wall root. Her cold-proof clothing was torn into shreds by the whip lashes. Bloodstains like ropes were wrapped around her pale skin. The woman's whole body was trembling, her petite figure like a small boat in a stormy sea amidst the fists and feet of five men. Those perpetrators were getting more and more excited, some even stripped to the waist, their hairy bodies flailing about. The team members wanted to intervene but were not allowed to. Firstly, this behavior was not considered a crime in this country, so they had no right to interfere; secondly, the purpose of their security mission was to be able to run away without fighting, and they couldn't afford to get entangled in unrelated matters. Shao Hui really couldn't bear it anymore. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and let the vehicle drive away.
...help……help. The woman suddenly switched to English for help. She started hysterically crying and shouting. Her cries were mixed with a lot of pleas for help. Shao Hui felt something was off. He opened his eyes and looked over there. He stared like a statue for at least half a minute. Nobody noticed. His eyes were already filled with blood. Bang! A heavy door-closing sound shocked the team members awake. Everyone simultaneously looked towards the front passenger seat. It was empty. Oh no! Zhao Zhenghao shouted loudly.
