Chapter 45
When the last tree is cut down, the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught, then you will realize that money cannot be eaten.
Author's note
April 20, 2006, morning, a certain unit's auditorium in Beijing.
This song is dedicated to you, and also to my fiancé who is far away from home. Because of your selfless dedication, the people have a peaceful and happy life. You are still the most lovely people in the world. A girl walked onto the stage and said these opening words.
Calm and peaceful days
You won't recognize me
My green uniform is the most ordinary color
When the flowers are in full bloom and the moon is round
You won't notice me
My red hat badge is quietly shining in the distance
You don't know me
I'm not lonely either
You're not familiar with me
I am still me
Suppose one day wind and rain come
In the storm will show out our military's true colors
The era of flying white pigeons
You won't recognize me
My name is not as famous as those stars
The days when the smoke of war has cleared
You won't notice me
My story was drowned out by the singing
You don't know me
I'm not lonely either
You're not familiar with me
I am still me
Suppose one day wind and rain come
In the storm will show out our military's true colors
You don't know me
I'm not lonely either
You're not familiar with me
I am still me
Suppose one day wind and rain come
In the storm will show our military's true colors
The song ended, and the grand auditorium erupted in thunderous applause. The soldiers below stood up spontaneously, applauding and shouting: "Military sister, one more song! Military sister, one more song!"
Halt! An officer shouted loudly: Everyone follow me and shout together... One, two, three, four, five...
We have waited so hard...... All warriors shouted loudly.
One two three four five six seven...
Do you have it or not?
Let you sing, then you sing.
Not very convincing.
Like what.
Big girl
The warriors suddenly froze when they shouted here. The opponent was just a big girl, haha... The auditorium burst into laughter again. The teacher behind the scenes smiled wryly and said to the girl: "It's a mistake to call you here. You've covered up all your classmates' limelight." The girl smiled quietly: "My boyfriend is a soldier. I have common language with the warriors. It's not a mistake for me to come here. At least I can see Liu Junhao's growth environment." Outside the auditorium, there were still shouts everywhere. Later, a classmate who came on stage stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. The team leader smiled and walked over: "This classmate, why don't you go up and sing another one? If not, my soldiers will have to flip the auditorium today." The girl nodded and agreed readily, taking the microphone and preparing to go on stage. "Classmate, your singing is really good," the team leader praised behind her back. "We've had many art troupes come here, including professional ones. You're the first one who can make our warriors cheer like this." The girl turned around and smiled: "Thank you for the compliment, Chief." After finishing speaking, she picked up her skirt and walked back onto the stage again. The auditorium immediately erupted in another round of thunderous applause. Then, a song called "When Your Hair Brushes Against My Steel Gun" echoed through everyone's ears.
The boyfriend of this little girl is a soldier. The leader of the troops asked the teacher who led the school team.
Yes, her boyfriend has been in the special police force for over a decade. She misses that young man terribly. Last year, she said he was supposed to retire and come home, but the unit kept him on for several more years. Now, not even a phone call. No wonder she sings military songs with such feeling.
Oh, being a soldier's family member is the toughest. No money when you need it, no fame when you want it. Only the bitterness of living apart in two different places. And on top of that, having to take care of both families. The officer said with deep feeling.
After that night, Su Yue Song felt it was necessary to improve their equipment. He took Shao Hui and Wang Jian Bin to the town to acquire some weapons. The town mayor also knew about the recent events in their area, so he readily gave them two heavy machine guns and two rocket launchers. Su Yue Song tactfully asked for some night vision equipment, but the mayor said they only had candles and light bulbs, and told them to take as many as they wanted. Shao Hui came out with tears in his eyes: "Even the landlord's family doesn't have any surplus grain." Su Yue Song looked at the four heavy firearms and asked Shao Hui, "How are these four doing?" Shao Hui glanced at the production date and replied, "Marrying an old woman is still better than being single." From then on, from the town government to the base, Su Yue Song didn't say another word to him.
Back to the dormitory, Liu Junhao was sitting on the bed, concentrating on doing embroidery. Shao Hui sneaked over and took a look. This guy had collected a large number of shell casings and was piecing together a pattern on a white cloth. After finishing, he used needle and thread to sew it in place. A round heart shape, like a pig's lung, appeared prominently on the surface. Inside, two olive branches symbolizing special police were also pieced together. No need to ask, it must be for his girlfriend. Shao Hui didn't disturb him and quietly pushed open the door to leave. The team members were outside, fiddling with the newly arrived heavy machine guns and rocket launchers. Seeing Shao Hui walk over, Zhao Zhenghao asked: "Brother, you really know how to choose. These four old guys are almost a hundred years old combined. Aren't you afraid they'll explode?" Shao Hui grabbed a gun, pulled open the chamber, and took a look inside: The barrel hadn't been worn down. It was still usable. That town mayor was not very reliable. On the surface, he seemed generous, but actually, he was too stingy. He gave us these old antiques. Zhou Yan took over a gun, opened the chamber, and looked along the sight line: "The sights are all polished bright. If there's sunlight during the day, it will definitely produce glare and affect accuracy." Shao Hui was the one who went to receive the guns. The team members' evaluation of these guns made his face somewhat unflappable: "Everyone, don't complain. Having something is better than having nothing. These guns may not be very useful, but the combined power of four guns can be equivalent to using one good gun."
Not necessarily. Zhao Zhenghao threw the rocket launcher to Li Jinping beside him and said, I want to marry a 26-year-old wife. Can I find two 13-year-old girls to replace her?
Su Yue Song was just about to come over and ask the team members for their opinions on these few guns. After hearing these words, he turned around with his hands behind his back, looking around like a passerby, A, who brushed shoulders with them.
As the sun set, the factory finally returned to calm after a busy day. Everyone washed their faces and prepared for dinner. Just then, Wang Shunan walked into the dining hall and came to the table where Director and Su Yuesong were sitting to report: "Director, a car has arrived outside. The person in the car said they want to see you." The director put down his chopsticks and asked, "Who is it so late?" He replied, "No one else, just him. He wants to see you. If you're not convenient to meet now, it won't be easy to meet again later." Oh, the director was a bit curious. What kind of person would be so presumptuous? Before even meeting, they were already making threats. Su Yuesong slowly put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment before saying, "I think this person has come with ill intentions. It's possible that we have some handle in their hands, which is why they dare to speak like this." The director couldn't help but wonder if it was related to the missing people. He told Wang Shunan, "Quickly call him into the conference room and have him wait. I'll be there soon." Wang Shunan nodded and left. The director lost his appetite and stood up, putting on his coat. He said to Su Yuesong, "Let's go see what kind of god has arrived." Su Yuesong pushed back his chair and stood up: "What was bound to come has finally come. Let's go take a look, old brother."
Two people came to the conference room and sat down for a short while. Wang Shunan opened the door and invited someone in. The person wore a worn-out robe, with loose clothes that made it impossible to tell if they were carrying any weapons. After entering, he took off his face scarf and bowed respectfully. Su Yuesong saw that this person had a full beard and a sharp nose, with a knife-like face that didn't look friendly. He nodded and stretched out his hand, indicating for him to sit down.
The person sat down but didn't speak, instead handing over a map. The old director took it and looked at it carefully, but he didn't understand the lines drawn on it. He handed the map to Su Yuesong to take a look. Su Yuesong took one glance and saw that it was a mountain terrain map. Suddenly, he understood what was going on.
He slowly placed the map on the table and asked, "What do you need us to do?" The person didn't respond, instead taking out a box of low-quality cigarettes, lighting one up, and exhaling a pungent smoke that filled the room. He pointed to a circular point on the map with his right hand, still not speaking.
Su Yuesong asked calmly, "Is this place related to us?" The person took the cigarette out of his mouth, tapped off half the ash, and spoke in a hoarse voice, likely due to long-term smoking: "Tomorrow night at 10:30. Ke Kush Mountain Top. One hundred fifty million dollars for your five hostages."
The old director with white hair remained silent after hearing this. The atmosphere in the room became somewhat heavy.
Excuse me for speaking bluntly, but you're asking for too much. $1.5 million in a short period of time is impossible for us to come up with. You also know that this country doesn't have any banks. We would need to withdraw such a large sum from a neighboring country's bank. Even if we set out now, get the money and then go to your designated location, it would take at least a week. After a moment of silence, the old director said.
