Chapter Eighteen: Is it Liu Hui or Ban Dao Long?

  "Tomorrow at dawn you will be transferred to a temporary prison cell, I spoke with Liu Hui over the phone and from our conversation I feel that this person is not simple. I don't dare say what your fate will be when you return to the troops, but as a comrade I want to give you some advice - for now, don't go back to the troops. The world is big and there's always a place where you can stay, war doesn't care about one person's life or death, it won't just kill one person. Be wise and protect yourself, your and his secret will one day be revealed." Yaxi left the hospital room with these words, full of deep meaning.

  I stood still for a long time in the darkness of the ward, Ah Xi's words echoing back and forth in my mind, my heart was extremely entangled with the issue of whether to leave or not. Leaving, or escaping, would be equivalent to acknowledging one's own treachery, not only having to find ways to evade the enemy's pursuit, but also possibly dying at the hands of one's own comrades who were eliminating traitors on a certain day; Not leaving, or stubbornly insisting, was equivalent to entering the tiger's mouth alone, with the enemy in the light and me in the dark, waiting for the day when I would be assassinated, my own death being a small matter, but not being able to thoroughly eliminate the hidden ghosts within the military being a big deal.

  Unconsciously, it was already dawn. A night of contemplation not only failed to help me make a decision, but also left my mind completely blank, unable to decide what to do. I gently knocked on the scar where the micro-electric device was implanted in my forearm, and the invisible electric waves seemed to flash before my eyes. "Whether it's life or death, let's talk about it when we see Liu Hui..." I clenched my fist and punched the wall, finally making up my mind. With my mind made up, a wave of fatigue also swept over me, and I stretched out my waist and lay down on the bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

  Early in the morning, Alisha was the first to arrive at my ward. "Good morning, mudfish, did you sleep well last night?" She greeted me with a smile as usual, but her eyes clearly hid a hint of worry. "Pretty good, and you, Alisha?" I replied drowsily from bed.

  "This is the first and last lie-in I had after recovering from my injuries at Busailah battlefield hospital." "Not bad!" Yalisha said with a smile. I got up, picked up the water cup and took a sip of water, asking casually: "You look worried, something on your mind?" Yalisha said: "Something on my mind? What could it be?" "Oh!" I replied softly.

  "Loach, come sit down, I'll help you check your wound again. I heard from Ah Xi that you're leaving Seabury Hospital today." Alisha said with a questioning tone. "Oh, I guess so!" I replied casually. Alisha asked: "Will we be able to see each other again?" I thought for a moment and said: "Of course! After the war is over, I can come visit you, and you can also come to China to see me. At that time, I'll treat you to delicious smoked fish and take you on a boat ride to pick water caltrops..."

  "Deceiver!" Alyssa interrupted me. "Don't think I'm just a naive little nurse, I understand the cruelty and ruthlessness of war. Ashi told me you're going back to your unit, but from his expression, I can tell things aren't that simple. Tell me, Mudfish, will you be gone for good? Will you die in battle?" I smiled faintly and said, "War always results in deaths, many of my comrades have sacrificed themselves. I'm grateful to have made it this far!"

  Alyssa asked with tears in her eyes: "So you mean... really will... die in battle?" "No, I didn't mean that. What I meant is that my legs have already sunk into the quagmire of war and can't escape, so I must prepare myself for this." I comforted Alyssa. Alyssa pulled out a camera from her pocket. "Before you return to your unit, let's take a photo together as a memento!" I looked at Alyssa and then at the camera, saying: "A photo! Okay, but you have to let me do some touch-ups on my face!" Alyssa said: "Touch-ups? Hmm, I can understand why you'd want to do that." "Then please help me find a box of oil paints," I asked Alyssa. "Okay, wait a minute, I'll be right back. Oh, and eat your breakfast," Alyssa said before running out of the hospital room.

  I put on the dark green overalls that Alyssa had washed and dried, standing quietly in front of the hospital window waiting for Alyssa's return. I was lost in thought, thinking that this moment might be my last peaceful space.

  After a while, Yalisha came back. She handed me a box of camouflage paint and said, "Here's the oil paint you wanted." I took the paint and told Yalisha, "Okay, let's take a picture after I put it on." After finishing speaking, I painted a thick layer of camouflage paint on my face, then put on the sunglasses Jason gave me. "Alright, ready to take pictures!" I said with a smile to Yalisha.

  Alisha looked at me, smiled and said: "Hmm, pretty cool, or I'll draw a few more, so that it matches your oil painting makeup." "Okay! Then I won't be polite." As I swooshed a few times to paint the oil painting on Alisha's white face. "Ah! You're fast, okay, take the camera and shoot!" Alisha handed me the camera, then gently wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my shoulder.

  I raised the camera and pressed the shutter... "Come, let me see!" Alisa excitedly snatched the camera from me and flipped through the photos that had just been taken. "Hmm! Really good...... Look, Loach!" Alisa said with a smile to me.

  I took the camera and looked - in the photo, Alisa, wearing a white nurse's uniform, was elegant, refreshing, lovely, like jasmine flowers, with light makeup that made her even more charming; while I was like a green leaf next to the jasmine flower, thick makeup completely hiding my original appearance, sunglasses also blocking my clear eyes, making me look like a soulless cast statue. "Let me take another look!" Alisa grabbed the camera again and took a look.

  "Hmm... the only thing that's not quite right is your expression, it's too stiff. Come on, let's take another one, this time smile!" After saying that, Alisa handed me the camera again. I took it and held it up high, aiming the lens at the two of us. Alisa said: "I'll count down, when I say 'go', you take the picture, ready? Three, two, one... go!" Just as I pressed the shutter button, Alisa threw her arms around my neck and gently kissed my cheek. And that moment was perfectly captured by the camera. Alisa looked at the photo again and again, smiling contentedly... with a smile so cute, so radiant.

  When Ah Xi took me away from the battlefield hospital of Saipan, Ah Li Sha didn't come to see us off. Instead, she asked Ah Xi to tell me that after the war is over, I should take her to China to eat smoked fish and pick water caltrops...

  Three days later, Liu Hui, who was no longer a comrade-in-arms but an enemy, came to the temporary prison where I was being held. When he arrived at my cell, I was doing some physical training exercises. In these three days, Ah Xi and the others had not made things difficult for me, and I no longer wasted my mind thinking about those unpredictable dangers, but instead focused on intensifying my training every day to put myself in the best possible combat state to face the impending battle.

  "Catfish, do you still recognize me?" Liu Hui looked at me with a provocative tone. I stood up straight, saluted and said: "Of course I do, Deputy Commander Liu!" Liu Hui saw my salute and quickly stood at attention, returning the salute.

  Liu Hui asked me: "Do you know what we're here for today?" "Of course it's to pick me up, what else could it be?" I pretended to be confused. Liu Hui said: "It can also be said that way, but you must understand, you are a person who has committed the crime of colluding with the enemy, so on the way back, you must behave and not try anything funny, otherwise we have the right to shoot you."

  "What did you say, I'm a traitor... You... You... You damn it, this is bloody slander!" Hearing these words come out of Liu Hui's mouth, I was so angry that I almost fainted. Liu Hui said: "Bloody slander, no need to say more, 'Mud Eel' is your codename when you carried out top-secret missions, but can you explain why everyone in the war zone knows this codename now? What does it mean for a top-secret codename to be leaked? Can you give me an explanation?" I angrily said: "What's there to explain? 'Mud Eel' is my nickname... Who would know that this is a codename if no one leaked the secret? You're slandering me as a traitor just because of this, it's ridiculous!"

  Liu Hui said: "Forget it, don't explain for now. Your question can be discussed when we return to the unit." After finishing speaking, Liu Hui ordered the soldiers who followed him: "You two go out first, I want to talk with him alone." "Yes!" The soldiers responded and turned around to leave the cell.

  After the warriors left, Liu Hui walked in front of me, patted my shoulder and said: "Ni Yu, my good comrade, the interrogation just now was just a routine, I believe you, these days you have suffered!" I shook off Liu Hui's hand. "Don't try to fool me, you're not worthy of being my comrade." Liu Hui hypocritically explained: "Ni Yu, what are you talking about? Is it that some bad people have been slandering me? You mustn't believe their words, you know I'm a Chinese soldier with blood and would never do anything to shame the country or the army."

  I sneered and said, "The words 'Chinese soldiers with blood' sound ridiculous coming from your mouth! Stop pretending, do you still remember Sang Yan?" As soon as Liu Hui heard me mention Sang Yan, his face immediately darkened. He viciously said to me, "You know a lot, I originally wanted to make peace with you, but now it seems like you're going to resist to the end, what a big hero! Humph! Don't be ungrateful, and don't take yourself too seriously, do you know that all your fellow special forces members have been sacrificed, the front warehouse has been bombed, and Sui Ning has been assassinated? All of these are on your account. I originally wanted to pull you along one last time, but your performance is very unsatisfactory."

  "Damn it... Liu Hui, you son of a bitch, do you think others don't know what you've been up to?! I'll make sure to take you to the military court even if I die!" I cursed. "Hahaha..." Liu Hui burst out laughing: "Alright then, let's just wait and see, I guarantee you won't be alive when you return to the troops." I glared at him and said: "I also guarantee that one day I'll kill you with my own hands!" Liu Hui sneered: "Kill me? You don't have the ability or the chance. Toad, know your place, if you tell me who it was that connected with you at the Zhaizhai military base, I might consider letting you off, and there's even a possibility of giving you a bright future."

  I retorted to Liu Hui, "What brilliant future?" Liu Hui said, "Since the words have already been spoken, I'll be frank with you. You may know that I joined 'Gurital', but you certainly don't know that I'm not the real Liu Hui." "What do you mean by this?" I asked Liu Hui. Liu Hui said, "Liu Hui is a timid and selfish person who can't accomplish great things. Our Gurital mainly valued his special strategic position as the communication officer of the Chinese army before joining us. However, after he joined us, his performance was very disappointing. So more than a year ago, we replaced his brain. What you see now is only his body, but the thoughts are mine - Bantou Long, the trusted aide of Umi Archbishop."

  "Ban Dao Long! Th...then where is Liu Hui now?" I asked. Ban Dao Long said: "There is no more Liu Hui, Ban Dao Long is Liu Hui, and Liu Hui is Ban Dao Long." I clenched my fists tightly, a surge of anger rising from my heart. "You are too despicable!" Ban Dao Long said: "It's not necessary to be noble to inferior people, how about it? Now that you know my true identity, are you willing to listen to my command and follow me in serving Guri Tarr?" "Dream on...I'll kill you right now!" I roared, knocking Ban Dao Long to the ground and pinning him down, fiercely choking his neck.

  Outside the cell door, Ah Xi and the warriors heard the commotion inside and rushed in. Several black gun muzzles were pressed against my head. Ah Xi shouted loudly: "Mudfish, calm down, let go of Liu Hui Shang!" I roared back: "He's not Liu Hui, he's Ban Dao Long, an important member of the evil cult! Today, I'll die with him!" The warriors saw me becoming more and more violent, fiercely pinching Ban Dao Long's neck, and they cocked their guns, ready to shoot me dead.

  Yaxi saw that things were not going well, and with one kick, he knocked me to the ground. He led three or five guards in a rush, and they subdued me. Bandaolong coughed urgently twice, stood up, snatched the gun from the soldier's hand, and was about to shoot me. Yaxi hastily pressed down on Bandaolong's hand and said, "You can't kill him." Bandaolong angrily said, "This is an internal matter of my Chinese army, you have no right to interfere!" Yaxi said, "I don't have the power, but you also don't have the right to kill people in our country." Bandaolong looked at Yaxi, furiously threw the gun back to the soldier. "Put him in handcuffs and take him back to the troops," he said. After finishing speaking, Bandaolong stormed out of the cell.

  Two warriors dragged me out of the cell, in front of the off-road vehicle driven by Shang Bao Dao Long. When Ya Xi pretended to bid farewell to me, she whispered: "Mudskipper, find a chance to escape..."