25. Autumn's Raid (7)

  It was already the summer of 2003 when I opened my computer again, but those scenes still appear vividly in my mind. When people recall memories, they can indeed see themselves clearly. The self that I saw was a mud-covered monkey, like a cicada that had just crawled out from underground. When I was little, I loved to go with Xiaoying to the riverside park to dig up these creatures and roast them for food. At that time, we didn't know what natural foods or high-protein foods were, but they really tasted delicious.

  I crawled and crawled, and finally felt my body gradually coming into contact with the ground that was slowly becoming hard, from wet to semi-wet, from semi-wet to slightly wet, and then gradually becoming hard - I suddenly understood the principle that things change gradually. It turns out that the philosophy course in middle school is really useful - what my brain was thinking about at that time, I really can't remember now, I guess I wasn't thinking about anything at all, my brain didn't have the energy to think anymore, it was just the instinct of survival guiding my body to move forward bit by bit.

  I remember my eyes were wide open, and my breathing was rapid, but apart from the mechanical crawling of my limbs, I was basically in a state of semi-sleep. The hallucinations kept appearing before my eyes, which I still remember very clearly - thousands of colorful butterflies flying around me. This is what happens when you're extremely exhausted and oxygen-deprived. Many years later, I read a report on climbing Mount Everest, where a journalist described something that resonated with me deeply. Although I didn't climb Everest, this kind of excessive fatigue can produce similar hallucinations. As for why there's oxygen deprivation, I think it's due to blood circulation problems - the heart demands too much blood, and the supply is insufficient, leading to oxygen deficiency naturally.

  Why haven't I fainted yet? It's just the instinct to survive, at this time it's impossible to think of anything else. Only by being alive can you say anything else.

  On the textbook of special forces, the cover page is not a slogan, but a plain sentence - "Only by living can we fight." I think you may not understand, and I didn't understand at first, but after thinking back, this plain sentence condensed the years of experience and lessons of the special forces - such lessons are often life lessons.

  The instinct to survive is a fundamental basis for the growth of special forces soldiers. In the harsh battlefield environment, if you can't even survive, how can you fight? This survival is not referring to some specific wilderness survival training, that's superficial, it refers to the cultivation of the soldier's survival instinct - inspiring you to have the spirit of primitive warriors fighting against adversity.

  Digressing again, and saying I'm crawling on the edge of a swamp.

  My eyes were wide open under the colorful butterflies, because there was a color that I couldn't help but notice. In fact, I was moving towards this color. It was the color of fire, not red, but yellow like candle flames. In my memory, I saw myself crawling like an insect, accumulating all my strength for just one small push forward. I couldn't even shout out loud, only short gasps of breath and occasionally the sound of two rifle parts colliding with each other. When I came to, I looked at that distance, probably only 50 meters, but how long did I crawl? I still don't have an answer today. With my last bit of strength, I raised my right hand and slapped it against the door.

  Then he fainted.

  I opened my eyes again and the sky was already bright. Actually, I knew it even before opening my eyes - I first heard the rooster's crowing "ooh ooh ooh". At that time, I really thought I was at my grandma's house in the countryside, where my grandfather would go back to after retiring from his job and not staying in a nursing home. When I was little, I often went back there. Then I felt my grandma touching my face, wiping it with warm water. When I couldn't sleep as a child, my grandma would hold me and touch my face, and I would fall asleep soon.

  "Grandma?" I called out softly, slowly opening my eyes. Then I saw an old face, a kind face, a heart-wrenching face, with a head full of white hair and tears welling up in the deep wrinkles around her eyes.

  "Grandma..." I suddenly called out loud.

  "Girl, what's wrong with you?" As soon as the voice came out, I was completely awake, because I knew it wasn't my grandmother, the voice and accent were all wrong. But the feeling in the voice was exactly the same. My nose started to sour, I missed my grandma so much, I was only 18 years old at that time! Then I felt a sour and aching pain all over my body. The old lady originally had tears in her eyes, this time she cried out loud: "Girl, are you being chased by the police or bad people?"

  I said: "I am a soldier."

  The old lady just said one sentence, at that time I cried, now I also cry. —— "If I were your grandma, I wouldn't let you be a soldier!"

  Tears just poured down my face. I've told you that my grandfather was an old eight-road, but on the issue of me joining the army, he and my father had different opinions, and strongly opposed it - at the time, I didn't know why, now I understand what it means to be a generation apart. My grandfather was afraid I would suffer, my father wanted me to suffer and be tempered. Neither of them were wrong, but my grandparents absolutely couldn't bear to see me suffer even a little bit. I remember very clearly that when I was young, our family was poor, in the 80s, even old cadres' families weren't rich, let alone my grandfather who had a changing fate and retired as a county-level official. My grandmother would take a steamed bun, chew it up into tiny pieces, and feed me mouthful by mouthful, that's how I grew up...

  I cried for a while, and Grandma also cried with me for a while. Then I suddenly woke up!

  Guns! Where are my guns? Two rifles, one handgun and a dagger!

  Kevlar helmet is still here, fortunately I didn't lose it, or I would have lost over 2000 bucks! How long will they deduct from my allowance? Ah?! I wanted to sit up with a start, but I really couldn't get up. As soon as I moved my abdominal muscles, I felt a sharp pain and fell back onto the bed again.

  "What's going on?" The old lady quickly pressed me down, and it was only then that I realized I was stark naked. But I didn't have time to feel embarrassed, and subconsciously said: "Gun?! Where's my gun?!"

  The old lady patted me on the back and I heard a metallic sound: "Here! It's right in front of you!"

  I took a glance and saw that the two rifles, one handgun, and spare magazines were all there, not a single one was missing. The dagger was also in its sheath. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the guns were safe and I wouldn't have to be sent for reeducation - losing a gun in the army is a serious offense, second only to leaking secrets. This kind of discipline education is repeatedly emphasized, especially in special forces where you're dealing with both secrecy and carrying guns everywhere, if you lose one, it's off to labor camp, no excuses. Luckily, I didn't lose my gun, or else I'd have to write a "Lost Gun" now.

  Then I heard the door sound, and a man walked in. He was a middle-aged man, also dark-skinned, and looked like someone who didn't talk much, taciturn. I knew this was her son. The old lady not having a daughter-in-law was also within my expectation, women are like other resources that flow towards more prosperous places, there's nothing to be said about it, it's just the way things are.

  Then I drank some water, the old lady fed me to drink, and I was very obedient. Her son went to cook, and the old lady chatted with me. Her accent wasn't particularly easy to understand, but I listened carefully anyway. My Mandarin she could understand, in front of her I said everything except secrets, including that this time we were just rehearsing, I just couldn't be caught by those search teams, also known as other Liberation Army troops. The old lady thought for half a day and said a classic sentence: "I get it! You're playing tricks! You are the New Fourth Army guerrilla team, they are the little Japanese!"

  I quickly nodded, the wisdom of the mountain people is absolutely high - this old lady's understanding of special forces is very correct, special forces are just guerrilla teams, not so many magical things to talk about. Then I rested and had lunch at noon, surprisingly it was braised lamb soup. As soon as I ate that tender meat, I knew the old lady had asked her son to slaughter the valuable mountain goat kids. - Actually, I really didn't break any rules, mobilizing the masses to cover oneself is also one of the combat principles of special forces. I slept drowsily for a while at noon and could get up and move around by 3 pm.

  Why do special forces soldiers say they can endure hardship and fight exceptionally well? It's just a matter of time to recover, but the recovery time for special warfare personnel is greatly shortened. This is the result of large exercise volume and arduous training. I wore a set of his son's clothes, my clothes and boots had been washed by the old lady and were hung outside, not yet fully dry.

  I walked out, and the old lady was still drying my camouflage uniform and towel for me. I said I had to go, couldn't stay here any longer, because I wanted to wait for the Dog Head High School team at the 7th Highway Bridge before they arrived. I had to cross the mountains and the virgin forest area, time was precious. The grandma was a bit surprised, asking me how I would walk. I said with my legs, didn't I? I wasn't injured. But the old lady was resolute, saying no way could I go into the mountains like this, no matter how much I explained that it was training and I could handle it. But I had to go, or else I'd get in trouble for being late. In the end, the old lady couldn't do anything about it, so she agreed to let me go. She asked where I was going, what secrets did I have to keep from her? I just said the Highway Bridge side. She understood and said she would send me off a bit. How could she send me off? Her small feet couldn't possibly enter the forest! I firmly refused, and she didn't insist anymore.

  Then she shouted at her son, I don't know what she wanted to do with her son, but I knew I had to leave. Even if all the young men in the village came, I could still leave. At least I have this confidence. She called her son over and said: "Go! Borrow me the tractor from Tie Tou's family, just say I need to go into town for a medical check!"

  She went with her son. I was still puzzled, why is this? After a while, the tractor came over. Only then did I understand - the old lady wanted her son to drive the tractor and take me there herself! And it must be on the highway, tractors can't go up the mountain. I was shocked, is that possible? Along the way were checkpoints from brother units! If discovered, you would immediately be tied up with a rope, no questions asked. I'm dark-skinned and thin, but no matter how I dress, I wouldn't look like a farmer!!! - If you've seen special forces soldiers, you know what it means to have eyes that shine like lights, this can't be changed.

  But as soon as I heard the old lady's idea, I understood - no wonder the Chinese People's Liberation Army could win the civil war! It's not about politics or anything, it's just that when the people stand on one side, that side will surely win! The wisdom of the masses is absolutely superior to those generals who hold proportion scales and look at maps! This is called "People's War". I disassembled the two rifles and put them in two fertilizer bags, then placed a few real fertilizer bags on top. The military uniforms, helmets, pistols, daggers, and boots were all in another bag underneath. Then I got into the car, covered myself with a quilt, and the old lady held me on her lap, covering my head with a towel.

  His son dragged and dragged to set off. We walked along the muddy mountain road, then got on the highway. I closed my eyes, so no one would notice that my eyes were shining. And my dark and thin appearance was really no different from those of the young men in the mountains. Many young men in the mountains over there had shaved their heads like this, and I guessed that none of the checkpoint guards dared to come on board and lift up my quilt to examine the muscles and scars under my mountain clothes carefully.

  The tractor was driving on the highway, not very fast. But it was dragging and making a loud noise. At that time, it was around 4 pm, broad daylight.