Just as Lu Zhan was lost in thought, Shitou broke the silence:
"Reporting to the battalion commander, I know the location of that place. I can climb up with the radio equipment. Don't worry, although I am not a good swimmer, I have been an expert in climbing trees since I was a child. I can complete the mission!"
Liu Jincai didn't expect him to recommend himself, and patted his shoulder with admiration:
"You're quite capable, kid! You're quite courageous! If you can actually contact headquarters, the battalion commander will definitely ask for a third-class merit for you when you get back!"
Shitou's eyes were red, but his expression was firm:
"No, Captain Liu, I'm not doing this for the honors. Our Captain said that soldiers should not be afraid of three things: not afraid of hardship, not afraid of fatigue, and not afraid of danger. We must always put the interests of the motherland and the people first. If our Captain can do it, I can do it too!"
When he mentioned Bi Guoguang, Lu Zhan's eyes became a little hot.
Among these people, only Bi Guoguang had experienced the flood relief and rescue work in Xiushan County with him. He was his good partner and comrade with whom he had worked for many years. Lu Zhan never expected that he would lose him in this rainstorm disaster.
Thinking back to the words he had written on the town hall gate before the evacuation, they had now been submerged in the flood...
"Shitou, your company commander is great, and you are great too!"
Ma Jun has always been introverted and rarely expresses his emotions in this way. At this moment, his eyes were red.
Lu Zhan took a deep breath, endured the sharp pain in his chest, and spoke with a heavy voice:
"Shitou, this mission is extremely dangerous. You must be fully prepared mentally. If something unexpected happens during the climb, or you're struck by lightning, you could lose your life at any time."
He did not refuse Shitou's self-recommendation, because no matter how dangerous the mission was, the lives of thousands of people were at stake, and someone had to complete it.
It was either a stone or someone else. He believed that all soldiers were ready to sacrifice themselves for their motherland and people when they joined the army.
If he hadn't been lying on the camp bed and unable to move, he would have taken the lead in taking responsibility for completing this task.
Shitou nodded solemnly and gave Lu Zhan a standard military salute:
"Please rest assured, Battalion Commander. Second Company First Platoon Leader Hao Shitou will ensure the mission is accomplished!"
......
The heavy rain continued to fall.
Everyone is looking forward to the moment when the sky clears up.
After careful consideration by Lu Zhan, it was finally decided that a communications soldier and Shi Tou would jointly complete the task of climbing Leigongyan.
The communications soldier is responsible for carrying the radio equipment to the summit to send signals, while Shi Tou is responsible for ensuring the safety of the communications soldier throughout the entire process.
The two people who were highly expected by everyone had already made preparations early on——
The signalman tied the radio equipment firmly to his back with waterproof cloth and put on the best raincoat in the entire battalion to ensure the safety of the equipment to the greatest extent possible.
Around Shitou's waist were also tied iron hooks and ropes for climbing boulders, a short knife for self-defense, and dry powder given by fellow villagers, who said that applying it on the hands would help in climbing the smooth stone walls.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the rain to stop.
After the afternoon, the dark clouds began to disperse and the rainstorm gradually weakened. Half an hour later, although the sky was still gloomy, the rain finally stopped.
Ma Jun looked at the sky and said to Lu Zhan:
"Captain, it's been like this for a while now. It might be cloudy in the afternoon, and then it'll rain again in the evening."
Lu Zhan understood what he meant. If he wanted to take action, he had to seize the precious time of this afternoon.
In fact, at this time, the surface of the huge rocks of Leigongyan was all covered with rainwater. Without sunlight, it would not dry up in such a short time. The wet rock surface would not only increase the difficulty of climbing, but also make it more conductive. It was really not a good time.
But Lu Zhan had no choice and no time to wait any longer. This afternoon when the rain stopped might be their only chance to contact the headquarters.
Lu Zhan nodded at him, Ma Jun understood, turned and walked out of the tent.
Outside the tent, Shi Tou and the signalman were ready to go. When they saw Ma Jun coming out, countless pairs of eyes looked at him.
Ma Jun walked up to the two of them and said in a deep voice:
"Are you ready?"
The two men straightened their bodies and said in unison:
"Report to the company commander, we are ready!"
Ma Jun looked at the two young faces with a look of both relief and worry:
"Get ready to go, be sure to pay attention to safety!"
"Yes! I promise to complete the task!"
Shi Tou and the signalman stood at attention and saluted, then turned around and walked out of the refuge area with everyone's expectant eyes, and stepped into the dangerous and unpredictable dense forest without hesitation.
The deeper we went into the dense forest, the harder it became to walk. After walking for about half an hour, the weeds and bushes under our feet were almost as high as our waists.
The two men drew their short knives from their waists and slashed their way forward. Inevitably, their arms, necks, and cheeks were scratched by the sharp, thorny leaves, leaving bloody marks. At the same time, Shi Tou's eyes kept patrolling back and forth in the grass, guarding against dangerous wild beasts that might suddenly appear in the dense forest.
By the time the two men walked out of the waist-high weeds, they were covered in wounds and had lost a lot of energy.
The young communications soldier was carrying heavy radio equipment and was so exhausted that he was gasping for breath.
Seeing this, Shitou took the initiative to say:
"Give me the equipment. I'll carry it first and give it to you when we get to the bottom of Leigong Rock!"
The young signalman shook his head and was about to say that he could hold on, but the next second his toes kicked a tree root sticking out of the ground, his legs went weak and he fell down - only a muffled groan was heard, and he fell flat on his face.
Shitou quickly went over to pull him:
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
The dusty young soldier didn't bother to clean the dirt off his body. He quickly touched the radio device on his back to confirm that it was still properly strapped to his back. Then he said with lingering fear:
"Luckily I jumped down and didn't drop any equipment!"
After this incident, the young soldier no longer dared to show off in front of the stone. His physical fitness was not as good as the stone. Falling down would be embarrassing, but it would be a big deal if he broke the equipment!
Shitou took the radio equipment and still carefully tied it behind him with the waterproof cloth. The young soldier also put his raincoat on him - this radio equipment was the last hope of the entire camp, and there must not be any mistakes.
The two continued walking forward, when suddenly Shitou's face turned stern. He stopped and reached out to grab the little warrior beside him:
"Shh-"
He made a gesture and tilted his ear to listen carefully.
Shi Tou's fearless attitude made the young signalman feel nervous, and he looked around in the direction of his gaze.
I saw a breeze blowing through the trees in the distance on the right, and I could faintly hear the branches swaying.
Stone's pupils shrank suddenly, and he suddenly grabbed the little soldier's hand and shouted:
“Run!”
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