Liu Jincai opened the door curtain, ran in with a panicked look on his face, and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Captain! It's bad! Shitou and the others have just climbed to the third rock, and it's already started raining again!"
He was so anxious that he even shouted out his hometown dialect.
The strong wind blew the door curtain up, and Lu Zhan looked out. In just a few minutes, the sky, which was gray just now, looked like it was splashed with ink. Thick and dense thunderclouds gathered together, covering the sky and the sun, and a dazzling light could be vaguely seen flashing among them.
This is another sign of an approaching rainstorm...
Sure enough, just as Lu Zhan finished his thought, he heard a rapid patting sound on the tent above his head, and the rain began to fall heavily.
He looked out of the tent worriedly, not knowing whether Shitou and the others had successfully sent out the radio signal, and whether they would have enough time to retreat safely.
......
"Platoon leader, what should we do?"
The young signalman's face was wet with rain, and he held the rope tightly in his hands. The occasional flashes of lightning in the dark sky and the continuous roar in the clouds made him terrified.
Before setting off, Captain Lu instructed that they must climb up Leigong Rock before it rains and send out the location of their shelter. If it rains, they should decide whether to wait there or temporarily retreat based on the intensity of the rain. If there is thunder and lightning, they should retreat immediately and find a safe environment to take shelter.
The young soldier was secretly annoyed, blaming himself for being a drag and taking almost half an hour to climb to the third boulder. If he hadn't been the last one, Platoon Leader Hao would have at least climbed to the fifth boulder by now, and might even have connected to the radio signal.
Shitou was also a little hesitant. For the safety of both of them, retreating was the best option at this time.
But who knows how long this heavy rain will last. Next time I climb up from the beginning, my physical strength will definitely not be as good as it is now, and it may take even longer.
Just as he was hesitating, suddenly a flash of lightning seemed to pass by him, making the two of them dizzy. Then, a deafening thunder sounded in their ears, shaking their hearts.
"Hold on tight!"
Shitou felt a shaking at his waist and guessed that the young signalman below must have been frightened and thrown into disarray.
Fortunately, the swinging of the rope around his waist soon stopped, and Shi Tou's eyes, which were dazzled by the lightning, recovered. He hurried down to check on the little soldier.
The little soldier was seen lying firmly on the stone wall, tears streaming down his face in panic. It was unclear whether it was from the rain or from the lightning that was so close to him.
Looking at the young soldier's tender face, who was only sixteen or seventeen years old, Shitou's heart softened. He thought, "Just retreat. At worst, you can climb again when the rain stops."
At this moment, the radio equipment that had been on behind him suddenly made a "beep" sound.
Shitou's face lit up with joy, and he quickly asked the signalman below to confirm:
"Xiao Hu, the radio equipment is ringing, can you see if there is a signal?"
Hearing the sound of the equipment, the little soldier forgot his fear and looked up. Sure enough, he saw the signal light of the radio equipment was on. He immediately shouted excitedly:
"It's on! The light is on! Platoon leader! There's a signal!"
“Huh?!”
Before he could finish his words, the signal light that was full of expectations for both of them suddenly went out again.
Shi Tou, who was carrying the radio equipment, also noticed that the "beeping" sound when the equipment was running had also stopped, and asked hurriedly:
"What's going on? Why is there no movement again?"
The little soldier was disappointed:
"Platoon leader, the signal light is out again, the signal is gone again!"
What's going on?
Shitou tried to change his position a few times, repeatedly confirming:
"Now? Is it light?"
The little soldier shook his head and replied:
"It's not bright!"
Shitou was startled:
"Isn't this device broken too?!"
This is the last intact radio equipment in their camp. If it breaks down, they will have no choice but to stay where they are and wait for help.
The young soldier looked carefully and replied affirmatively:
"Platoon Leader, all the other indicator lights are on normally, only the signal light flashed for a moment and then went out. It must have picked up a signal and then lost it again!"
After hearing the little soldier's words, my heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled back down, but I was still very puzzled.
"Then why does this signal appear sometimes and disappear sometimes?"
As they were talking, another huge flash of lightning streaked across the sky right in front of their eyes. It was like a flying knife that split the sky in two. The world before their eyes was instantly illuminated in a pale white, and was quickly swallowed up by deeper darkness.
Accompanied by deafening thunder and heavy rain mixed with strong winds, the faint "drip" sound rang out again.
"Another signal! Platoon leader, another signal!"
The little soldier shouted excitedly, completely ignoring the fact that his raised head allowed countless raindrops to flow into his clothes.
Shi Tou also heard the faint signal behind him that represented everyone's hope, and a flash of lightning flashed through his mind - lightning!
It must be lightning!
Sure enough, after the thunder faded away, Shitou heard the little soldier's cry again:
"Gone?! Why is the signal gone again?!"
Shi Tou became more and more convinced that the lightning must have changed the magnetic field in the air at the moment it appeared, allowing the radio equipment to capture a trace of the signal source.
He hasn't climbed high enough yet. If he climbed higher, he might be able to find a stable signal source!
He made up his mind and shouted to the little soldier:
"The two times just now, the signal suddenly appeared after the lightning. This means that this signal must be related to the lightning. I must seize the opportunity to climb up a little further. There might be a stable signal up there!"
The signalman's face changed drastically after hearing his words:
"But the battalion commander said... if there's thunder and lightning, we should retreat temporarily..."
He had also heard about the origins of Leigong Rock. It was a place extremely vulnerable to lightning strikes. And now, amidst the raging storm and thunder, Platoon Leader Hao was still risking his life to climb up?!
Without further ado, Shitou untied the safety rope around his waist and said loudly:
"Go down first and find a low place to hide. If the battalion commander knew there was a signal right now, he would definitely support my decision!"
The signalman watched in panic as he untied the safety rope from his waist and tied it to one of the fixed iron hooks. He then heard him shout:
"Okay, it's tied. Pull the rope tight and slide down slowly! Try to use your hands and feet to gain some strength! Don't be afraid!"
The safety rope that originally ensured the safety of the two people was now tied to the iron hook with a stone to ensure that the young signalman could slide down safely.
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