Hearing those words, the little soldier burst into tears like a child.
It's not just because the mission was completed, but also because Platoon Leader Hao is still alive!
It wasn't until Shitou groaned twice that the signalman stopped crying. He sobbed and carefully examined Shitou's body:
"Platoon, Platoon Leader... Are you hurt anywhere? Does your head hurt? Does your arm hurt? Does your leg hurt?"
Shitou endured the pain and moved his limbs. Fortunately, he was still able to move. The height he fell was not very high, so most of his injuries were probably just scratches. The only slightly serious one was his right palm. He had just slid too fast while holding the rope, and now he felt his palm was wet and burning with pain.
When the young soldier heard him say that his right hand hurt a little, he quickly picked up his hand to check. Just then, a bolt of lightning struck the sky, almost scaring him out of his eyes.
The palm of the right hand was completely pierced by a deep tear that could be seen to the bone. The blood-red flesh on the palm was turned inside out and oozing out blood. Mixed with rainwater, it slowly flowed down the arm and dripped onto the ground.
This... Such a serious injury, and Platoon Leader Hao only said it hurt a little?!
The young soldier felt so distressed that tears began to well up in his eyes again. He hurriedly took out the bandage he carried with him from his backpack and wrapped it around the boy, trying to stop the bleeding first.
Then he checked with Shitou again and again, asking him if he had any other serious injuries.
Shi Tou shook his head, and even endured the pain and moved his limbs to show the little soldier, in order to reassure him.
The young soldier finally felt relieved, then asked helplessly:
"Platoon Leader Hao, it's already dark. What should we do now?"
Shitou looked at the dark forest not far away, his eyes full of vigilance:
"It's getting dark, and more wild animals will come out of the forest to look for food. It's too dangerous to go back now. Let's stay on this platform for the night and head back tomorrow morning."
The platform was five or six meters above the ground, and the stone wall was wet and slippery. It was difficult to climb up without tools. It was much safer for them to rest on the platform than on the ground or in the woods.
The young soldier nodded hurriedly after hearing this. Now, he felt that everything Platoon Leader Hao said made a lot of sense.
Shitou suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He leaned against the stone wall, took a few deep breaths, and comforted the little soldier in a relaxed tone:
"Okay, then get some rest. You're exhausted today. We'll head back early tomorrow morning."
The little soldier cautiously moved closer to him and whispered:
"Sergeant, I can't sleep..."
Shi Tou understood that he was frightened.
Judging from the young soldier's age, he probably just joined the army. Generally, those who join the army as signalmen are students. They have neither suffered so much nor seen the dangers of the world. This afternoon, I followed him over mountains and hills, and was chased by a bear and climbed huge rocks. Not to mention the thunder and lightning, I was also scared when he fell down. It is normal that he couldn't sleep.
Shitou put his hand on his chest uncomfortably. The next second, his heart sank and his fingertips began to tremble slightly.
As he gradually got used to the pain from the external collisions and abrasions on his body, he felt his chest becoming increasingly stuffy, and even his breathing became heavier. He subconsciously raised his hands to his chest to breathe, but his fingertips unexpectedly felt that several parts of his chest had collapsed.
He remembered that when the lightning struck Leigong Rock, countless rocks fell like fire meteors. Many times he felt that he was hit by the hot falling rocks, but at that time his attention was completely focused on the descent, and he had no time to react whether he was injured.
Shitou opened his mouth slightly and swallowed a mouthful of rain water to moisten his dry throat, but he didn't expect that he felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest the next second.
He gritted his teeth and held back the cry that was about to burst out of his throat, took a deep breath, and forced himself to endure it.
The young soldier quickly noticed his abnormality and asked nervously:
"Platoon leader, what's wrong? Does it hurt anywhere?"
Shitou didn't want to scare him anymore, so he tried to force a smile on his face and said in a gentle tone:
"No, I can't sleep anyway, so I'll tell you about those methods my grandfather taught me when I was a child to identify changes in the mountains and forests!"
"Okay! Platoon Leader, you talk, I'm listening!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they diverted the little soldier's attention.
At this moment, he was completely impressed by Platoon Leader Hao and was eager to hear him talk more about his knowledge to improve his skills.
Shitou smiled, and slowly began to recall the happy times when he followed his grandfather around as a child. He said slowly and softly:
"The first thing that impressed me most was the story my grandfather told me. Sometimes in the mountains and forests, you'd come across pools of exceptionally clear water, so clear you could see the bottom, with no aquatic plants or fish in sight. You had to be very careful with such water and never drink it."
"Why? Isn't it good to have clean water?"
The little soldier didn't quite understand.
Shi Tou smiled and shook his head:
"The cleanest water in the mountains is rainwater, followed by running water in streams. If you can't find any, you can simply filter stagnant water with aquatic plants and fish swimming in it and drink it."
"But you can't drink clear, clear, dead water that doesn't grow any plants or fish. That means there's something in the water that's killing the plants and fish, and that thing is often deadly to humans!"
Shitou has only been to school for a few years, so he can't say anything that is scientifically based. What he said are all experiences passed down from generation to generation.
The young soldier nodded frequently as he listened, thinking that there must be some deadly bacteria or viruses in that kind of water, and he took note of it silently.
"I understand, Platoon Leader Hao. I also want to ask, what should I do if I get lost in the mountains?"
Stone smiled and pointed to the dense forest in the distance, then pointed to the sky:
"The treetops will tell you the directions of east, west, east, and north. The sun can tell you the directions too, and so can the stars..."
“…”
The voices of the two people asking and answering each other were blown into the air by the night wind, and seemed particularly quiet and peaceful in the moonlight after the rainstorm.
After an unknown amount of time, Shitou, who was still answering the little soldier's questions, suddenly felt his shoulders sink. He turned around and saw the little soldier's head drooping on his shoulders.
He stopped talking, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
This little soldier is about the same age as his younger brother. His younger brother has good grades and is currently studying in high school in his hometown!
Shi Tou was really tired. He leaned against the stone wall and slowly closed his eyes. The last thought in his mind was to secretly feel lucky - fortunately, he had sent out the location signal of the shelter just one second before the lightning struck Leigongyan.
He watched with his own eyes as the green light indicating successful transmission came on. Although it only lasted for a second before the signal was lost again due to his rapid descent, he firmly believed that the command center thousands of miles away must have received his signal.
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