There will always be some rough roads to travel.
Lin Jiacuo nudged his head with disdain: "Voice imitation is a compulsory course in the military. The sounds of birds, beasts and insects are the basics, but the most difficult to learn is the human voice. Being able to imitate it seven or eight parts is enough."
Lin Zhengye's eyes lit up as he stared at him and asked, "Brother, where did you learn your human voice imitation skill to be so accurate?"
“Your brother Qi has mastered this skill to at least nine-tenths of what he learned. If he really wanted to imitate it, I doubt anyone could tell the difference.”
Of course, he didn't tell Lin Zhengye how they had become so proficient in this skill. It all started in a study hall, with a great Buddha statue. It has to be said that, thanks to Cheng Wang, he and Tang Qi had unknowingly mastered many skills. In a way, he really could be called their "benefactor."
"How did you come up with such a dirty trick?"
Lin Zhengye pouted and muttered to himself, "You won't let me come along, so I guess I'll just have to figure something out myself..."
Seeing the glare Lin Jiacuo gave him, he quickly put on a smile and held out the treasure in his arms, almost shoving it into his brother's eyes: "Brother, look at these masks I made, aren't they incredibly lifelike!"
Lin Jiacuo took a few steps back, his face full of disgust: "Take them further away, they're creepy. Why did you make so many masks?"
Lin Zhengye shrugged: "If you don't learn, then of course I'll have to take over. Otherwise, our parents' excellent skills will be lost."
"Cannot be used for..."
"It must not be used for unjust purposes, it must not be used to harm others, and it must not be used to harbor malicious intentions," Lin Zhengye interrupted his brother, shaking his head and continuing, "I can almost recite what our parents said backwards."
Seeing his expression, Lin Gyatso could only helplessly say, "It's good that you know."
"Didn't I tell you to stay put in Los Angeles? Why did you sneak over here again?"
"My heart is in Qingyan; I won't be at ease if I don't leave."
Lin Zhengye smiled and said to his brother, "When Brother Qi arrives, I will personally go to him to accept the punishment."
He picked up a handful of sand from the ground and rubbed it casually: "The further east you go, the scarcer the water becomes. If you walk for another day, the wind will be strong enough to cut you."
Lin Zhengye looked up and continued, "Brother, does the army have enough water? If we want to get to Qingyan, we have to cross the Katyu Desert. The weather there is unpredictable. If there is a lack of water, we will be buried in the sand and there will be no turning back."
Lin Jiacuo tightened the bandage on his hand, patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "The Jinbei Army is stationed in the Katyu Desert, and there are plenty of supplies there. Our military rations are enough to reach Katyu, so put your worries aside."
"That's good."
"Hey, you don't look familiar, young man. Which battalion are you from? I've never seen you before."
Lin Zhengye stared blankly at the burly man in front of him who spoke with a strong local accent and sat down next to his brother, carrying two jugs of wine.
“He’s not a soldier. He snuck here today. He’ll have to go and be punished when the general returns.”
Lin Zhengye grew anxious and said to Lin Jiacuo, "What do you mean I'm not a member of the military! I'm only not one for now! Once the Wolf Strategy Army selection officially begins, I'm sure I'll pass! Brother, just you wait and see!"
The burly man glanced sideways at Lin Gyatso: "Is he your brother?"
Lin Gyatso nodded.
“I’m sorry, I’ve only ever seen deserters leave, I’ve never heard of anyone deserting to come in.”
He handed one of the two jugs of wine to Lin Zhengye, saying, "I like it, come on, let's drink!"
Lin Jiacuo took the wine pot from Lin Zhengye's arms, tilted his head back and drank it, and then said to the burly man, "He is not yet an adult and cannot drink alcohol."
"Oh, I forgot, he's still a kid soldier." The burly man scratched his head and smiled at Lin Zhengye: "My name is Gao Dong, you can also call me Lao Gao, that's what they all call me, I like it."
Looking at the older brother in front of him who had a fierce face but a strangely silly smile, Lin Zhengye felt an inexplicable sense of closeness. So he smiled back and said, "My name is Lin Zhengye, Brother Gao. If I join the Wolf Strategy Army in the future, I will need your help!"
"What are you talking about taking care of? You're Gyatso's youngest brother, so aren't you my youngest brother too? You're quite grown up now, aren't you?"
"sixteen."
“You little rascal, why are you out here fighting? I, Lao Gao, am fighting because I have nowhere to go but my life. Your brother Jiacuo saved me, so I must repay his kindness. Wherever he goes, I will follow.”
"Old Gao, I've told you so many times, I don't need you to repay my kindness."
Lin Jiacuo spoke up helplessly, but Lao Gao shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, my mother died early, and the one thing she ever told me was that you must repay kindness. If I don't repay it, she'll beat me to death if I see her again."
"Brother Gao, how many years have you been fighting?"
Old Gao frowned and thought carefully for a while before saying, "...I can't remember, but it's been quite a few years. At first, I didn't like fighting, there were dead people everywhere, I was terrified, but I got used to it later. As long as the dead weren't our people, it was fine. So why did you want to come and fight?"
"Because I want to be a great general like Brother Qi, protecting our country."
Lin Zhengye looked at him with a serious expression.
"Then when you become a great general, I, Old Gao, will treat you to a drink!"
"Okay! Thank you, Brother Gao!"
Although Gao Dong was much older than them, he was simple and honest. After a few words, he became familiar with everyone. He then pulled a bunch of people over to introduce Lin Zhengye. Lin Jiacuo was caught in the middle of the group, feeling both amused and exasperated. His younger brother was now being studied like some rare mascot, with people asking him all sorts of questions.
A group of people were gathered around the fire, laughing and chatting for who knows how long, and even his own brother couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Lin Jiacuo had no choice but to fall silent and quietly stare at the blazing flames. The fire crackled and popped, burning fiercely, the air smelled of sand, and the scorching heat made his throat ache; he couldn't help but cough a few times.
Something's not right.
Lin Jiacuo became alert. It was nighttime and visibility was poor, but he could still see something moving secretly in the distance.
"Oh no! It's a sand demon!"
Once he recognized what was surging toward them, Lin Jiacuo immediately stood up and shouted at the men in the barracks. He then kicked away the fire stand and yelled, "Everyone, abandon your horses, run to the left and right, and form a human wall!"
The Wolf Army was well-trained, and upon receiving the order, they immediately split into two teams and fled. Lin Zhengye decisively followed Lin Jiacuo, and only when he heard the commotion of sand piling up behind him did he hear Lin Jiacuo shout loudly, "Create a human wall!"
The rushing crowd immediately stopped and quickly formed a circle, each person pressed tightly together, like an impregnable fortress. Lin Zhengye was caught between two people, his whole body tense. After a few seconds, he suddenly felt a shock on his back, and yellow sand poured down from his head, making him lurch forward. His ears were blocked, and all he could hear was a buzzing in his head.
When he woke up again, his body was mostly buried in yellow sand. Lin Zhengye struggled to shake off the thick sand.
He sat in the yellow sand, half-upright, looking around at the many sand dunes. He could vaguely see someone's feet and hands sticking out.
"elder brother…"
His throat sounded like it had been cut, and he managed to speak with great difficulty.
"Brother Gao..."
No one responded, and Lin Zhengye became frightened. He propped himself up and tried to walk forward, but as soon as he took a step, something blocked his way and he lost his balance and fell forward again. He looked back and saw only a hand hanging limply outside the sand pile.
Lin Zhengye almost instinctively crawled towards the hand. He knelt there and dug in the sand with his hands. The sand was rough, and his hands started bleeding after a few digs. Lin Zhengye ignored it and continued to dig until he dug a large hole. Then, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and pulled the person out in one breath.
He suddenly lost his strength and fell to the ground. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see the person who had been dragged out.
It's Gao Dong.
Lin Zhengye crawled over, sobbing. Gao Dong lay there lifelessly, his face covered in yellow sand. Lin Zhengye grabbed his face and frantically wiped the sand off with his sleeve: "What to do... what to do, I can't wipe it off."
He looked up helplessly at the equally lifeless desert. Lin Zhengye knelt there, his expression one of despair.
Someone needs to come, anyone will do.
Gao Dong stopped breathing.
Someone please save him.
"Zhengye! Lin Zhengye!"
The loud shout brought back Lin Zhengye's lost soul. He looked sharply toward the source of the sound and saw two figures running from afar.
"Brother...save him, save him!"
Lin Zhengye felt like he had found a savior.
Lin Jiacuo and Tang Qi rushed over, but remained silent as they listened to Lin Zhengye's almost pleading words.
Tang Qi squatted down to take Gao Dong's military license plate and scooped up some soil from the side and sprinkled it on Gao Dong's flat chest.
He is dead.
Lin Zhengye's eyes were red, and he gripped Lin Jiacuo's arm tightly. The latter turned his head away, his eyes also filled with tears.
"The battlefield is not what you think, Zhengye. If you want to become a great general, you have to learn to accept death."
Tang Qi stood up and put away Gao Dong's military license plate: "Everyone you meet in the barracks, including your brother and me, may not have a tomorrow, or even the next second. Do you know what I required them to prepare before they went to war, besides their equipment?"
Tang Qi looked at Lin Zhengye, and before he could answer, she winked at him mischievously and said, "It's a suicide note."
"It's cruel, I know. But you have to learn to accept it."
Tang Qi put away his jokes and looked at Lin Zhengye with a shallow gaze: "Those who cannot endure death cannot adapt to the battlefield."
"And what about you, Brother Qi?"
Lin Zhengye stared at him, his eyes still filled with tears.
Tang Qi subconsciously gripped the cloth bag wrapped around his waist, which contained the military tags he had collected after arriving here. He paused for two seconds, then chuckled and said, "I'm trying my best too."
He was always in the habit of breaking the somber mood, so he smiled at Lin Zhengye and said, "So, I can't be considered a qualified general either."
Lin Jiacuo patted Lin Zhengye on the head: "It's good to realize this sooner rather than later. Before you go too deep into the Katyu Desert, you should hurry back while you can."
Lin Zhengye wiped away his tears, his neck stiff, and said, "No, I won't go back!"
He glanced at Gao Dong, who was still lying there, and felt a lump in his throat, but he stopped crying: "The desert didn't let me stop here, so I have to keep moving forward."
Fate is so strange; with a twist of fate, some people are left behind forever, but he wasn't, so he had to keep moving forward, battered and bruised.
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