Garo City was bustling in the evening, especially the streets near the military base, where shops were open as usual and people were busy. Children were playing football on the street, and they didn't have to worry about accidents happening the next second.
Song Ran followed Li Zan back. The street was noisy, but they didn't talk much along the way.
He didn't speak, and she couldn't guess what he was thinking, so she just kept silent.
Li Zan was not in a bad mood, but he was really tired after spending the whole day.
Passing by a local restaurant, the aroma of barbecue wafted in the air.
Li Zan turned his head and asked her, "Are you hungry?"
Song Ran originally planned to go back to his residence to eat, so he asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Um."
“… Then eat here.”
There were quite a few customers in the restaurant, but most of them were peacekeeping soldiers stationed nearby. Suddenly, a foreign female walked in, and the soldiers glanced at Song Ran intentionally or unintentionally.
Li Zan noticed something and said softly, "If you feel uncomfortable, let's go to another place."
Song Ran didn't want to bother, so she said, "No need. I'm not a beauty, so there's nothing good to look at. Besides, the barbecue here smells delicious."
Li Zan was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable, so he chose the outermost table near the street. They ordered the special barbecue, flatbread and boiled beans. While waiting for the dishes to be served, Li Zan suddenly smiled and said, "Why is she not a beauty?"
"I still have self-awareness." Song Ran whispered. Seeing him smile, he knew he was in a good mood, so he asked, "Is there any problem over there?"
"Which way?"
Song Ran pointed his thumb behind him - in the direction of the US military base.
"No problem." Li Zan said, "People like this can be defeated once they are subdued."
Song Ran didn't expect him to say such a thing and couldn't help laughing.
"why are you laughing?"
"No." She shook her head.
As they were talking, the boss brought out the sliced grilled meat bread and boiled beans, along with a small basin of water for washing hands.
Li Zan pointed at the small aluminum basin with his chin and said, "You wash first." He raised his hand and said, "The water will turn black if I put my hand in it."
"Oh." Song Ran dipped his hands in the water and rubbed them gently.
Li Zan looked at her and noticed for the first time that a girl's hands could be so delicate, white, tender and small. He stared for a long while and then quietly looked away.
Soon, Song Ran pushed the aluminum basin over to him. He washed his hands and wiped his face casually.
The bread wrapped with roasted meat and topped with boiled beans had a unique flavor. Song Ran ate four rolls and a bowl of boiled beans in one breath and soon felt full.
Maybe it was a habit brought from the military camp, but Li Zan was very quiet and serious when eating, and didn't talk or chat. When rolling the meat, he placed the roasted meat slices neatly on the dough, and then folded the dough like a quilt. Then he brought it to his mouth.
Song Ran couldn't help laughing, but didn't say anything to disturb him.
A peacekeeper passed by on the street, throwing an apple in his hand. Song Ran saw it and said casually, "Apples here are super expensive."
Li Zan was taking a bite of the bread, pursing his lips and looking up, and the man walked away with the apple thrown to him. He asked, "Do you like apples?"
"It's not bad." Song Ran said, "But Jialuo doesn't have any other fruits."
After the meal, Li Zan paid the bill.
Song Ran felt embarrassed and said, "Let's split the bill, shall we?"
Li Zan looked at her and said, "Reporter Song, don't be so polite."
Song Ran didn't insist anymore.
On the way back, she confirmed, "Benjamin won't bother you next time, right?"
"Won't."
In the following days, as Li Zan said, none of the soldiers in the joint operations team bothered him again, and even changed their attitudes towards him. Especially after seeing his bomb disposal ability, Benjamin would chat and joke with him whenever he had the chance.
Song Ran recalled Benjamin's ridicule when she first met him and the word "see you" that he said afterwards. She realized belatedly that Benjamin deserved to be abused.
After the training camp, Song Ran sent the edited video to Luo Zhan for review as usual. This documentary will not be broadcast on Liangcheng Satellite TV, but will be broadcast directly on the National News Channel and the Military Channel.
The video starts with Li Zan being "treated specially" in the early stages of the training, and then talks about how he integrated with soldiers from various countries in the later stages. Song Ran didn't record the fight, but the two shoulder wrestlings with Benjamin were recorded. At the end of the story, a special joint force consisting of bomb disposal soldiers, snipers, air defense soldiers, long-range artillery, medical soldiers, etc. was officially established. And Li Zan's presence is a key link in this team.
Luo Zhan was very satisfied after reading it, and even praised her for her good work: "Song Ran, your grasp of details and the overall picture is great. I think you are born to be a reporter."
"No, it's... Lieutenant Li performed very well."
"This kid really has a way."
Song Ran said: "I think he is very clear about what he wants to stick to."
"Yeah. Young people like this are hard to come by. By the way, has the demining show been aired?"
“It aired last weekend.”
Luo Zhan laughed and said, "After the episode about A-Zan was broadcast, did a bunch of girls come to ask about it?"
“Yeah. … The TV station got a lot of calls.”
"Well, let's do some advertising and pick a good girlfriend for this boy when we get back."
Song Ran hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "It seems that Lieutenant Li has a girlfriend, and she works at our TV station."
"Nowhere." Luo Zhan waved his hand. "His instructor arranged it. We met a few times, but he didn't like it. We didn't reach an agreement."
Song Ran was stunned.
…
In the vegetable field, several soldiers were watering the vegetable seedlings. On the ridges, the tomatoes had turned red and the cucumbers had grown a lot bigger.
Song Ran sat aside and watched, looking around from time to time. It was past dinner time, and he would definitely pass by here on his way back to the dormitory. But after waiting for more than 20 minutes, he still didn't see him.
Song Ran patted his butt, stood up and walked out. Suddenly, he heard a melodious tune of "Castle in the Sky" played on a harmonica coming from the other side of the playground.
She walked around the barracks and saw a group of soldiers who had just finished their work for the day. Some were sitting on the ground to relax, while others were walking towards the barracks. Li Zan was sitting on the steps playing the harmonica.
Song Ran remembered that the last time he went to his dormitory to borrow a comb, there was a harmonica in his drawer.
She followed the melodious tune and sat down on the two steps behind him, holding her chin and listening. The playground was covered with yellow sand, and the setting sun hung in the sky like a salted egg yolk.
Li Zan finished playing, turned the harmonica in a circle between his fingers, and looked up into the distance. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye, turned around, and saw that it was her. In addition to being surprised, a smile slowly bloomed at the corner of his lips: "When did you come?"
"I just passed by and heard you playing the harmonica, so I sat down and listened for a while," she said. "I'm getting ready to leave now."
"oh."
Several comrades were leaving and asked him to go with them.
Li Zan looked at Song Ran and whispered, "I'm leaving first."
She nodded and saw him passing by, "Officer Li..." She called the wrong person again.
"Huh?" He turned around.
"The other day you said the situation in Garo City is unstable and that we should not wander around. But I need to go out to shoot on the street tomorrow. Which roads would be safer?"
"Fifth Avenue, No...." Li Zan paused to think and said, "We're going on patrol tomorrow, would you like to come with us?"
She pursed her lips: "Won't it cause you trouble?"
He chuckled, "What trouble can you give me?"
Her heart skipped a beat and she nodded gently, "Okay."
"Okay. We'll be together then."
"Then..." Before she could open her mouth, he said, "Nine o'clock in the morning?"
"good."
"Meet at the entrance of the station?"
"Um."
…
Song Ran hummed the tune of Castle in the Sky and returned to the hotel. As soon as she entered the door, she rummaged through her luggage and picked out a nude pink coat to wear tomorrow. She quickly washed her hair and took a shower before the water was cut off. When her hair was half dry, she tied a braid on her head so that she would have curly hair tomorrow.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the sun was setting. It was still bright outside. Song Ran was too tired these days and felt a little sleepy, so he went to bed early.
At six in the morning, she was woken up by a phone call from the TV station. The situation in the East had suddenly changed, and she had a new mission - to go to the border city of Harpo between the East and Egypt to report on the refugees on the border. She set off immediately.
Song Ran agreed.
She got out of bed and started packing. When she saw the nude pink coat, she remembered to take off her braids. She tied her curly hair into a ponytail, stuffed the pink coat into her bag, and changed into a gray dress. She quickly packed her luggage and rented a car at the hotel front desk.
At seven in the morning, Song Ran loaded her luggage into the car and set off. She went around the garrison and told the soldiers on guard that if they saw Li Zan, they should tell him that she had a mission and had left Jialuo.
The soldier agreed.
The streets were still quiet in the early morning, and the bright sunshine enveloped the temple buildings. Song Ran drove the car, letting the familiar scenery flow by. She knew that she might never return to this city again.
Or maybe when she returns one day in the future, the city will have been destroyed beyond all recognition in the flames of war. Who knows
She felt a little melancholy and reluctant, but more of a tense and agitated feeling - she was moving closer and closer to the real scars of this country.
After leaving Garo City, she headed west. There was blue sky, sand, and endless olive groves in the distance. She headed towards the long border between the East and Egypt.
…
It was nine o'clock in the morning. Song Ran noticed the time. Li Zan should be waiting for her at the gate of the station at this time, and then he would know the news of her leaving. I don't know what his attitude would be. Thinking of this, she felt a little regretful and bitter.
She had already driven more than a hundred kilometers and was still another hundred or two hundred kilometers away from the western border.
Song Ran was wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. In order to save fuel, he did not turn on the air conditioner, and he was already sweating all over.
After walking for another half an hour, she arrived at an unknown town on the map. The moment she entered the town, she felt an inexplicable sense of uneasiness.
At 9:30 in the morning, the streets were deserted. The buildings were low, flat and dilapidated, and the houses were covered in gray, as if the sky had been covered with dust for several days and nights.
Song Ran slowed down the car, and the wheels rolled over the debris on the ground - cement blocks, broken glass, wood chips, bullet shells - making a series of shattering sounds.
The strange silence made her take out her cell phone and check it. No service.
Suddenly, there was a loud "bang" and Song Ran was so scared that he shrank his neck.
A shell landed a few blocks away, causing paint to fall off the exterior walls of houses on the street. Blocks of cement hit the roofs of cars with clanking sounds.
This is probably the battlefield between the two armies. Song Ran gritted his teeth and stepped on the accelerator, speeding through the streets. Gunfire and artillery were blazing outside the block, but Song Ran just drove as fast as he could, rushing out of the town.
The noise gradually died down, and just as they were about to leave, a checkpoint suddenly appeared in front of them. Song Ran was startled, but when he looked closely, he saw that it was the government army.
The car slowed down and stopped at the checkpoint. A soldier with a gun came forward, bent down to take a look, and signaled Song Ran to get out of the car. Others began to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle.
The soldier took her aside with a serious face and asked in English with a thick accent:
“from?” Which country are you from
“china.” China.
“destination?” Where to go.
“hapo.”
“occupation?” Occupation.
“correspondent.” Reporter.
After checking the documents, the soldier wanted to check the camera. Song Ran turned it on and showed it to him.
The soldier said to himself as he watched: "You reporters always like to run to dangerous places. Don't you know what safety is?"
Song Ran asked: "But where is safe now, sir?"
The soldier paused and looked up at her from the camera screen.
"We have received reliable intelligence that the rebels and terrorist organizations plan to attack the road to Harpo from all directions tonight. You have to speed up. However," he looked at his watch, "it's still early now, and we can reach Harpo before dark. Don't go out at night."
"Thank you. I'll remember that."
It looks like there will be a big fight tonight.
If the transportation lines are cut off, many cities in the west will be surrounded.
Song Ran asked: "Will the transportation line be cut off?"
"Of course not." The soldier's face was as hard as steel. "Our army can hold it."
"I think so, sir."
The soldier returned the document to her and said, "Good luck to you." When he was about to return the camera to her, he suddenly laughed and called his comrades to come over and take a look.
It turned out to be a picture Song Ran took on Jialuo Street. An old man was sitting next to the ruins after the explosion and playing the violin, and a girl passing by was spinning and dancing.
“This is a great photo.”
When waving him off, the soldier actually smiled at her and asked, "Isn't this country great?"
"yes." Song Ran said.
…
Continuing west, Song Ran clearly felt the situation worsening. Along the way, she saw almost no living people. The villages and towns she passed by were all in ruins, covered with traces of war.
Near noon, she passed a deserted town, more desolate than any she had passed before.
It's quiet along the way, but disaster is lurking.
At some point, the silence was suddenly broken, and danger came from the sky. This is a war zone, and bullets don't say hello in advance.
When a bullet went through the back seat, Song Ran didn't even realize that something had flown through the car.
"Bang!" A hole was punched in the electric pole outside the window, and gravel flew everywhere. Only then did Song Ran realize that the bullet had flown between the two car windows.
She immediately lowered her body and stepped on the accelerator. She knew something was wrong. She had mistakenly entered a direct combat zone.
The streets were empty and bullets were flying, hitting the ground and walls one after another.
Since the fight has started, one side will win. She is a foreign civilian, and the government army will definitely save her.
While his mind was working at high speed, his hands mechanically and accurately opened the camera cover, adjusted the program, and started recording.
Gunshots rang out everywhere, and the hood of the car was hit several times. If you don't show your neutrality, you will die.
Song Ran yelled: "Help!"
There was a momentary ceasefire while both sides judged.
A few seconds later, there was a sudden outbreak of fire, and the attack was launched at full force, but this time they avoided Song Ran's vehicle. The gunmen rushed out from the windows of buildings, alleys, and behind bunkers.
Both sides are here to snatch the person alive!
Song Ran saw clearly at once that there were no government troops. They were rebels and terrorist organizations! They were all here to take hostages!
Finished.
She rolled out of the car and rushed to an empty alley beside the road. Two rebels jumped out of the second-floor window, one of them aimed his gun and ordered her to surrender.
A gunshot rang out, Song Ran screamed and covered her head, but the rebel fell in front of her, blood gushing from his temple. The other man immediately crouched and pounced on Song Ran.
"Bang!" The second rebel was killed and blood sprayed all over Song Ran's face.
Song Ran was extremely frightened and didn't know where the two shots came from.
A group of men with high noses and deep eye sockets appeared on the opposite street. One of them rushed over, jumped onto Song Ran's car, stepped over the roof, and jumped towards her. The strong figure covered the dazzling white light in the sky.
Song Ran saw the icon on him clearly: terrorist organization!
She grabbed the camera, got up and ran. When she turned around, she saw a pair of bloodthirsty eyes on the man's twisted face.
She rushed into the alley like a madman, with disheveled hair and covered in dust, blood and sweat.
Behind him, the terrorist member shouted out a string of foreign languages in a deep and fierce voice that gradually rose. Before he finished speaking, there were wicked responses from a group of men in buildings, bunkers, street corners, shops, and various locations.
Song Ran was like a deer that had entered a hunting circle, and wolves swarmed towards him from all directions.
She ran into the alley and ran madly. The people behind her laughed, shouted in the local language, and fired guns into the air. Leaves, branches, sand and gravel fell down.
She ran as fast as she could, constantly entering the winding alleys. Suddenly, a hand reached out and pulled her over to embrace her. Song Ran screamed, punched the man in the jaw, and struggled to push him away. She stepped into a pit, twisted her foot, and sat on the ground, using her hands and feet to desperately retreat.
The man approached her quickly, and his figure instantly blocked out the slanting sunlight.
A pair of black military boots came into Song Ran's sight, and the gray-green trouser legs were tied into the boots, tightly.
But she had no time to look closely, she rolled over and ran away. The man took a big step forward, picked her up and hugged her in his arms, and covered her mouth tightly with one hand.
Song Ran whimpered in fear and kicked and hit hard.
He lifted her helmet and shouted in a low voice: "Don't move!"
Song Ran was startled and raised his eyes.
His black eyes flashed, and he pulled off the mask on his face and said in a very low voice: "It's me."