Soon, Luo Zheng saw the small hole he had carved out and swung his body towards it, grabbing the hole with one hand and quickly finding footing in two more with his feet, stabilizing himself. Hearing that Lan Xue was still anxiously asking after him, he turned around and yelled down to her, "I'm fine, don't worry." It was at this mont that Luo Zheng realized he was only about fifty ters from the ground. If he hadn't launched the flying line from his atomic watch in ti, even two seconds later, he would surely have fallen to his death.
A feeling of having a narrow escape surged through him, his muscles stiffened as if they had lost control. At that mont, Luo Zheng felt a wave of fright, his scalp tingling as he clung tightly to the hole, daring not to make any rash moves, gasping for air as he cald himself down and adjusted his breathing.
After a while, Luo Zheng felt his breathing beco much smoother and his body beca flexible again, no longer so stiff. He poked his head out, glanced at the anxiously burning Lan Xue, and called out with a wry smile, "I'm fine, don't worry. It's a pity the satellite phone fell down, we'll have to start over."
"It doesn't matter, as long as you're okay," Lan Xue shouted hastily, afraid that Luo Zheng would get disheartened and do sothing foolish. As long as one is alive, anything is possible; once dead, there's truly nothing left.
Luo Zheng responded, knowing he couldn't go on like this, he pressed the button on his atomic watch, letting the flying line fall from the watch, freeing his hand, and carefully climbed down the holes. It wasn't long before Luo Zheng jumped to the ground, finally feeling at ease. He saw Lan Xue anxiously running toward him, and warmth filled his heart. He opened his arms and hugged Lan Xue, guiltily saying, "You'll have to stay here a few more days because of ."
"It's okay, it's okay, as long as you're alright, I'm satisfied," Lan Xue said excitedly, holding Luo Zheng tightly, afraid that he would leave her. The scene from just before had terrified her.
Luo Zheng also held Lan Xue tightly, stroking her back to soothe her agitated emotions. After a while, Lan Xue settled down and began checking up on Luo Zheng to make sure he had no fatal injuries. She secretly let out a sigh of relief. As for muscle strains or internal injuries, a bit of ti to recuperate should suffice; as a soldier, Lan Xue was not overly concerned with external wounds, having seen too much to be rattled by them.
The two found a place to sit down, and Luo Zheng recounted the situation. Lan Xue sighed inwardly at the unfortunate event but reassured Luo Zheng not to dwell on it. They were only delayed by a few days; they had plenty of ti and could make their way out gradually by carving the Stone Path. If not a day, then a week; if not a week, then a month; if not a month, then half a year. She believed they would eventually make it out.
Lan Xue's words moved Luo Zheng deeply. He secretly vowed to recover from his injuries as quickly as possible. Glancing at the dim sky, he said with determination, "Xue Er, don't worry, I won't let you stay here too long."
"Mm, I believe you," Lan Xue replied. "You have a muscle strain and old injuries that have flared up. You can't do this kind of excavation work for the ti being. Let take care of it these next few days. Don't forget, I'm a soldier, not just a decoration. Once you're healed, you can take over."
After thinking it over, Luo Zheng knew that Lan Xue was no less skilled than him, her movent technique was also agile, and after more than ten days of work, she was experienced—she should be able to cope. So he said, "Alright, just be careful."
Night fell, the visibility was very poor, making it impossible to continue. After eating sothing, they rested. Unbeknownst to them, the Southwest Military Region was in a joyful commotion. Once Luo Zheng had pressed the satellite phone, the signal transmitted out was detected by the command center. The familiar frequency and signal imdiately drew attention.
The technical staff reported the situation, and it quickly reached the hands of the National Blade Special Combat Team's captain in the Southwest Military Region. Wu Jin, who happened to be in the captain's office, was also made aware of the situation. He asked eagerly, "Is this intelligence confird?" Lan Xue had disappeared, and Wu Jin had painfully refrained from eting Mr. Li. Now with the news of Luo Zheng's disappearance, Wu Jin's sorrow deepened. Hearing good news suddenly brought skepticism to his haggard face.
"Rest assured, it's been confird. The phone frequency and signal are from the satellite phone we gave Ghost. However, the signal was very short and lost contact again. But we've locked the coordinates. It's inside enemy territory, so distance from the border. We can't send helicopters that far. I am arranging for the Special Forces to go and rescue them, please don't worry," the captain said seriously.
"No need, just tell the coordinates," Wu Jin said sternly, deciding to go there personally. Losing Lan Xue was already hard enough; now that there was news about his valued soldier Luo Zheng, Wu Jin couldn't sit still.
The National Blade Special Combat Team's captain understood Wu Jin's feelings and without any fuss, he dialed the information center, asked a few questions, hung up the phone, and wrote down a set of coordinates to give to Wu Jin, saying seriously, "Brother, my guys have checked it out. The satellite image shows it's a sinkhole, bottomless, estimated to be five to six hundred ters deep. Tell what you need, and I'll fully support you."
"Thank you, I need weapons and a rope long enough. Arrange for a helicopter to take my n to the border, prepare a dical team, and that's all I need," Wu Jin said gravely, quickly taking the coordinates.
Minutes later, a transport helicopter took off from the National Blade Special Combat Team's training field, carrying Wu Jin and several team mbers, with Feng Fu, the drinker, among them. Feng Fu was cheered up by news of Luo Zheng, who had disappeared for days, but his mood sank again at the thought of Lan Xue's uncertain fate.
After two to three hours of flight, the helicopter reached the border. The team rappelled down and, equipped with Night Vision Devices, plunged into the woods heading towards the predetermined direction, their minds filled with urgency.
During an overnight forced march, the team found the sinkhole at daybreak using GPS. Looking at the seemingly bottomless pit, they exchanged worried glances. Could anyone survive such a fall? Wu Jin's expression turned serious, and he commanded, "No matter what, we must bring Ghost up. Move out."
"Yes!" Everyone sprang into action, connecting special ropes together, tying one end to a large tree, and dropping the other end down. Wu Jin grabbed the rope, set up his tools, and prepared to descend. Feng Fu imdiately ca forward and said, "Captain, let go down first."
"No, I must go down. I've lost Lan Xue, I can't lose Ghost as well. I must go down there, no more persuasion," Wu Jin said decisively, looking resolute and skillfully started to rappel down the rope quickly, all the while praying earnestly that nothing would go wrong, his piercing gaze filled with worry.
User Comments
0 comments from readers