Chapter 20: Through the Fire
At night, the company commander took advantage of the temporary cessation of artillery fire and sent two teams to the rear to obtain food.
However, just as they were halfway there, the artillery fire resumed, with a deafening roar, flying dirt, and flashes of fire. Under such bombardment, not even a fly could fly out.
All of them lay motionless in the bunker, their faces covered with a mixture of dust and sweat. They had not had a drop of water for two days, and now they could only lie down to avoid further consumption. The air in the bunker was stuffy and hot, and the soldiers' breathing became heavier and heavier.
"If we continue like this, we will starve to death before the French arrive. I'd better go." Kaczynski stood up, his voice a little hoarse.
Everyone looked at Kaczynski with hope. In their eyes, he was a legend, their backbone, and they believed that he could get food anywhere. They believed that he could succeed this time.
But Lu Mingfei looked at Kaczynski's haggard face and bloodshot eyes with worry.
Kaczynski hadn't slept for two days. He had been keeping an eye on the artillery fire outside, and from time to time he would use his spiritual power to probe outside to prevent the shells from hitting their bunkers and burying them alive.
Lu Mingfei also tried to use his words to listen to the sound of the shells, but the sound of the shells exploding almost deafened his ears. The sound seemed to explode directly in his mind, making him dizzy. So he knew more about the pressure Kaczynski was facing than others.
"Let me go!" Lu Mingfei stood up, his tone revealing a hint of determination.
"Hans!?" Kaczynski looked at Lu Mingfei in surprise.
"Kaczynski, you need to have a good rest. I have rested long enough. Besides, I am younger than you, have better physical strength and can run faster." There was unquestionable firmness in Lu Mingfei's voice.
"But..." Kaczynski frowned, and what he wanted to say next was interrupted by Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei knew exactly what he would say.
"There's nothing to worry about. Kaczynski, don't forget. I'm the same as you. I'm the best choice here." Lu Mingfei's eyes were firm. He knew that his decision was correct.
Finally, under the gaze of Lu Mingfei's eyes which began to glow lightly golden, Kaczynski nodded in agreement with difficulty.
"Okay then...but Hans, if you encounter any danger, just run back immediately, okay? I'll find a way to get the food." Kaczynski put his hands on Lu Mingfei's shoulders, looked into his eyes seriously and said.
"Yeah." Lu Mingfei nodded, and under the gaze of others he began to walk out of the bunker.
When Lu Mingfei walked out of the bunker, his hands were shaking. He was lying if he said he wasn't afraid. He was too scared in the bunker, afraid that a shell would come and bury them all alive, not to mention facing the shells now.
At this time, a shell landed not far from Lu Mingfei, and the soil flew into the air like a fountain. The blast from the shell's explosion knocked Lu Mingfei over. The hot blast was like an invisible giant hand, throwing him to the ground fiercely, and his ears were filled with sharp explosions.
"Lu Mingfei, run! Run!" Lu Mingfei quickly got up from the ground and ran out of the trench while yelling.
Word Spirit Kamaitachi Activated
Lu Mingfei felt that the wind around him had become his senses, and different sounds kept pouring into his mind. The sound of wind, cannon fire, and whizzing bullets mixed together, almost drowning his consciousness.
He ran desperately, thinking only of reaching the camp behind him. The mud under his feet made him feel like he was dragging a thousand-pound iron chain with every step, but he couldn't stop or turn back.
The sound of the shells piercing the air was picked up by the sickle weasel, and Lu Mingfei leaped forward and rolled several times on the ground. The place where he had just stood was hit by a shell, leaving a deep crater on the ground.
The sound of the shells exploding was already loud, not to mention the sound after being blessed by the sickle weasel. It was no different from an explosion in his ears. The sound seemed to tear his eardrums into countless pieces. Lu Mingfei shook his head, which was shaken to pieces, and got up from the ground and continued to run towards the camp behind. Every step was like dancing on the edge of a knife, but he couldn't stop, he had to persevere.
The French camp continuously fired red or green flares, and the strange light illuminated the entire battlefield, as well as the path that Lu Mingfei was heading for. Lu Mingfei ran across the wasteland that was emitting strange light, as if he was escaping from hell.
Along the way, Lu Mingfei was constantly blown away by shells, with scratches of all sizes all over his body. The mixture of dirt and blood made him look like a ghost crawling out of a quagmire. But he finally reached the edge of the camp without any danger.
When the people in the rear camp saw a man covered in mud, with tattered clothes and staggering, appear at the door, everyone was stunned.
"Oh my God! Hurry and take him in!" After seeing Lu Mingfei's miserable state, an officer immediately ordered others to take him to the medical station. The people around him made way and looked at him as if they were seeing a miracle.
"This is simply a miracle! He walked out of that artillery fire with only some scratches!" Everyone around looked at Lu Mingfei in surprise as his wounds had been treated.
"Is there anything to eat?" Lu Mingfei didn't care how people looked at him. He just wanted to have a good meal. He hadn't eaten for two days, and he had just consumed a lot of energy. The feeling of hunger was like countless ants crawling in his stomach, almost driving him crazy.
"Take him to the kitchen," continued the officer who took him to the infirmary, a colonel and the commander of the camp.
"Soldier, what's the situation at the front line?" the colonel asked Lu Mingfei who was eating voraciously.
"Sorry, sir, can you speak louder? I can't hear you!" Lu Mingfei replied loudly. The explosion just now was so violent that it almost ruptured his eardrums under the blessing of the sickle weasel. Now it's not much better. From just now to now, there has been a ringing in his ears, and he can't hear the voices of others.
"I say! What's the situation on the front line?" The colonel walked to Lu Mingfei, bent over, and shouted loudly into his ear.
"Oh! The situation at the front! The situation at the front is very bad! The French artillery fire never stops! There is no food at the front now! We will starve to death before the French attack! I came out to find food this time! I have to send the food back later!" Lu Mingfei shouted while eating.
"You're going back later? No one can go through that kind of artillery fire twice! You're looking for death!" The colonel was stunned when he heard Lu Mingfei's words, but he quickly came to his senses and yelled at Lu Mingfei.
"But my comrades are still waiting for me to go back! If I can't go back, they will definitely send other people out to find food! That guy may not be as lucky as me! So, Colonel! Please prepare food for me!" Lu Mingfei continued to respond loudly.
The colonel was silent for a long time, then said to another soldier beside him, "Go prepare food for him."
Soon, a heavy backpack was brought up, which contained black bread, sausages, and three kettles filled with hot broth.
"You can't go back with all this food. You can choose not to go back. That's what I said. No one will blame you." The colonel stared into Lu Mingfei's eyes and said seriously. His voice was low and there was a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Thank you, Colonel, but my comrades are still waiting for me to return. I am full, but they are still hungry." Lu Mingfei picked up the backpack full of food without hesitation. He turned around firmly and began to walk out of the camp.
"Soldier, what's your name?" The colonel couldn't help but ask loudly as he looked at Lu Mingfei's leaving back.
"Hans! William Hans!" Lu Mingfei didn't look back, waved behind him, and continued walking forward.
(End of this chapter)
