Chapter 39 Hospital
Lu Mingfei opened his eyes and found himself back in the camp. The thin tent blocked the scorching sun, and the air was filled with a mixed smell of medicine and blood. Hill sat beside him, looking after him, his face showing concern and fatigue.
"Corporal, you're awake!" Hill said in surprise when he saw Lu Mingfei wake up, with a hint of relief in his voice.
"Where are the others?" Lu Mingfei forced himself to sit up. He felt a huge pain and felt as if all the bones in his body were broken. Every movement seemed to tear every inch of muscle and bone in his body. He couldn't help but gasp.
Lu Mingfei endured the pain and looked around to find that except Hill, no one else was there. There were only a few makeshift beds in the empty tent.
"They are all still on the front line continuing to attack Verdun." Hill said, with a hint of helplessness and worry in his tone.
Lu Mingfei was silent. His injury, Kaczynski's death, or the deaths of more than 200 people in the two companies were all so insignificant to this war. The war was still going on, and those who were still alive were still rushing towards death one after another. This feeling of powerlessness was like a huge rock pressing on his heart, making him almost breathless.
Not long after Lu Mingfei woke up, Hill also left. He also had to rush to the front line to participate in the attack on Verdun. Before leaving, Hill patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder and whispered, "Take care."
Lu Mingfei was now lying on a hospital bed in the field, staring blankly at the ceiling. The worn ceiling was covered with mottled marks of time. He had been lying there for two days, waiting for the train to take the wounded back to Prussia.
After Hill left, he was sent to a field hospital in the rear. During this period, no one came to see him, and he didn't know any news from the front line.
When he was first sent here, all the bones in his body had fractures of varying degrees. The doctor diagnosed that he needed to be sent back to his country for treatment, which meant that he would leave here and stay away from this battlefield.
Thinking that he was about to leave this place full of blood and death, he felt a little unreal.
He lay in bed, thinking about what it would be like to return to Prussia. Would he be able to integrate into that strange society? If he met Kemmerich's mother, how would he face her? And Kaczynski's family, these questions entangled him like a nightmare, making him feel terrified, even more than the bullets on the battlefield.
The constant wailing in his ears disrupted Lu Mingfei's thoughts. The ward was full of soldiers with missing arms and legs. The hospital was short of anesthetics, and they were only given a small amount of anesthetics during the amputation surgery. The effect of the drug wore off quickly, and the wounds on their bodies began to destroy their nerves, and they wailed uncontrollably.
Lu Mingfei thought he had gotten used to these wailing sounds, but the constant wailing sounds still made him feel suffocated. The wailing sounds seemed to turn into countless sharp needles, constantly piercing his mind, making it impossible for him to escape.
The doctors and nurses outside the ward were running faster and faster. Another batch of wounded soldiers were sent in, making the hospital, which was already filled with wailing, even noisier. The sounds of footsteps, shouts, and groans intertwined, forming a sea of despairing noise.
Lu Mingfei saw a familiar figure among the wounded soldiers. It was Jarden. One of his legs was broken, and the broken part was bloody and fleshy, revealing the white bones. The beds in the ward were already full of people. The doctor simply treated his wounds and threw him on the ground. He would put him on the bed when someone died.
Lu Mingfei supported himself and walked off the bed. He felt that after two days of recuperation, his injuries seemed to have healed a lot. He bent down and carried Jarden to the bed with some difficulty. Jarden's body was surprisingly light, as if only a pile of bones and flesh were left.
"Hans!" Jarden was lying on the ground in despair, waiting to die. Suddenly, he felt someone pick him up. He turned his head and saw that it was Lu Mingfei. His dead heart seemed to come alive all of a sudden. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.
"Are you okay, Jarden?" Lu Mingfei asked, his voice a little hoarse.
"Not very good..." Garden looked at his broken leg and smiled bitterly. That smile looked uglier than crying. Lu Mingfei also looked at Garden's broken leg. He thought of Kemmerich, who died of an infection caused by a broken leg. This made him unable to say anything to comfort Garden. After a long silence, he continued to ask, "How are the others..."
"Not very good. We suffered a very strong counterattack in Samonie. Many of the French positions there are not marked on the map. Those positions are very intact and have not been hit by artillery fire." Garden's voice was filled with fatigue and despair.
"Mueller is dead, Hai is also seriously injured, and we don't know how he is doing now..." Every word that Jarden said made Lu Mingfei's heart sink. Every name was like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart hard.
"Who is leading you now?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice.
"It's Paul, but something seems to be wrong with him." Garden's tone was full of worry.
"I understand. Jarden, you should have a good rest. The train to take the wounded will arrive soon and you can go home soon." Lu Mingfei patted Jarden on the shoulder and turned to walk out of the ward. He suddenly felt an urge in his heart that made him unable to stay here any longer. He knew that he might not be able to leave this battlefield.
"Hans, where are you going?" Garden was a little surprised when he saw Lu Mingfei turning and leaving.
"I'm going to find Paul and the others." Lu Mingfei said without turning his head, his voice firm.
"Hans, are you crazy? Your injury hasn't healed yet!" Garden's roar echoed in the ward, but Lu Mingfei ignored it and walked out of the hospital without looking back.
Lu Mingfei stopped a truck heading to the front line.
"Boy, what's the matter? I have to go to the front line to transport the wounded. I don't have time to waste here!" Seeing someone stopping the car in front, the truck driver sounded a little impatient and angry.
"Go to the front line. I'm going to the front line too." Lu Mingfei opened the truck door and sat in.
"Are you crazy, kid?" The truck driver looked at Lu Mingfei, who was wrapped in bandages, as if he was looking at a madman.
"Maybe I went crazy on the first day I stepped onto the battlefield. Drive quickly, my comrades are waiting for me." Lu Mingfei tore off all the bandages on his body.
"What a lunatic! We are all fucking lunatics to come here to fight!" The truck driver started the truck while cursing.
Sorry for the writer's block, only one chapter today
(End of this chapter)
