Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Red Scorpion Tattoo
A light blue mini car with only two seats passed through the heart of Madrid - Puerta del Sol at around eleven o'clock in the evening.
The car doesn't go fast.The traffic on the street is still heavy late at night.
Tilia, who was sitting on the passenger seat, looked out the window curiously.
All kinds of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops lining both sides of the street are still brightly lit.Tourists are densely packed, shuttling in and out of store doors and sidewalks.
Occasionally, when the car stopped in front of the command lights, Tilia could clearly see that the bar was full of drunk customers, as well as the musicians who were playing ecstasy, and the waiters who were crawling between the tables.
Even through the glass window, she seemed to still hear their lively conversation, the crisp sound of clinking glasses and drinking, and of course the passionate Spanish melody.
She turned her head to look at Kang Zhefu who was holding the steering wheel.
"It's almost midnight, and there are still so many people and cars on the street."
"For the people of Madrid, now is the moment when dinner is just over." Kang Zhefu smiled. "The way the day is divided in Madrid is very different from anywhere else in the world."
"How to say?"
"The lunch time of Madrid people starts from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and this meal lasts at least two hours. No one goes back to work before 6:00 p.m.." Kang Zhefu turned the steering wheel, and the car turned left Enter another wider and quieter avenue.
He continued: "9:30pm to midnight is their dinner time, but they will also have a glass of after-get off work wine and some snacks before. As for the peak hours of discotheques or rock music bars, it is not until 2 am the next day. won't start."
"Wow!" Tilia was still looking out of the car window.The scenery beside the boulevard has become a medieval-style classical building: pointed and tall towers, thick marble columns, and bronze statues standing on the fountain in the square... "Then when do they sleep?"
"God knows." Kang Zhefu accelerated the speed of the car. "All in all, traffic at 3:00 a.m. is no different than it is at 3:00 p.m. on the main Castela Avenue."
The car entered the city square area, which is the area with the highest concentration of bars and snack bars in Madrid.The road was much more congested, and the speed of the car slowed down.
"It is said that there are more than 8,000 bars in Madrid, about one for every 600 residents." Kang Zhefu said while waiting for the command light to turn green. "It is said that there are more bars on one street in Madrid than in the whole of Norway."
Tilia finally gave up watching and leaned back on the seat.She was wearing a pure white silk shirt and jeans, the hem of the shirt was not rolled up into the waistband of the trousers, and it was covered outside.
"To be honest, the way of life of Madrid people is very lazy." Kang Zhefu said while looking at her beside him.
"No." Tilia smiled with her small, white teeth. "They just love the enjoyment of life too much. Maybe they are influenced by oriental culture and have such romantic values."
"correct."
"Oh?"
"Spain was once ruled by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Roman Empire and Visigoths," said Kang Zeff. "In the eighth century, the Moors who believed in Islam came from North Africa to conquer many parts of Spain, and they were not completely defeated until the end of the fifteenth century. It was during this period that the Moors brought Islamic culture. And blood. Look at many Spaniards , Regardless of hair, skin and eye color are darker than other Europeans.
"Perhaps even the ancient civilization of the Aztecs in America had an influence on the Spaniards. When the Spanish colonists ravaged the Americas wantonly, they were inevitably influenced by the ancient Indian civilization..."
"And thus cultivate the enjoyment-loving character of the modern Spaniard?"
"Probably so. Spain was once the 'Sea Overlord' in the 16th century and had the largest colonial empire. But for many years, the nobles who controlled finances just loved to enjoy themselves, focusing on plundering and collecting rare treasures and artworks, ignoring The investment in industry and agriculture caused Spain to owe a lot of debts to its European neighbors, and the economy fell into a quagmire. Finally, in May 1588, Spain's 127 warships known as the "Invincible Fleet" were defeated by the British fleet. A generation of hegemony has since declined.”
"It deserves it." Tilia's expression became serious. "I was thinking: They are just for their own enjoyment, how many Indian tribes were brutally destroyed and enslaved? It's genocide!"
Kang Zhefu noticed that her voice was different. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..." He caught a glimpse of some moisture in the corners of her eyes.
"There's no way." Kang Zhefu reached out and patted her shoulder. "There is no civilization that stands forever in the world."
"Including our current civilization?"
Kang Zhefu stared at the deserted long street ahead.The street lamps are like the evening sunset with a sad color.
"I don't know either." Kang Zhefu smiled wryly.
The vast grassland is permeated with the faint fragrance of dew.The originally dark sky has gradually transformed into an ocean-like deep blue.A layer of light gray clouds and mist condensed on the extreme horizon, sleeping for the last time before dawn. Kang Zhefu and Tilia hugged each other, lying on a gentle grassy slope.The chirping of birds breaks the tranquility, and the intermittent chirping is carried far and wide in the wind. Kang Zhefu felt that Tilia's petite body shivered like a baby bird in his arms.He took off his suit jacket and covered her. With sleepy eyes, Tilia raised her head and kissed his chin. "thanks." "Do you want to go back to the car?" Tilia shook her head. "If now is the end of the world, that would be great." "Why?" Kang Zhefu asked while hugging Tilia's thin waist. "Just hugging you all the time, lying on this grass..." She said like a dream: "... quietly waiting for the dawn, until the end of the earth's history... If it is a nuclear war, let us hug each other bodies turned into dust together..." "Die like this, without any regrets?" Tilia bit her lower lip like a child, scratched her short hair, and nodded slowly. "There are two things. The first is that I haven't painted a work that I am really satisfied with." "What about the other thing?" "I haven't finished listening to what you said last time." Tilia buried her face in Kang Zhefu's generous chest. "Can you finish it if you want?" Kang Zhefu's originally smiling face froze.He feels a little cold. "The wound is barely scarred, it will only swell and rot underneath." Her mouth was pressed against his chest, and her voice was a little vague. "Let's face it honestly. When a man is going to cry, he should cry freely."
The glare was so intense that it could still come through the eyelids with the eyes closed.A loud bang that surpassed the limit of hearing and seemed to stop the whole world for a second.Kang Zhefu, who had just taken drugs, only remembered these violent audio and video images of that moment. The sharp pain in his back awakened him from his deep ignorance.After opening my eyelids, it took a long time to get used to the sunshine in Africa again.The eardrums are still aching. Kang Zhefu, with six exploding fragments stuck in his back, barely supported his weak body.The weak legs felt like the ground was shaking. The barracks have "disappeared".There was only a large area of charred ruins in front of them.Scattered mutilated limbs swarmed with sooty flies.The choking smell of a petrol bomb explosion rippling in the scorching air.Faint groans came from under the rubble. — Riley!Where are you? Kang Zhefu staggered and looked around. — Riley, you're not going to die.The battlefield is your home.Where in the world is there any idiot who died for no reason in his own home?No.Even me, a drug addict, survived, so must you.Where are you-- Kang Zhefu's eyes found the answer. The coat of arms of the "Sixth Airborne Company" was pinned to the military uniform of a headless corpse, and a small rectangular cloth patch with the words "Fourth Squadron" embroidered on it was sewn underneath.There are two "V"-shaped black cloth horizontal bars below, representing the team leader. The dead body held a photo tightly in its right hand, and one corner was burnt.Photo of beautiful blonde woman smiling happily.
"What reason can there be in this world?" Kang Zhefu stared at the horizon where the morning light had already appeared. "When the enemy bombers came, even Riley couldn't escape the call of death; but I, who was intoxicated by the power of drugs, survived to this day."
After leaving the military hospital, Kang Zhefu not only failed to give up his drug addiction, but became more accustomed to injecting painkillers. With a thinner body than before, he has to face more than three years of military service.Since the 4th and 6th detachments of the 6th Airborne Company were completely destroyed in the air strike, he was assigned to the 7th detachment instead. Seventh Squad has two nicknames.In the official documents of the mercenary regiment, it was named "Special Mission Squad". Apart from it, only the first squad dedicated to protecting important people and the second squad responsible for spying and reconnaissance had this title. The Seventh Division is better known in the military as the "Scorpion Unit".
Kang Zhefu stretched out his left arm.Exposed to the morning wind is a red scorpion tattoo on the outer forearm. Tilia stared at the tattoo that had faded with age.Simple red lines outline a little scorpion lying quietly.The sharp scorpion tail is bent into a hook shape.Four needle-like scorpion legs.The serrated pair of pincers are guarded in front of the head in an arc, looking like they are ready to go. "I thought I had already been to the bottom of hell." Kang Zhefu looked at the tattoo on his arm with still fearful eyes. "Who knew there was a deeper place down there."
After stepping into the "Scorpion Troop" barracks far away from other barracks, Kang Zhefu felt as if he had entered another world. The deafening heavy metal rock music was playing in the barracks where candles were lighted sparsely.The dark room was smoky, with Kang Zhefu's familiar smell of marijuana.The hammocks hanging randomly are like vine branches hanging down in the tropical rainforest.When Kang Zhefu squatted over, he stepped on an empty syringe on the ground. The air was sickeningly stuffy.Kang Zhefu was sweating sticky all over his body.Reptile-like figures squirmed in the shadows with the furious guitar sounds of rock music. The figure gradually approached Kang Zhefu.He was terrified, but unable to move.The armpits on both sides were held tightly by someone at some point.He was carried into the depths of the barracks like a doll. It's brighter there.On the wall behind the candlelight is a giant poster of "Elvis Presley" Presley's charming smile. A man as tall as a grizzly bear sits cross-legged in front of the poster, shirtless, wearing camouflage trousers and boots.Except in fitness magazines, Kang Zhefu had never seen such a burly body, such a perfect body with well-developed muscles.Smooth, tight muscles like pebbles form a pair of heavy armor that ordinary people can hardly bear.A man is like a living fortress. A man holds a black book in his hands.With his shaven head bowed, he read the texts from the Book of Revelation. Kang Zhefu was thrown to the ground in front of the man.The man's bald head slowly lifted. This was Kang Zhefu's first meeting with Major Renault Holler. Just as someone has an innate fear of snakes or mice, of heights, of being in tight spaces, so every human being will encounter one or two people in his or her life who terribly frighten them for no reason. For Kang Zhefu, Major Holle was undoubtedly this person. Under the swaying candlelight, Holler's round and wide face with high cheekbones, no eyebrows or beard, made Kangzhefu's heart beat fast and his limbs went numb. Holer stared at Kang Zhefu's face with a pair of eyes full of strange desires.He stretched out his thick palm, stroked Kang Zhefu's chin, and then swept his forehead. Holler grinned. "Welcome to 'Scorpion Force'."
Members of the seventh unit of the sixth airborne company have special and excellent treatment in the mercenary regiment.Since this unit charges employers particularly high, and the salaries of the members are relatively generous, the period of military service contracts may be shortened proportionally. However, only a very small number of mercenaries have been voluntarily incorporated into this "scorpion unit", because everyone knows what kind of "special tasks" it is responsible for. That mission is on paper, called the "elimination of civilian personnel mission." The so-called "non-military personnel" are civilians. When employers suspect that a certain village is hiding hostile spies or important rebels, they will hire "scorpion troops" to dispatch. There are only two results: the spies or traitors are confirmed to be killed, or the "scorpion troops" "eliminate" all the "non-military personnel" in the entire village. Mostly the latter. The "Scorpion Army" is a terrifying dead trafficker. Kang Zhefu couldn't resist the temptation of this red scorpion, because it could provide him with what he needed most at that time—drugs.
The sun has already exposed one-fifth of the horizon, but Kang Zhefu can't feel the slightest warmth. Tilia hugged his trembling body tightly. "During the first mission, I couldn't stop vomiting at all. After throwing up the contents of my stomach, I was still throwing up."
"How is it? Have you finished vomiting?" Kang Zhefu panted vigorously, his mouth was covered with saliva and gastric juice.He looks up.Major Hole's eyes stopped his stomach. With bloody hands, Holle handed over a serrated survival military knife.It was dropped when Kang Zhefu vomited just now. Huo Le stuffed the handle of the knife into Kangzhefu's right palm, and pointed aside without a word. Kang Zhefu looked in that direction. A black woman was tied to a tree trunk like a pig.The lower body is naked, and the legs are weakly spread. Kang Zhefu couldn't bear to turn his head away, but saw Huo Le's excited and encouraging eyes again. Kang Zhefu would rather look at that poor young woman again. The woman's swollen face was expressionless, and she seemed to have completely lost the ability to think. But Kang Zhefu knew that he would never forget the hatred and sorrow deep in her eyes. - go! The psychological "self-defense mechanism" is calling out to him. - do it!Relieve her pain! Kang Zhefu held the knife tightly and walked towards her step by step... After throwing away the bloody knife, Major Holer patted Kangzhefu on the shoulder from behind.Kang Zhefu felt like being electrocuted. "Now you have truly become a member of our 'Scorpion Force'." Holer showed Kang Zhefu the red scorpion tattoo on his arm. "I'll get you one when I get back to the barracks."
The potency of the drug had been fully released, but Kang Zhefu still felt the burning pain on his left forearm. In the sound of heavy metal rock music, the fierce red scorpion climbed onto his skin and lay there forever.
In three months, Kang Zhefu followed Major Holle to dispatch six times. To wipe out these villages, their employers, the local warlords, originally only needed to send out bombers and drop a solid petrol bomb on the top.However, in order to prevent foreign countries from suspending aid due to such "execution" scandals, they would rather hire "Scorpion Troops" to pretend to be hostile rebels or deserters and bandits to push their own scandals away. It is precisely for the sake of camouflage and secrecy that the "Scorpion Army" will never leave any survivors in the target villages - including babies. The repeated missions did not numb Kang Zhefu's nerves, and he still couldn't help vomiting every time.Now Holler would stand beside him and stroke his back, looking at his painful profile with strange eyes. Kang Zhefu knew that Huo Le had some special hobbies.Every night when he sleeps in the camp, he is "accompanied" by his team members. Kang Zhefu began to think of suicide again.There is no longer any reason in the world to support his survival. —Mom, I'll go to your place, okay? Once the seeds of suicidal thoughts germinate in the mind, they grow out of control. --it's time. Five days later, it will be the third anniversary of Kang Zhefu leaving his mother and joining the mercenary regiment. He decided on that day.He took out the bullet he had prepared and tried his best to polish it shiny.
Just two days before "that day", the Gendarmerie Department of the mercenary regiment sent two personnel into the dark barracks of the "Scorpion Troop" to take Kang Zhefu away. "We will meet again." Major Holler waved to Kang Zhefu.His expression was that of a tiger that failed to bite the throat of the lamb in front of him. Four hours later, the military police pushed Kang Zhefu, who was clean from the shower, onto a military helicopter.The helicopter flew back to the capital airport of the country. Accompanied by military police, Kang Zhefu transferred to a civil aircraft and flew directly to Paris to return to the headquarters of the mercenary group.
Tilia took out a snow-white handkerchief and wiped away the tears from the corners of Kangzhefu's eyes. "Fate is a wonderful guy." Kang Zhefu held Tilia's hand. "If that person appeared later, my life would have been over. I will never meet you." Tilia moved her lips to his face excitedly.
Kang Zhefu, who was trembling from the onset of drug addiction and had pale lips, tried his best to open the door of the reception room. The middle-aged man in the room with a cropped hair and a well-fitting suit suddenly stood up from the sofa. Kang Zhefu saw the man's face, fainted from excitement, and collapsed on the ground. "Zeff, is it really you?" Takahashi Ryuichiro hurried forward and squatted down, hugging Kang Zhefu's head and neck. "why?" When Takahashi Ryuichiro went to the headquarters of the mercenary regiment, he personally selected members from among the mercenaries and organized the private guard of the "Takahashi Heavy Industries" enterprise. Large corporations organizing private armed forces are not a special case.In the United States, a rich man of a multinational company once dispatched a commando of the company to rescue the employees who were held hostage by terrorists in a Middle Eastern country, and it became a sensational news for a while. Takahashi happened to discover the name of this handsome young man he had met when he visited Gu Feng, a Chinese swordsman master, in New York seven years ago in the files of the elite assault soldiers of the mercenary regiment.
On the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan, an ancient Buddhist temple is half-hidden among clumps of cherry trees. In a dark meditation room deep in the ancient temple, there were shrill screams day after day. "...give me!...howling...oh...give me...injection...kill! kill me!...I...dead...dead...let me die..." The abbot of the ancient temple, the old monk, sat cross-legged in front of the statue of Fudo Mingo in the main hall, closed his eyes gently, turned a deaf ear to the tragic roar, and murmured: If one is motivated to harm one's mind, one pushes one's mind down a big fire pit, and by reciting the power of Avalokiteshvara, the fire pit turns into a pond. Or drifting in the huge sea, dragons, fishes and ghosts are in trouble, thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, the waves cannot disappear. Or on Mount Sumeru, being pushed down by others, thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, living in space like the sun... "Help me...give me an injection! It hurts...ah...so cold...death...I want to die..." Or being imprisoned in shackles, hands and feet being pinched, thinking of the power of Guanyin, you will be relieved and liberated. Curse all poisons, those who want to harm the body, think of the power of Avalokitesvara, and return it to yourself. Or when encountering evil rakshasas, poisonous dragons, ghosts, etc., thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, they will not dare to harm them. If you are surrounded by evil beasts, with sharp fangs and claws, think of the power of Avalokiteshvara, and run in boundless directions... All living beings are in trouble, immeasurable suffering is forcing their bodies, Guanyin's wonderful intelligence can save the suffering in the world...
go in winter.snow melting.spring solstice.Cherry blossoms are in full bloom. On the day when the cherry blossoms were all gone, the door of the meditation room was finally opened from the inside. Kang Zhefu, who weighed only 120 pounds, staggered and took his first step outside the meditation room. No matter how hard his steps were, he still had no intention of asking others for help.The mouth tightly surrounded by the beard clenched its lower lip, and walked step by step with concentration. The desire to live that had been lost for a long time reappeared in his eyes. When he walked into the main hall of the Buddhist temple, he had resumed his usual steps.He stared at the old monk who was meditating in front of Fudo Myoko's statue. The old monk turned his back to Kang Zhefu, without raising his eyebrows. "Mr. Kang, congratulations." "Master, tell Mr. Takahashi for me that I have recovered." Kang Zhefu looked at the majestic and majestic Fudo Myoo who was holding a sword in one hand. "Don't you thank him in person?" "I want to go back first..." Kang Zhefu closed his eyes: "To my mother's grave." After Kang Zhefu turned around, the old monk suddenly said: "Mr. Kang, the physical pain is easy to overcome, but the spiritual wound is hard to recover... People can't find the meaning of living in the world, no matter how strong the body is, how rich the family is, and the status No matter how noble it is, it is nothing more than a walking dead..."
Tilia and Kang Zhefu walked arm in arm on the grassland.The morning light flooded the body.Although they hadn't slept all night, they also felt an energy full of hope and anticipation for tomorrow, and they didn't even feel their pace relaxed. "The plastic surgeon removed all the pinhole scars on my arm." Kang Zhefu stretched out his left arm. "But I decided not to get rid of this red scorpion tattoo in my life. I want it to remind me of hell and tell me to grasp every moment of life from now on. But I can't do it well, and many times I always dwell on the past In sorrow... until I met you..." Tilia was full of joy when she heard that, and tightly held Kang Zhefu's arm, but she couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. "But... I didn't do anything, I couldn't help you... I just quietly listened to what you said about the past..." "That's enough." Kang Zhefu stared at her and smiled. "Maybe you're too young to understand how hard it is to find a good listener..." "I'm not young." Tilia jumped forward like a little girl and ran away. "Already twenty-three years old!" Kang Zhefu chased after it with a smile, but saw Tilia standing in front of a wooden board erected beside the path, staring and watching. "What's the matter?" When Kang Zhefu leaned forward, Tilia stretched out her finger to the grassy slope ahead. A small pasture was built against a grove with a wooden fence around it. A dozen cows were quietly chewing grass inside the fence, and a few calves were sleeping on the ground.The exterior walls of the two-storey wooden house in the center of the estate are simply painted dark brown, and the smoke from breakfast smoke rises from the chimney. "This ranch is for sale." She pointed to the wooden sign beside her. "The price is not expensive." Kang Zhefu put his arms around Tilia, carefully reading the words and sentences on the advertisement for sale. Tilia was suddenly silent and stared at Kang Zhefu. From the look in her eyes, he already understood what she was thinking. "We'll come back here after I finish the work at hand," Kang Zhefu said. "OK?" Tilia suddenly showed a sad look. "Can't you do it now?" She asked like begging, "Abandon everything and stay here now, can't you?" Kang Zhefu looked at a naughty child. "The thing at hand must be finished. I don't like to give up halfway..." Tilia interrupted him: "No! Now! Unless you don't want to..." Kang Zhefu shook his head. "I think. But...why do you have to do it now? What's driving you? Tell me..." "Are men always like this?" Tilia replied in a sleepy and indifferent tone. "Always let happiness slip away..." She ran away towards the direction where the car was parked. Kang Zhefu stared blankly at her petite back.The pure white shirt fluttered gently on the grassy slope. He suddenly remembered: ——She still hasn't explained why she went to Hong Kong...why?Such a coincidence? ... He shook his head violently, not letting himself think about it. But that little bit of doubt gradually spread in his heart.
Cars parked outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Madrid.The engine and lights were then switched off. A thin man in a long raincoat stepped out of the car door.He walked towards the warehouse without a trace of light. The air in the warehouse smelled musty.The man groped forward by the moonlight shining through the window. When he reached the middle of the warehouse, the man stopped suddenly, stood still, knees slightly bent, his hands covering his head and face, his back arched, and his posture was like a wild beast about to pounce on its prey. "Very good." Another man's voice came from the warehouse. "The vigilance has not weakened. It proves that you have not been drinking." The voice echoed full and rough, with the tone of an ancient military general, revealing extreme confidence. The thin man relaxed his guard: "Are you here too?" "Your 'tool'." A long stick-shaped object suddenly flew out from a corner of the darkness. The man took the object with one hand. "Carta, what are you doing here?" "Same as your mission." "Is there another target?" The man held the end of the stick with his right hand, pulled it with both hands, and pulled out a silvery white brilliance. The fierce blade reflects the moonlight. "I'm going to find that Chinese." "Kalta" said bitterly. "No!" The man swung his sword. "he's mine!" "You know why I went to the Chinese person myself, don't you?" The man nods. "For 'her'?" Karta was speechless in the darkness. "Don't worry!" the man laughed. "I'll kill him instead of you!" Karta seemed to meditate for a while. "Okay. You're in charge of the Chinese. I'll go find another one. The 'lord' told me to send the order: you can do it." "Has the 'lord' decided to give up on this Chinese? Great. You say another, who is it?" "A very good opponent." Karta said excitedly: "This person may have realized my secret technique 'Panaanus'. I cannot allow this kind of thing. I want to take it back." He paused After a while, he added, "I have a request." "...?" "Don't cut the Chinese man's throat." Karta said word by word: "Don't let him die too comfortably. Promise me?" The man was speechless, he put the blade back into the sheath in a heroic manner, turned around and walked away. The clash of the sword and the scabbard made a clanging sound, which echoed fiercely in the warehouse. This is undoubtedly the most powerful answer.
The vast grassland is permeated with the faint fragrance of dew.The originally dark sky has gradually transformed into an ocean-like deep blue.A layer of light gray clouds and mist condensed on the extreme horizon, sleeping for the last time before dawn. Kang Zhefu and Tilia hugged each other, lying on a gentle grassy slope.The chirping of birds breaks the tranquility, and the intermittent chirping is carried far and wide in the wind. Kang Zhefu felt that Tilia's petite body shivered like a baby bird in his arms.He took off his suit jacket and covered her. With sleepy eyes, Tilia raised her head and kissed his chin. "thanks." "Do you want to go back to the car?" Tilia shook her head. "If now is the end of the world, that would be great." "Why?" Kang Zhefu asked while hugging Tilia's thin waist. "Just hugging you all the time, lying on this grass..." She said like a dream: "... quietly waiting for the dawn, until the end of the earth's history... If it is a nuclear war, let us hug each other bodies turned into dust together..." "Die like this, without any regrets?" Tilia bit her lower lip like a child, scratched her short hair, and nodded slowly. "There are two things. The first is that I haven't painted a work that I am really satisfied with." "What about the other thing?" "I haven't finished listening to what you said last time." Tilia buried her face in Kang Zhefu's generous chest. "Can you finish it if you want?" Kang Zhefu's originally smiling face froze.He feels a little cold. "The wound is barely scarred, it will only swell and rot underneath." Her mouth was pressed against his chest, and her voice was a little vague. "Let's face it honestly. When a man is going to cry, he should cry freely."
The glare was so intense that it could still come through the eyelids with the eyes closed.A loud bang that surpassed the limit of hearing and seemed to stop the whole world for a second.Kang Zhefu, who had just taken drugs, only remembered these violent audio and video images of that moment. The sharp pain in his back awakened him from his deep ignorance.After opening my eyelids, it took a long time to get used to the sunshine in Africa again.The eardrums are still aching. Kang Zhefu, with six exploding fragments stuck in his back, barely supported his weak body.The weak legs felt like the ground was shaking. The barracks have "disappeared".There was only a large area of charred ruins in front of them.Scattered mutilated limbs swarmed with sooty flies.The choking smell of a petrol bomb explosion rippling in the scorching air.Faint groans came from under the rubble. — Riley!Where are you? Kang Zhefu staggered and looked around. — Riley, you're not going to die.The battlefield is your home.Where in the world is there any idiot who died for no reason in his own home?No.Even me, a drug addict, survived, so must you.Where are you-- Kang Zhefu's eyes found the answer. The coat of arms of the "Sixth Airborne Company" was pinned to the military uniform of a headless corpse, and a small rectangular cloth patch with the words "Fourth Squadron" embroidered on it was sewn underneath.There are two "V"-shaped black cloth horizontal bars below, representing the team leader. The dead body held a photo tightly in its right hand, and one corner was burnt.Photo of beautiful blonde woman smiling happily.
"What reason can there be in this world?" Kang Zhefu stared at the horizon where the morning light had already appeared. "When the enemy bombers came, even Riley couldn't escape the call of death; but I, who was intoxicated by the power of drugs, survived to this day."
After leaving the military hospital, Kang Zhefu not only failed to give up his drug addiction, but became more accustomed to injecting painkillers. With a thinner body than before, he has to face more than three years of military service.Since the 4th and 6th detachments of the 6th Airborne Company were completely destroyed in the air strike, he was assigned to the 7th detachment instead. Seventh Squad has two nicknames.In the official documents of the mercenary regiment, it was named "Special Mission Squad". Apart from it, only the first squad dedicated to protecting important people and the second squad responsible for spying and reconnaissance had this title. The Seventh Division is better known in the military as the "Scorpion Unit".
Kang Zhefu stretched out his left arm.Exposed to the morning wind is a red scorpion tattoo on the outer forearm. Tilia stared at the tattoo that had faded with age.Simple red lines outline a little scorpion lying quietly.The sharp scorpion tail is bent into a hook shape.Four needle-like scorpion legs.The serrated pair of pincers are guarded in front of the head in an arc, looking like they are ready to go. "I thought I had already been to the bottom of hell." Kang Zhefu looked at the tattoo on his arm with still fearful eyes. "Who knew there was a deeper place down there."
After stepping into the "Scorpion Troop" barracks far away from other barracks, Kang Zhefu felt as if he had entered another world. The deafening heavy metal rock music was playing in the barracks where candles were lighted sparsely.The dark room was smoky, with Kang Zhefu's familiar smell of marijuana.The hammocks hanging randomly are like vine branches hanging down in the tropical rainforest.When Kang Zhefu squatted over, he stepped on an empty syringe on the ground. The air was sickeningly stuffy.Kang Zhefu was sweating sticky all over his body.Reptile-like figures squirmed in the shadows with the furious guitar sounds of rock music. The figure gradually approached Kang Zhefu.He was terrified, but unable to move.The armpits on both sides were held tightly by someone at some point.He was carried into the depths of the barracks like a doll. It's brighter there.On the wall behind the candlelight is a giant poster of "Elvis Presley" Presley's charming smile. A man as tall as a grizzly bear sits cross-legged in front of the poster, shirtless, wearing camouflage trousers and boots.Except in fitness magazines, Kang Zhefu had never seen such a burly body, such a perfect body with well-developed muscles.Smooth, tight muscles like pebbles form a pair of heavy armor that ordinary people can hardly bear.A man is like a living fortress. A man holds a black book in his hands.With his shaven head bowed, he read the texts from the Book of Revelation. Kang Zhefu was thrown to the ground in front of the man.The man's bald head slowly lifted. This was Kang Zhefu's first meeting with Major Renault Holler. Just as someone has an innate fear of snakes or mice, of heights, of being in tight spaces, so every human being will encounter one or two people in his or her life who terribly frighten them for no reason. For Kang Zhefu, Major Holle was undoubtedly this person. Under the swaying candlelight, Holler's round and wide face with high cheekbones, no eyebrows or beard, made Kangzhefu's heart beat fast and his limbs went numb. Holer stared at Kang Zhefu's face with a pair of eyes full of strange desires.He stretched out his thick palm, stroked Kang Zhefu's chin, and then swept his forehead. Holler grinned. "Welcome to 'Scorpion Force'."
Members of the seventh unit of the sixth airborne company have special and excellent treatment in the mercenary regiment.Since this unit charges employers particularly high, and the salaries of the members are relatively generous, the period of military service contracts may be shortened proportionally. However, only a very small number of mercenaries have been voluntarily incorporated into this "scorpion unit", because everyone knows what kind of "special tasks" it is responsible for. That mission is on paper, called the "elimination of civilian personnel mission." The so-called "non-military personnel" are civilians. When employers suspect that a certain village is hiding hostile spies or important rebels, they will hire "scorpion troops" to dispatch. There are only two results: the spies or traitors are confirmed to be killed, or the "scorpion troops" "eliminate" all the "non-military personnel" in the entire village. Mostly the latter. The "Scorpion Army" is a terrifying dead trafficker. Kang Zhefu couldn't resist the temptation of this red scorpion, because it could provide him with what he needed most at that time—drugs.
The sun has already exposed one-fifth of the horizon, but Kang Zhefu can't feel the slightest warmth. Tilia hugged his trembling body tightly. "During the first mission, I couldn't stop vomiting at all. After throwing up the contents of my stomach, I was still throwing up."
"How is it? Have you finished vomiting?" Kang Zhefu panted vigorously, his mouth was covered with saliva and gastric juice.He looks up.Major Hole's eyes stopped his stomach. With bloody hands, Holle handed over a serrated survival military knife.It was dropped when Kang Zhefu vomited just now. Huo Le stuffed the handle of the knife into Kangzhefu's right palm, and pointed aside without a word. Kang Zhefu looked in that direction. A black woman was tied to a tree trunk like a pig.The lower body is naked, and the legs are weakly spread. Kang Zhefu couldn't bear to turn his head away, but saw Huo Le's excited and encouraging eyes again. Kang Zhefu would rather look at that poor young woman again. The woman's swollen face was expressionless, and she seemed to have completely lost the ability to think. But Kang Zhefu knew that he would never forget the hatred and sorrow deep in her eyes. - go! The psychological "self-defense mechanism" is calling out to him. - do it!Relieve her pain! Kang Zhefu held the knife tightly and walked towards her step by step... After throwing away the bloody knife, Major Holer patted Kangzhefu on the shoulder from behind.Kang Zhefu felt like being electrocuted. "Now you have truly become a member of our 'Scorpion Force'." Holer showed Kang Zhefu the red scorpion tattoo on his arm. "I'll get you one when I get back to the barracks."
The potency of the drug had been fully released, but Kang Zhefu still felt the burning pain on his left forearm. In the sound of heavy metal rock music, the fierce red scorpion climbed onto his skin and lay there forever.
In three months, Kang Zhefu followed Major Holle to dispatch six times. To wipe out these villages, their employers, the local warlords, originally only needed to send out bombers and drop a solid petrol bomb on the top.However, in order to prevent foreign countries from suspending aid due to such "execution" scandals, they would rather hire "Scorpion Troops" to pretend to be hostile rebels or deserters and bandits to push their own scandals away. It is precisely for the sake of camouflage and secrecy that the "Scorpion Army" will never leave any survivors in the target villages - including babies. The repeated missions did not numb Kang Zhefu's nerves, and he still couldn't help vomiting every time.Now Holler would stand beside him and stroke his back, looking at his painful profile with strange eyes. Kang Zhefu knew that Huo Le had some special hobbies.Every night when he sleeps in the camp, he is "accompanied" by his team members. Kang Zhefu began to think of suicide again.There is no longer any reason in the world to support his survival. —Mom, I'll go to your place, okay? Once the seeds of suicidal thoughts germinate in the mind, they grow out of control. --it's time. Five days later, it will be the third anniversary of Kang Zhefu leaving his mother and joining the mercenary regiment. He decided on that day.He took out the bullet he had prepared and tried his best to polish it shiny.
Just two days before "that day", the Gendarmerie Department of the mercenary regiment sent two personnel into the dark barracks of the "Scorpion Troop" to take Kang Zhefu away. "We will meet again." Major Holler waved to Kang Zhefu.His expression was that of a tiger that failed to bite the throat of the lamb in front of him. Four hours later, the military police pushed Kang Zhefu, who was clean from the shower, onto a military helicopter.The helicopter flew back to the capital airport of the country. Accompanied by military police, Kang Zhefu transferred to a civil aircraft and flew directly to Paris to return to the headquarters of the mercenary group.
Tilia took out a snow-white handkerchief and wiped away the tears from the corners of Kangzhefu's eyes. "Fate is a wonderful guy." Kang Zhefu held Tilia's hand. "If that person appeared later, my life would have been over. I will never meet you." Tilia moved her lips to his face excitedly.
Kang Zhefu, who was trembling from the onset of drug addiction and had pale lips, tried his best to open the door of the reception room. The middle-aged man in the room with a cropped hair and a well-fitting suit suddenly stood up from the sofa. Kang Zhefu saw the man's face, fainted from excitement, and collapsed on the ground. "Zeff, is it really you?" Takahashi Ryuichiro hurried forward and squatted down, hugging Kang Zhefu's head and neck. "why?" When Takahashi Ryuichiro went to the headquarters of the mercenary regiment, he personally selected members from among the mercenaries and organized the private guard of the "Takahashi Heavy Industries" enterprise. Large corporations organizing private armed forces are not a special case.In the United States, a rich man of a multinational company once dispatched a commando of the company to rescue the employees who were held hostage by terrorists in a Middle Eastern country, and it became a sensational news for a while. Takahashi happened to discover the name of this handsome young man he had met when he visited Gu Feng, a Chinese swordsman master, in New York seven years ago in the files of the elite assault soldiers of the mercenary regiment.
On the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan, an ancient Buddhist temple is half-hidden among clumps of cherry trees. In a dark meditation room deep in the ancient temple, there were shrill screams day after day. "...give me!...howling...oh...give me...injection...kill! kill me!...I...dead...dead...let me die..." The abbot of the ancient temple, the old monk, sat cross-legged in front of the statue of Fudo Mingo in the main hall, closed his eyes gently, turned a deaf ear to the tragic roar, and murmured: If one is motivated to harm one's mind, one pushes one's mind down a big fire pit, and by reciting the power of Avalokiteshvara, the fire pit turns into a pond. Or drifting in the huge sea, dragons, fishes and ghosts are in trouble, thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, the waves cannot disappear. Or on Mount Sumeru, being pushed down by others, thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, living in space like the sun... "Help me...give me an injection! It hurts...ah...so cold...death...I want to die..." Or being imprisoned in shackles, hands and feet being pinched, thinking of the power of Guanyin, you will be relieved and liberated. Curse all poisons, those who want to harm the body, think of the power of Avalokitesvara, and return it to yourself. Or when encountering evil rakshasas, poisonous dragons, ghosts, etc., thinking of the power of Avalokitesvara, they will not dare to harm them. If you are surrounded by evil beasts, with sharp fangs and claws, think of the power of Avalokiteshvara, and run in boundless directions... All living beings are in trouble, immeasurable suffering is forcing their bodies, Guanyin's wonderful intelligence can save the suffering in the world...
go in winter.snow melting.spring solstice.Cherry blossoms are in full bloom. On the day when the cherry blossoms were all gone, the door of the meditation room was finally opened from the inside. Kang Zhefu, who weighed only 120 pounds, staggered and took his first step outside the meditation room. No matter how hard his steps were, he still had no intention of asking others for help.The mouth tightly surrounded by the beard clenched its lower lip, and walked step by step with concentration. The desire to live that had been lost for a long time reappeared in his eyes. When he walked into the main hall of the Buddhist temple, he had resumed his usual steps.He stared at the old monk who was meditating in front of Fudo Myoko's statue. The old monk turned his back to Kang Zhefu, without raising his eyebrows. "Mr. Kang, congratulations." "Master, tell Mr. Takahashi for me that I have recovered." Kang Zhefu looked at the majestic and majestic Fudo Myoo who was holding a sword in one hand. "Don't you thank him in person?" "I want to go back first..." Kang Zhefu closed his eyes: "To my mother's grave." After Kang Zhefu turned around, the old monk suddenly said: "Mr. Kang, the physical pain is easy to overcome, but the spiritual wound is hard to recover... People can't find the meaning of living in the world, no matter how strong the body is, how rich the family is, and the status No matter how noble it is, it is nothing more than a walking dead..."
Tilia and Kang Zhefu walked arm in arm on the grassland.The morning light flooded the body.Although they hadn't slept all night, they also felt an energy full of hope and anticipation for tomorrow, and they didn't even feel their pace relaxed. "The plastic surgeon removed all the pinhole scars on my arm." Kang Zhefu stretched out his left arm. "But I decided not to get rid of this red scorpion tattoo in my life. I want it to remind me of hell and tell me to grasp every moment of life from now on. But I can't do it well, and many times I always dwell on the past In sorrow... until I met you..." Tilia was full of joy when she heard that, and tightly held Kang Zhefu's arm, but she couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. "But... I didn't do anything, I couldn't help you... I just quietly listened to what you said about the past..." "That's enough." Kang Zhefu stared at her and smiled. "Maybe you're too young to understand how hard it is to find a good listener..." "I'm not young." Tilia jumped forward like a little girl and ran away. "Already twenty-three years old!" Kang Zhefu chased after it with a smile, but saw Tilia standing in front of a wooden board erected beside the path, staring and watching. "What's the matter?" When Kang Zhefu leaned forward, Tilia stretched out her finger to the grassy slope ahead. A small pasture was built against a grove with a wooden fence around it. A dozen cows were quietly chewing grass inside the fence, and a few calves were sleeping on the ground.The exterior walls of the two-storey wooden house in the center of the estate are simply painted dark brown, and the smoke from breakfast smoke rises from the chimney. "This ranch is for sale." She pointed to the wooden sign beside her. "The price is not expensive." Kang Zhefu put his arms around Tilia, carefully reading the words and sentences on the advertisement for sale. Tilia was suddenly silent and stared at Kang Zhefu. From the look in her eyes, he already understood what she was thinking. "We'll come back here after I finish the work at hand," Kang Zhefu said. "OK?" Tilia suddenly showed a sad look. "Can't you do it now?" She asked like begging, "Abandon everything and stay here now, can't you?" Kang Zhefu looked at a naughty child. "The thing at hand must be finished. I don't like to give up halfway..." Tilia interrupted him: "No! Now! Unless you don't want to..." Kang Zhefu shook his head. "I think. But...why do you have to do it now? What's driving you? Tell me..." "Are men always like this?" Tilia replied in a sleepy and indifferent tone. "Always let happiness slip away..." She ran away towards the direction where the car was parked. Kang Zhefu stared blankly at her petite back.The pure white shirt fluttered gently on the grassy slope. He suddenly remembered: ——She still hasn't explained why she went to Hong Kong...why?Such a coincidence? ... He shook his head violently, not letting himself think about it. But that little bit of doubt gradually spread in his heart.
Cars parked outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Madrid.The engine and lights were then switched off. A thin man in a long raincoat stepped out of the car door.He walked towards the warehouse without a trace of light. The air in the warehouse smelled musty.The man groped forward by the moonlight shining through the window. When he reached the middle of the warehouse, the man stopped suddenly, stood still, knees slightly bent, his hands covering his head and face, his back arched, and his posture was like a wild beast about to pounce on its prey. "Very good." Another man's voice came from the warehouse. "The vigilance has not weakened. It proves that you have not been drinking." The voice echoed full and rough, with the tone of an ancient military general, revealing extreme confidence. The thin man relaxed his guard: "Are you here too?" "Your 'tool'." A long stick-shaped object suddenly flew out from a corner of the darkness. The man took the object with one hand. "Carta, what are you doing here?" "Same as your mission." "Is there another target?" The man held the end of the stick with his right hand, pulled it with both hands, and pulled out a silvery white brilliance. The fierce blade reflects the moonlight. "I'm going to find that Chinese." "Kalta" said bitterly. "No!" The man swung his sword. "he's mine!" "You know why I went to the Chinese person myself, don't you?" The man nods. "For 'her'?" Karta was speechless in the darkness. "Don't worry!" the man laughed. "I'll kill him instead of you!" Karta seemed to meditate for a while. "Okay. You're in charge of the Chinese. I'll go find another one. The 'lord' told me to send the order: you can do it." "Has the 'lord' decided to give up on this Chinese? Great. You say another, who is it?" "A very good opponent." Karta said excitedly: "This person may have realized my secret technique 'Panaanus'. I cannot allow this kind of thing. I want to take it back." He paused After a while, he added, "I have a request." "...?" "Don't cut the Chinese man's throat." Karta said word by word: "Don't let him die too comfortably. Promise me?" The man was speechless, he put the blade back into the sheath in a heroic manner, turned around and walked away. The clash of the sword and the scabbard made a clanging sound, which echoed fiercely in the warehouse. This is undoubtedly the most powerful answer.