Chapter 26 twenty three brothers

Chen Yang put down the microphone slowly, clenched his fist and tapped his forehead lightly. Just now, Lin Shen gave him an instruction that he couldn't understand no matter what: "I order you to leave Paget at once—without any difficulty." Leaving Pagetown?Now?Regardless of any difficulty? More important are the other two questions - "Why?" and "How?" Chen Yang raised his head and saw the sky outside the hotel at a glance—dark, gloomy, swirling clouds like cotton candy, mixed with paper and debris floating all over the sky, making the whole scene look like Carousel in the playground.

Without a thorough plan, no suitable means of transportation, and no professional rescue personnel, in this environment, the entire team was transferred—including the old and weak, women and children, and those big men who had been frightened by the gunshots—and one of them It is an unimaginable task for a young boy who claims to be a "patriotic youth" and prepares to swim across the sea to destroy Japan. However, he decided to carry out the order. Chen Yang understands that Lin Feiyu is by no means as simple, rude and neurotic as he appears on the surface. As an elite agent of the National Security Agency, he cannot give orders casually—especially if it is so unreasonable and ridiculous. Order.

There must be some reason for this, some kind of incomprehensible reason, probably because Chen Yang is not willing to understand it at all.All he needs to do now is to believe in Lin Feiyu—believe in the judgment of a "major staff officer". "Old Yu..." He propped his hands on the table and ordered to the non-commissioned officer behind him without turning his head, "Take a person to gather the tourists, prepare to evacuate on foot, and leave in ten minutes." It looked like a veteran in his mid-twenties pushed the edge of his helmet: "On foot? Under a typhoon?"

"The real 'Xuanwu' is still on the way." Chen Yang turned around, glanced to the corner of the room, and stared at the two mercenary captives kneeling on the ground for a few seconds: "This is our last chance. In two or three hours, I'm afraid we won't be able to leave even if we want to." The non-commissioned officer known as Lao Yu nodded: "Understood, I'll go right away." "Wait," Chen Yang raised his hand and pointed to a building outside the window: "...and ask Cheng Jianxin to guard the roof of the city hall. There is no better sniper position in the whole town than that."

"yes!" "Then..." Chen Yang clenched his fists - let go, then clenched again: "Then order the other brothers to gather in the hall...everyone." After Lao Yu opened the door and left, there were only two prisoners and Chen Yang left in the room.The two mercenaries kneeled obediently with their hands behind their backs, motionless. One of the big men's black uniform was torn several times, and his face was disheveled, as if he had just escaped from the line of fire not long ago. These were the only two survivors from the previous ambush - they didn't even have a weapon to defend themselves when they were captured.For Chen Yang, these two people are likely to be the key to reveal all the answers, and they may even bring some unexpected information.

"Now let's continue with the question just now..." Chen Yang pulled out the pistol from his waist, and walked up to the big man in a big stride: "You two are 'technical'?" The person being questioned didn't answer, but looked at him with angry eyes, but the young man next to him replied: "Yes! Yes!" The kid seemed to be an Indian from the accent: "We are responsible for the logistics management of the combat system, such as computer maintenance, drone operation..." The big man snorted, squinted at his companion, and the little man immediately shut his mouth and stopped talking.

"Wait..." Chen Yang squatted down: "You said you operated the drone? The one that attacked the port last night?" "No, no, no!" The little man shook his head vigorously: "It's not me, the drone is..." He carefully glanced at his side: "...he operated it." "Ah, um, hey!" The big man's anger was beyond words: "You are really a good and reliable partner! Major Nada should have shot you a year ago!" "Come on, boss, we're not being paid to keep silent." "He's right," Chen Yang nodded, and pushed his helmet with a pistol: "You don't have to make trouble with your own life for money."

The big man gave a slight "um", curled his lips as if agreeing: "This officer... how many years have you been in the army?" "Me? You ask me?" Chen Yang replied coldly with a blank face: "Three years." Most of the time, he is quite proud of his experience. After all, it is not easy for an ordinary soldier to be promoted to a company commander, let alone within three short years. "Three years..." The corner of the man's mouth smiled: "...the beautiful youth, being with the brothers who swore to live and die together, fighting hard for the honor of the country and the nation, and even fantasizing that one day he will become a hero who is praised by everyone. ..." He shook his head, "It's really worth remembering, those days of innocence and passion."

"What? You also served as a soldier?" "Fifteen years, including the time in the mercenary regiment..." The big man raised his forehead: "I understand the thoughts of you new recruits--full of high-sounding principles, thinking that as long as you are loyal and obedient, You can save the country and the people, you can overthrow everything, even if you die, you are still a glorious martyr, a hero, and you sacrificed your life for something more important than your own life." Chen Yang darkened his face and stared at him silently. "Once upon a time, you only imagined the battlefield scene, thinking that it was full of passion, fanaticism and glory..." The man continued: "You have been deceived—by your country, and by yourself, You don’t know the cruelty of war, the horror of weapons, and the value of blood. You just transform your superficial masculinity into a fighting instinct, and then flirt with the illusion of invincibility—you can’t even talk about it. He is a real soldier." He changed his subject suddenly: "But it's different now, sir... Now, you know what war looks like, you know the grief of losing your companions, you know the horror of bloody storms, you know Desperate to kill thieves but unable to bring back the sky, you are now like a soldier...together with those boys under your command."

"Hmph, are you complimenting me?" "To be precise, it's recognition..." The other party paused with a serious face: "I recognize your status as a fighter, and I hope you can understand that a real fighter—such as you, such as me, is still in everything. Before the dust settles, I will never betray my companion, nor will I tell any information that will harm my companion, I..." As soon as he finished saying the word "intelligence", Chen Yang had already pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the big man's chest and shattered his heart, completely quieting down this chattering and rational man .

"With a gun..." Chen Yang said coldly, "You can't make criminals become soldiers." Killing a prisoner - for some reason, doing so did not make him feel guilty at all, on the contrary, he felt a burst of relief. The little man was so frightened by the sudden shot that he lost his balance and fell to his knees at an angle: "Don't, don't, don't! I didn't have a gun! I didn't! I swear to Guanyin Bodhisattva, I haven't even fired a single shot!" Chen Yang was stunned for a moment: "Do you believe in Guanyin?" "No... I thought you believed it." Chen Yang straightened up and pinned the pistol - he thought the Indian boy in front of him was quite interesting: "What's your name?" "Lagou," he said timidly, turning around, "at least that's the name on my social security card." "If you haven't even fired a gun, how are you a mercenary?" "Tuition fees, living expenses, utility bills," Rago shrugged, "it is very expensive to study for a master's degree in the United States... and the person in charge of recruiting fooled me, saying that this is just a simple job dealing with electronic technology— —You know, that's what I major in..." "Well, that means you're really just a technician... repairing computers, writing programs, reading reports, and doing odd jobs? Huh?" "Ah, yes, exactly, they just pay me and put me in a cabin or a plane, to one weird place after another - Afghanistan, Colombia... oh yeah, and here, what's it called What? Ass Kitty?" Although there is a little logic in this kid's words, it's hard to say whether they can stand up to scrutiny, but Chen Yang still intends to believe him for the time being: "I see..." Chen Yang sighed with some disappointment: "You mean, you can't provide any decent information, right?" This was just a casual sentence, but it caused Lagoo to have a serious ambiguity of understanding—— "No, no, don't, don't kill me, I swear to you, I'm still useful... Ah, yes, I'm worth it, I can help you... I can help your country, uh... ...you are Chinese right? Look, I like China, I like Chinese food, I like Chinese women..." "Wait! What did you say?" Chen Yang interrupted his rambling monologue sharply: "Help my country? What do you mean?" Ragoo looked to both sides, and seemed to think for a few seconds: "Look, I said that I wasn't paid to keep silent, right?" Chen Yang said every word: "I am listening." "I... I can help your country..." For some reason, Rago started speaking incoherently: "I... I don't understand how to explain, anyway... er, anyway, I know a secret, I was told not to ask , as long as you focus on the job at hand..." Chen Yang looked at the military watch on his arm, looking a little impatient: "Get to the point." Ragoo shivered: "I, I, I... I have maintained the combat system in the mercenary regiment before, but this time it is different. I have never seen the equipment used this time. It is very special, very... It's very advanced, I bet, sir—" He swallowed, his eyes glowed, showing an extremely excited expression: "That thing can...can make your country's digital combat level leap forward by 10 years!" Chen Yang took a deep breath—he felt that he must be confused, and suddenly believed in this Indian boy whom he had only known for half an hour: "'That thing'?" "'Sophia'..." As if deliberately whetting his appetite, Rago's tone became a little strange: "That's its name." Five minutes later, the main hall on the first floor of the hotel. Chen Yang never thought that one day he would experience such a sour scene. The soldiers have firm expressions and torch-like eyes, standing resolutely like statues made of steel.They carried different kinds of rifles, were not as neatly dressed as they were when they first came to Paget, and two of them were wounded, but whether they were tall or short, strong or thin, each of them carried With a look of calm but majestic, as if he had just stepped down from the National Day military parade. But no matter what their mental outlook is, Chen Yang understands that there are only twenty-eight people here - four wounded people stay in the hidden place of the orchard, a sniper and two sentries stand outside the hotel, and there are seventy-two people... He stayed here forever, in the depths of the blue sea, in a strange land in a foreign country, in a battlefield that was not even known to the outside world. He wanted to say something, but his mind went completely blank. It wasn't his fault - at least not entirely his fault.As the leader of the company, Chen Yang certainly has the duty to protect his subordinates, but as the big man said just now, he is a "novice" after all, and has never experienced the baptism of the battlefield, and it is impossible for him to know how to save everyone in the cruel hail of bullets. people. Finally, he moistened his dry throat and spoke the first sentence: "Brothers in Lian, I have something to say..." The soldiers remained calm, but there was some expectation in their eyes: "I'm not a big leader, and I don't know how to make speeches, so I just said a few words... say a few words from my heart." Chen Yang paused, and took a step forward: "I know... all of you are tired, scared, and want to go home. I won't blame you, because I'm also tired, scared, and want to go home. I want to take you, and all the brothers in the company , and bring all the Chinese trapped on Paget Island together, and return home safely—no one is missing.” He stood still in front of the soldiers and sighed softly: "I didn't expect that all of this would become so difficult... Ferocious enemies, powerful firepower, complete isolation, unexpected dangers, and a complete failure of the plan..." He smiled and shook his head: "There is so Once or twice, I secretly wondered, why me? Why us? Why 1st Company? Why on this world-famous mission? Why so unlucky?" Chen Yang paused for a few seconds, then suddenly punched his chest violently: "But now, I want to say that we are lucky - those fallen comrades, let us stand here, let us have a chance to find the way home for our compatriots, to draw a picture of the disaster on the island Go rest and avenge them all." "Yes, comrades, I don't want to hide our current situation, we are trapped on a small island with no help," he waved his right arm towards the door: "around us is a muddy jungle under the typhoon ;in the depths of the jungle, lurking ferocious enemy soldiers... I'm not sure what's ahead to stop us on our way home, but I dare say, brothers, I bet-" He gritted his teeth violently and clenched his fists: "When the Central Red Army was in ragged clothes and crossed the grassland, their situation was more difficult than ours now! When the Eighth Route Army charged the Japanese devils' positions with bayonets, their situation was more difficult than ours now! When the equipped enemies fought bloody battles to the death, their situation was even more difficult than ours now! When the volunteers were starving and starving and guarding Shangganling, their situation was even more difficult than ours now—when our predecessors and martyrs were killed by the enemy When they were driven to nowhere and experienced all the pain and despair, they survived and turned impossible missions into miracles that will be extolled by later generations. At that time, our fathers did not even have born." "Once upon a time, I envied them..." Chen Yang shook his head: "I envied those troops with glorious traditions. They experienced the peril of the nation, reversed the fate of the country, and witnessed the process of revival... And when all the dust settled, The Chinese Marine Corps is long overdue—we have not received the baptism of war, have no tradition of fighting bloody battles with the enemy, and have no great achievements to brag about. We may be a sword, but because we have never drawn the sheath But it can only be used as an ornamental, to perform some simple tasks that sound important, but in fact it is the same for everyone..." "But today! Comrades! We are so lucky!" His voice suddenly rose an octave, and his whole body was also excited: "It's us! Let the sword be unsheathed-see blood to seal the throat! It's us! Let the The Marine Corps fought the enemy bravely—spraying the first drop of blood! It is us! Let the whole world know that China has such a team and such a group of heroes! Who said that our Marine Corps has no glorious tradition? Today, let us !Come be a glorious tradition!" Somewhat encouraged, the faces of the soldiers showed a look of agitation, as if there was an unprecedented battle waiting outside. But according to Chen Yang's plan, most of them should not shoot again—if everything goes well. Under his order, the remaining marines were divided into two teams, nineteen of whom were commanded by a platoon of elders, Yu, who was responsible for "escorting" all the Chinese tourists to the orchard—the former hideout.The other nine were deployed by Chen Yang at various "ambush points" in Paget Town to block the pursuers and cover the retreat of tourists. This is by no means a simple transfer. The number, quality, and possible actions of the enemy are completely unknown, and there is also a lack of consideration for possible emergencies. It is not so much an "action" as an "adventure" .After all, Chen Yang did not receive advanced military command education, nor did he have much actual combat experience, and he did not know the art of war. And as the most dangerous part of this plan - he personally led the team to be in charge of the rear, ready to give a "warm greeting" to any mercenaries passing through Paget Town. Chen Yang understands that he may not be able to block all the enemies, but anyway, the marines scattered in the town will create an illusion of "premeditated" and greatly slow down the enemy's speed of action—this is not because of a moment of enthusiasm The decision he made was, on the contrary, the most delicate step in Chen Yang's plan. He even calculated the route for the final retreat, the direction the enemy might attack, and the ammunition needed for each ambush point. There was only one thing that he hadn't calculated - at this moment, he still didn't understand that the "enemies" who came this time were not mercenaries. Now, Chen Yang is escorting Lagou, stepping over a burning truck, and walking slowly towards the north exit of Paget Town - where the first ambush took place, two transport vehicles were destroyed on the spot, blocking the in the middle of the road.Chen Yang still clearly remembered the scene at that time - Cheng Jianxin fired the first shot, killing the driver of the truck behind him on the spot, and then himself, he fired a grenade with spinners, which landed on the two vehicles In between, the whole situation was controlled almost instantly. "This one?" Chen Yang poked Lagou on the back with the barrel, and compared to the truck in front. "Uh...no," Lagou observed for a few seconds, then shook his head lightly: "No, I think it should be the one in the back...well, yes," he nodded again, "it's the one in the back." Chen Yang moved a little away, signaling Lagou to go ahead.The truck was already riddled with bullet holes, from the cab to the canvas cargo compartment. Fortunately, there was no explosion. If there were any "good things" in it, at least a "good thing" can be found now. corpse". Lagou carefully took out the flashlight, turned over and climbed into the dark warehouse, and made a series of strange noises inside, as if he was dismantling some machinery. "What are you doing?" Chen Yang who stood aside quietly pushed the safety of the Type 95 assault rifle: "Don't play tricks!" "Ah...it's a pity...it seems to be dead..." Lagou wailed softly in the darkness: "What a fucking crime! There is no reaction at all..." Immediately thereafter, there was a muscular gurgling sound from inside, as if some animal was being dismembered in a slaughterhouse—this made Chen Yang even more puzzled: "Hey! What are you doing..." Suddenly, an arm stretched out from the darkness, holding something that looked like an Olympic medal in his hand. Chen Yang was so frightened that he jumped back a little, raising his gun to fire. "Your country is unlucky, Sofia is dead, and this is the only thing left with value..." A filthy Rago stretched out his upper body from the hood, and wiped his forehead with his left arm covered in milky white mucus: "Everything else is broken, it may take a while to recover... oh, of course, some professional tools are needed... two or three more assistants are best..." Chen Yang swallowed his throat, took the "medal" tremblingly, looked at it over and over for a few seconds, the muzzle never left Lagou's face. This is an octagonal silver metal object, cold and heavy, with white English letters "Sophia" printed on the back of the case, a plug-in port on the edge, and an unusually smooth glass bead embedded in the middle, through the partition, I could vaguely see what was inside—it was some gelatinous liquid, slowly rotating around the center of the glass bead, but the speed became slower and slower, and it almost stopped after a while. "What is this? What is it?" "What do you think it will be? Huh?" Ragoo suddenly seemed very excited: "Memory stick, CPU, or some other digital storage device? For example...uh...an MP4? Walkman? Portable game console?" He Shaking his head, his expression was strange: "No, no, boss, you didn't understand the situation, this thing - this little thing you hold in your hand, is a key, a key that symbolizes the entire 'Sophia system', A key that could revolutionize computing." "Hey," Chen Yang snorted disdainfully, and stuffed the small metal plate into his pocket: "Where did you get such a sharp thing?" "I don't know... I really don't know... Ah, but I'm sure, I haven't seen this kind of technology in the United States," Lagou shook his head triumphantly: "Harvard, Pennsylvania, MIT... I have been to Some of the best engineering colleges in the United States have also seen a few good treasures and seen some of the most cutting-edge technology, but I must say, this... thing, this 'Sophia', is better than any... " The voice did not fall. From the darkness behind Rago, a "strange hand" shining with metallic luster suddenly stretched out, strangling his neck like iron clamps. "Wow!" The Indian boy was obviously taken aback, he writhed and struggled wildly: "Help, save, save!" Rago's voice was quickly suppressed, and he could only make intermittent hoarse neighing.Chen Yang took another two or three steps back, holding his gun to his cheek, maybe because of this sudden change, maybe because of the impact of the surrounding wind, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't aim at all. He didn't even know what he was aiming at—— It seemed to be a human face, or at least a human-like face, right behind Rago's shoulder, pale, ferocious, without a trace of blood, due to the light, except for this stiff and strange face and Except for the black hand that grabbed Ragou's neck, the figure of the assailant could not be seen clearly at all. After just looking at each other for a few seconds, Chen Yang was sure that this face belonged to a "living creature". "Put him down!" He yelled, "Otherwise I'll shoot!" "Sound signal...recognition...error..." An extremely strange voice floated from the depths of the hood. Although the face looked like it was talking, the words and mouth shapes were completely out of line. It was somewhat similar to the situation when a puppeteer was speaking ventriloquism. "You...have not obtained...Sophia's...use authorization...you must be...annihilated..." The voice continued intermittently: "Combat system...connection failed...all units unresponsive...ready...start final self-destruct procedure..." After Chen Yang understood the words "final self-destruct procedure", he stepped back vigilantly for three small steps, and it was these three small steps that saved his life—the air waves generated by the explosion shook him heavily. Falling to the ground, a large piece of metal wreckage was stuck at the place where he was standing just now, and more fragments were thrown into the air, accompanied by rising black smoke, flying in the wind, falling on the ground like a goddess scattered flowers. Yang around. Apparently, the "weird" who had strangled Raggo detonated something, blowing up the entire truck beyond recognition, leaving only a flaming chassis.Chen Yang was dizzy, as if a thousand hummingbirds were buzzing in his ears, he tried several times but couldn't stand still, he just rolled over in vain. In the whole of Paget Town, there was only one person who noticed what happened here. He was very anxious, but he was helpless—— Cheng Jianxin slightly moved the sniper rifle in his arm, and adjusted the cross in the scope to about two positions in front of Chen Yang, providing cover for his defenseless company commander.At this distance, his Type 88 should hit every shot—if the wind speed is not considered.In fact, under the current weather conditions, it is already a miracle that a bullet can fly 50 meters in a straight line. Only precise calculations and hard practice with countless guns can the impact point not be too exaggerated. And both of these, Cheng Jianxin is not lacking.He is the pride of the entire 1st Marine Division, and he is also well-known among the snipers of the entire army. In a certain performance, he shot through a five-cent coin 900 meters away, which stunned all the foreign observers present. , and even suspected what secret weapon he used. You can call it luck—but for a sniper, luck is definitely an indispensable "talent". He was sent to the West Paradise before he was found. Cheng Jianxin adjusted his breathing carefully, stared at the scope intently, despite the strong wind whistling in his ears, he remained motionless like a statue. He knew very well that perseverance and patience were more important than the shooting skills of the hundred-step piercer, especially in this When the environment is complex and there is no one to direct, everything must rely on one's own judgment. A little impulsiveness or hesitation may lead to irreparable catastrophe. The place he was lurking in was said to be the "commanding height" of Paget Town, but it was actually just the roof of a small four-story building. Coupled with the gloomy sky and the surrounding smoke, the sight was greatly affected, so that The veteran sniper had to concentrate all his energy on observing the small world in the camera. I don't know when it started, a faint smoky rain floated in the air, water drops like morning dew sprinkled on Cheng Jianxin's face, slowly merged into a trickle, slid down his forehead, and seeped into the corners of his eyes. He tilted his head, kept his upper body still, and then blinked his eyes a few times, trying to drive away the sour feeling.But just when he turned his head to continue, something strange flashing in the sky caught his attention. Cheng Jianxin has never seen such a scene—a red cloud like a will-o’-the-wisp appeared at the end of his vision, clinging to the ground, swaying and galloping, while approaching the town, everything he passed seemed to be swallowed up by that gorgeous red , completely lost its original appearance, and turned into a hazy mess. Now, Cheng Jianxin couldn't bear his temper anymore. He put away his sniper rifle, straightened his waist, and straightened his neck to look at the distant horizon—maybe because the distance was too far, maybe because the light was too dark, Cheng Jianxin looked at it for a long time but didn't see any tricks, so he picked up the 88-type sniper rifle and adjusted the focus of the scope, trying to figure out what the red fog that was getting closer and closer was. "Oh my god……" The long-extinguished cigarette butt slipped from the corner of his mouth. After being dazed for a few seconds, Cheng Jianxin rubbed his eyes with his left hand to make sure that he saw it right—he couldn't tell what he saw. "Thing" is wrapped in red flames, and moves quickly, like a monster crawling out of hell, riding a demon horse, aggressive, ready to rush over and crush everything in the world. Now, he urgently needs to get in touch with Chen Yang - not only because the commander's instructions will be extremely useful at the moment, but more importantly, judging from the direction and speed of those red devils, they will meet with Chen Yang in a minute or two. Hit full. The radio communication has not been restored, and the channel is full of noises left by interference—it is obvious that there is no way to talk to Chen Yang now, and Cheng Jianxin must find other ways to issue a warning. By shouting?The surrounding wind sounded like a hundred hippopotamuses roaring. Unless Cheng Jianxin had a vocal cord as big as a humpback whale, it would be impossible for the other party to notice. Running over to say hello?Even without considering the complexity of the terrain, the straight-line distance between the two was 300 meters. Counting the time spent going up and down the stairs, he had no time to arrive before the red mist engulfed Chen Yang. Cheng Jianxin glanced at the Type 88 in his hand, and suddenly had an idea. He straightened his sniper rifle, put Chen Yang in the crosshairs again - and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew in the air for a fifth of a second, and landed on the wall behind Chen Yang's side, printing a small bullet hole on it, facing away from his line of sight, without attracting any attention.Although the gunshots rang out, to the dizzy Chen Yang, it was almost the same as the whistling wind around him. The company commander stared at the wreckage of the truck in front of him, panting heavily, and hadn't fully recovered from the explosion just now—there were too many phenomena that were difficult to explain, and too many doubts that needed to be clarified, but at least Now, he is glad that he is still alive. After going through a full 28 hours of life and death killings, Chen Yang felt that he suddenly became much calmer—especially when facing blood and explosions.If this is a kind of "numbness", then he is willing to accept it, and begins to understand why those veterans always look calm and composed - what can sharpen a person's mind more than going through life and death on the battlefield Woolen cloth? Thinking of this, Chen Yang suddenly remembered the octagonal metal plate, quickly took it out of his pocket, weighed it in his hand a few times, and then stuffed it back.Now, Rago has been blown up to ashes—along with the story of his running around, the "technological revolution" he talked about has no way to be verified, but no matter what this thing is and what it can do, Chen Yang is determined to take it back to his motherland - as a small trophy. Just when Chen Yang was about to get up and leave, Cheng Jianxin's second bullet just shot through a small window in front of him, and the glass shattered, turning into debris and scattered at his feet.Such an eye-catching "greeting" made Chen Yang's heart tremble, and he almost got up from the ground with a "jump". Holding his rifle, he looked around nervously, and soon noticed the little man on the top of the city hall in the distance——Cheng Jianxin waving his hand in this direction. "Bastard..." Chen Yang gritted his teeth, looking quite annoyed: "What the hell are you doing!" He and Cheng Jianxin are old acquaintances—in fact, they are the longest-serving soldiers in the company. Compared with most young people who have just joined the army for a year or two, the communication between them is much smoother. , a code word, or even a glance, the number of enemies, their equipment, their location—important information can be passed back and forth between the two. So when he saw Cheng Jianxin waving at him like crazy, he murmured in his heart—this was a rather bad premonition. Chen Yang put down his rifle, raised his arm, and ordered the other party to "report the situation" with a non-standard military gesture. "Enemy attack, straight ahead"——Cheng Jianxin gestured three times in a row as an answer. These damned mercenaries, they are quite persistent—Chen Yang sighed softly, talking softly to himself, while continuing to ask questions with gestures: "quantity?" Cheng Jianxin was stunned for a moment. At such a critical and critical moment, it was really difficult for him to find a suitable "quantifier" to describe everything in front of him. Instead, he was replaced by a "unit" that has almost never been used—— "A legion." a legion? Chen Yang swallowed his throat and slowly lowered his arms, suddenly feeling that something was wrong. "If I find out that you're bluffing..." He turned and ran while angrily muttering to himself, "I'll definitely ask you to take a one-kilometer walk first..." Facing the howling hurricane, passing through the deserted streets and alleys, his body seemed to be numb and he felt nothing, only the uneasiness and apprehension deep in his consciousness was still driving Chen Yang to keep speeding up his pace. He never thought that he would be like this Cowardice—out of instinctive cowardice, so cowardly that I am afraid to think about what the "a legion" that is approaching here will be. There was an unbearable depression in the air—this is a mixture of death and fear. Under normal circumstances, only keen beasts can sense it, but today and now, not only Chen Yang, but the entire town's residents are deeply trapped. In this nightmare, they huddled at home, fearful, for fear that their souls would be hooked as soon as they went out. Perhaps they were right—it was a dead end to walk the streets of Paget Town under the present circumstances.But this doesn't mean that if you stay at home honestly, you can save your poor life. Faintly, Chen Yang heard some screams behind him—some screams that should belong to human beings. He stopped uneasily and turned his head to wait and see. On the edge of the house, strips of bright red light ooze out, like swaying seaweed, dancing back and forth under the action of the tide.The dazzling light was so charming that Chen Yang stared at it for a few seconds before thinking of the question "what is it". A moment later, the dark cloud that dyed the sky red with a blush rose into the sky like a sudden eruption of a volcano, making everything around it dim and inconspicuous.They are like a flood of flames, rushing and rushing towards this side, and soon engulfed all the houses within sight. Chen Yang's eyes widened. He had already seen the whole picture of these "fire seeds", but he still couldn't explain what they were—monsters?Disaster?Or some unheard of natural wonder? 很显然，这些长着猩红色石笋的鬼东西来意不善，它们翻身打破窗户，钻进房屋，然后制造出可怕的尖叫与嘶吼——即便是猎猎狂风，也无法盖过这些凄厉恐怖的人声，只有在最深沉的噩梦中，陈扬才听到过类似的惊呼。 一次不经意的对视，让“它们”中的一员注意到了陈扬，这只豹猫似的怪物顿住脚，呆站了片刻，忽然纵身跃下屋檐，将脊背上那穿皮而出的巨大水晶刺对准了他。 双腿发软，唇角发干——面对五步开外的这头凶兽，陈扬一时间竟慌了神，连作出反应的意识都丧失殆尽，如若不是成建新在怪物挥爪飞扑的瞬间将其击落，他恐怕已经是身首异处。 即便被88式狙击步枪直接命中，怪物仍是马上就站了起来，它根本不在乎子弹在它身上开出的大口子，摇摇晃晃地再次发动扑击。而这一次，陈扬总算是有了准备，他抬枪攥射，将怪物的正面打得千疮百孔，像摊烂泥似的倒在脚边。 完全是出于本能，陈扬觉得从怪物身上喷出的红色碎渣绝对碰不得，他朝后跳出两三步，看着这堆散发着浓重红雾的肉团，开始意识到自己所面临的情况有多严重——一只完全超越了自己理解范畴的“异形”，现在就躺在他的面前，其身上的水晶簇上下翻动，有如暴风雨下的波浪，一边冒着汹涌的红雾，一边微微变幻着形状。 它还活着——子弹也许能让它暂时瘫痪，却无法从根本上将其杀死。陈扬发觉怪物身上水晶石的蠕动频率越来越快，也越来越剧烈，就像是某种生物在咀嚼，正一点点蚕食着豹猫身上那本已不多的血肉。 终于，它晃动了一下腰部，甩了甩“头”，抖落了许多大大小小的红色碎片，稍微改变了些许外形之后，从地上“噌”的一声站立起来。 在这个瞬间，陈扬突然有种感觉——眼前的“东西”根本就没有生命，因此无论使用任何方法，也不能将其真正杀死。 成建新又开了一枪，子弹撕破重重风幕，直接斩断了怪物的右前肢，将它打得向前翻倒。 陈扬浑身战栗着打了个激灵，似乎一下子就从梦魇中惊醒，他头也不回地转身便跑，用百米冲刺的速度朝市政大厅奔去。 “军团”——他开始明白成建新刚才手势的意义，那显然不是虚张声势，而是在形容一个足以毁灭整个裴吉特岛的恐怖场面。 狂风中隐约传来了零星的枪声——自动武器射击的枪声，这意味着陈扬布置的“伏击哨”已经接敌。按照之前布置的战术，负责殿后的九名士兵将在镇内展开城市游击战，一旦情势不妙，他们应该主动撤退脱离战斗——很难说他们有这个机会，现在即便是陈扬，都自觉凶多吉少，前途未卜。 原先的计划已经被打乱——火力网、防御据点、撤退路线，这些精心设计好的“战术”，在洪水般肆虐的怪物面前完全失去了意义。陈扬能想出来的唯一对策，就只有赶紧爬上制高点，与成建新会合，先把全局观察清楚再作打算。 而此刻的成建新——这个以冷静著称的老兵，却也把希望寄托在了陈扬身上，他希望自己的连长能够带来转机，能够带来一个力挽狂澜于即倒的办法——就像昨天晚上面对雇佣兵围攻时那样。 他希望陈扬的出现，能够带来一个领导大家脱离绝境的奇迹。 强烈的信念和高度集中的注意力让成建新心无旁骛，射出的每一颗子弹都仿佛长了眼睛，保护着陈扬跑街窜巷，把每一个试图靠近他的威胁都挡在数米之外。但无论击中什么部位，也无论击中多少次，这些混杂着血肉和红色晶体的怪物总还能够恢复行动力，不知疲倦，不知疼痛，也漫无目的，狩猎着镇子里的每一个活物。 终于，陈扬摆脱了重重红雾的围困，冲到市政大厅的楼下。他紧张得连着回头观望了两次，在确定暂时没有东西追赶之后，才推开大门，一口气跑向楼顶。 "what happened?" 陈扬拍了拍成建新的右肩，凑到正匍匐瞄准的狙击手身边： "When did it start?" “十分钟前，最多十五分钟——” 成建新别过头，微微放低手里的步枪： “你那边卡车一爆炸，这些红彤彤的家伙就冒出来了。” “冒出来？从哪边冒出来？” “一点钟方向，”成建新向前比出右臂：“北偏东15°左右。” 陈扬放眼望去，发现面前的小半个镇子都已经被红云所笼罩，正呈星月型向市政大厅包围过来。 “你还有多少弹药？” “你还有几根烟？” 陈扬先是愣了半秒，继而会心一笑，从军服的内袋里摸出个已经被捏扁了的烟盒，抖出一根烟屁股，递了上去。 成建新侧过身子，抽出香烟叼在嘴上，却不着急点燃： “谢了，”他撅起下巴，冲陈扬点点头道：“就为了这玩意儿，我也要好好活下去。” “第三百零三根……”连长收起烟盒，有些苦涩地笑道：“就是为了还清这数目，你小子也得给我好好活下去。” 成建新掏出火机，给自己点上烟：“……现在怎么搞？跑？还是拼了？” 陈扬右脚搭住阳台的扶手，将半个身子都探出屋檐，从左及右，环视一周——曾经祥和美丽的裴吉特镇现在已经面目全非，破败的景象让他不寒而栗： “没有步兵协同进攻的迹象……这些怪物应该不是敌人释放的生物兵器。” “你看……”成建新深吸一口烟：“它们也不像是从野生动物园里跑出来的猩猩老虎……” “连敌人是什么都不知道，这仗没法打。”陈扬斩钉截铁地道：“必须马上组织撤退……”他侧身面西——也就是游客转移的方向：“老余他们走远了没？” “他们走不远，”成建新瞄了眼腕表：“这才几分钟？” 陈扬看着脚下乌烟瘴气的裴吉特镇，愁眉不展，他知道现在没有时间犹豫，但又不得不用心去思考——打，还是逃？是确保游客们的安全转移？还是放弃阻击计划，从这个被绝望包围的地方脱身？ 片刻之后，像是有了决定似的，陈扬兀自点了点下巴——他从腰间拔出信号枪，在手中旋转半圈，高高举起，扣动了扳机。 是代表了撤退的红色信号弹——成建新多少松了一口气，这虽然不是一个万全之策，却也是当下比较稳妥的办法。他收回88式狙击步枪，刚准备起身便被陈扬按住了肩膀。 “你用这个，”陈扬卸去肩头的95式，丢给成建新：“把大家伙留给我。” “喂！”成建新摘下嘴上的烟头：“你不会是想……” “我来殿后，”陈扬说着便伸手去抓88式的枪柄：“你们先走。” “他妈的……”成建新一声怒叹：“我就知道你又要逞英雄！” “总得有老兵留下来压阵，”陈扬摇摇头：“别人我可信不过。” “拉倒吧你，”成建新一把拽过手里的狙击步枪，紧紧抱住：“你给我打掩护？我才信不过呢。”他拍了拍枪托，“你哪次的射击成绩有我好？” “现在是你在逞英雄！建新！”陈扬皱了皱眉头：“把枪留下！赶紧给我离开！” “不，老大，你啥时走，我啥时走。” “这样吧，下士……”陈扬阴下脸，“如果是我'命令'你撤退呢？” “那枪毙我好了，”成建新又叼上了烟，把狙击枪给端了起来：“这命令我执行不来。”他卸下弹匣，往自己的钢盔上敲了两下，重新装好之后，用力拉了一下枪栓： “你是独生子女对吧？老大？” "what?" “我记得你说过，一起扛枪的叫战友，一起浴血的才叫兄弟……”他侧过身，面对一片红彤彤、仿佛在熊熊燃烧的城镇，“今天，让我们做兄弟。” 一阵狂风卷着碎屑和灰土，从两人头顶呼啸掠过，高高扬起直抵天际，在层层乌云之下凭空挖出一个旋涡。成建新嚼了嚼烟嘴，又恢复了方才匍匐瞄准的姿势。 "Ok……" 不知为何，陈扬觉得这里确实是一个“慷慨就义”的好地方： “反正你也是个大龄未婚男青年……” 他拎起95式突击步枪，半跪到成建新身边： “先看下三号伏击点——，”他伸手指向前方：“一点钟方向，红色的小二楼上面。” 成建新把狙击枪移向陈扬所指的位置，透过4倍的瞄准镜观察了几秒。 “未找到指定目标，”他冷冷地道：“你布置在那的是谁？” “二排的练康，一百米十秒五五的那个。” “那小子啊？肯定是还没看到你信号弹之前就跑了，妥妥的。” 虽然知道成建新的话里多少是带着点安慰，陈扬还是松了口气： “七点钟方向，三百米，白色建筑的阳台。” “未找到指定目标，”成建新顿了顿：“哦？等等，”他调了调焦距，“我看到那小子了，正在朝西跑，他运气还不错——选对了方向。” “三排的陈肖，他运气总是不错……”陈扬挠了挠后颈：“到现在我还欠他两百块呢。” “身后有些逃难的镇民，红焰正在朝他们靠近，但看起来还有一阵子才……嗯？等等……”成建新突然咬紧了烟头，端平步枪，一语不发、聚精会神地观察起来。 "how?" "that is……" 成建新犹豫了一下——他很难描述镜头中的情景，只能根据直觉，说出自己的推测： “那好像是人……是人变成的……的某种东西。” "people?" “妈的……该死……”成建新确定自己没有看错——刚才镜头中的那头红兽扑倒了一位平民，而仅仅是半分钟之后，这个牺牲者便又挣扎着站了起来，身上还多出了不少冒着红烟的结晶状物体： “我想我知道这些怪物是什么了……老大，你绝对不敢相信。” “我猜猜，它们是人变的？” 成建新斜了他一眼：“这让我想起了小时候看的恐怖电影——僵尸袭击人，人变成僵尸，然后再袭击人。” 虽然成建新说得轻巧，陈扬听得却是一身冷汗，他扶了一下钢盔，觉得这岛子上的事态已经超乎常理——或者说，是完全疯了：“好嘛，今天要是能活下来，可有好故事说了。” “那有一点，你可千万别忘记说给你孙子听——”毫无征兆的，成建新向前方打出一个单发点射：“瞧，它们打不死……击中任何部位，它们都还能动弹。” 陈扬想说什么却欲言又止——至少这件事情，他刚才面对第一只怪物的时候就已经察觉了。 “12点钟方向！第二个路口！”成建新不知怎的突然大叫一声：“有个我们的人在街上跑！” 陈扬昂起脖子：“在哪儿？” “第二个路口！和几个居民在一起，正在由西向东移动。” 虽然只能看到依稀的人影，甚至连那是不是人都不好判断，陈扬还是点了点头： “我看到了，怎么？” “应该是一排的那个谁，皮肤特黑，喜欢管闲事的那个。” “杨浩，是他，错不了。” “我想他恐怕找错学雷锋的时间了……”成建新顿了顿：“他正把自己和跟着他的镇民引向怪物群。” 也许是因为狙击手的“职业习惯”，成建新始终保持着不温不火、处乱不惊的语态，而此刻的陈扬却是心急如焚： “该死！我们必须想办法叫他改变路线！” “怎么做？朝他开枪？”成建新微微摇头：“他周围老百姓太多了，不可能注意到枪击的。” “那我去！”陈扬拎枪起身，眼看就要抬脚走人。 “你疯啦！”成建新急了，他丢下枪，跟着跳了起来：“去送死吗？” “疯？你什么意思？”陈扬别过脑袋，用余光瞄了对方一眼：“战友有生命危险，我去救人这就叫'疯'？” “你应该留在这里！”成建新显出在他身上极少见的激动：“做一个指挥官应该做的事！” “一个指挥官应该做的事？”这句话正中陈扬心口，他咽了咽喉咙：“……是什么？眼睁睁看着自己的士兵去死？” “那你去又能做什么？为了一个士兵放弃整个连队？”成建新此时也顾不上什么礼仪和军纪了：“打仗哪有不死人的？我们到现在已经……”他突然有些语塞：“已经损失了这么多……” “对呀，正是因为损失了这么多……剩下的每一个才更重要。” 多多少少，是为了自己之前的过失而赌气，陈扬明知道机会渺茫，却还是铁了心要去救人，这份信念让他反而显得格外平静。 “你……”成建新微微摇头，“我……” “一起浴血的就是兄弟，对吧？” 成建新默不作声——这句话就是陈扬对他说的，就在两人一起入伍的那天。 “那么……”陈扬顿了顿，声音忽然变得有些沙哑：“你现在有个兄弟命悬一线，你就站在这里见死不救？” 一个无法反驳的理由。 完全被对方的情绪所感染，此时此刻，一向以冷静沉稳著称的成建新虽然心里想着“要理性一点”，却还是低下了头，用微微颤抖的右手捏住早已被咬变形的烟蒂，丢到地上： “还有吗？再给我一根。” “如果我发生什么意外，”陈扬摸出烟盒，整个儿递到对方面前：“给，一连就是你的了。” “有我在会出意外？”成建新一脸不屑，用力捶了捶自己的胸口：“你不是在说梦话吧？” 几分钟后，裴吉特镇西南角。 杨浩不知道是哪边的人袭击了他——没有枪击，不见刀剐，连个可以供他瞄准的“敌军将士”都没看着。 只是莫名其妙的，一个老百姓把他给咬了——一个看上去天真善良，甚至可以说是有那么点可爱的小姑娘咬了他。这女孩儿在那神秘的一口之后，立即消失得无影无踪——如果杨浩没有看错并且精神没有出问题的话，她一个箭步就撞破了门板，冲进黑洞洞的屋内，再没了动静。 刚刚还聚拢在他周围的镇民们吓得目瞪口呆，惊叫着四散而逃，眨眼就只剩下他一人靠在墙角。 他把步枪平放在腿上，卷起袖子，掏出随身携带的急救包，从里面取下一卷纱布。在给自己包扎的同时，杨浩开始整理思绪，回忆起刚才的情景——他所在的伏击点位居深巷，视野很糟糕，在看到那颗代表撤退的红色信号弹之后，他虽然不明就里，却还是立即动身，顺着巷子一路狂奔，正好撞见一群面色惊恐的镇民。 杨浩可以肯定，这群老老少少的外国人并没有说英语，他们叽里咕噜地惊叫着，悲鸣着，像群无头苍蝇似的在街巷上乱窜着，似乎在躲避什么东西。 在杨浩看到红云降临之前，周围便有房子燃起了熊熊大火，火焰与水晶发出的光搅在一起，混淆了他的注意，让他误以为那只是普通的火灾。 他记得那个小姑娘受了伤，捂着肚子，步履蹒跚；记得她跌倒在地，还被惊慌失措的逃难者踩了一脚；记得她一动不动，直到他上去搀扶，然后就是左手虎口上那离奇而凶狠的一咬。 杨浩记得，上一次被人咬还是在六岁的时候，他可爱的小表妹不肯“移交”怀里的布熊，并且坚定地发起了自卫，不知该说是巧合还是命运，两次撕咬的位置几乎完全一致——这也许和他左撇子的习惯有关系。 伤口不深，杨浩只是粗粗包了一圈纱布便止住了血。虽然直到现在他还没有发现敌军的踪影，但撤退的命令不容置疑，杨浩叹了口气，不太情愿地强迫自己扶着墙站了起来。老实说，从一开始，他就对留下来殿后这个命令颇有微词——他非常讨厌落单，尤其还是在一个完全陌生、连话都听不懂的地方落单。 为了躲避可能的狙击，杨浩选择贴着墙根前行，这让他完全脱离了成建新的视野——当然，他根本就不知道之前成建新一直在掩护他，也不知道陈扬正在成建新的指引下向他靠近。 现在，陈扬必须依靠自己的判断和那么一点运气了——气喘吁吁的他已经来到杨浩最后现身的巷口，前面是一个杂货店，两边各有一条岔路，左边的那条朝北——也就是红云出现的方向，如果杨浩当真走了这条路，现在恐怕已经是粉身碎骨了。 朝南的路是一个很长的下坡，那距离看样子已经足够贯穿整个裴吉特镇，一种令人不安的空旷由近及远，充塞了整个视野，再配上阴沉的天空和呼啸的妖风，让陈扬寒从心起。 他端平步枪，一边机警地留神着四周，一边用小碎步向前快速移动，他总感觉会有什么东西从旁边的屋子里跳出来，然后幸运的是，直到走完大半个下坡，都没有出现任何袭击者。 杨浩斜靠在一条小街的路口，坐在一个看上去像是编织篮的容器上面，他猜这次自己是遇到麻烦了——就在两分钟前，他朝一个不知道是什么生物的东西打光了一整个弹夹，不仅没有搞定对方，反而被它射出来的小东西伤到了腿。 这真是一种难以名状的感觉——微微作痛，有些酸涩，又麻木得发冷。他挽起裤腿，看了一眼伤口—— 红肿的隆起中央有一个小小的刺口，很像是蚊子叮咬留下的痕迹，只不过这个“包”比以往见过的“蚊子包”都要大得多，已经到了吓人的程度。 杨浩倚着步枪，正试图要站起来，陈扬的一声大喝忽然吓住了他，让他又坐回到了那个编织篮上。 “连长？”杨浩不敢相信自己的眼睛：“你怎么跑这儿来了？我记得你不是说……” “你没事吧？”陈扬走上前来一把钳住他的肩膀：“腿上的伤是怎么搞的？” 再次听见熟悉而亲切的母语，杨浩感动得几乎想哭： “只是一点小伤……问题不大。” 话虽如此，但他确实已经没有办法靠自己的力量步行了——伤口比想象中严重得多，现在整条左腿都麻木僵硬，完全动弹不得。 “我可能中毒了……腿，腿脚使不上力气。” 陈扬用右臂架住杨浩，将他稍微抬离地面：“这样可以走吗？” 杨浩单脚跳了两下：“……勉强。” 虚汗开始从他的脖根渗出，一种轻飘飘的感觉也随之涌上头顶——这可不是什么好现象，杨浩还依稀记得哪个教官曾说过，中了腹蛇的毒就是这种症状。 陈扬调整好姿势之后，抬头看了一眼远处的市政厅大楼，从这个角度，刚好能看清成建新的手势——原路返回。 他深吸了一口气，搀扶着杨浩走出巷口，向上坡前进。 “你怎么受的伤？” “被什么东西蛰了一下，”杨浩愤愤地道：“看起来像是头豪猪，动作很快，吃了我一梭子还没死。” 陈扬心头一紧： “那玩意儿身上发红光吗？” “红光？没有，”杨浩虽然是坚定地摇了摇头，但言语之外流露出的疑惑却爬满了整张脸孔：“怎么？什么是红光？” 陈扬不再多说，而是尽力加快脚下的步伐，两人配合得很糟糕，因此前进的速度并没有提高多少。 “连长，我不明白你怎么找到我的？”杨浩稍微调整了一下体态：“不是说好了一看到红色信号弹就分头撤离的吗？” 要怎么解释呢？此时此刻的陈扬，连开口回话的意愿都没有——实际上，比起其他海军陆战队员，作为连长的他更需要一个“解释”。 “而且……连长……”就和平时一样，杨浩不依不饶：“我们这好像是在往回走吧？” “少说两句，兄弟，”陈扬有气无力地回道：“注意脚下的路。” 老大已经发话，杨浩自然不便多问，只得安心照做。 两人并没有注意到身后的尾随者，这只潜伏多时的怪物从屋檐上跳下，小心翼翼地挪着步子，将自己保持在大约四五米的距离上。 它并不急于发动攻击，而在等待着什么——在那微薄的意识中，它记得自己分明已经击中了目标，隐隐约约的本能告诉它，只要再稍微等一小会儿……五分钟、一分钟，甚至三十秒，目标就会发生“变化”，或者准确地说——发生“侵蚀”。 “你……你听到了吗？” 杨浩的嘴角突然微微抽动了一下：“连长？是你在说话？” 陈扬用诧异的目光斜了杨浩一眼，发现他的脸色非常之难看： “没有，你听到什么了？” “那可真是糟糕……”杨浩一声苦笑：“恐怕是蛇毒让我产生了幻听……” “别傻了，”一开始陈扬并没有把这句话当回事：“你那伤口根本就不是蛇咬的。” “我听到……听到有人在对我说话……” 眼看就要爬上坡顶，陈扬稍稍松了一口气：“好啊，”他摇摇头，“那家伙对你说什么？” 杨浩正要开口，身体猛然痉挛，肌肉像触电般剧烈收缩了起来，完全失去平衡的他脱开了陈扬的肩臂，重重摔倒在地。 "you!" 陈扬在侧过身体的刹那，看到了一直尾随着两人的怪物——它一动不动地立在大路中央，仿佛已经死去般出奇的平静。狂风掠过它的脊背，带起一阵阵雾水般飘渺的红尘，显出令人瞠目的妖艳。 陈扬抬枪欲射，却突然想起了自己的老兄弟成建新，按理说这怪物如此之接近，又暴露在开阔地上，他早该开枪了才对。 仿佛看出了这一瞬的犹豫，怪物四足蹬地，忽然发力冲将上来，可就在它腾空跃起，探爪飞扑的同时，从市政厅上射来的子弹贯穿了它的身体，将其击落在地。陈扬一步上前，端枪扫射，怪物在地上被打得扭动抽搐，皮肉下的红色晶体也是四散飞溅，甚是骇人。 成建新有自己的行事逻辑——他觉得作为专业的狙击手，应该只在绝对必要的时候才扣动扳机，更何况现在他的88式狙击步枪就只剩下这一个弹夹了，每一枪都显得格外珍贵。 陈扬眼见怪物暂时没了威胁，便转过身来检查倒地不起的杨浩，他正准备上前搀扶，手却突然缩了回去—— 他没有想到会这么快。 几秒钟前还在同自己说话的杨浩，此时已经完全丧失了言语能力，他一只手捂着喉咙，发出“呜呜嗯嗯”的呻吟，另一只手