章節 13: living with strength
"On the reefs of the South Pacific archipelago, mermaids play the hauntingly beautiful bagpipes, known as Adara to the ancient Melanesians; their home lies deep within the sun, following rainbows to the human-inhabited waters, usually concealed within sea hurricanes..."
As night falls, the gunfire has ceased, only sporadic cannon fire continues to echo in the ears.
A melancholic German ballad is sung by machine gunner Sean, and most of the soldiers of the Third Company are gathered there, attentively listening. Some, as they listen, unconsciously wipe their eyes.
Perhaps they are thinking of home.
As resilient as German soldiers are, they too will think of their homes and loved ones when night falls. None of them know whether they will still be alive when the sun rises tomorrow, when the enemy launches their next attack.
Resilience, it only shows itself in war...
"Lieutenant, Oriel is fading."
Hall's words pull Wang Weiyu back from his contemplation of the singing. He hurriedly stands up and goes to the young Oriel's side.
He's just a nineteen-year-old lad, struck by a wicked bullet during daytime combat.
He has been struggling with death until now, but in his weakened state, it's evident that life is slipping away from him.
"Hey, Lieutenant," Oriel barely manages to say when he sees the Lieutenant approaching.
"Hey, Oriel," Wang Weiyu tries to speak calmly.
"Am I going to die, Lieutenant?" Oriel asks.
"No, Oriel, you're not going to die," Wang Weiyu sits down beside him, "Don't you remember? We still have to continue fighting those damn Brits."
"Ah, the Brits, those bloody Brits," Oriel seems to regain some vigor upon hearing the word "Brits," but then sighs softly, "Unfortunately, I feel like I have no strength left..."
Wang Weiyu has no idea how to comfort him.
"On the reefs of the South Pacific archipelago, mermaids play the hauntingly beautiful bagpipes..." Sean sings. Tears streaming down his face, he comes to Oriel's side.
"Hey, Sean."
"Hey, Oriel."
"I'm going to die, Sean, tell my mother not to grieve. I'm dying for the pride of Germany."
"I know, Oriel," tears flow from Sean's eyes.
They are German soldiers, but they are also human beings, with flesh and blood, capable of shedding tears.
They will grieve, and they will cry...
A faint blush appears on Oriel's pale face, and he trembles as he reaches out his hand, "Lieutenant, save me, I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."
Wang Weiyu holds his hand, but he is powerless. He cannot overcome death.
Suddenly, the hand in his grasp becomes limp and weak. When he lets go, it falls limply.
Young Oriel has passed away.
"On the reefs of the South Pacific archipelago, mermaids play the hauntingly beautiful bagpipes..."
Sean's singing rings out once again.
Everyone silently watches Oriel, no one knowing when they will join him in eternal rest.
After burying Oriel's body, Wang Weiyu and his subordinates silently watch.
The Third Company has lost another comrade, so young. He showed such bravery on the battlefield, but proved so weak in the face of death.
He wanted to live, perhaps more intensely than anyone else, but no one could save him.
The sorrowful song echoes time and time again on the battlefield...
Wang Weiyu sits in a corner, listening to the soldiers take turns singing folk songs. He feels a sense of gloom in his heart at this moment.
Unconsciously, he approaches the tracker and calls out to Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling's voice quickly comes through, "What's wrong? You sound a bit melancholic?"
"Yes, one of my subordinates died," Wang Weiyu says softly.
Xiao Ling seems curious about this, "What's so strange about that? People always die, just like you will die too. According to statistics, in the First World War..."
"I don't want to hear those boring statistics," Wang Weiyu interrupts Xiao Ling, "You're a machine, you'll never understand human emotions. When someone you've been with day and night suddenly leaves you, you'll feel sad, you'll cry..."
Xiao Ling falls surprisingly silent.
Yes, she's a machine, she'll never understand human emotions.
After a while, Xiao Ling asks, "Then why did you come to me?"
"No reason, just wanted to chat with someone," Wang Weiyu sighs, "I don't belong here, I came here just to leave. I should have no attachment to this place. But during this time, I've gotten to know Adolf Hitler, and Erwin Rommel... Do you know? I never thought I would one day see them alive..."
"Adolf Hitler, born..." Xiao Ling, the "Insensitive," quickly recites according to her program.
"Enough, don't tell me these things," Wang Weiyu interrupts Xiao Ling's words somewhat impatiently, "In the future, don't tell me these data without my permission. Damn it, do you think Hitler and Rommel are like? I know better than you do. Emotions, understand? Emotions! You need to know what human emotions are, what they want to express."
"I don't know, I don't understand," Xiao Ling's voice sounds somewhat aggrieved.
"I'm sorry," Wang Weiyu feels it's unfair to treat a machine like this, "I don't know why, but I've developed feelings for this place. Not just for Hitler and Rommel, but also for the brothers of the Third Company. Ah, I taught them to say 'brothers,' taught them to use 'Hey, Third Company' to express their victorious emotions, I even told Hitler, there's a place called Tibet in China, do you think he would continuously send people to Tibet because of my influence?"
"I don't know, but I must tell you, every word you say and everything you do in this era could potentially influence history," Xiao Ling's tone becomes more serious.
"I don't care about that, or about Dr. Qin's warnings," Wang Weiyu behaves as if he couldn't care less, "I'm just thinking, if one day I leave this era, will I miss them? Will I be able to come back to this era and see them again?"
"In theory, that possibility exists, but I cannot predict the specific process."
Wang Weiyu smiles, yes, no one can predict what will happen in the future.
Ah, the era, will this era leave its mark? Will they remember the existence of this person many years later?
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票