Los Angeles defector

Quiet Little Building

The fire grew larger and eventually spread across the entire wall on the east side of the second floor, advancing towards the ceiling beams.

The four men, n***d, huddled near the staircase by the west wall. Shirts, pants, hats, leggings, cloth shoes, underwear, and more were strewn and hung around them, some being used as makeshift fans in their hands.

Old Blackskin, who was sitting closer to the front, finally couldn't bear it anymore and kept shuffling backwards. "Cough, cough, I can't take it anymore, this damn thing is not just hot, cough, why is the smoke so thick? Big guy, stop fanning with your underwear, quickly go downstairs and fetch some water to put out the fire. Excuse me, excuse me, I need to go downstairs to catch my breath and cool off a bit."

Brown leaned comfortably against the wall, with the fire blazing fiercely on the opposite side, heating up the wall on this side as well. Brown was feeling so good that he couldn't help but hum in contentment. "Hmm, Captain, aren't you asking for trouble by getting so close? I think the fire is just right now, cough, all the cold from the night is coming out now. Ah, this is so comfortable! Cough, cough."

"Captain, should we pour water now or wait a bit longer?"

"Damn it, do as you please with the water, I don't care anymore. Cough, cough, I need to catch my breath first. Oh, it's much cooler downstairs."

Seeing Old Blackskin going downstairs n***d, Big Guy couldn't help but ask Jason beside him, "So, Jason... Jason bro, what do you think?"

Big Guy and Jason appeared to be of similar age. Big Guy originally intended to call Jason by his name, but for some reason, whenever he faced Jason, he involuntarily felt a bit inferior, as if he owed Jason a dollar, and he lost his confidence. He didn't even know why himself, so he ended up calling him "brother" instead.

Jason shook off the half-dried leggings and glanced up at the fire. "Doesn't matter. Didn't the Captain say so? It's fine even if it burns down."

Upon hearing Jason's feedback, Big Guy lowered his raised buttocks, sat down steadily again, and continued to wave the leggings in his hand, occasionally shielding the scorching blaze with them. Covered in sweat all over his face and body, he couldn't manage without something to block the heat. The clothes hung around emitted steam under the blazing fire, rising wisps intertwining with the black smoke pervading the ceiling, then drifting out through the broken windows and bullet holes. They rolled into a thick black column of smoke, hovering in the air above the crossing.

The silly lad searched around upside down, only finding twelve yams nearby and two eggs in an empty chicken coop, probably left behind by someone who fled without noticing. Tucking the eggs into his pocket, he pondered whether he should explore elsewhere when he suddenly noticed thick smoke billowing from two small buildings outside the alley, flames already leaping over one of the walls. Instantly panicked, he spread his legs and ran back. As he entered the door, feeling a wave of heat, he saw a person sitting bare-bottomed on the stairs, their face covered in soot and unrecognizable. Startled, the silly lad tightened his grip on the yam bag, quickly took a few steps back, leaned against the door frame, ready to flee at any moment.

"What are you staring at? You little rascal, come in quickly and dry your wet clothes first."

"Sergeant?"

The silly lad, n***d as a jaybird, climbed up to the second floor while clutching his clothes. Oh! It was scorching hot and choking up there. Involuntarily raising his arms to shield himself from the blazing flames, he muttered, "Cough, cough, this is too hot. Wouldn't it be more convenient to light the stove downstairs for roasting? Cough."

With a single phrase, they woke each other up as if from a dream. The three big men looked at each other's sooty faces and couldn't help but burst into silly laughter.

In a moment—

Silly lad: "Big Brother Jason, how come the sparks are falling from above?"

Big Guy: "The fire is burning over from the rafters! Of course, it's falling from above. Cough, cough. Oh my..."

Jason: "Stay calm, pass me the water, quickly, pass the water. Hurry!"

Brown: "Oh my goodness, my hair... Let me go down first, quickly."

Old Blackskin: "Nonsense! Take up all your clothes first."

.......

The fog dispersed, revealing the entire ferry crossing clearly. The long-lost sunlight began to filter through the clouds, bringing a surreal sensation, as if nothing had ever happened.

Approaching noon, the gunfire at the pier finally dwindled, gradually returning to calm. This vanguard vampire unit consisted of only one company with over two hundred soldiers. Since they had encountered no obstacles along the way, they had left the main force far behind, moving swiftly and lightly. In theory, they should have stopped upon reaching the south bank and been responsible for collecting the ferry in advance, which would have been the most prudent course of action. However, they believed that the enemy was in full retreat, so they had not brought heavy weapons. Armed with only a few makeshift firearms and grenade launchers, they crossed the Barona Creek directly, aiming to occupy the pier to facilitate the arrival of the follow-up forces. They did not anticipate encountering revolutionary forces advancing towards them at that moment.

After the Second and Third Battalions reached the riverbank, a pincer movement was executed, and with a swift charge, they essentially gained control of the situation. By clearing out the remaining enemies with losses proportionate to their own, the 638th Regiment now fully dominated the ferry crossing.

Twelve sweet potatoes and two eggs were roasted in the ashes on the second floor of the small building. Old Blackskin and Jason each took three sweet potatoes, while the rest took two sweet potatoes each. Both eggs were claimed by Silly.

The second floor of the small building was completely burnt down, a dark mass of ashes emitting residual smoke. If it hadn't been for Jason and Big Guy fighting the fire with all their might, the first floor probably wouldn't have been saved either; it would have burned down along with the second floor. Jason wasn't leading Big Guy in extinguishing the fire to protect people's property and livelihoods; rather, he was hoping to preserve the already warm and toasty first floor, so he could enjoy a peaceful sleep inside.

In hindsight, the actions of Jason and Big Guy proved to be worthwhile. At this moment, the members of the third platoon had eaten their fill, quenched their thirst, and cleaned up. They were now sound asleep on the warm ground floor, cozy and snug, much like a heated kang at home. The moment they lay down, a sense of intimacy and security enveloped them, making it hard to get up. The third platoon shed all their fatigue and weariness, lazily turning over, drifting into a dream, momentarily forgetting the cold and dampness outside the walls in the Jiangnan region.

Old Blackskin slept soundly for a while, woke up, and found Big Guy, Brown, and Silly still snoring on the ground, while Jason sat against the wall at the doorway, cleaning his g*n.

"Jason, did you sleep well?"

"I slept well, just woke up a bit early."

After a moment of silence, Old Blackskin asked, "What were you thinking when you let the deserter go without telling us before?"

Without lifting his head, Jason replied, "What's there to think about? I let him go, so I let him go. I wanted to let him go at that time, so I did."

"Although this goes against military law, I think you did a good job with this."

Jason stopped his hands, paused for a moment, and solemnly said to Old Blackskin, "Brother, I, Jason, am not afraid of breaking military law, but I have never sympathized with them either. I let them go just because I couldn't be bothered to shoot at them. Do you believe me?"

Old Blackskin looked at Jason's solemn expression, his deep and calm eyes, not knowing what to say for a moment. He couldn't quite fathom Jason's thoughts but understood the meaning behind his words. He could only respond with a somewhat understanding tone, "I believe you."

The atmosphere fell silent once again as Jason continued to clean his g*n. However, the brief conversation with Old Blackskin had once again opened the floodgates of jason's memories...