Lin Qi did not dare go against his superior's commands, so he pinched his nose and submerged himself in the water.
Shen Chengfeng beckoned Xiao Jing with his finger. "You. Come over."
Xiao Jing walked over hesitantly. She was going against the flow, so her movements were kind of slow.
Watching her approach, Shen Chengfeng crouched down and pointed at the blurry silhouette in the water. "Every troop has its own rules. We're not like Regiment 525. We don't play around. Everyone here has to follow their orders. No one is exempt."
"You shouldn't say that, Commander. Lieutenant Colonel Lin was just trying to help me, and he shouldn't have to be punished for that," Xiao Jing said with a serious expression, clearly showing no fear for the man before her, despite his wolf-like eyes.
"I am not punishing anyone. I am just telling you guys to know your limits. Lin Qi is not a qualified instructor and is not qualified to teach you, especially not a lousy rookie like you. You are only going to become worse if you don't learn properly from a qualified instructor."
Since you have put it this way, old geezer, I guess I should be grateful that you are teaching me personally?
"Don't be indignant, he is going to come out of the water soon," Shen Chengfeng's gaze fell on the bubbles which were gathering at the surface of the water. Sure enough, right after he finished speaking, that person soon emerged from underneath the water surface.
Lin Qin coughed as he tried to catch his breath. His face had almost turned green from having held his breath for too long. Blaming himself for not having stayed underneath the water long enough, he stood as straight as a rod, not saying a single word.
Shen Chengfeng straightened himself and glanced at his wristwatch. "You didn't even make it past one and a half minutes."
"Please give me another chance, Commander," Lin Qi pleaded.
"So what if I give you ten chances?" Shen Chengfeng questioned. "Nobody gets a do-over during a war."
Lin Qi kept his head down, water droplets from his head once again becoming part of the lake again.
"This is not a battlefield, so why not?" Xiao Jing retorted. "Or perhaps you don't think we would be able to do it?"
"Yes. I don't think either of you would be able to do it."
"How about you demonstrate once for us then!"
Shen Chengfeng narrowed his eyes as they gradually darkened.
Lin Qi suddenly felt as if an unseen force was repressing him. He had initially thought that the cold and frigid Master Shen would press the clueless little soldier into the water with a slap to wake him up.
At the risk of being glared at, Lin Qi furtively raised his head, and snuck a glance, only to see his Commander throwing his coat over a tree branch and jumping right into the lake, causing a whirlpool in the middle of the water.
Xiao Jing stared fixedly at the motionless figure underneath the water, only to realize that bubbles were forming on the formerly peaceful surface of the lake.
"D*mn," Xiao Jing swore, as she quickly helped Lin Qi to get out of the water.
"What's wrong?" Lin Qi asked in puzzlement.
The water surrounding Shen Chengfeng had started bubbling, and more and more bubbles had appeared. It started bubbling like boiling water, and steam had already started appearing.
Lin Qi stared dumbfoundedly and exclaimed in disbelief. "What's happening? Is the Commander in any trouble?"
"You mean whether he will boil himself to death? You go get some help, I will stay here and watch over him," Xiao Jing gave Lin Qi a nudge.
Lin Qi finally regained his senses. He got ready to jump into the water. "I'll save the Commander," he said.
Xiao Jing pulled him back, and said, "You can't do that. You will be cooked alive even before you get close to him. Quick, go get someone, and bring a fire extinguisher."
Lin Qi finally listened to Xiao Jing's advice and ran back to camp in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jing tried entering the water and slowly headed towards the spot that was boiling. The water was gradually becoming hotter, but it was a temperature which she could still tolerate.
Shen Chengfeng emerged from the water and glanced at the little figure who was approaching him.
Xiao Jing blinked as she looked at the Commander, who was not hurt one bit. She suddenly recalled that day in the shower room, how cold water started boiling the moment it came in contact with his body, and how it even generated a lot of steam.
"Commander, you only lasted a minute," Xiao Jing said to Shen Chengfeng, with a straight face.
Shen Chengfeng glared expressionlessly at the cheeky little soldier before him and wiped off the water that had gathered under his chin. "I am your superior. I may give you commands and orders, but you don't have the right to make requests of me. It would be considered insubordination, and you will be given a demerit, perhaps even subject to confinement."
Xiao Jing coughed and pointed awkwardly at the steam that had appeared above the surface of the water, and said outright, "I admit that I came over because I thought things were a little unusual."
"What did you see?" Shen Chengfeng knew the answer but asked anyway.
"I was worried that you would be scalded to death."
"On the battlefield, if the enemy used me as bait, and you rushed over after having determined that I was in danger – Do you have any idea of the consequences?"
Xiao Jing remained silent.
Shen Chengfeng looked intensely at her. "If both you and I fell and were facing unknown dangers, you not only have to determine whether I am safe, but also whether your rescue operation would get anyone else into trouble."
"I didn't think that much," Xiao Jing looked down.
"Well, make sure you think it through carefully in the future then," said Shen Chengfeng, as he walked to the edge of the lake. Turning around to look at the stationary figure behind him, he asked casually, "Are you still thinking of diving?"
Xiao Jing walked over to him, and asked, "Commander, if the enemy uses my comrade as a bait. Should I, or should I not, rescue my comrade?"
"Why have we become soldiers?" asked Shen Chengfeng as he put on his coat. The sunlight scattered upon the water droplets on his body, causing them to shimmer.
"Because the country needs us."
Shen Chengfeng eyed her, then said, "Since we are soldiers, we should not be afraid to die. And since we are not afraid to die, we need to understand the value of our death. We may die, but our deaths should not be worthless. If you were the one being used as bait by the enemy, would you want your comrades to rush over to save you?"
Would she get beaten to death by the Commander, if she were to tell him that she was afraid of dying?
Shen Chengfeng eyed the frail and skinny person before him and snorted. "There is no point telling you all this right now. You will understand once you have been on a battlefield, that sometimes being alive may not be a good thing, especially when your life is in the hands of your enemy. You would want your comrades to shoot and not die with you instead."
"Have you encountered such situations before, Commander?"
Shen Chengfeng suddenly fell silent and stared emotionlessly at the surface of the lake.
Under a hail of bullets, shrouded in wind and sand, and surrounded by rallying cries, a small group of men risked their lives to infiltrate the enemy's camp to rescue a comrade who had been taken hostage by the enemy.
But the first thing he said to them after they had gone through hell and back to save him, was:
"Commander, I can't see anymore, and I will never be able to hold a gun again or raise my head and look proudly at our flag. Please, I beg of you, shoot me, and allow me to leave with honor. I don't wish to live like this!"
Between faith and betrayal, between life and responsibility, between glory and pride.
Staying alive was hard!