Chapter 2, Crossing Over

A moment of silence ensued, and everyone looked at me with a strange expression in their eyes

... ...

I have a habit of thoroughly researching the past and present of the interviewee before each interview. ... The people before me, along with their equipment, bear a striking resemblance to what I have seen in the materials about the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. Could it be, could it be ...

"What we touched seems to be deflated..." the old soldier said in a low voice, his expression resembling that of a child caught in the act of stealing.

"Comrade, comrade..." A few shouts interrupted my thoughts. The person referred to as the instructor said to me apologetically, "Comrade, it was a negligence on our part not to realize that you were still alive. I will request the higher authorities to impose a penalty on us. Which company are you from? Let’s set off together; we will take you back to your unit"

Following the sound, I raised my head and discovered that the area around the pit was already filled with people dressed in similar attire, and each one was aiming a gun at me, old-fashioned rifles; I recognized that most of them were the Type 38 Arisaka rifles.

Do you remember who you are? What is your name?

Then he quickly straightened his face, pointing his finger in the air and saying: "What are you doing? You haven't even figured out whether the person is dead or not, and you buried them? Can't you just check if they are alive or not? How can you complete the revolutionary work with such carelessness!"

Do not move

My mind is in a state of chaos, and I look at this person and then that person in a daze. They are speaking Chinese, and I can hear every word clearly, yet I cannot understand what they are saying at all. ... The scene before me feels strangely familiar, oh ... . ... I remember now, before I went to North Korea for an interview, I had researched a lot of information about the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

Are you... are you really a human or a ghost

Do not move! Raise your hands!

However, looking at the pale faces of these "corpses," they do not seem fake. I kicked "them" a few times to ascertain whether they were dead or alive

The sounds of shouting, yelling, and the clattering of gun bolts filled the air, and before I could even open my eyes, chaos erupted all around me

"Little Shandong, don't talk nonsense." The person referred to as the instructor's expression darkened, and he quickly issued the order: "Hurry, check again. We cannot allow our negligence to cause our comrades to sacrifice in vain. If our comrades must die, they should die on the battlefield, and they must never die at the hands of our own people"

There is a ghost...

Before the words had left my lips, a square-shaped face appeared before me

The instructor and the company commander exchanged glances, then explained to me: "It is like this, comrade, last night you froze to death... oh, I should say you were frozen to the point of unconsciousness. Our company is responsible for burying the comrades who have frozen to death, and we will soon be catching up with the main force. May I ask, comrade, which company are you from?"

Company Commander? Instructor? Comrade? Battlefield? ... Old-fashioned rifle ...

It was clearly summer just a moment ago, I still remember wearing short sleeves, yet now everywhere is covered in pristine white snow, and I am dressed in this shabby cotton-padded jacket... not to mention these old-fashioned rifles that can only be seen in movies and museums...

I opened my eyes in confusion, instinctively sat up and jumped to my feet. In the dim light of the gray sky, I was astonished to find myself standing in a large pit, my feet resting on several figures that looked like corpses, dressed in cotton jackets and military caps. Could this possibly be real? I thought to myself, the only corpse I had ever seen in my life was that of my grandfather when he passed away.

"Company Commander... I heard there is still a living one?" This was a voice tinged with a hint of scholarly demeanor

Where is the person? The voice is deep and slightly hoarse

is ... ...

"Which unit is this from?" I still couldn't figure out the situation and asked in confusion, "What... what is going on?"

My name is Cui Wei

Being treated as an amnesiac, I shook my head in a mix of laughter and tears

"Instructor, you have arrived just in time," the company commander said, his expression softening as he addressed the young man who had hurried over. "Look at them, causing such a huge commotion. If they were to bury our comrades alive, how am I supposed to report this to the higher-ups?"

"Hurry, quickly drag him up..." After a while, an old soldier with a face full of wrinkles but bright, piercing eyes was the first to react: "Xiao Shandong, go call the company commander and the instructor, there is a live one here."

Wow ... ... why am I still in the sky? When I regained consciousness, I was astonished to find myself still falling through the air. Could it be that everything that just happened was an illusion? Was everything that occurred when I fell into the hole just a dream?

I feel like a puppet being manipulated by them, my mind is blank, what is happening to me? This can't be a dream!

"Order Zhang (the company commander)." A voice with a Shandong accent interjected, "If it really gets buried, how will the superior know..."

In this ... ...

The reason why a newborn calf does not fear a tiger is that it has never seen how fierce a tiger can be. Similarly, having never seen a gun, I do not know how powerful it is. Faced with the dark muzzles of the guns before me, I do not feel the slightest bit of fear, even though I know I should feel afraid at this moment. ... So I pondered for half a minute, considering whether I should pretend to be scared ...

The instructor hesitated for a moment, nodded in agreement with this statement, and then walked directly in front of me and asked: "Comrade, do you still remember which company you belong to?"

"Who are you? What is this place?" I asked in confusion

"Are you... are you the Volunteer Army?" I hesitated as I looked around at the people, still unable to believe this fact: "Are you the Chinese People's Volunteer Army?"

But soon I realized something was wrong, as I had fallen heavily to the ground, and a sharp pain surged in my chest. However, I was well aware that this was not serious; compared to the pain of having just vomited stomach acid, it felt like merely being bitten by a mosquito.

After a few people dragged and pushed me out of the pit, the veteran quickly covered me with a blanket and skillfully rubbed my body through the blanket

So now this living person is a fake! Upon hearing this, the squad leader became even more furious, his eyes bulging as large as lanterns

After a long while, the old soldier finally approached the instructor and quietly said: "Instructor, I heard that some people forget who they are after getting injured. Do you think this comrade has frozen his brain, to the point that he doesn't even know who he is?"

Comrade, comrade..." He looked me up and down, and after realizing that I was not seriously injured, he let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and said with a smile: "Comrade, we almost buried you alive... I truly apologize.

"Good." Upon hearing this, the instructor nodded, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief, as if he was still concerned that I might have turned into a fool

The company commander has arrived

Comrade, I am now clearly telling you that we, including you, are soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. We are now going to catch up with the main force. The revolutionary discipline stipulates that we must not leave behind the wounded, so you must come with us, do you understand?" He then turned to the old soldier and ordered, "Old squad leader... you are responsible for taking him along, don't lose him... you are responsible for taking him along, don't lose him...