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As if to grant her silent wish, the Staff Sergeant appeared beside her well before dusk, instructing her to gather her belongings for a transfer.
“You, yes, you there,” the Staff Sergeant barked, pointing a finger. “Pack your personal effects and follow me.” He reiterated the command, a flicker of impatience crossing his face as he gestured for her to accompany him.
Having grown accustomed to a day filled with constant summons and orders, Lin Yu silently turned, swiftly cramming her meager possessions back into her small pack.
A new lunchbox now occupied precious space among her personal effects, rendering her backpack incredibly cramped; merely arranging and fitting everything inside consumed half her allotted time.
Fortunately, she managed to snap to attention and offer a respectful salute just as the Staff Sergeant’s patience began to wane, thereby sparing herself further reprimand.
After navigating several winding turns, he led Lin Yu to a fortified dugout. “From this point forward, you will be stationed here,” he declared. “Should any casualties arise, someone will come to notify you.
This particular spot lies at the very heart of our defensive line, offering convenient access to both the left and right flanks.”
‘Has he found me yet another safe haven?’
Lin Yu stepped forward, entering the dugout without needing to stoop like others, thanks to her height.
Though it paled in comparison to the comforts of the rear, this place, at the very least, offered a roof overhead.
Unlike the open trenches outside, this shelter promised not only protection from artillery shells but also refuge from the wind, rain, and relentless sun.
It even surpassed Lieutenant Xia’s own command post, thoughtfully featuring several small openings along the front and sides, ostensibly to prevent a suffocating atmosphere.
‘Wait, the shape of these windows…’
Leaning closer, Lin Yu gripped the edge of a “window,” rising on her toes to peer outside, where a desolate no-man’s-land, scarred by shell craters, tangled with barbed wire, and littered with corpses, stretched into view.
The grim reality of the trench’s front line etched itself into the innocent brown depths of the young girl’s eyes, stirring a potent cocktail of fear, revulsion, and a creeping tendril of despair.
A single glance was all it took to grasp the true, grim purpose of this place.
This was no mere dugout; it was undeniably a fire support position, a prime target for howitzers and grenades should the Lanforthians launch an assault.
Moreover, those small openings were not windows for light or scenic vistas, but rather embrasures designed for firing upon the enemy.
It was a stark embodiment of the grim adage: ‘The thickest armor draws the fiercest blows.’
Every square foot of earth piled atop its roof would inevitably draw enemy artillery, and every supporting log in its structure would brazenly declare its strategic value.
While seeking shelter here might mitigate the risk of stray bullets or shrapnel, it simultaneously invited the perilous distinction of becoming a primary target for enemy forces.
Without neutralizing this formidable strongpoint, the Lanforthians would find any frontal advance utterly impossible; yet, Lin Yu knew that once this position was “neutralized,” her own chances of survival would dwindle to nothing.
By the time she turned around, the Staff Sergeant had already departed.
This time, no opportunity for protest had been afforded her.
Within the dugout, only a handful of soldiers remained, dozing with their steel helmets pulled low, alongside ammunition neatly stacked against the log-reinforced walls.
Several iron bowls lay scattered near their feet, suggesting they had recently finished a meal.
‘Well, first it was one man and one woman sharing a space; now it’s many men and one woman.’
‘Though whether this dugout, constructed from earth and logs, could truly be called a “room” was debatable.’
She would have to huddle nervously to one side, constantly drawing her body inward and clutching her collar tight, for a place like this offered no beds, let alone private quarters.
Even while attempting to sleep on the hard ground, Lin Yu knew she would have to remain acutely alert.
With a soft rustle, she moved to a corner and settled down, carefully extracting all her belongings before rolling her backpack into a makeshift pillow to support her neck.
Having completed these preparations, she reclined diagonally, intending to close her eyes and conserve her energy for the arduous night ahead.
Perhaps the sounds of her arranging her belongings were too pronounced, for the other soldiers sharing the space soon noticed her unexpected presence. One of them, taking the lead, questioned her directly: “Who are you? Who sent you here?”
“I’m the medical… field medic transferred to this unit this morning,” she replied, her voice subdued. “The Staff Sergeant instructed me to come here.”
Her concise answer instantly silenced the immediate area; it seemed these soldiers, too, had heard of Lin Yu’s notorious reputation and were determined to avoid any association with her.
“Why is it her, of all people…”
“Will we get infected and die too?”
“What bad luck. Another one has come…”
These familiar, hushed whispers resonated through the dugout, every word distinctly audible to Lin Yu.
‘Wait, why did they say “another one”?’
Detecting the unusual phrasing in their comments, Lin Yu began to scrutinize the soldiers stationed within, counting one, two, three, four — all of whom were muttering unfriendly remarks.
The fifth soldier, however, seemed just as isolated and shunned as she was.
Their seating arrangement made it clear: four men huddled together in a tight cluster, while the fifth sat conspicuously alone on the opposite side.
Upon hearing the voices within the strongpoint, he offered no reaction, merely shifting his position and continuing his nap against the wall.
Driven by an irresistible curiosity, Lin Yu propped herself up and crawled a few steps across the floor until she reached him. Without a word of permission, she lifted the steel helmet that obscured his face.
In the dim light, the young girl found herself gazing into the sleep-hazed eyes of the young man.
‘That man’ had, for what felt like the nth time, intruded upon her daily routine.
‘No, this time she was the intruder.’
With a pang of apology, she slammed the helmet back onto his head. Lin Yu then scrambled back to her original hidden corner, preparing to pull down her own steel helmet, hoping to shield herself from all hostile and questioning gazes.
‘Looking on the bright side, with him nearby, at least some of the “firepower” would be diverted.’
‘Whether it be cutting remarks or actual bullets, a significant portion would be drawn towards him, sparing Lin Yu from the brunt of it.’
Harboring this thought, Lin Yu felt a slight easing of the anxiety gnawing at her heart.
The man whose helmet she had so abruptly slammed back down, however, was not in such a sanguine mood. He raised a hand to steady his helmet, glancing around in bewilderment, trying to locate the perpetrator who had so rudely lifted and then fiercely replaced his headgear. His gaze quickly settled on Lin Yu’s unfamiliar face.
While he might have been somewhat dim-witted in other respects, he possessed a clear memory of the initial number of soldiers stationed here.
“What were you just doin’– Oh, it’s you?” he exclaimed, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. “How did you end up transferred here too?”
“What business is it of yours?” Lin Yu retorted, pressing her steel helmet down further to conceal her face. “It’s an order, regardless.” She turned her back to him, ending the conversation.
He wasn’t the type to spark lively conversation, and with Lin Yu unwilling to engage, he found himself at a loss for words. Consequently, he simply leaned back against the wall, resuming his previous posture.
The strongpoint once again lapsed into the same quietude that had reigned before Lin Yu’s arrival.
The night passed in silence, until the first light of dawn.
****
Upon opening her eyes once more, she felt a searing pain in her neck, as though it had been snapped.
‘Wait, if my neck were truly broken, wouldn’t I be paralyzed and unable to feel any pain?’
The very fact that she could rub her neck and stretch proved her spinal cord remained intact, ensuring she would spend the rest of her life running and jumping, not confined to a bed…
Dismissing her rather outlandish train of thought, Lin Yu rolled over and pushed herself up from the ground, swaying slightly as she made her way outside.
The morning sun, a faithful herald, cast its light from the east, yet due to the trench’s considerable depth, it only managed to silhouette the sandbags and logs lining the top of the rear wall.
Lin Yu stumbled forward, weaving precariously through the scattered forms of sleeping soldiers, her eyes scanning for the latrine.
Such was the harsh reality of life on the front lines: no bed to sleep on meant waking up with a stiff neck, and finding a latrine could take ages, all while battling the fear of falling in and drowning.
Fortunately, the Lanforthians had shown some mercy, refraining from barraging their position with shells from dawn till dusk; otherwise, one would have to worry about being instantly transported to another world by a direct hit.
Pinching her nose, she swiftly attended to her physiological needs, then swayed back into the dugout where she had been assigned.
Lin Yu had been absent for some time, and upon her return, she found the other soldiers already holding their bowls, beginning their breakfast.
Each man had a bowl of plain white porridge, which they consumed with evident enjoyment. Even Lin Yu’s own mess tin held a small half-bowl.
It was still warm.
In these days of chilly mornings and evenings, a warm breakfast, however bland, seemed like a luxury sufficient to bring contentment…
At least, that was likely their sentiment.
Lin Yu, however, found herself dearly missing Commander Yang’s meals and earnestly hoped that the previously promised “special care” would extend to a breakfast allowance.
‘At least let me eat one last satisfying meal.’
With this fervent wish, cradling her nearly empty bowl of watery porridge, Lin Yu finally saw the senior medic arrive with her meal.