Chapter 19: Trench (2) "Here they come!" Kaczynski said, closing his eyes. Soon, the others also heard the tiny footsteps, which gradually approached in the darkness and became clearer and clearer. They held the shovels tightly, their palms sweating, waiting for Kaczynski's order. In an instant, rapid "squeaks" and rustling footsteps were heard in the darkness. Kaczynski suddenly turned on the flashlight, and the beam of light shone on the ground. Dozens of huge rats were exposed in the light. "Get started!" Kaczynski yelled, and everyone swung their engineering shovels almost at the same time. The sound of the shovels hitting the ground and the screams of rats mixed together. Lu Mingfei and his men threw the dead rats outside the bunker and continued to wait for the rats to come over. They killed nearly thirty or forty cat-sized rats several times in a row. Perhaps because of the smell of blood outside the bunker, the rats did not appear again, and Lu Mingfei and his friends could finally have a good sleep. But the next morning they found that the torn bread crumbs on the ground were dragged away while they were sleeping. When they walked out of the shelter, they found that the cats and dogs they brought with them had been gnawed to the point where only skin and skeletons were left. Everyone was horrified. If they slept alone at night, they might also be eaten by the group of rats. At noon today, the kitchen gave everyone a piece of Edem cheese, a round cheese with a red waxy rind. It has a mild taste with a hint of nutty flavor and is very delicious, especially in this trench where there is nothing. But Lu Mingfei and his friends were not happy with the meal, because those officials would not suddenly be kind enough to provide them with such delicious food. It felt like the last meal before an execution. Later, the kitchen gave Lu Mingfei and the others rum, and the feeling of the last meal before an execution became stronger and stronger.
There was still nothing to do during the day. Lu Mingfei and his friends were playing a rat-shooting competition in the tunnel to pass the time. Today, several trucks delivered weapons and supplies, replenishing their bullets and grenades. They could even smell gunpowder everywhere in the air. At night, no one could sleep. They lay on the breastwork of the trench with guns, always alert to the actions of the French opposite. Kaczynski would close his eyes from time to time and use his words to detect the situation outside. Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered that he seemed to be a mixed-race person, and he seemed to be able to use the words that he had seen Kaczynski use before. What middle school boy hasn't fantasized about superpowers? Lu Mingfei did it right away. He closed his eyes and began to think about the little elves with wings that looked like bats and mice and that he saw next to Kaczynski in the cemetery. Yan Ling·Kamaitachi Soon Lu Mingfei felt the wind in the air transform into the appearance of those elves. He seemed to be able to control those elves, and those elves constantly transmitted the surrounding sounds into his ears. He could hear the heavy breathing of the people around him, their heartbeats like drums, and even the whispers of soldiers in other trenches. Every slight sound of their movement could not escape Lu Mingfei's ears. This feeling was wonderful, but as more and more sounds reached his ears, Lu Mingfei found that his head felt swollen, as if he couldn't process so much information at once. No wonder Kaczynski only used the Word Spirit for a very short time each time, and would become very tired after a long time. Just when Lu Mingfei wanted to turn off his words and give his brain a rest, he suddenly heard a whistling sound coming from the sky. It was the sound of a cannonball cutting through the air. "Everyone, pay attention! Artillery fire!" At this time, Kaczynski also opened his eyes and shouted. The expected violent explosion did not come, but instead yellowish smoke began to spread into the trench. "Poison gas! Poison gas! Put on your gas masks!!!" Because of Kaczynski's reminder, Lu Mingfei and his team put on their gas masks the moment the poison gas began to spread. The gas masks made them feel very stuffy and it was a little difficult for them to breathe, but Lu Mingfei and his men still lay on the trenches and stared closely at the outside, because generally speaking the French would attack them when the poison gas was about to completely dissipate. But unexpectedly, until the poison gas completely dissipated, not a single French soldier appeared in front of them. "This is not a good situation..." Kaczynski muttered to himself. He was a very experienced veteran and could smell what might happen next. The bombardment began, and shells fell like raindrops outside the trenches of Lu Mingfei and his men. The shells were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, blasting the soil on the ground into splashes like water. Lu Mingfei and his men hid in the bunker, listening to the continuous artillery fire outside. They could feel that the artillery fire outside was about to hit their bunker. They held their guns nervously, praying in their hearts that the bunker would not be destroyed. The bombardment lasted for a whole day and night, and they became numb from the initial tension and fear. Someone suggested playing cards, and they started playing cards endlessly, which helped them forget the horrible shelling.
The shelling stopped. Lu Mingfei and his men thought that the French attack was about to begin, so they all walked out of the bunker with guns in hand. The trenches outside had been blown to pieces. They lay on the bumpy trenches waiting for the French attack, but still did not see a single Frenchman. At this time, the artillery fire sounded again, and Lu Mingfei and his men ran back to the bunker. Some of the slower recruits were washed onto the wall of the trench by the blast of the exploding artillery shells. The continuous bombardment began again. Lu Mingfei and the others felt like they were going crazy. No one could fall asleep in such a deafening noise, and no one dared to sleep, for fear that they would be buried here as soon as they closed their eyes. What they worried about really happened. The entrance of their bunker was hit by a shell and was instantly buried by mud. Everyone tried their best to dig open the entrance. At this time, they felt calm inside, because at least they had something to do instead of just waiting to die. They had not had a drop of water for a whole day and night, and the French artillery fire prevented the supply from being sent up from the rear. At this time, their company commander walked in amid the artillery fire. He walked into the bunker, patted the dirt off his body and said. "Two shelters were hit by shells and all the people were buried underneath." The first thing they said was bad news, and everyone's heart sank immediately. "Hold on, boys. I'll ask someone to get you something to eat tonight." Perhaps the company commander also felt that the news was too cruel, so he added one more sentence and then left. After hearing the company commander's words, Lu Mingfei and his group, whose mood had hit rock bottom, felt much better. After all, they still had food to eat, so the situation didn't seem so bad. (End of this chapter)