Chapter Seventy-One
The fog gradually cleared, and the trees could be seen clearly.
A thatched steamed bun moved slowly behind a nest of bushes, observing the wild boar under the big tree in front of him. It's been an ambush here for a day, and Mantou must kill this wild boar, otherwise everyone will go hungry again tonight. The wild boar that was chased here by Lao Sichuan was also tired enough, and it would nest under the big tree, panting with a bulging stomach. The bullet from the steamed bun shot out of the chamber and hit the boar's head squarely. The wild boar that was not yet dead rolled on the ground and hissed, and the steamed bun lay in place, waiting for the wild boar to die.
It's been 6 days since the team entered the jungle, and it wasn't until yesterday that Edward, who led the team, discovered that they had been wandering around the jungle and had actually lost their way. After some discussion, Edward decided to return to the plain where they had landed and wait for the planes to rescue them. Originally, Edward planned to set off from Ledo with a joint team and march through the jungle along the route he had taken with Zhao Zhi. However, some staff officers in the headquarters did not agree with this plan, and insisted on ordering Edward and them to march in the opposite direction, first throwing them on the plain by plane, and then following the route that Edward had taken with Zhao Zhi, from the plain to Ledo.
Originally, Zhao Zhi and the others had marks on the trees in the jungle, but due to the erosion of the rain, the marks on the trunks could not be seen clearly, so Edward was lost. Edward, who had no choice, had to prepare to retreat to the plains, waiting for the planes to rescue, and it was obvious that this mission had failed.
The wild boar beaten by the steamed bun is enough for 50 people to eat, and Lao Sichuan has already found a place with a water source and is ready to camp. Edward was glad that he had met Mantou and Old Sichuan in the tavern of Ramgarh before he set off. If they hadn't been in the ranks, half of the proud American GIs and British gentlemen would have starved to death.
"Sir, bad news, our radio station is broken, it's John who didn't cover the tarpaulin and got into the water" Owen, the squad leader of the U.S. Army, hurriedly brought bad news to Edward. Edward's head was about to explode, and these GIs were just boy scouts who didn't understand anything. When I followed Zhao Zhi through the jungle, why didn't there be so many things and accidents.
The loss of the radio means that they have lost contact with the headquarters, and their team has become a lonely army, a lonely army with no one to take care of. Since entering the jungle, the soldiers have been plagued by injuries and illnesses, and diarrhea, headaches, and fevers have always accompanied them. When I first entered the jungle, I traveled 30 miles a day, and after three days, it became a few miles a day. Edward regretted his decision that he shouldn't have taken the Boy Scouts into the jungle.
While Mantou and Lao Sichuan were dealing with wild boars, the American and British soldiers were making coffee and chatting around the bonfire. "Mantou, do you think we should serve these bastards?" Old Sichuan looked at the chatting guys and talked softly with steamed buns. Mantou glanced at the soldiers, and said lightly, "Let's just roast one leg, enough for the two of us and the yellow hair, we can't control others, and the commander hasn't taught me."
Speaking of Zhao Zhi, Lao Sichuan's face was full of frustration, and he chopped the wild boar's leg heavily, "Ge Laozi, I knew that the chief could come back safely, and Lao Tzu should have carried it and didn't leave." Otherwise, Lao Tzu will return to China, and he won't have to suffer this foreign crime."
"We're just soldiers, and when soldiers eat food, we have to listen to the above, what can we do?" the movements in the steamed bun's hand slowed down, and he was also helpless. "Guys, can we go back the way we came?" Exhausted, Edward asked about Manju worriedly, afraid that he would get lost when he returned.
"When I entered the jungle, I made a mark on the tree, and we can go back to the plain the same way" Old Sichuan is very sure, this is a habit developed when following Zhao Zhi on the march, and those marks can only be understood by doglegs. Edward believed in steamed buns and old Sichuan more than the gossiping soldiers.
Just as the GIs were roasting wild boar, there was a sudden thunderous sound from the sky above the jungle, and the sound grew louder and louder, until a large black shadow completely covered the sky above the camp. Just when the GIs were still looking up, Mantou shouted, "Lie down, lie down, it's mosquitoes, smoke quickly" but Mantou's words were too late, and the muffled thunder in the air turned into a "buzzing" sound, and fell to the GIs.
"Lie on the ground, hold your head" Mantou shouted in panic, and lay on the ground with his head in his arms. A few British soldiers laughed, they were laughing at the steamed buns and the timidity of old Sichuan, what is there to be afraid of mosquitoes. Soon, however, their laughter was choked in their mouths, for their gaping mouths were filled with mosquitoes. The mosquito swarm is menacing, and there are more than 100,000 of them in this large area, densely packed with steamed buns and their camp.
After a while, the buzz in time and space disappeared, and the GIs lying on the ground looked up at their surroundings tremblingly. "Oh my God" An American soldier slapped his body desperately, and everyone was already covered with mosquitoes, as if they were draped in a blanket. Huge mosquitoes were everywhere, bare skin, gaps in clothing, firearms, and even roasted squeaky wild boar were covered with mosquitoes.
The GIs were stunned and slapped desperately on their bodies, trying to kill or drive away the mosquitoes on their bodies. However, these mosquitoes living in the jungle will not give up, this jungle is their territory. After a while, I heard the screams of the GIs, who had been bitten by mosquitoes. This mosquito is not the deadliest in the jungle, but after being bitten by this mosquito, it is extremely itchy and painful, and it will make people feel that life is worse than death.
"What to do? Now what? Edward also slapped the mosquitoes on the mountain, ran to the steamed bun, and asked eagerly, this is the first time he has seen this kind of formation. Let everyone not move, once they move, the mosquitoes will bite harder. Find a way to set the grass around on fire, mosquitoes are afraid of smoke" Mantou hugged his head, took out a lighter and threw it to Edward.
"If we set the jungle on fire, we're all going to die here," Edward hesitated as he looked at the lighter in his hand. "Silly you, it's just out of the rainy season, and the trees are wet. Let's just use grass to make some smoke, and we can't burn ours" The steamed bun looked like a pig's head, he didn't expect Edward to be so stupid.
The thatch was lit, the smoke was rising, and the whole camp was covered in smoke, and everyone was coughing, but it was better to cough than to be bitten by a mosquito. After ten minutes, the mosquitoes finally flew away, but several GIs were suffocated to death by the mosquitoes in their throats. Now, the GIs were much more honest, and they finally saw the danger hidden in the jungle. Steamed buns and Lao Sichuan also secretly scolded these guys for being cheap, and they would become more honest until they died.
The panicked foreign GIs, who had been frightened by the mosquito swarm, did not dare to camp in the jungle, and unanimously demanded that Edward leave the jungle first, it was too dangerous here, and they still felt that the plains were better. Edward, who was already on the verge of madness, had no choice but to agree, carrying the wild boar, and the soldiers followed behind the steamed buns and Lao Sichuan, and hurriedly marched out of the jungle.