Lo E

Chapter 1: The Virgin's Chapter

LBU: Winter in the Pamirs

C: Winter Solstice Svalbard (top)

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In January 2028, on the first afternoon after the long polar night receded, Svalbard, the northernmost boundary of the Kingdom of Norway.

Surrounded by the Barents Sea, the Greenland Sea and the Arctic Ocean, the "Svalbard" archipelago is also translated as "Svalbard" and "Spitsbergen", meaning "icy shore".

It is located in the north of the European continent, is the utopia of the Arctic Circle in summer, and is also the base camp for human exploration of the Arctic, gathering most of the Arctic scientific research stations in the world, including the "China Arctic Yellow River Station" established by China on July 28, 2004, the scientific research station is located in the North Pole of the important town, the world's northernmost permanent residence of human beings - Neo-Ålsund, sitting on the world's largest polar scientific research space physical observation point.

Svalbard has about 3,000 inhabitants, twice as many polar bears, and only one taxi is available on the island's 46 kilometres of roads, so instead of saying "beware of vehicles", local signs say "beware of polar bears...... Its capital, Longyearbyen, is known as the "northernmost city in the world" and the only city in the world where birth and death are forbidden.

The body doesn't decay, but ...... What about the heart?

Who knows, anyway, it is quite convenient to sell fresh food in the city without using a freezer to store it.

In a large supermarket chain in Longyearbyen, an Asian man who appears to be under 30 years old is shopping for food for the next two weeks, followed by an Alaskan Malamute and an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun in his backpack. No one should be surprised or frightened by this here, as the local law says that in Svalbard, any movement outside the centre of Longyearbyen must be accompanied by a gun. You don't want to walk bare-handed on the polar tundra and become the food a polar bear needs for the next few weeks, right?

Taking out a piece of fresh fish from the bag and feeding it to the dog, the Asian man rubbed its head, looked at the gloomy sky, and walked out of the supermarket quickly, hurrying to the next target. This Alaskan sled named "Vicka" is only one word different from some kind of yellow discharger mouse, and it was rescued from a group of Greenland sharks in the cold sea six months ago, so it is especially fond of eating fish. Since then, he has been his only friend on the island.

I didn't expect that I could get used to the monotonous and lonely life in a foreign land day after day, year after year......

Jingle bells! As soon as the speeding bicycle passed by, the feeling of being crushed by the instep of the foot was heard, and several older children on the bicycle disappeared into the distance on the street corner...... It seems that I still can't get used to it, I have lived on the island for a long time, and I never look at the car when I walk.

Walking in the direction of the hit-and-run vehicle, the flower stall on the other side of the street is a very special existence for Asian men. In Svalbard, all wild flowers are forbidden to be picked, and over time, all kinds of flowers brought from outside the island for sale have become a scarce resource, most of these flowers have been treated with special technology, they are not easy to wither in low temperatures, they can be stored for a long time, and the price is naturally expensive.

Asian men themselves are not interested in flowers, and the reason why they come every other week from their hometown of New Ålsund is not because of the flowers at the stall, but because of the person who sells them, a beautiful Hungarian girl in her twenties.

The habit of buying flowers regularly persisted for nearly two years, however, the Asian man never said a word to the Hungarian girl, and even never appeared in front of her eyes, after all, the other party has superior external conditions and lives overseas, so it is impossible to look down on himself as a down-and-out person who barely survives by working as a casual worker for the research station on the island.

As usual, the process of buying flowers has to be done by my friends.

"Go, Bika!"

The Asian man took out 50 euros from his wallet, and the dog understood, grabbed the banknote and ran towards the flower stall dozens of meters away, while the person who instructed him to run errands hid by the corner wall, showing half of his head, secretly observing the situation there......

A fat Alaskan dog is running wild with money in its mouth, and the strange scene in the eyes of passers-by has long been strange to the Hungarian girl, and every time she sees it, she smiles knowingly, but when she looks around, she can't find its owner as always.

After eating the pet treats specially prepared for him by the Hungarian girl, Bika picked up the 11 geraniums with red and pink in her mouth, and quickly returned to the corner. For the first time, an Asian man received a flower that he had never seen before, and after comparing it with his mobile phone on the Internet, he found that it was the national flower of Hungary, and its flower language turned out to be: Chance encounter, happiness is around. In addition, red geraniums also represent "you linger in my head", and pink means "happy to be with you".

Don't...... Is the other party using this to convey some kind of voice to themselves?

The uncontrollable excitement welled up in his heart, and the Asian man got carried away and was not paying attention, his wallet fell to the ground, and shook out the only remaining banknote inside......

Feed! That's a 500-euro bill, enough to buy for half a year!!

The Asian man had no time to stop the dog's long-term "good habits", and he couldn't rush out to stop it, so he had to watch it exchange his living expenses for the next two months for an oversized eco-friendly paper bag, filled with dense flowers of all kinds, which could directly make the Hungarian girl who had sold out all her inventory go home early......

Looking at the dog's wagging eyes for compliments for doing good deeds, the Asian man sighed helplessly: "Thanks to you, Bika, in two weeks, we have to use these flowers as food." ”

There are gains and losses, this is the so-called happiness and sorrow. I really can't do it, so I go back to my old business and borrow a boat to go to the sea to catch salmon, anyway, a guy loves to eat, as long as he doesn't pick up the big stomach dog that is smart again. Although he lost 550 euros in a row, the Asian man still seemed to be in a good mood when he smelled the mixed floral fragrance belonging to the Hungarian girl in the bag, and the 11 geraniums that made people think about it were enough to make him forget about the hard days that were coming to him, and he fantasized about one day living a normal and beautiful life with the woman he loved......

After leaving Longyearbyen, the Asian man touched the last bit of change in his pocket and planned to return to New Ålsund by boat. But when he walked to the port, there was a faint sound of the helicopter's rotors in the distance.

It is not uncommon for helicopters from various countries to appear nearby, but the sound of getting closer and closer in the air is very familiar to you when you listen closely, and with the sudden heartbeat, those memories that have been sealed in the past also return at the same time.

Is that...... A helicopter belonging to his homeland, and it is not a small manned aircraft for scientific research, but an improved "Wuzhi-25A" heavy helicopter!

Asian men once served in the [Chinese People's Liberation Army], and when they saw all kinds of vehicles in the army, they could distinguish the model and specific direction by listening to the sound of the engine. Your radar-like ears won't mishear, but the question is why did the fourth-generation heavy Wuzhi appear in Svalbard? Could it be that there is any big move by the country, or is it related to the self that has disappeared for many years......

Soon, the huge helicopter gunship landed in the open space of the port, which quickly confirmed the Asian man's judgment of his model. From a distance, the three people who walked down from it were uniformly dressed in PLA strategic support force military coats, without epaulettes of military ranks, and the brim of their military caps was so low that they could not see their faces clearly.

Familiar vehicles, familiar military uniforms, long-lost feelings.

The resolute officer in front of his vision, the steel temperament exuded by his gestures, made the Asian man instantly think of a person, but reason told him that it was impossible, no matter what the situation, he would not appear in front of him, even in a dream of reminiscing about the past...... Thinking of this, the Asian man shook his head and led the dog next to him to leave.

At this time, I don't know whether it was disturbed by the gale caused by the helicopter, or because he sensed the change in his master's mood, Bika actually let out a wolf's howl to the three people not far away, and then attracted the other party to stop and look sideways.

“…… Shi Wu? ”

A name that has not been evoked for a long time makes the leash in the hands of the Asian man fall to the ground unconsciously...... Vica lost the restraint on his back, took two steps forward, and continued to bark at the strangers who were walking this way. Seeing this, the middle-aged officer in the lead walked over and made a gesture towards Bika, immediately stopping his hostility towards him.

"You're in Svalbard. Moreover, the method of training war dogs is the same as before. ”

It's really him, no wonder it feels so familiar.

Looking at each other, the middle-aged officer and the Asian man both had surprise on their faces after a long absence, the difference was that one was happy and the other was slightly solemn.

"I'm going to meet you here, Brigadier Long Jiayu......"

Hearing the strange conversation between the two, the entourage behind them couldn't help but step forward and whisper: "Brigade commander, he is the one you are looking for...... Shu Shiwu? In this regard, Long Jiayu, who had already taken off his military hat, nodded with a smile: "Yes, it's him." I thought it would take some time to get around Longyearbyen, but I was taken by his war dogs as soon as I got off the plane. Sometimes, the fate between people is really not as simple as we imagined......"

"One thing I think you're mistaken, Bika is my friend, not some so-called 'war dog'."

Long Jiayu's sincere words of emotion were exchanged for a cold reply from the other party who didn't take it seriously. Ignoring the displeased eyes of the entourage behind the brigade commander, Shu Shiwu lowered himself to pick up the rope and stroked the back of his dog: "Bika, it's General Long." ”

Bika received instructions from his master, and immediately called three times in a row, and heard Long Jiayu's face full of incredible surprise.

For ordinary people, asking a pet to say hello to a friend may be considered a sign of friendliness, but in the face of a soldier and a major general, this practice is particularly ironic. Long Jiayu had a premonition that his subordinates were dissatisfied, and without waiting for them to show it in words and deeds, he first arranged for the two of them to wait on the helicopter, and when there were only two people, himself and Shi Wu, he said thoughtfully: "Your friend is really human. It was the same in the past, I want to ...... back then."

Before he finished speaking, he was impatiently interrupted by Shi Wu: "General Long Jiayu traveled thousands of miles to the northernmost point of the human habitation, shouldn't it be just to catch up with the past?" If that's the case, please forgive me for having something to do. ”

"Wait a minute!"

Long Jiayu shouted to stop Shi Wu, the purpose of his trip was to find his whereabouts, since they had met, how could they say goodbye in such a hurry: "I have important things to discuss with you, about the country, and about you personally!" ”

Shi Wu didn't look back when he heard this, but at the same time, he didn't continue to move. Long Jiayu knew that he was waiting for him to clearly explain his intentions, but this was not the place to speak: "Let's go to Longyearbyen City to find a place to sit down and have a good chat?" ”

"No, I've just come out of town, and I'm on my way home, and I'm afraid I won't have a boat back to New Ålsund." Shi Wu waved his hand at Long Jiayu with his back, at this moment, he no longer has too much attachment to his past, to the country and individuals in the general's mouth. However, it so happened that Long Jiayu came from a polar town on the other side of the strait where there were only more than 60 houses and dozens of people living there: "You live in New Ålsund? It just so happens that the 'Snow Dragon' is parked at the port over there, and I will let the helicopter take you back, and by the way, how about going to your house to have a look? ”

The third generation of Chinese icebreaker "Snow Dragon" is also here? When did the "Snow Eagle" helicopter for transportation be replaced with the "Wuzhi" series...... After many years, does the country plan to restart the semi-scientific and semi-military project that directly caused it to be what it is today?

"Just for the friendship between you and me in the past, and for the sake of the former '24 solar terms', don't refuse again."

"By the way, General Long......"

Hearing the five words that meant to him, Shi Wu fell silent, and when he calmed down and turned around, he did not respond positively to Long Jiayu's invitation: "In Svalbard, please try to avoid leaving your subordinates to act alone, there are many white bears here, and sometimes they even run to the city to rob food, and you don't have the habit of carrying a gun with you." ”

Just from the conversion of a person's pronouns, we can see the changes in Shiwu's thinking. Long Jiayu chuckled lightly and raised his finger to point at his backpack: "With you, I don't need a gun at any time." ”

"I am no longer a PLA, and if a senior general of the PLA encounters any danger, I will not and have no obligation to protect him."

"No, you will. After all, this is within the jurisdiction of Longyearbyen, and any form of death other than sudden death is illegal, can you bear to watch me die and be held legally responsible by other countries? ”

"Hehe, you really haven't changed at all, no matter what your status is, we will never be able to talk about you."

Instead of being frightened, the bearingless rotors of the paddles, made of high-grade composite materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar fiber, flew through the air again, and Bika, who had only ever ridden a snowmobile or a boat in his life, looked extremely excited in front of the owner's seat, constantly shouting at the flowing scenery outside the window.

Shi Wu really couldn't stand the fact that he hadn't seen the world, so he stretched out his palm and made a gesture, and quickly let it lie down obediently on the spot. The co-pilot asked the guests in the headset if there was a tarmac around their home? The answer was that there was a tarmac everywhere except the sea and the bear's back......

Huge glaciers cascade through the valleys, mountains are barren of grass, and sparse houses look like children's building blocks from the sky, scattered haphazardly among the desolate land of New Ålsund.

Shi Wu's family lives in a dilapidated log cabin by the sea, which looks like a warehouse with stacked goods from a distance, and there is an abandoned railway road buried deep in the earth in front of the door. In the last century, Svalbard was a thriving coal industry, and the island is littered with traces of mining left over from that time, so much so that small trains carrying coal can still be seen in Nova-Ålsund, and the icy tracks built across the tundra. The old wooden house in front of you was used to store high-quality raw coal.

"Wuzhi-25A" stopped in the open not far away, for fear that if it got close, it would ruthlessly blow down someone's shelter in disrepair. Following Shi Wu into the wooden house, the sea breeze passed through the gap, and the salty and humid moisture and strong musty smell that rushed in front of him instantly made Long Jiayu's nose sour.

Shi Wu Ta...... Living in this kind of place?

What is a home in front of you, the tables and chairs made of old wooden planks are the only "furniture" inside, except for the sleeping floor in the corner, which is still tidy, the rest of the places are full of waste, if it is not for the chopping board with a model of old but still sharp blades [umbrella knife], you would not have thought that the owner of the house was once an experienced special soldier, just as he was a poor vagabond, a person, a dog, in this isolated remote place, living a lonely life of dust to dust, earth to earth......

Long Jiayu, who was invited to sit down, was silent for a long time and couldn't say a word, taking advantage of this time, Shi Wu had already washed and slice the fish he bought, first filled Bika's food bowl, and then came to the table with two plates, one in front of the general, and one for himself.

There is no condition to cook food at home, and there is no other hospitality thing, Shi Wu handed the bright dagger in his hand to the general, and let him use it as a knife and fork, while he himself directly picked up the fish meat with his hands and sent it to his mouth, seeing this, Long Jiayu's eyes were completely moist......

"I'm sorry, Shiwu. I really didn't expect it...... You've had such a hard time all these years. ”

"Anyway, I have 'sashimi' to eat every day."

After subconsciously joking, Shi Wushi looked at the general with self-reproachful eyes, and couldn't bear to joke anymore: "Seriously, it's not as hard as you see." I earn a few hundred euros a month by doing manual work for research stations in various countries, and even in the off-season, I can go out to sea to fish, and I can be completely self-sufficient on this island where there is no consumption and entertainment. ”

"Then why don't you have cooking utensils at home, it looks like there is no natural gas, right?"

The general's observation is still so keen, no matter how small the details can be hidden. However, Shi Wu doesn't think there is anything wrong with this: "People who live near the Arctic Circle have a tradition of eating raw meat, and if it were changed to China, I wouldn't be able to afford to eat such fresh and rich sashimi......

Knowing that he was comforting himself by saying this, Long Jiayu simply put down the knife and grabbed the food with his hands, although his increasingly delicate stomach was no longer as refusal as when he was young, but Shi Wu's heart was unwilling to live up to it. The raw fish meat without any condiments is difficult to swallow after chewing two or three slices, but the person in front of him still insists on eating the [soft meat] of Baihuahua on the plate, although there is a burst of nausea from time to time, his face still does not change.

Seeing this, Shi Wu finally said what was in his heart: "Actually, it's not that I don't have the ability to improve the quality of my daily life, but such conditions and states can keep me strong in a comfortable environment." Just like in the '24 solar terms' before, I don't care what I eat or use, as long as I live a worthwhile life. ”

"I understand. No matter what the circumstances, you will not let up on your demands. Long Jiayu took the leftover empty plate to the pool to rinse, took a towel and wiped the "99-style" [umbrella knife] that Shi Wu had used for six years, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally turned around and said what he thought in his heart: "Come back to the army to help me, winter solstice [1]. ”

The winter solstice is the earliest one formulated by the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunar calendar, and the owner of the codename, Shu Shiwu, is the earliest member of the "24 solar terms" special operation team under Long Jiayu. However, Shi Wu, who used to be a special war dog trainer, never liked this codename, and still does: "Please don't call me that." The winter solstice, in the eyes of most people in our country, is the time to eat dog meat, but in my eyes, dogs are much more loyal to their friends than humans are to their friends. ”

Long Jiayu understood his feelings, but to this day, there are some things that he can't help but say: "You can blame me, two years ago, I had to disband the '24 solar terms', so that you who were deleted could not get the recognition that the army deserved, but don't hold a grudge against your country." ”

Hmph, it's just that you can't get recognized?

Shi Wu smiled coldly at this, but did not speak out for those things that they knew each other, which also allowed Long Jiayu to easily continue the unfinished topic: "The events of the year have passed, and now I am preparing to rebuild the '24 solar terms' special operation team, and at this moment, on the Pamir Plateau in the western part of our country, a three-month polar selection competition is being held, the purpose is only to select the best fighters in all aspects, inherit the glorious tradition of the '24 solar terms', and the scientific research project that you and I have spent our lives on." ”

"This is a bit interesting, and it is also in line with the traditional style of many units that have been built and demolished, demolished and rebuilt. You are like a coach, sending off the old players and welcoming in batches of new people...... But since the twelve people of the past are in the past, why bother to come to me? ”

"That's not what I meant."

Long Jiayu felt the emotion in Shi Wu's words, and also knew that he had a little misunderstanding of his decision: "It's not that I don't want to recall you, who are the founders of the 'Twenty-four Solar Terms', but the truth is that you know, doing so will only put everyone in dark danger again." So, I want you to come back, but start over in a different capacity. For example, the elites selected through this selection competition will be members of the second phase of the '24 solar terms' special operation team, and will receive your professional guidance in the future. I believe that only you can train them into qualified successors.

"As for all the members of the first phase, no matter how everything related to the '24 solar terms' changes, your position and code name will always be retained in the team, even if it is not recognized by the country and the army, this is my promise to you."

Long Jiayu finished saying what he had to say, and all that was left was for Shi Wu to make a decision.

"I fell in love with a girl, and even though we didn't speak, I just wanted to be there for her silently. Moreover, Svalbard is Bicca's home, and it is also my home, and I have finally settled down, and I don't want to change it. ”

"I understand ......"

Shi Wu's final choice was a little disappointing, but being able to see with his own eyes that he had found his own peaceful life, although he was not rich, but he had clear goals and pursuits, Long Jiayu was already very satisfied with this trip: "Since this is the case, it is inconvenient for me to be reluctant. Due to the needs of scientific research, the 'Snow Dragon' will stay in Ny-Ålsund for a short time for half a month, and if you have time, you are always welcome to come and visit your hometown. ”

Hand the wiped [Umbrella Knife] back to Shi Wu, before leaving, Long Jiayu deliberately patted him on the shoulder, leaving a piece of advice from someone who sounded a little off-topic: "Chasing girls is the same as fighting, in addition to basic guts, men also need to take the initiative to attack, you don't even dare to tell others, do you expect the other party to send it to the door by yourself?" In this respect, you are really far from me! ”

Hehe, this is indeed irrefutable.

Shi Wumu sent the general's back away, and looked in the direction where the "Wuzhi-25A" left, and the "Snow Dragon" with the words "CHINARE" printed on the iron-red hull was moored in the port, like a moving Great Wall of steel, guarding the dream of the motherland's polar scientific expedition. The long and short whistle made Bika respond with a wolf-like howl, and it also made Shi Wu feel a strong call in his heart.

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[1] Winter solstice: The twenty-second solar term of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar, abbreviated as "T-WS" in English.