(7) Captive
Just as the saying goes, "No fight, no acquaintance," I became friends with Kuang Yinghao, the son of a general, through a "literary competition." This person, although he always gives off a sense of arrogance in his words and actions, he is not a bad person. It is just a habit that he has developed growing up in such an environment where he is always surrounded by followers. As long as more people are not intimidated by his arrogance, it won't be long before he realizes that his behavior is not welcomed and naturally changes. The bad thing is that some people only know how to flatter and encourage him, which only worsens his arrogance. That night, he expressed his admiration for my courage and sharpshooting skills with loud applause. While wiping the egg yolk on my face and head, I responded confidently to General Kuang's questions and won a round of applause. However, I was led away from the hall by Kuang Yinghao step by step. After leaving the hall, we both ran without a word, running until we were out of breath and our chests were about to explode, but we still didn't stop, until we both collapsed on the ground.
We were covered in sweat, and the cold wind blowing made the threat of coldness even worse. Our teeth were chattering, making a constant "tak tak" sound. We held each other's hands tightly until I felt scared. Everyone has a fear in their heart. At that moment, I risked everything, but when it was over, I realized how dangerous it was. I struggled to thank Kuang Yinghao, but my words were fragmented and unclear. Kuang Yinghao knew what I wanted to say, and he gasped for breath, saying, "Don't ask me to do it again... I... I dare not anymore!" I pressed my hand on the ground and stood up, feeling heroic again. "Don't be afraid, you can do it ten more times!" Kuang Yinghao widened his eyes, although he looked terrified, his eyes were bright. It was because of my encouragement that he gained confidence!
We shook hands tightly again, and he suddenly pointed at my face, gasping for breath and laughing. I knew that my face was covered in egg yolk, which looked ridiculous, and the cold wind made it even more uncomfortable. I wiped my face a few times, and at that moment, the sound of a motorcycle came. I patted Kuang Yinghao on the back, and we both stood up straight. Two motorcycles sped towards us, with Zhu Xiangxiang in the front and Kuang Yinghao in the back. When they saw us, they both cheered and jumped off the motorcycles. Zhu Xiangxiang took a large package from the motorcycle and came to me. She opened it, and inside was a basin of hot water and a snow-white towel. Kuang Yinghao walked over and patted my shoulder, saying, "Wash your face first!" Zhu Xiangxiang held the basin, and I didn't need to be polite. I washed my face and wiped it dry. Zhu Xiangxiang poured out the water and stood beside Kuang Yinghao.
Although I couldn't fully accept the fact that they were husband and wife, I could at least feel the kind of bond they had since childhood. I thanked them first and formally introduced Kuang Yinghao to them. Kuang Yinghao admired Big Eye's skills greatly and couldn't believe that he had never practiced shooting before. After listening to Big Eye's theory on aiming, he praised him repeatedly and was at a loss for words. Big Eye saw through his thoughts and said, "Everyone can do this kind of aiming technique!" Kuang Yinghao took a deep breath and nodded repeatedly. I complained to Zhu Xiangxiang, "You should have known that we hadn't encountered any danger. I thought you would stop Big Eye at the last moment!" Zhu Xiangxiang showed a bitter expression and said, "Who knew he would really come? Everyone thought he wouldn't dare to shoot or just randomly shoot into the sky. Who knew..." Zhu Xiangxiang looked at Big Eye, and Big Eye straightened his chest. "If I didn't come for real, Wei Si Li would have killed me!" I became anxious and said, "I'm not that cruel, but the heartless blow will definitely change my life in the future, that's for sure!" A defeat in my youth may seem insignificant when looking back as an adult, but at that time, it would definitely be a great blow and could possibly affect my whole life.
When I said that, the atmosphere between the four young people became very serious. For a moment, no one spoke. I believe that during these few minutes of silence, each person pondered many questions. Big Eye was the first to break the silence. This person, who had just faced everyone's gaze and was brightly lit, bravely moved forward for his friend, and was fearless, said in a timid voice, "I... I came home late! My parents will scold me!" Kuang Yinghao and I wanted to tease him, but Zhu Xiangxiang rushed to say, "Okay, I'll take you home!" As she said that, she pulled Big Eye to a motorcycle, pointing for him to sit in the back seat. She also got on the motorcycle and waved to me and Kuang Yinghao before driving away. Kuang Yinghao and I were surprised by her actions, especially Kuang Yinghao, who showed obvious anger. He took a few steps forward and kicked the basin with his foot, making a loud sound as it flew into the air and then fell back down.
I walked towards him and said in a sincere voice, "Marriage is unpredictable, isn't it?" Kuang Yinghao turned around and stared at me for a while. At first, he looked fierce, but then he became helpless. "I... I like her. I've liked her since I was a child!" He said this to indicate that he is now "mature." I just smiled calmly. He walked towards the motorcycle and made a gesture, indicating that I could drive. Kuang Yinghao raised his eyebrows, "It's not difficult. It's just that beginners need some arm strength to balance. You can do it." I took a deep breath and walked towards the motorcycle, straddling it. He sat behind me and told me some basic things to do. This first time driving a motorcycle had a great impact on me. Later on, I was fearless and willing to try anything new. This experience made me realize that something seemingly unfathomable can become a tamed tool within minutes, allowing me to speed along the road.
The cold wind blew against my face, although it was piercing, the feeling of excitement and heroism was unforgettable. While speeding, I saw a ditch ahead blocking our path. Kuang Yinghao shouted from behind me, "Lift the front wheel with force and jump over it!" The width of the ditch was more than two meters, and before I could even consider it, I had no choice but to follow Kuang Yinghao's words. I lifted the front wheel, and the motorcycle bounced up, as if soaring through the clouds, flying over the ditch. Since it was my first time driving a motorcycle, I didn't know how to control it when it landed. As a result, the motorcycle bounced back and tilted to the side. Kuang Yinghao shouted, "Let go and roll!" Even if he didn't say it, I would have done the same. I let go and rolled away. I saw that Kuang Yinghao also rolled in the same direction. The motorcycle was still roaring and spinning on the ground. Kuang Yinghao and I stood up and immediately realized that neither of us was injured. Both of us laughed out loud. At that time, I felt inexplicably excited. I was about to go and pick up the motorcycle when suddenly everything went black, and I couldn't see anything!
This sudden change was truly unexpected. My first thought was whether I had suffered a severe internal injury and had died, and now I was in the underworld, which was why everything was like this. Because of this thought, when I heard Kuang Yinghao's voice asking, "Wei Si Li, what happened?" I thought he was also dead! Due to the difference in life experiences, people react differently to sudden changes. Some remain calm, while others panic. At that moment, I suddenly went completely black, unable to see anything, and based on my life experiences, I couldn't determine what had happened. My first thought was that I had died!
Then, I heard Kuang Yinghao asking, his voice filled with eagerness, and I thought he was dead too. At that time, I didn't know much about the situation after death (dead people can't speak and tell others about the afterlife), but in many legends, there was a kind of "convention" that everyone accepted. Most of these assumptions were seemingly true but false, but they were useful as a standard to determine whether I was dead or not. Immediately, I thought that I still had a body. If there was no body, there would be no sound or pain. If I were a ghost, I wouldn't have a body. This could explain that I hadn't died! Thinking of this, I shouted loudly, "Hey, we might not be dead. Something must have happened. Don't believe it? Hit yourself a few times to prove it!" I thought that when I shouted, Kuang Yinghao would definitely react, but to my surprise, even after shouting three times, everything was still black, and I couldn't hear any sound!
This made me extremely shocked. I took a deep breath and wanted to shout again, but suddenly, a scene appeared before my eyes. I saw Kuang Yinghao, or rather, a portrait of Kuang Yinghao. To describe it in more detail, because it was the first time I had such a bizarre experience in my life, the impression was particularly deep. The first thing that caught my eye was a pale light and shadow. At that time, it was indescribable, but later, when I saw a television for the first time, I immediately associated it with the scene I saw back then when I pointed at the fluorescent screen. And Kuang Yinghao was in that light and shadow, only his upper body could be seen. His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, and his expression was extremely terrified. The weather was so cold, but I could clearly see sweat on his forehead, indicating that he was in extreme fear. I called out to him, but he didn't react. I vaguely felt that his situation was similar to the image of Zhu Xiangxiang's mother appearing on the "Ghost Bamboo." It was a vivid portrait. But the portrait started to move! His expression became even more terrified, constantly shaking his head and hands. It was clear that he was denying something. But I couldn't hear any sound, neither the person questioning him nor his denial. This situation was extremely strange. I didn't think I had fallen into a nightmare, but rather, I believed that after he died, he was being interrogated by the judge of the underworld, being questioned by the ox-headed and horse-faced guards! It was pitch black all around, so could it be that we were already in hell, and yet there were no evil spirits coming to interrogate me!
In a state of shock, my thoughts were extremely chaotic. I felt that he kept repeating a few sentences. Suddenly, I realized what he was saying! The most common thing he said was "I don't know." Whenever I had this feeling, I saw him say it three or four times in a row! Yes, I saw him speaking. It wasn't mysterious at all. Among classmates, there were many different kinds of play and tricks. In terms of language, to stand out, a few close friends would create their own "secret language" and practice it until they could loudly converse in it in front of others, leaving the listeners dumbfounded. Sometimes, they even practiced lip-reading. From the changes in the shape of the other person's lips, even if they didn't make a sound, they could understand what they were saying. My foundation in lip-reading was established during that time. Later, in my adventurous life, the basic training from my youth played a role in averting danger in many situations. At this moment, I focused and saw Kuang Yinghao saying, "I don't know, I don't know where that thing is! It looks like a... stick. Who is that person? I don't recognize him. His name is Wang Tianbin? I've never heard of him." Between the words "stick" and "person," I couldn't see the one character clearly. It looked like the character "pig," but it could also be another homophone. And that name "Wang Tianbin" could naturally be another homophone as well. This confirmed one thing for me: he was being interrogated. Someone showed him something, but he didn't recognize it, and most likely, the interrogator wanted him to reveal where that thing was. Naturally, he couldn't say it!
I couldn't see anyone interrogating him. During this period, I had also shouted loudly to him, but he obviously couldn't hear me. All I saw was him saying, "Are you enemy soldiers? Although I'm not an official soldier, I have become a captive and should be treated as such!" He repeated those two sentences twice, so I could confirm that he said it like that. This shocked me to the core. I wanted to rush towards him, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach him. At that time, my situation was completely like being in a nightmare! I waved my hands and kicked my feet, shouting loudly, and at the same time, trying to see what he was saying as much as possible.
I saw him saying, "I won't go with you! I won't go anywhere. I don't know what you're asking me, and where are you taking me?" When he said this, his expression was extremely terrified. Suddenly, I saw him pull out a gun and shoot forward, but I couldn't hear any sound. At the same time, the gray-white light dimmed, and his image became blurry. Until he disappeared, the last thing I saw him say was, "I won't surrender!" Then, everything went black again, and I couldn't see anything. At the same time, I felt extremely dizzy and my body involuntarily collapsed. When I regained consciousness, I heard a lot of voices and saw many bright lights shining on me. I thought it was the ghost soldiers coming to interrogate me. But amidst the noisy voices, I heard Zhu Xiangxiang's familiar voice. I suddenly opened my eyes and saw many soldiers shining powerful flashlights on me. I was lying on a stretcher, and Zhu Xiangxiang was standing next to it.
As soon as I sat up, many officers came to my side. Although they were all talking at once, they were asking the same question, "Where is Kuang Yinghao?" Kuang Yinghao was gone! He didn't die because his body was still there. Now, he was gone! My throat felt like it was on fire, and my voice was hoarse. I answered their question, "He... he was taken away and became a captive?" That was the best answer I could give at that time!