The time is set back nearly two hours ago, that is, an earlier moment before the official start of the premiere of "The Rite of Spring".
Appele Battlefield, enemy-occupied territory on the north bank of the Hedgewell River.
Within this land area that connected several important docks, the Lydians built several large prisoner of war camps.
Barbed wire and high-voltage wires are endless as far as the eye can see. Under the security of airships and countless strict sentries, one military ferry after another is passing through, providing necessary supplies for the operation of this huge war machine.
Somewhere close to the unloading operation area of the dock.
"Bang!!"
A prisoner of war from Janus, carrying a small mountain of fuel cargo, threw it heavily on the back of a pickup truck.
The black soot and dust instantly swallowed him up like a monster with teeth and claws.
The dirty clothes this man was wearing could barely be seen to be made of cotton, but in terms of the thickness of the material, it was too thin to match the season.
His body is also very thin, but judging from his open chest and abdomen, he must have been in good shape. However, due to the extreme imbalance of energy intake and consumption over a long period of time, in order to maintain vital signs, the body decomposes a large amount of muscle and fat.
the result.
"Cough cough cough"
The man coughed violently, but with a sense of relief.
Finally, it was the last unloading trip of the day. After 12 consecutive hours of heavy physical work, a cold river breeze blew in, and all parts of the body that were originally covered in hot sweat or cold sweat turned into a bone-chilling cold.
cold.
However, this does not mean that today's work is completely over. After dinner, they will be dragged to the Lydian war preparation factory to do light manual work for 4 hours until early in the morning.
You can lie down and rest, and then return to the 12-hour cycle of heavy physical work until 6 o'clock the next day.
The man walked back to the shed without saying a word, where the same forty-odd prisoners of war were already waiting for their meal.
During a short break, when the 18:00 warning bell rang through the camp, the soldiers and supervisors who were surrounding the area temporarily retreated a little further away.
The prisoners of war looked at the "dinner" served in their respective bowls. It was too sticky and they could not distinguish the names of the ingredients. Although they were hungry, they did not move the spoon immediately.
“When I entered that land, I no longer drank the juice of the grapes, for it is written, Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and for my sake you will all stumble, until I am in his kingdom.
, and drink a new day with you.”
One after another, they began to recite and pray before the meal.
The same thing happened to the man who was carrying the coal just now.
He looked at the river where the twilight was getting darker. On the opposite side was the direction of Janus' hometown. The outline of the bombed shelter, gas station and factory ruins was vaguely visible.
I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive this coming winter.
After pinching the photos of his wife and children in his inner pocket, he coughed suddenly a few times again and wiped away the red and black blood with his sleeves.
However, his mood became calm and calm for a moment, and he slowly lowered his head:
"Lavoisier is my shepherd; I will never be in want."
What this hoarse voice read was an excerpt from a psalm written for the Gospel by Cardinal Richelieu of the Western Continent.
"He makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside still waters. He revives my spirit and guides me in the paths of righteousness in his name."
The captured soldier couldn't help but close his eyes, and two lines of hot tears flowed out, washing away the dirty soot on his face.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for he is with me. His rod and his staff comfort me."
"He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows. Surely his goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
in, forever.”
"Look, what is that!?"
“Why does it seem like there’s someone there??”
Suddenly, an exclamation from a certain prisoner of war broke the peaceful atmosphere of the pre-meal prayer.
“Isn’t that on the river?!”
"No, there seem to be three people, the leader is one, and there are two more behind him."
Everyone looked in the direction pointed by the speaker.
At dusk, in the upper reaches of the Hedgewell River, the already darkening skyline suddenly parted for some unknown reason, and the blood-red afterglow of the sunset burst out!
And a figure bathed in golden light, with two followers behind him, walked directly on the water, heading towards the prisoner of war camp!
"A miracle! A miracle!"
“‘Unfallen Fire’ has answered our prayers!”
"It's Saint Lavoisier! Master Lavoisier is back! He's come to rescue us!"
The prisoners of war who had just finished reciting the poem suddenly became ecstatic. Regardless of their physical pain, they climbed over the railings of the shed one by one and ran towards the barbed wire fence on the shore!
"What are you doing!?"
"Violators will be punished with a week of double work!"
Although the Lydian soldiers and overseers temporarily retreated, they could not completely let these prisoners of war go unchecked, so they soon noticed it, and the sharp warning whistles in their mouths also sounded.
But what they noticed the next moment was an even stranger scene on the water in the river!
In fact, earlier than these supervisors, the airship patrolling at high altitudes discovered the movement on the water. Several steam-powered boats, with the cover and cooperation of two fighter planes, surrounded it!
Moreover, the sentries on duty at the high towers in the camp could clearly see from a distance that the soldiers in the steamboat and the two fighter planes had already fired at the intruders!
But I just don’t know why. After the fire was turned on, it didn’t seem to have any effect, and there was no follow-up.
I don’t know what the two sides negotiated. After a few minutes of confrontation, the situation turned into a situation where warships and fighter planes surrounded a few people from a distance. They neither dared to get closer nor farther away. They just came all the way back and continued towards the camp.
The direction is approaching!
The commander of the camp had already boarded one of the guard towers. He was confused because his eyes could clearly see the flashing signal lights on the two fighter planes. The flashing frequency of one was a "don't fire" reminder, while the flashing frequency of the other was a warning.
The warning frequency of "enemy attack" is displayed again!
"Quick, something is wrong! Report it to your superiors!" The man took off his binoculars and shouted back.
Unlike the panicked Lydians,
Priest Alexius and one of his deacons had only one thought at the moment, which was to wonder if they were dreaming.
These two people are newly appointed clergy in the Apel war zone - that is, the place where Father Lavoisier publicly presided over the sacrament of confession before leaving - this afternoon, the two were still dining in the church, and they just raised the
Fork, Lavoisier suddenly appeared!
And now, he wants the two of them to take him directly across the war zone, across the river, and towards the camp where the Lydians are stationed!
Of course, although Priest Alexis suspected that he was dreaming, he was not confused. Before leaving, he quickly asked another confidant to take the news to the Holy City!!
At the moment, in front of you, Father Lavoisier's back is walking on the water. He is still wearing the old-fashioned suit with mud on his trouser legs. He has a moderate build, not too tall, but his back is very straight.
Every time he took a step, those jumping sunset spots condensed into a lump that looked like solid ice and glass, allowing the two of them to follow safely as if they were walking on flat ground.
"Master Lalavousier, we are about to dock, do we still have to say something to these Lydians first? Otherwise, will this happen?"
Priest Alexius choked and asked cautiously.
What is different from the group of waiting soldiers on the other side who "don't know what the two sides negotiated" is that in fact, there is no communication at all between the two sides!
It's true that the guns were fired and then "nothing happened"
Fan Ning shook his head when he heard this: "When I first came, no one was waiting for me. When I called, no one answered. Human life is short and full of troubles. When I come back today, I will go to the other side.
, just visit what you need to see and command what you need to command, and there is no need to talk about the rest.”
Are you kidding me? I was rushing to the other side to perform "The Rite of Spring" soon. I was talking nonsense to these people who gathered around me, but Fan Ning cursed in her heart.
After being idle for a while, the schedule suddenly seemed to be somewhat full.
Just like that, under the aim of countless dark muzzles and artillery, the three people majestically crossed the river and landed on the shore, and then stepped in through a gap in the barbed wire that twisted and fell off on its own!