(Eight) Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals
This incident was the first time I encountered something that couldn't be explained by practical science. It captivated my soul and dreams, from my first kiss with Zhu Xiangxiang to the sudden appearance of a beautiful figure on the "Ghost Bamboo," as well as other unrecorded events. Compared to this incident, those other things were insignificant. And after this incident, it seemed like I had a strange connection with similar events. Even if they happened thousands of miles away and had nothing to do with me, they would somehow find their way to me and become my concern.
The reason I encountered so many "strange things" was twofold. Firstly, it was because of my curious nature. I couldn't help but investigate things that I didn't understand. Secondly, one of the explanations I received from this incident was also a reason. Who made that explanation, please continue reading to find out. Alright, so this "incident" started outside the city. I quickly became good friends with Kuang Yinghao, and our relationship blossomed as we spent more time together. Unlike adults who have many concerns, young people can quickly become close to each other. The kind of lifelong friendship where "white-haired friends lean on their swords" is definitely not something that can be formed during youth. Suddenly, Kuang Yinghao disappeared, and I saw him being interrogated and captured. This was a very serious matter because of his special identity as the son of General Kuang.
At that moment, I didn't lie down on the stretcher and instead struggled to stand up. I was immediately taken away in a military vehicle, with Zhu Xiangxiang by my side. She kept looking at me with her tender and watery eyes, and in her eyes, I could sense anxiety, concern, and confusion. Her gaze made me feel restless. She didn't ask anything, and even if she did, I didn't know how to answer. In her eyes, I saw her concern for Kuang Yinghao. As a young person, my thoughts were very chaotic at that time, but they all revolved around one question: If it was me who disappeared, would she look at me with the same caring eyes? The military vehicle stopped at the train station, a simple building in the county. Zhu Xiangxiang and I, under the guidance of a military officer, walked towards a few train carriages. The carriages were brightly lit, surrounded by soldiers. Some were on guard, some were running around, and there were many military officers riding motorcycles, creating a deafening noise.
There were about seven or eight carriages, and as soon as we approached, we saw a beautiful woman sticking her head out of the window in the middle carriage and waving at us. It was Xiang Mama. I was very anxious on the way here, but as soon as I saw Xiang Mama, I felt a sense of security that was hard to describe. I waved my hand eagerly, and for some reason, I thought, "With her here, no matter how big the problem is, it won't be an issue."
When we entered that carriage, I was surprised because it wasn't an ordinary carriage, but General Kuang's temporary command post. General Kuang was standing in front of a map, with two officers reporting to him. They were pointing at the map, and one of them said, "The nearest enemy is over two hundred miles away, it's impossible for them to be active here!" The other one said, "There have been no reports of small-scale raiding parties either!" General Kuang furrowed his brows and said to a senior officer nearby, "The enemy wouldn't stoop so low as to capture a general's son to force the general to surrender!" I knew they were discussing Kuang Yinghao's disappearance, so I suddenly exclaimed, "He wasn't captured!"
Everyone's gaze turned towards me, and there were quite a few people who exclaimed, "Nonsense!" General Kuang's brows furrowed even deeper, but he had an indifferent expression. My uncle spoke up loudly, "This child may do strange things, but he never lies!" My uncle didn't say that I wasn't talking nonsense, but rather that I wasn't lying. His meaning was that even if I was talking nonsense, it must be what I truly believed. This uncle of mine knew me very well and could be considered my earliest confidant. Unfortunately, there were some things that happened to him later that were worth mentioning, but I had some reservations, so I'll see if there's a chance in the future. At this moment, Zhu Xiangxiang whispered my name, and when I looked at her, I received a message of encouragement from her. General Kuang asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean by that?" To be honest, with my knowledge at that time, I couldn't support my rich imagination. Imagination doesn't come out of thin air; it is based on knowledge. I only had a vague concept that there was a mysterious power beyond human strength. As for what that power was, I couldn't say, so I could only vaguely refer to it as "Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals." My answer was based on this line of thought. General Kuang and I locked eyes, and I felt calm and fearless. I answered truthfully, "I can't say for sure!" This answer received some criticism. I didn't care about the reasons behind it, and I felt annoyed by their self-righteousness. Although General Kuang held a higher position than them, his attitude was better. So I turned around and said to an officer who was criticizing me the loudest, "If you think I'm talking nonsense, then I can stop talking and let you explain it!" The expression on that officer's face turned ugly. He thought young people were easy to bully and raised his hand, wanting to come over and hit me. General Kuang and my uncle shouted at the same time, and I stood tall with a disdainful look, making his hand hang in the air, unable to come down. It was a very awkward situation, which gave me a sense of satisfaction. I turned to General Kuang and said, "Let me explain the whole situation." General Kuang nodded and said, "Go ahead." So I recounted the whole incident, and when I mentioned seeing Kuang Yinghao in the darkness, within a gray-white light screen, everyone showed puzzled expressions. I described it repeatedly. One senior officer exclaimed, "General, the way this young man described it sounds like a very advanced image transmission technology!" This senior officer had studied at the Virginia Military Institute in the United States and had broad knowledge. After he said that, he mentioned an English word. At that time, I thought only he would understand, but now even a three-year-old child would understand that word. The word was "television!" General Kuang pondered for a moment and gestured for me to continue. When I mentioned the "lip-reading" part, I asked several people to demonstrate not speaking out loud, and I could accurately say what they were saying. When I talked about Kuang Yinghao being interrogated, I provided more details. Kuang Yinghao mentioned a person's name, "Wang Tianbin" (or three characters with the same pronunciation), and I said it out loud. Unexpectedly, as soon as this name was mentioned, General Kuang and Xiang Mama exclaimed in shock. Xiang Mama's expression became even more complicated and indescribable! From the movements of Kuang Yinghao's lips, I couldn't find any significance in that name. Moreover, lip-reading has a flaw. When it involves specialized terms, there can be different homophonic words to choose from. I said the name "Wang Tianbin," and Xiang Mama, who was sitting, suddenly stood up. On her beautiful face, there was an indescribable display of complex emotions. In a low voice, Xiang Mama said, "Xiang Xiang, it's you..." Xiang Mama turned to look at her mother and said, "Mom, don't blame me. I didn't tell you!" General Kuang was still angry and asked, "Did you kill him when you saw him?" Xiang Mama exclaimed, "As soon as he saw me, he shouted loudly. I didn't expect him to be like that, so I also shouted, and then he turned and ran, and I turned and ran too. After that, we never saw each other again!" At this point, Xiang Mama said what happened when she met "that person," and I was dumbfounded! This scene was so familiar because I was there too! Xiang Mama wanted me to take her to meet my master, and when I took her, both she and my master shouted loudly and ran in opposite directions. I chased after Xiang Mama and only caught up to her under a big tree. At that time, I knew something was fishy, but Xiang Mama refused to say anything! At this moment, it became clear to me that the person who infuriated General Kuang, besides my master who had disappeared since that day, couldn't be anyone else! I had already suspected that there must be some conflict between my master and Xiang Mama because Xiang Mama's image had appeared on the "Ghost Bamboo," and now it was confirmed! After Xiang Mama finished speaking, she looked at me, and I immediately nodded to indicate that I understood what she was talking about. General Kuang raised his hand, and I pointed to Xiang Mama, saying, "I also know that Xiang Mama might be his dream lover!" When these words came out, Xiang Mama's face turned pale, and Zhu Xiangxiang looked angry. But General Kuang sighed and after a while, he said, "You know quite a lot. Did he tell you all this?" I shook my head and said, "No." Then I recounted the story of the "Ghost Bamboo" and how I heard it. General Kuang listened with a stunned expression, and when he reached the door, he called out, and my uncle and the senior officer returned to the carriage. He asked me to repeat it again, and before General Kuang asked, my uncle asked, "Did you bring the 'Ghost Bamboo' here?" My uncle smiled bitterly, "Yes, I don't know how this strange phenomenon happened. It's too unbelievable!" The senior officer exclaimed, "That's not a bamboo at all, it's a device! It's a device that can receive brainwaves and project the images formed by the brainwaves. It's an incredible device!" Ladies and gentlemen, years later, I could confidently talk about these things myself, but at that time, it was the first time I heard about it, and I couldn't fully understand it. However, it felt incredibly wonderful, and I felt like I had entered a magical and vast new world! And in this wonderful world, I would gallop and explore, seeking to understand the mysteries of the universe! When I think back to that moment years later, I still feel that sudden sense of liberation, as if nothing could restrain my thoughts anymore! From then on, my days were spent in this kind of atmosphere.
General Kuang asked in a deep voice, "What does this mean? Who invented such a thing?" The senior officer spoke slowly and pointed upwards with his hand, "Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals!" My vague concept suddenly became clear. It was a mysterious power from the heavens!