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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Two Hundred - Raven: Air Combat Chronicles (Part One)
On the way back, Old Bi was full of curiosity, asking all sorts of questions. I could only respond with vague answers, leaving him puzzled and unsatisfied. Even though we had won, he remained baffled. I knew Liu Chao felt the same confusion and frustration, but the facts were laid out before us, and I saw no need to explain anything.
When we returned to our Unit, Wu Chao had indeed found the transformed Sheng Xiong on the balcony. He must have climbed up through the drainage pipe from the first floor. Sheng Xiong was curled up in a corner, and fortunately, most of the warriors were engaged in their post-meal leisure activities, so hardly anyone came to the balcony and noticed him. After Wu Chao calmed him down, along with Sheng Xiong's growing familiarity with his situation, he managed to control himself somewhat. Having spent time with everyone, he recognized their scents and showed little aggression towards Wu Chao.
Perhaps it was because I had subdued him with a Steel Rod during his initial transformation that Sheng Xiong held no hostility towards me. I quickly called Xuanhua, who had just returned to the Unit, to bring some medicine. A few of us held Sheng Xiong down and forced some water into him. After a while, he slowly returned to normal.
Later, when we went down to Company Headquarters, we encountered Jinghe. By this time, news of the duel with Tiger Head Company had spread throughout the Unit. Many warriors had gathered at Company Headquarters, where Jinghe was recounting the events with great enthusiasm, captivating his audience.
As I entered, everyone surrounded me, eagerly asking, "Company Commander! Company Commander! It sounds thrilling! How did Sheng Xiong win in the end?!"
Before I could respond, Jinghe calmly interjected, "I knew from the start that Sheng Xiong would win!" Everyone was taken aback, unsure how Jinghe had come to that conclusion. As they turned to look at him, Jinghe shrugged and said, " Sheng Xiong? The fat guy practices bear boxing; how could he possibly lose to Sheng Xiong!? Just by name alone, he's already lost! It's fate!"
"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted among the crowd! Who knew Jinghe could be so amusing!
The next morning, everyone in the Entire Unit noticed a strange phenomenon. One of our Allies' companies took nearly two hours during morning exercises to complete one hundred push-ups, one hundred single-leg squats, one hundred sit-ups, duck-walked one hundred meters, and then ran ten kilometers around the unit! What was most astonishing was that their Company Commander duck-walked one hundred meters all by himself!
This situation left everyone amazed; they praised this Unit endlessly because they assumed every team trained like this! Even while visiting Allies Base, they maintained high standards for themselves. In reality, only the Special Operations Unit and our company knew that this was all part of a bet made by all personnel from Tiger Head Company!
At this point, you might think this matter ended here; however, that was not the case. The Allies' troops were stationed here for three days before continuing south after replenishing supplies and resting. But before leaving, someone filed a complaint against me for provoking trouble and injuring an Allies warrior. Of course, it was Liu Chao's doing. Later on by chance, I learned that among the three Company Commanders from Tiger Camp—Tiger Head Company's Company Commander Liu Chao—nicknamed "Smiling Tiger," who excelled at backstabbing and reporting behind people's backs—along with "Cold Noodle Tiger" and "Roaring Tiger," were collectively known as Allies' "Three Fierce Tigers"!
Since the Allies had already departed, I had no way to appeal my case. The Commander went to a military district meeting; moreover, it was reported in front of the Political Commissar. Thus, I had no arguments left to make. The Political Commissar seized this opportunity to conduct a rectification within the Entire Unit. During the meeting, I faced criticism and had to reflect on my actions.
However, it was a mix of good and bad. Just after the Rectification Movement ended, an order was issued within the unit, and I was officially promoted from Acting Company Commander to Company Commander. At that time, I felt quite proud. Little did I know that there is a saying: "You can speed ahead, but you can't rush what's behind!" Years later, I would come to understand that life is indeed fair in its own way, or perhaps it is just full of twists and turns. It took me less than two years to rise from enlistment to Company Commander, but it took a full ten years to go from Company Commander to Deputy Regiment.
But that's a story for another time. Before I knew it, June had arrived, and the Water Training was at its most demanding phase. Our Unit performed well and had mastered many techniques in advance, so the training wasn't too much of a challenge for the soldiers.
The soldiers trained leisurely on the River Surface, wearing life jackets as if they were chatting in an office. Their calm and ordinary days were suddenly disrupted by the arrival of a bird.
It was a crow—specifically, a Raven. Yes, that's right, a Raven, also known as Raven or Rook (transliterated from Tibetan). The Eastern Asian species migrates, while the Tibetan subspecies is resident. The Raven is one of the larger members of the Crow Family and is the largest among Ravens, measuring about 60 centimeters in length. It has a robust beak and is entirely black with a purplish-blue metallic sheen. Its body is black with a shiny back. The beak is thick and can reach up to 85 millimeters in length, making it easy to distinguish from other crows.
In our country, Ravens are only found in the western and northern provinces. They are commonly seen in high mountain grasslands and forests, often active in open areas or near villages, scavenging around inhabited tents and abandoned livestock pens while following human and livestock migrations. They are aggressive and can attack domestic fowl and livestock; when encountering sick animals, they will gather in groups to peck at them until they die. They also prey on wild game and hunt rodents and other birds, favoring carrion and animal entrails. They are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, consuming both live prey and dead animals as well as fresh plant matter or scraps from garbage heaps. They can catch live chickens or raid nests of Red-Billed Choughs for chicks. I couldn't help but wonder why this Raven had appeared here.
At first, this Raven—excuse me for calling it a crow; I find it easier—would always perch high above us during training sessions, observing us with its large frame that caught the soldiers' attention.
For some reason, it seemed interested in our training too. Especially when we played music during practice; it would fly over the River Surface, circling around while cawing along with the melody.
Many soldiers were superstitious; they believed that crows were bad omens. So when the crow circled above other Units' Water Areas, some would use bamboo poles to scare it away or throw random objects at it. I didn't quite agree with this approach because I knew most crows liked scavenging for carrion and had keen senses; thus, when they appeared, death often followed. Initially, I thought this crow was attracted by dead fish in the river. So I advised the soldiers to ignore it—after all, it was just a bird; there was no need to make an enemy of it.
To my surprise, this crow eventually made its home at our training ground. Whenever we trained, it would fly overhead; sometimes it would caw loudly as if cheering us on. Some kind-hearted soldiers even brought food during breaks to toss into the boat for it to eat without hesitation.
As time passed, this Great Raven became familiar with everyone. It often played pranks on us; for instance, during training sessions, it would circle above while looking for a target to bomb with droppings. However familiar it became, whenever a soldier tried to approach it, it would still fly away with a cautious caw! I knew Ravens were among the smartest birds; they played roles in biblical stories like bringing food to Jesus’ tomb—symbolizing freedom. But that was just something I'd read; later I realized its intelligence was truly remarkable.
For example, during its first weekend with us when we weren't training—no one knew how it noticed this—it showed up above our Unit on the following weekend. I had someone get a bowl and tossed some leftover food from the soldiers onto the flat roof of the cafeteria; it didn't hesitate to finish everything!
Moreover, it seemed aware of our schedule; it never appeared during nap time or after lights out at night but was always present during other times—especially when soldiers gathered together. The funniest part was that whenever we assembled for announcements, if I started speaking, it would solemnly land on the second-floor railing above us as if inspecting its troops like a general surveying his army. Several times after finishing my speech without having announced dismissal yet, it would interject perfectly with "Caw caw caw!" as if summarizing or declaring that everyone could disperse—always eliciting laughter from everyone around me! With such a playful character around us, I could only shake my head helplessly.
I originally thought it was just a passing bird, but to my surprise, three weeks went by and it showed no signs of leaving. It seemed that it intended to settle down here.
My interest in it deepened on a cloudless training day. The sun hung high in the sky, its fiery warmth causing the River Surface to shimmer with mirages. During our break, everyone sought refuge in the shade, even the usually energetic crows were hiding in a cool spot to escape the heat.
Suddenly, a flurry of noise erupted from above! We looked up to see a flock of startled pigeons flying frantically in our direction. Their chaotic flight was filled with panic! Not far behind them, soaring higher, was a large bird closely pursuing them. "Wow, what kind of bird is that?! It's huge!" the soldiers exclaimed as they craned their necks to get a better look.
Is it an eagle or a falcon? I thought to myself as I shielded my eyes with my hand.
In the city, where could one possibly see a Raptor? Let alone witness one hunting; everyone was buzzing with excitement, eager to see how this Raptor would catch its prey.
I instinctively glanced at the Great Raven and noticed that it too was looking up at the sky from its shady spot, though it subtly shrank back, as if aware of the danger. After all, Raptors are not something to be trifled with.
(To be continued, more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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