Chapter 146 - The Middle of the Self-Rescue Operation
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Three days later, on Broken Cliff Mountain.
One group after another of soldiers were rushing towards the hill.
Sifusco stood next to the group of soldiers, as he commanded them to dig the tunnel.
Just then, a soldier walked up and spoke to Sifusco.
“Captain, you should go into the sentry tower and rest. You have been standing outside for eight hours. If you continue like this, your body will not be able to take it!”
Sifusco ignored the soldier’s words and continued to direct the soldiers who were digging ahead of him.
Suddenly, Sifusco’s feet began to tremble uncontrollably.
When the soldier saw Sifusco in this state, he could not help but shed tears.
Then, he continued, “Captain! Your body is the essence of the revolution! You must not fall! You must go back and rest! Please, I beg you!”
The soldier then fell to his knees with a thud.
When Sifusco saw this, he tried to pull him up.
At the same time, the soldier continued to speak as his tears continued to flow.
“Captain, if you don’t go back, I won’t get up!”
Seeing this, Sifusco finally opened his mouth and said to him.
“Why are you doing this?”
After Sifusco had finished speaking, the ten soldiers who were digging the low hill also spoke up.
“Captain, if you don’t go back and rest now, we won’t dig anymore either!”
Seeing this, Sifusco became a little angry. He opened his mouth to address the crowd.
“What time do you think this is now? Do you still dare to show your temper in such a childish way with me? Do you think you are really doing this for my good?”
The crowd had never seen Sifusco become so emotional before.
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
They stood frozen to the spot, feeling at a loss at what to do.
Upon seeing this, Sifusco continued, “If you really care about me, then hurry up and dig out this tunnel. That’s the key!
“I have the most say with regards to my own body! Do you really think that I want to die here?”
After everyone heard Sifusco’s words, they returned to their initial state.
The soldier who had been kneeling on the ground slowly stood up with Sifusco’s help.
Then, he asked again.
“Captain! Are you really alright?”
Sifusco glared at the soldier.
Then, he said, “If I was about to die, would I still have the strength to speak?”
When the soldier saw this, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and continued to speak.
“Captain, when you feel tired, you must remember to go back and rest!”
Sifusco looked at him and nodded, then signaled for him to return to the sentry tower.
The soldier then walked back towards the sentry tower.
In fact, Sifusco’s condition had already deteriorated a little by now.
However, this was only the beginning of the excavation work. How could there be no one around to command them?
Three days later, a thick layer of ice had formed on the hill.
The vanguard team did not have any professional tools to cut through the ice and dig.
They just used their own weapons to cut through the thick layer of ice, bit by bit.
What made it more difficult was that there were still many stones on the hill.
These stones had completely frozen together with the soil.
It was impossible to separate the stones from the soil simply by carrying them.
Thus, the soldiers could only dig a little at a time.
Also, they could not be overly fast.
If they dug into ice that had not completely frozen yet, all their efforts would be in vain.
Sifusco stood to the side, continuously commanding the soldiers who were digging ahead.
The digging had already been going on for eight hours.
During these eight hours, they had only managed to dig a small hole in the low hill.
According to Sifusco’s calculations, the snow that was blocking the road in front of them was about twenty meters long.
At their current speed, even if they kept digging for a month, they would not be able to reach halfway.
Sifusco was in deep thought about the follow-up work as he continued to direct the excavation ahead.
He wished that the progress could be faster.
They could be more efficient.
However, things had not gone as planned.
The snow in the sky was getting thicker and heavier these days.
It was hard to imagine what it would be like in a few days’ time.
Sifusco did not dare to tell the soldiers about his findings.
If he told them the whole truth, it would be a heavy blow to their confidence.
At the moment, Sifusco could only hide everything he knew and continue to command the digging soldiers.
This was everyone’s hope.
The flame of hope had finally been ignited and Sifusco vowed never to allow the flame to be extinguished.
…
Time flew by and night finally fell.
The excavation work had been going on for 12 hours.
Sifusco could clearly feel that he had exhausted his physical strength.
So, he called over a soldier that he trusted and gave him some instructions on the excavation.
He accompanied him on the outside for an hour, before he finally returned to the sentry tower.
Sifusco could feel that his entire body had been invaded by a severe chill.
Even when he had returned to the warm sentry tower, his whole body was filled with a bone-piercing chill.
Just then, a large group of soldiers approached Sifusco.
They were holding the rations that they had saved in their hands.
Then, one of the soldiers opened his mouth to speak to Sifusco.
“Captain! It’s been an entire day. Please eat something!”
Sifusco looked at him and forced a smile before saying.
“I’m not hungry. You guys should eat!”
“Captain! You’ve been standing outside for a whole day and you haven’t eaten anything. If this continues, your body won’t be able to take it!”
Sifusco wanted to defend himself, but suddenly, his stomach started to growl.
When the soldiers heard that, they quickly stuffed the food in their hands into Sifusco’s hands.
Then, they said, “Captain! You mustn’t fall down! Please eat these quickly!”
“Then, what about you?”
Sifusco asked.
The soldiers smiled at Sifusco and said, “We’re not hungry, Captain! Besides, we’ve already eaten!”
Sifusco looked at the people in front of him in silence.
Sifusco had always been a calm and reserved person, but now, he could not help his eyes from becoming moist.
Suddenly, a soldier rushed in from outside the sentry tower and shouted loudly.
“Captain! Captain! Look what I found!”