【Summer Five】Iron City Wall

In the cramped and dim work room, Wang Laoer slumped on the back of the chair, slowly sipping the leftover tea from the day before yesterday.File bags and newspapers were scattered at his feet, and a letter lay quietly on the desk in front of him.

The letter hadn't been opened yet, but the wax seal was a thorn bird with outspread wings. It was red, mellow and hot, almost burning.

"Hey, these noble gentlemen, how did you find someone to come here?" Wang Er Er didn't even look at it, and muttered and put the letter aside.He took out a pack of hard cigarettes from the drawer, shook the cigarette butt, and found that it hadn't been damp, so he went to the lighter and "clicked" it to light it.

Letting the nicotine fill the airpipe with enjoyment, the old man curled up on the large solid wooden chair and smoked, feeling very happy.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"A guest is coming!" The piercing sound of the tablet echoed in the service room, "A guest is coming!"

Wang Laoer stepped into the flip-flops, dragged them to the door, and slowly opened the door.

"Uncle Wang! Did you just come back?"

The brown-haired young man outside the door was carrying a paper bag, the corners of his mouth drooped, and he said apologetically, "Ann needs help, I'm afraid I have to trouble you to go out again."

Wang Lao Er exhaled while holding the cigarette, and Jonny quickly covered his eyes with his hands, and coughed helplessly in the smoke.

"Okay, that kid has never stopped sending people." Wang Er Er pinched out his cigarette, and put on the leather jacket on the back of the chair. "where to?"

"No. [-] Furnace—A few friends want to get to know each other."

After crossing more than half of the urban area, Jonny arrived at the second factory in Wang's second jeep, which was about to be scrapped, and stopped at the entrance of the living area.

It was a day like any other, the streetlights flickering on and off, the factory's tall, black chimneys rising toward the dome, merging into the intertwined darkness overhead.There is a small courtyard in the dormitory area of ​​a remote factory, where there are piles of discarded building materials, most of which are rusty and covered with reddish-brown dirt.

Wang Laoer stepped into the gate and saw two young people sitting on a section of the exhaust pipe talking from a distance.They probably found something in the pile of scraps, they looked focused and chatted quite deeply.

Wang Lao Er, who thought he was old and dim-sighted, squinted his eyes and saw the silver-haired man holding a coin-sized chip in his hand, talking non-stop, as if he was inspired by this thing.The black-haired boy opposite him listened quietly, his gaze was always on his companion's face, the smiles in his black eyes almost burst, like the wind kissing a fallen leaf.

After looking at it for a long time, the old man always felt that the more he looked at it, the more familiar he looked.

While thinking, they had already arrived at the courtyard, and their footsteps crushed the quiet atmosphere.Xia You almost immediately retracted her gaze and raised her head vigilantly.Calmness and smoothness spread out from the bottom of the eyes, and melted into a mask on the surface of the smile, extinguishing the turbulent and burning undercurrent.

"This is one of the most reliable intermediaries in Dakong, Wang's second child." Jonny stepped forward quickly, and introduced to the two with a smile: "Just call him Uncle Wang."

Xia You pulled Wutiao to stand up, and said hello politely: "Please take care of me, Uncle Wang."

As soon as the words fell, the three of them were all taken aback.

"The porter of the pier!"

"The kid who sneaks in to do homework all day!"

They pointed at each other, dumbfounded.

Johnny didn't know why, and before he could ask, the three of them laughed out loud at the same time as if deflated.

"I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it." Wang Laoer wiped his tears with a smile, "I said who would be so reckless to come to the big hole, it was you——only you can do it!"

Xia You also smiled relaxedly: "We didn't expect to meet you; besides, it's not for no reason, and the responsibility has to be blamed on Fantasia. You see, you have to find a way to go back here, not to mention delaying your studies." no?"

"Don't worry, since I'm here, I'm sure I can pack it up and take it out for you. But this is the time..." Wang Lao Er rubbed his chin and pondered, waved his hand to the nervous Xia You, and explained: "Is the safest route right?" So hurry up and get ready, it will probably take half a year. We old fritters usually go out in the dark, the safety factor is too low, and we will be caught if we are not careful."

"It's okay, we can afford to wait for half a year." Xia You breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head and asked Wutiao: "What do you say?"

"Secondary." Wutiao shrugged, "It's quite interesting here, have you forgotten what you found just now?"

He weighed the chip in his hand, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

Jonny stood by the side for a long time, and finally came to his senses: "You guys know each other? What a coincidence, I want to say..."

Wang Laoer shook a cigarette in front of him, and said in a very happy tone: "No, these two little bastards are considered to be the big ones in my eyes. Drill where you should go, and cause trouble."

"You will be buried now." Xia You said helplessly, "Isn't it just that you can't be idle? I have bothered you a lot before, and I haven't thanked Uncle Wang for not caring about us."

"Two unruly brats? What are you afraid of? You think I'm a good citizen? In the past, my old king's country emphasized that 'meeting is fate'. It's really lucky to see you two here. I am happy myself, so naturally I can help a little more!"

They chatted briefly for a while, and the atmosphere was rarely relaxed.Wutiao interjected a few words from time to time, and most of the time, he looked at Wang Laoer and Johnny through the sunglasses, with an expression between indifference and plainness.

Only when Xia You speaks, he will slightly subdue the faint but deep sense of boredom, revealing a bit of agility and freshness.

Wang Laoer thinks that since he will stay here for another month, it is better to live in a place with a better environment.He told Xia You that he happened to know a good job, which was near the NO.13 furnace. If they could seize the opportunity, they might be able to find a place to live in the most prosperous area of ​​the Big Hollow.

"Anyway, there will never be anything worse than here, so it's okay to try." Xia You agreed decisively.He always has confidence in himself and Wujo. When it comes to work that requires brains, I'm afraid nothing can stump them.

Seeing their resolute attitude, Wang Laoer immediately decided to leave.He beckoned the boys to get into the car, and Johnny volunteered to be the driver, and the group drove away, leaving the No. [-] furnace and the exhaust behind.

Along the way, the engine sounded like a blowing bellows, and Wang Er Er had to raise his voice to talk to them.

"You guys actually found a job in the arena?" He was surprised, "It's amazing, not everyone can go to that place."

"Ann told me!" Jonny finally found a topic he knew, and continued happily: "He said that Xiayou and Wutiao are both very good at hitting, and they knocked down the stake in two or three hits."

Wujo was indifferent, and turned the sunglasses into a fan with his index finger.Xia You distractedly looked at him to prevent the delicate eyepieces from being scratched on the ground; while responding to the conversation between the two people in the front seat: "It's nothing more than a little cleverness, it's not that exaggerated. It's Johnny, why would you think of organization?" Rebels?"

He asked plainly, as if asking someone "Have you had breakfast?"

Sure enough, it took only a few minutes for Jonny to organize his words, and he immediately answered without hesitation: "We are there when someone needs us. Ann just had this idea. He said that if he could find motivation and goals for everyone, it would be a The greatest thing a man can do — he's always right, so I'm rooting for him."

Wang Laoer rolled down the car window, leaned out and smoked a cigarette.He frowned, as if reluctant to hear them talk about the subject.

"What... are you fighting against?" Xia You continued to ask, "I don't mean to question, I'm just curious."

The car was quiet for a moment, and the atmosphere was a little stagnant.The old man of the co-pilot pouted, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.The sunglasses returned to the five bridges of the nose, and he half-opened his eyes casually, but his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the seat and burn a hole in Johnny's body.

"Well, Ann used to say 'we're at war with the regime and the system, and it's going to be a long war, but we're going to see the light.' He can't be wrong, but to me, 'stand by him' It was redemptive in itself. If I had to say it, I was fighting my nature — like a prehistoric human trying to fight his predatory instinct.”

Johnny still spoke softly, but his tone was firm.He stomped on the gas pedal and tapped the steering wheel with his right thumb, seemingly delighted with the idea he had put into words.

Unexpected answer.Xia You was stunned, and had some changes in his attitude towards this usually kind brown-haired young man.

The car passed the buffer zone, and the familiar deceleration sound sounded again outside the window.The smell of cigarettes on Wang Laoer's body slowly diffused in the car, mixing with the leather seats to create an indescribably astringent smell of iron.

Like this world smelling of motor oil driven by countless gears.

"I understand." Xia You said, "Forgive me for not agreeing with it, but it is indeed a tenable point of view."

Johnny nodded, and said cheerfully, "It's okay".Wang Laoer turned his head and sighed, not knowing whether it was happiness or worry.

The invisible rope gathered around Johnny's neck was slowly released, and disappeared in the whistling wind passing by the car body.Just because the person who set up the rope looked away—seeing the sincere smile on Xia You's lips, Wutiao lowered his eyes and went to fiddle with the chip by himself.

Fortunately, Johnny was quite considerate and didn't say anything he shouldn't have said.

Wutiao thought so without saying a word.

The jeep drove past the all-white arena, struggling to move through the crowds.The NO.13 furnace was extremely crowded during the day, and the car was stuck in traffic for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the "good place" that Wang Lao Er said.

Under the high lights, a semi-open factory is surrounded by reinforced concrete.The workers who are hammering the drive armor are separated between the units. Various forging facilities stand in the passageway, ranging from rough to fine; Steam, the four walls are wrapped in an alloy film, showing pure iron gray.

In the center of the factory is a centralized reactor with a height of six or seven meters.The reaction machine is filled with driving fluid, and the viscous crystal blue liquid flows counterclockwise, and is slowly coated with a layer of blazing red as the temperature rises.

Being in it, even the breath is filled with the smell of steel.Everyone understands very clearly that when the precision machinery reacts violently with the sparks emanating from the electric drill, a force strong enough to push the iron city wall will erupt brazenly.

Xia You could barely move.He looked around, his eyes were attracted by the pressurizer in operation, and he could barely move away.Wutiao was not much better, he kept staring at the equipment, and was so greedy that he was about to touch it.

For the two who have been immersed in driven armor all year round and regard it as their only pleasure, this factory is like a secret room where giant dragons pile up gold and silver treasures.Theory and practice are beckoning to them, and even the slight smell of engine oil is intoxicating.

Wang Laoer is well aware of this.He stepped in the door and grinned:

"Young people, welcome to the blacksmith shop."