Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 358 War Support +50%
July 14th.

Fort Benning, Georgia, USA.

The temperature is abnormally hot.

The camp's loudspeaker was playing Elvis Presley's country songs, the volume fluctuating.

The soldiers lined up and entered the mess hall one by one.

Eli, carrying his tray, followed at the very back of the crowd.

Today's breakfast included half an extra egg compared to usual.

A few white recruits ahead were laughing and joking with each other.

He only glanced at them a couple of times, and was immediately teased.

"Look there, the black guy has finally decided to get out of bed."

The man had a loud voice; everyone around him could hear him.

Eli didn't say anything, looking down at the tips of his shoes.

When the man saw that his teasing had not elicited the expected reaction, his expression immediately turned cold.

"Watkins, I heard you're slow?" he said sarcastically.

"Anyway, those jungle monkeys can't see you at night."

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted.

The cook was scooping beans at the window, pretending not to hear.

Eli remained motionless.

But Leonard, who was also Black, couldn't hold back.

"Are you ever going to stop?" he shouted.

Upon hearing this, the man was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"What did you say?!" He narrowed his eyes and took half a step forward.

Leonard was not intimidated and stood up straight.

“I said, I told you to shut up,” he repeated, emphasizing each word.

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Someone nearby gave a soft whistle.

"Hey, the Knight of Mississippi is showing his might."

Another one followed suit:
"Hey, watch out, he might be hiding a sickle."

The cook coughed twice and slowed down his scooping motion.

"Relax, shine, nobody's hurtin' ya."

The white man said it casually, which sounded more like a provocation.

"We were just joking, why are you being so sensitive?"

"You—"

Leonard's voice changed, and he clenched his fists, ready to strike.

Eli reacted quickly, grabbing his arm and saying, "Never mind."

"No, they fucking—"

“Lenny, think about how the sergeant will treat you. Calm down, buddy.”

Leonard stood stubbornly in place, staring intently at the white man.

A few seconds passed.

The white people were the first to lose interest.

"What a fucking boring bunch of black bastards."

He spat and turned back to his table.

“Let’s go,” Eli whispered, “please.”

Leonard's chest was still heaving violently, and his body was trembling slightly.

“They’re always like that,” Eli added. “Don’t get yourself involved.”

Laughter broke out again not far away.

Several white men started fooling around again.

The cooks packed up their things and walked past them.

Finally, Leonard's shoulders relaxed inch by inch.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said nothing.

Eli and he walked silently to the back, past row after row of long tables.

People were eating and chatting at every seat, and the sounds of things bumping into each other were constant.
No one looked at them directly, but their scrutinizing gazes felt like thorns in their backs.

Eli found a spot against a wall in the black neighborhood.

He put the plate down.

Leonard sat down as well.

“One day, I’ll break his nose,” he said bitterly.

“I know,” Eli swallowed a mouthful of broken bacon, “but not today.”

The noise grew louder and louder.

Racist curses were heard incessantly.

It seems they were deliberately letting them hear.

Leonard put down his fork, stood up for half a second, and then sat down again.

"This place should be burned down."

"."

Eli turned his head.

The sunlight outside the window was blinding, and dust swirled in the air. The next second, the television suddenly switched on.

The host's face appeared after the snowflakes.

Good morning, everyone. This is NBC Morning News.

"A series of serious explosions occurred in Saigon, the capital of Vietnam, early this morning."

"Initial reports indicate that at least five locations were attacked."

"Including the U.S. Embassy in South Vietnam and the South Vietnamese National Defense Committee office building."

The noise in the restaurant gradually subsided.

In the end, only deathly silence remained.

The screen flickered a few times, then a black and white image appeared.

Thick smoke billowed from the streets as ambulances drove through the ruins.

"The last explosion occurred at 8:12 a.m.

"Several U.S. diplomats and advisors were killed in the attack."

"Initial estimates suggest the death toll is over twenty."

"What you see in the picture is the severely damaged Ministry of Finance building."

"According to witnesses, the air smelled of fuel after the explosion."

In the footage, several bodies covered with white sheets are being lifted onto stretchers.

The arm that dangled down was a bloody mess.

An Asian woman nearby was crying her heart out, nearly fainting.

"The president will address the nation on television tonight to respond to the incident."

"The White House spokesperson said this is a challenge to the free world."

"We will take all measures to protect the safety of our citizens and allies."

Snapped.

The TV is off.

The hall remained quiet.

A few seconds later, someone let out a long sigh of relief.

"Damn it, this is really going to be a war."

"I've been waiting for this day to feed the jungle savages some bullets."

Leonard's jaw tightened.

He looked at the loudest people and whispered, "Crazy."

Eli wiped his mouth with a tissue, instinctively reaching for his notebook to write something.

But he quickly remembered that the item had been torn up in front of everyone on the first day of recruit camp.

He sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but think of the rejection letter.

If I went to university—

Perhaps everything will be different.

Maybe nothing will change.

So he raised his head and said solemnly, "I have to write something."

Leonard was taken aback.

"Write what?"

"Write about today. Today is a day that should be recorded."

He paused for a moment, then smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe it will be printed someday, so that we can keep a memento of this period."

“They won’t let you publish, Eli,” Leonard said.

Eli shrugged: "Then write it for yourself."

Just then, the restaurant door was suddenly pushed open.

Someone shouted, "Attention!"

The chairs were all dragged backward in unison.

Everyone stood up as if by reflex.

A captain walked in, his uniform impeccably tailored and his cap brim on.

"Listen carefully—" He glanced around briefly, his expression indifferent.

"Ten minutes later, everyone assemble on the playground, fully armed. No exceptions."

“Carry on.”

The lieutenant said this and turned to leave.

Neither of them made the first move.

After a good ten seconds, the clinking sound of the tray started again.

"Where do you think we'll land?" Leonard leaned closer.

Eli shook his head.

"Saigon? Or maybe further south. I've never heard of any of those names."

“I heard it; the instructor said last week that there are rivers everywhere. There are rivers everywhere.”

"That means they need people to fill in the riverbed."

Leonard pursed his lips and thought for a while.

How long do you think it will last?

"Who knows. Three months, or maybe three years, but we're engineers."

(End of this chapter)