Rich, Rhine Metal; poor, Rhine Steel. 30

Chapter 30: The Boss is Always the Boss! (First Update!)

Lin Yu reached out and shook hands with Al-A bila, giving it a couple of shakes before turning to climb out of the tunnel via the ladder.

He replaced the wooden board covering the tunnel entrance, and the kind old lady enthusiastically led the group back to her house.

In the simple courtyard, two small tables had already been set up, laden with local specialties—authentic beef ban mian! (A type of noodle soup)

On the snowy-white noodles was a generous helping of beef sauce, stir-fried with scallions, evenly distributed across the bowl and garnished with more scallions.

There was only one word to describe it:

Delicious!

Lin Yu squatted on the ground, holding his bowl and eating heartily. The old man who had cooked the meal came over with a bowl of liquor, squatting down beside him and saying:

“Not enough? There’s more in the pot, eat as much as you want!”

“Young man, when are you planning to film this movie? Are you going to film it here? Need any extra hands?”

“How much do you pay day laborers?”

A few sentences had rendered Lin Yu speechless!

He had underestimated the locals’ eagerness to make money!

His offhand excuse now required further explanation. To cover his embarrassment, he quickly lowered his head and ate his noodles with gusto.

At this moment, Al-A bila leaned in to help Lin Yu out of the awkward situation.

“We’re planning to film abroad. It’s a foreign story, but their tunnels are gone. We heard there are some here, so we came.”

“Actually, before coming, I was always curious how ordinary people used tunnels to outmaneuver vicious enemies!”

“Now I understand! I have to thank you! For preserving this historical site for us!”

“Thank you!”

Overcome with emotion, Al-A bila put down her bowl and extended her hand to the old man.

The old man was a bit taken aback, but out of politeness, he extended his hand and shook Al-A bila’s.

But as soon as their hands met, his brow furrowed. He looked at the person in front of him, then turned to look at Lin Yu.

Frowning thoughtfully for a moment, he finally asked, “Young man, does this person often use guns?”

As he spoke, the old man’s expression grew increasingly serious.

He looked like he was ready to send these few people to the police station at the slightest provocation.

Al-A bila also withdrew her hand, staring blankly at the old man. After all these years traveling abroad,

it was rare for someone to be able to tell that he frequently handled firearms simply from a handshake.

Lin Yu continued to eat his noodles, explaining between bites, using his finger to point at Duerbi and the others:

“Palestinians. Because of America’s meddling, things are extremely chaotic there, so most people there are familiar with guns!”

After his explanation, he pulled out his student ID card, along with a letter of introduction he had gotten from his teacher.

Taking several foreigners out, he had naturally made preparations.

This was precisely what he had anticipated.

Seeing the name of the university on the student ID and the official red stamp, the old man nodded in satisfaction, returning the documents to Lin Yu.

Then, he sat down next to Lin Yu, picked up his liquor bowl, and poured himself a drink.

The liquor went down smoothly, and the old man let out a sigh. “That part of West Asia is indeed quite chaotic!”

“I just don’t understand why America keeps meddling there. I wonder when they’ll finally break that leg of theirs!” (Idiom expressing frustration with constant interference)

After expressing his sentiments, he finished his drink, stood up, and patted Lin Yu heavily on the shoulder. “If you have any questions about the tunnel, you can ask me!”

After the meal, the old man became their tour guide.

He even put on a green uniform with red epaulets.

Compared to the old lady, the old man was truly the boss. Many things the old lady couldn’t explain clearly were transformed into practical training exercises by the old man.

“Tunnel and trench warfare requires learning to let the enemy guess!”

“If a place is likely to be ambushed, the enemy will certainly be cautious!”

“But if something appears that would interfere with an ambush, the enemy will think that place is safe! They will come in proactively!”

“That’s when you can hit them hard! Hit them until they’re dead!”

“So, being chased into a tunnel is not scary, the main thing is to make them fear the tunnel!”

“As soon as they think about the tunnel, they think of the plight of their comrades, and people will unconsciously become afraid!”

“Hit them hard a few times, hit them until they hurt, and they won’t dare enter the tunnel anymore!”

“They will only dare to fight on the surface. At that point, the effectiveness of tunnel warfare becomes apparent!”

“Everyone isn’t on the same line, they can’t do anything to you, and you can sneak attack them!”

“Also, in tunnel warfare, you must learn to set traps, especially landmines!”

“One is active deployment, using landmines to force people into a trap you’ve set! It’s called ‘driving pigs into the pot’!”

“‘That’s called ‘luring the enemy into an ambush’,” Lin Yu corrected the old man.

The old man rolled his eyes and continued his explanation:

“At that point, the enemy is at your mercy!”

“The second type is passive deployment, which requires courage and meticulousness!”

“If the enemy has been badly bombed, they will certainly place their own landmines!”

“The moment they finish placing their mines, you replace them with your own, and aren’t they done for?”

“But this requires experience. I don’t recommend you learn it!”

With that, the old man lifted his shirt, pointing to a scar on his waist. “Look! This is what I got doing that!”

Under the old man’s guidance, the group explored the tunnel until evening. They stayed at the old man’s house that night.

Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), Al-A bila finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask.

“Why did this old man, knowing we were Palestinians, stop asking questions and become so detailed in his explanations of the tunnel?”

Lin Yu was leaning against the window writing notes. Hearing this question, he didn’t speak but got off the kang, went out of the room, and soon returned with a newspaper.

A very well-preserved newspaper.

But the date was May 9, 1999.

Placing the newspaper on the table, Lin Yu turned back, his gaze fixed on the Arab man in front of him and explained:

“Because we have a common enemy, even if he didn’t know you, even if this is your first time here, he would be willing to help you.”

“Otherwise, you would be in the police station right now, preparing to undergo a major memory restoration treatment!” (A sarcastic reference to potential interrogation)

As he spoke, he put down the newspaper, pointing to the main headline.

There, was a news article!

[NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia yesterday!]

Seeing this news, Al-A bila fell silent.

Even his breathing became heavy.

After a long time, he bowed deeply through the door towards the room where the old man lived.

“Thank you!”

They spent a silent night. The next morning, the old man personally drove his tractor to take the group to the train station.

Boarding the train, listening to the chugging sound of the train, the group continued southward.

They arrived at Lanling Train Station at midnight.

Fortunately, Lin Yu had called ahead, and Luo Ping was already waiting outside Lanling Train Station with his car.

It was still cold at midnight after the beginning of the lunar New Year, and a wind was blowing.

But seeing Lin Yu emerge from the train station, along with the foreigners behind him, those in the truck…

Instantly, they felt warm.

“Factory Manager! Over here!”

“Come, come! Drink some ginger tea to warm up! Here are some blankets, don’t freeze!”

At midnight, the people from Rhine Steel had not yet gone to sleep, waiting until the departing truck reappeared.

Only after they saw several foreigners get off the truck did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
(End of Chapter)

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