Diamonds

In the next week, the newcomers began to get sick one after another.

Diarrhea and fever caused by unclean water and food spread among the newcomers.Someone kept pulling all night. There is no so-called toilet in the air-raid shelter. All defecation and defecation are done on the spot. The sour smell of excrement and vomit in the room lingers for a long time.

Some people have a fever that makes them unable to get up the next day. The soldiers will give a white tablet the size of a thumb, which can reduce fever and stop diarrhea, but not everyone can be effective. Some people still pass out in the river.

Zheng Ke was the first to suffer from diarrhea, and his delicate stomach could not adapt to the water in Africa at all.Xie Qiuqi was worried that he would have a fever, but the young master miraculously survived the night and continued to eat, drink and work the next day.He lost weight at an alarming rate, his cheeks were almost sunken, and he talked less and less. Sometimes when he returned to the air-raid shelter, he would just sleep in a daze without saying anything.

The weather also got bad.It is raining more and more. Angola is in the rainy season in October. Once it rains, it is like turning on the faucet and you can't stop it.Often the miners had to finish their day's work in the rain, and some of them would have a fever at night, and the only child among them was so sick.The mother knelt down and begged the dog for a little fever-reducing medicine, but the child didn't survive the night.The mother was also found dead on the bed the next day, hitting her head against the wall and dying.

Xie Qiuqi was still thinking about how to let the shepherd dog assign him to deliver the goods.

He also found a few diamonds, all of which were small in weight, all under three carats.The first one was dug in a river ditch. After the mud covering the surface was cleaned, milky white crystals peeled off. If you didn’t look closely, you thought it was just ordinary white gravel. He wasn’t sure if it was real, so he gave it to the shepherd dog, the shepherd dog I took a photo with a highlighter and put it in a small tin can.

After the second and third times, apart from the novelty, Xie Qiuqi and the Shepherd Dog haven't had a serious conversation yet.Obviously, finding diamonds is not enough, we need to do something else that other miners cannot do, such as Xing Zhifei can blast and divert water, so that he can stand out from the crowd and make the shepherd dog stand out from the crowd.

When it was almost noon, Xie Qiuqi suddenly felt a change in the water flow.

Someone shouted: "The tide is rising! Run—"

Xie Qiuqi felt bad and hurried to the river bank.The silt on the river bed was already soft and slippery, and one had to be careful when walking, but it was even thicker and more tangled at this time. It was difficult for him to walk, and the mud wrapped around his feet like a layer of boots.

Zheng Ke stood closer to the river beach, one foot had already landed on the bank, and he stretched out his hand to him: "Come up quickly."

Xie Qiuqi climbed up and finally escaped.Several old miners greeted them to help carry the pans.The thing was heavy and wet, and it was difficult to hold. It took five people to lift it together.

They went to the high ground, and a cry came from behind: "Help—help me—"

A young miner was washed to the middle of the river before he could go ashore in time, and the turbulent river slowed down to his stomach in the blink of an eye.He threw away all the tools, raised one hand, and held a newly found diamond on his fingertips: "I have diamonds, save me! Save me!"

The soldiers and miners were a little at a loss now.The high tide of the river is no small matter. The waves are big and turbulent, and the water level will rise rapidly in seconds. If people are caught in the waves, they will be helpless. , I couldn't exert any strength at all, so I could only be taken away.Once it is swept away, it may be difficult to find it back.

But this person has a diamond in his hand, maybe the carat is quite large, so it is very valuable to save.

The shepherd dog was the most anxious and yelled: "Go and save people! Go and get that diamond back!"

No one dared to move.

Suddenly a figure swayed across the river beach, grabbed two plastic vats for storing water, and left.The shepherd dog was taken aback, only to see Xie Qiuqi emptied and sealed the two barrels, tied them together with a thick rope, and handed one end of the rope to Zheng Ke.

"Grab it firmly." He took off his shirt and plunged into the water with the plastic bucket.

Zheng Ke still wanted to tell him not to go, he had already turned into a splash.He stomped his feet anxiously, and his heart jumped into his throat.Seeing this, Xing Zhifei called several old miners to help Zheng Ke pull the rope together. The impact of the river was so strong that several people managed to keep from being washed away.

Xie Qiuqi in the water moved forward slowly and with difficulty, ups and downs involuntarily, and was hit by big waves just after he emerged, but the buoyancy of the evacuated bucket was very good, and he could still float when he tied the bucket to his arm.

It was very bad for the trapped one, the river water did not reach his chest, he managed to grab a weeping branch of a tree on the bank with both hands, the river behind him suddenly stood up, opened his huge body and made a tiger pounce , the person was completely swallowed together with the weeping branch.

Zheng Ke's face darkened, and he shouted at Xie Qiuqi: "Qiuqi! Come back! It's too dangerous!"

The only answer was the roar of the waves, and Xie Qiuqi had disappeared.The plastic barrels were still exposed to the water, making the miners dumbfounded.

What about people?How could it be washed away in the blink of an eye?

Zheng Ke rushed into the water without thinking, Xing Zhifei grabbed him and scolded him angrily: "What are you doing? Are you going to take your life to get in?"

Zheng Ke's face was pale, his hands were bleeding from the rough hemp rope, and it was painful to rush through the flood.Jingtao splashed water on his face, coldly, as if slapping him, the feeling of being held down by Zheng Shihua in the office and pointing a gun at him came back.

They stood in a stalemate for about half a minute, but there was no movement on the water.The stronger the impact of the flood, the older miners were about to lose their balance and wanted to give up, so they pulled the plastic bucket back.Zheng Ke remained motionless, and Xing Zhifei was also unwilling: "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer."

For nearly a minute, Zheng Ke's eyes were already red.Suddenly, the plastic bucket sank, as if the fishing float was moving, and then something at the end pulled it down, and Xie Qiuqi broke through the water!

He dragged the drowned and unconscious young miner in his hand, tied the noose of the plastic barrel around the miner's neck, and began to transition towards the shore.

Someone cheered, and even a few soldiers showed unconscious smiles on their faces.Xie Qiuqi was so embarrassed that he seemed to be exhausted, he couldn't even stand on the shore, and sat slumped on the ground.Xing Zhifei wanted to help him, but he shook his head and pointed to the drowning miner, indicating that saving people was more important.

But the shepherd dog separated the crowd, drove away Zheng Ke who was about to do compressions, and went to find diamonds in the hands and mouths of the miners.Nothing was found: "Where are the diamonds?" After confirming that there were really no diamonds, he threw the miner down in disgust, and issued a new order: "Next time this happens, no one is allowed to go into the water to save people!"

Zheng Ke was very angry: "He is a human life, without him, who will dig those broken diamonds for you?"

The shepherd's face changed suddenly, and he was about to draw his gun.Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind, and a small shiny stone fell into the palm of his hand—Xie Qiuqi made no secret of the disgust on his face: "Your diamond."

Although the diamond is not big, it is pink in color and can be seen in light. It has gem value at first glance.Moreover, the price of pink diamonds has always been higher than that of ordinary diamonds. Even if the carat is not large, it is still a big fortune for this small mining area.

Many newcomers at the scene saw Pink Diamond for the first time, and they rushed to look at it.The shepherd turned angrily, and rolled his eyes with a smile.

Only Xie Qiuqi walked out of the crowd.A voice told him to stop, and he turned his head impatiently.

The shepherd dog held the diamond: "You are very brave and capable. You can think of using a bucket as a lifebuoy."

Xie Qiuqi satirized him: "I am a fisherman. I grew up by the water. I have seen more drowning people than you may have seen dead people."

The shepherd dog didn't care: "You helped me save a diamond, thank you."

Xie Qiuqi didn't want to say anything more, so he walked away from him.

At dinner that day, the black woman who delivered the food took out a greased paper package from her pocket and threw it to Xie Qiuqi alone, smiling at him.

It contained half a roast chicken, which was probably the sheepdog's "thank you gift".

Xie Qiuqi gave half of the roast chicken to Zheng Ke, and the two enjoyed their first meat meal in Africa.

"I don't want to wait anymore, let's go early." Xie Qiuqi said.

Zheng Ke knew that he was affected by the drowning incident: "Can... can I walk away?"

Xie Qiuqi didn't know what to do.But if you don't try it, how will you know if you can walk or not? Anyway, staying here will have no way out.Even if he was lucky enough to stay for three years, he was still executed by Zheng Shihua in the end.Go, maybe there is still a glimmer of life.

"Think of a way to snatch the car, force a soldier to hand over the car keys, and then drive away." Xie Qiuqi's plan was this way: "I'll discuss with Lao Xing to see if there is any way to find a chance for a soldier to be alone. Shepherd Isn’t the dog absent for one or two days occasionally, just take advantage of this time to attack, hurry up, if you and I drag Lao Xing, the three of us will definitely escape.”

Zheng Ke was a little worried about Xing Zhifei.Maybe he suffered a lot, and he became a little suspicious.A bum who came out of nowhere, who knew that he was going to give his life to others within a few days, Xie Qiu should not let others take advantage of him.

"What if he says it out? How do you know if he was testing you before? Those Africans may also secretly plant spies among the miners to keep an eye out for those who want to escape." Young Master Zheng said.

Xie Qiuqi glared at him: "Have you watched too much Infernal Affairs?"

Young Master Zheng pouted: "This man looks wretched, he doesn't look like a good person."

Xie Qiuqi laughed: "Childish. When you get old, it would be nice to have half the energy of someone else."

Based on Xing Zhifei's performance when saving people in high tide, he decided to take a gamble.

Xing Zhifei felt that he was too impulsive: "The car keys are usually carried by the shepherd dog. When it is time to deliver the goods, the shepherd dog will pick up the key and give it to the miner in charge of driving. When you return to the mining area, the key will be returned to the shepherd dog." .Even if you want to run during the delivery process, two soldiers with guns will follow at any time, and the car is also equipped with a positioning system. You drive it and let people know where you are.”

Xie Qiuqi sneered: "I use my hands to dig mines, and install a positioning system in the car. I really spent all my money wisely."

"These blacks are very smart. If they encounter policemen who are interrogating them on the road, they will sell the miners and slip away first. There have been two miners who encountered this kind of thing before. I don't know whether they died under the baton or in prison. Anyway. Impossible to be legally deported."

"The positioning system can be removed, and the keys can be stolen. It's not a problem. But you can't do it without a car."

"You have to steal from him, he doesn't trust anyone, including the soldiers."

Xie Qiuqi shrugged.He would still steal something, otherwise he would have spent a year in prison for nothing.

"I can be responsible for stealing things and dismantling the system, you are responsible for driving, you are familiar with the route down the mountain, as long as you go to a place where there are people, it will be easy. It is best to get two guns for self-defense, otherwise it will not be good in case of accidents deal with."

Xing Zhifei saw his determination: "If you can't escape, it's okay for Zheng Ke to say, you..."

Xie Qiuqi was very firm: "I want to try. Lao Xing, if you want to help me, you can help me. If you don't want to help me, I won't force you."

Xing Zhifei hesitated for a moment, then summoned up his courage and nodded: "I was alone in the past, and no one helped me. Now there are three people. Maybe the chance of success will be higher. I am willing to help you. But you have to promise me, don't be reckless, be calm action."

Xie Qiuqi cast a grateful look at him: "Thank you."

"Hey! You two! What are you talking about? Work hard!" The soldier on the high ground waved his gun and said, "If you talk again, I will shoot!"

These people only know to repeat "I have a gun in my hand", "I'm going to shoot", "I will kill you"... these few words, Xie Qiuqi was a little nervous when he first came here, but now A lot.

He gestured "OK" to the soldier perfunctorily, planning to discuss it during his lunch break.

Maybe it was the attitude that angered the soldier, he called them both: "You two come up!"

Xie Qiuqi didn't know why, so he washed the mud from his hands and walked ashore.Xing Zhifei deliberately blocked in front of him.

"I'm going to check to see if you have hidden anything," said the soldier haughtily.

The author says:

Someone is going to be unlucky :P