This ti, on the journey again, we didn’t take any transport.
Everyone hoisted their backpacks, and a lieutenant from the Beijing command unit led the way, marching briskly.
It was only about ten minutes or so.
"We’re almost there! Look, that’s the Bird’s Nest, the National Stadium! You all know it, right?" the lieutenant said, pointing to a structure ahead.
Everyone looked up.
Wow, it’s beautiful!
We had all seen the Bird’s Nest on TV, but actually seeing the oval-shaped side of the Bird’s Nest from not far away, we couldn’t help but marvel in amazent.
How in the world did they intertwine so much steel in such intricate patterns?
"Next to this is the Dragon shaped water system! The Olympic Park’s ice rink!"
"And here is Scenic Lake!"
Looking at the outdoor ice rink and the surrounding Olympic five-ring mascot flags, the soldiers started to discuss among themselves.
"The conditions here are pretty good, huh!"
"We’re stationed here? Isn’t this like reaching paradise?"
"Yeah, the environnt is too nice... and the air is comfortable!"
Fang Huai heard all this and couldn’t help but laugh.
It’s true that the heart changes with the surroundings. These guys who ca from the oxygen-rich Southwest, on reaching this area of Beijing, could actually praise the air quality.
Wait another two or three years when the PM2.5 will stuff up your noses.
When we reached our destination and walked into the entrance of the sunken garden, everyone was a bit taken aback.
The sunken garden was truly sunk.
Below ground.
Descending the non-operational escalator, the scenery vanished from view, and as we walked inside, we ca to understand just how spartan the conditions were.
On the way, the lieutenant who was guiding us had briefed us that this sunken garden, also known as the sunken plaza, was an underground leisure and shopping center.
It did seem quite leisurely.
A construction site.
It wasn’t built at all.
Construction materials were stacked everywhere and there were plastic barrels all over the ground.
The sll of building materials was also quite strong.
Upon entering, we heard a commotion inside.
"Report your personal equipnt situation!"
It seed like soone was reporting on equipnt.
"... handcuffs, individual combat gear! Radio! Earplug communicator! Handcuffs! Flash-bang and stun grenades! Two tear gas grenades! One high-explosive grenade! One Type 95 automatic rifle! One Type 92 handgun! One set of night-vision gear, report complete!"
"Sit!"
"Yes!"
Everyone was getting curious.
Is this really a military base?
One person carrying two guns!
Tsk tsk, wouldn’t it be great if they gave us one too?
The lieutenant led us to the source of the sound—a corridor not far from the exit.
The corridor was empty, the walls unfinished, and there was a row of rooms on each side, about a dozen or so, half of which had lights on.
"Counselor Hu, you all can stay in the rooms without lights. I’ll command the guys to move beds in for you later," said the lieutenant.
"Alright," Hu Peizhou agreed, and imdiately pointed to several rooms, giving orders, "According to your own number, 10 people per room, find a place to put your backpacks!"
"Yes!"
Everyone took their backpacks and entered the barren rooms, switching on the lights.
Next door, a lieutenant colonel ca out.
After noticing Hu Peizhou’s insignia, he saluted Hu and said, "Comrade, your team is..."
Hu Peizhou returned the salute, stepped forward for a handshake, and kept it brief.
"Firefighters! Stationed for duty."
The lieutenant colonel also smiled and said, "We are Internal Guard, sa as you."
Here, there was no need to disclose specific unit details.
While the two conversed outside, no one even peeked out of the rooms, which were now quiet and serene.
The Firefighters felt this calm and stopped talking, silently organizing their belongings.
Shortly after, Hu Peizhou went room by room to notify everyone to assemble in the hall outside the corridor.
When we stepped out of our rooms, we saw the lieutenant had returned, accompanied by two others, setting out a pile of black clothing and a stack of red badges on a workbench.
We quickly assembled.
Pointing to the workbench, Hu Peizhou said:
"Take one piece of clothing each! Those above 1.8 ters take the larger size, the rest are one-size-fits-all!
There’re numbers on the badges.
Later, co to to collect your photos and numbers, get your badge according to your number, stick it on your own tag, and hand it to Counselor Lin to laminate!
Also, report your shoe sizes in a mont!
Starting today, this uniform and your badge are your identities!
Green badges, for external security; red badges, for entry to the inner area; the number on your badge indicates your duty venue!
Tomorrow, comrades from the Beijing command unit will take you to get acquainted with your respective venues!
In this period, apart from familiarizing with your venues and carrying out inspections, you’ll also undergo so security and etiquette training, as well as participate in accompanying duty tasks! Of course, there will be regular physical training every day to keep you in top physical condition!
Olympic security is a task of the highest honor! Keep your eyes peeled, remain vigilant, and stay alert. You must not allow any mistakes in all the tasks you’re assigned, got it clear?"
"Understood!"
"Dismissed!"
Everyone swiftly approached the table to find clothing in their size.
Upon unwrapping the oil paper around the clothes, we were all surprised.
A black short-sleeve shirt and trousers.
The shirt had the Public Security Fire Brigade patch, a particularly large firefighting badge on the front, and the words "CHINESE FIREFIGHTING" and "CHINA FIRE" on the back.
It kind of resembled the special police uniform.
And a bit like a security guard uniform...
"I’ve never seen this uniform before, have I?"
The lieutenant laughed and said, "This is a special edition for Olympic security, a one-of-a-kind! Look, even the buttons bear our Firefighting logo! After security duties, this will be a gift to you, keep it as a rembrance of your participation in Olympic security!"
"Oh..."
When we heard this, those of us who thought the uniform looked sowhat ugly suddenly fell silent, treasuring the clothes in our hands.
This was a special honor indeed!
So also thought of the ard Internal Guard nearby and couldn’t help but excitedly ask:
"Captain Hu, do we have any other equipnt?"
Hu Peizhou’s lips curled up: "Yeah, didn’t I just ntion it? New boots."
Everyone’s mood imdiately darkened.
Rat-a-tat-tat.
The Air Force got new planes, the Navy got new warships, the Army got new armored vehicles, the People’s Ard Police got new boots.
People used to mock the Ard Police as "Leg Brother."
Now, finally, the wheel of fortune has turned in our direction.
The lieutenant chuckled: "Don’t say we don’t have guns anymore. Even other ard units aren’t allowed to carry them. This Big Team is specially authorized to carry guns. They have a few more security stations, all nearby. Without a tasking order, this Squadron has to stay in this damp, dark cellar for over two months, not allowed out."
On the streets, only the police are allowed to carry guns.
During the Olympics, we must consider the international impact. We’re an open country, after all. If there are guns everywhere, looking like bandits, how would that be acceptable?"
Everyone couldn’t help but lift their heads and take a look at the surrounding environnt.
Over two months...
It was indeed tough. When they ca in, it was the scalding sumr sun; by the ti they’d leave, they’d be hit by the autumn breeze.
To think about the beautiful sights outside, yet below, a group of people were suffering.
Of course, that now included them.
...
An hour later.
The hall.
"Smile, it should be natural. Don’t be stiff; let it flow naturally... right, this comrade has a nice smile."
A female volunteer wearing a white vest had the glorious task of training these dunderheads.
When everyone first heard that this pretty ponytailed lady teacher was going to teach them etiquette, they were all very excited.
But as it turned out, the etiquette was ant for children.
They were told to be polite, use civilized language, maintain eye contact with the public and foreign guests, and smile.
Dammit, who the hell doesn’t know how to be civilized?
"Teacher... after half an hour of practicing smiles, can we practice sothing else? My face is frozen from smiling," said Number 22 with a smile.
"Yeah, I feel like I don’t know how to smile anymore. Even my teeth are starting to ache from smiling," said Number 11 with a grin.
"Could you at least teach us so polite foreign language phrases?" Fang Huai asked with a smile.
The real etiquette staff were teaching large groups and service venues—sending this young girl was rely an Olympic volunteer, clearly not a professional. Seeing all these hefty soldiers grumbling, she nervously pulled out a small notebook and timidly asked:
"So... have you learned any foreign languages?"
That’s when everyone let their expressions relax.
"Learned! Can I and pour you?"
"Can you speak English?"
"Hello! My na is Han ii!"
A bombardnt of bandit-like slang forced Hu Peizhou, standing nearby, to frown, unable to resist barking:
"Drill them on their bearing!"
This explosive command shouted right in her face stunned the young girl.
Her eyes began to well up with tears.
This guy always shouted loudly at others, but the mont he targeted a different person, it beca obvious.
"Captain Hu, what are you doing?"
"Look, you made the young lady cry!"
"Right! We’re still practicing etiquette! How can you have no manners at all?"
Everyone started to scold Hu Peizhou, venting the frustrations accumulated over the training session.
It was as if they were standing on the moral high ground taking a leak.
Hu Peizhou was also a bit stunned, suddenly rembering the person next to him wasn’t a training class instructor; he quickly said:
"Paper! Who has paper? Damn you lot, can’t you do anything but laugh?"
Watching Hu Peizhou’s flustered actions caused everyone to laugh heartlessly yet again.
Who the hell has a piece of paper? In these twenty-odd days, anyone who needed to blow their nose just flung it to the ground!
The young girl quickly pulled out a tissue to dab at her tears, and with red-rimd eyes, she said:
"Umm... umm... it’s okay, I have a tissue, I’ll manage. I can teach everyone how to walk properly..."
At that mont, Hu Peizhou turned around and glared fiercely at everyone again, though he lowered his voice and said:
"Learn properly! Tonight, anyone who doesn’t listen to the teacher, I’ll make you walk around Beijing’s Sixth Ring Road before we co back!"
The soldiers from Beijing whispered under their breath: "Damn... the Sixth Ring Road of Beijing... isn’t that just Pangu Plaza?"
Soone asked quietly: "The Sixth Ring Road of Beijing... how many kiloters is that? This training is too harsh; I’d rather go running."
Hearing that, the soldier’s mouth twitched.
"You dare speak... it’s just under two hundred kiloters..."
Everyone’s faces imdiately adopted that stiff smile from earlier...
...
Half an hour later.
"Pierre de Coubertin praised sports as the embodint of beauty, art, justice, courage, honor, fun, vitality, progress, and peace..."
The young girl, like a hypnotist, lectured everyone on the Olympic spirit.
All the soldiers had stiff smiles, looking straight ahead.
The Ard Police who had left the room to fetch water and wash up saw this group of firefighters just starting their etiquette training and began to snicker.
It was clear that this was their first ti.
But our BJ Ard Police Command had been practicing for a full two years.
What is ant by ’Olympics for all’? What is the spirit of sports?
What does it an to participate? It ans not a single one can escape!
For two years in the Beijing command unit, every officer and soldier had extra weekend duties, not to practice drills and physical fitness, but to learn English!
Family mbers, who could have imagined?
In their whole corps, all detachnts offered English classes, and over two years, 461 officers and soldiers passed the English Level Four exam, with over 320 passing Level Six!
Many started from the very basics!
From these two years on, Beijing’s exams set the bar for learning English high-pressure style; scoring anything less than 95 out of 100 ant you wouldn’t pass the culture segnt!
They were more intense than graduate students!
They felt like crying.
Seeing a new group caught in the rain of training brought an indescribable sense of relief.
The Firefighters from the Southwest Training Class had no sense of the Olympic spirit; even in this short ti, they had already started cursing inwardly.
At that mont, Hu Peizhou received a phone call and walked out of the hallway.
His voice was like music to their ears.
"Let’s go, there’s a situation at Wukesong Stadium!"
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