As she prepared to leave once again, Ruth felt a sense of loss and rose early in the morning to prepare food on her own. When Lübeck awoke at dawn and found Ruth was not by his side, he dressed and followed the light to the kitchen.
Ruth was sitting before the stove, watching the flames dance in the hearth. The orange-red glow illuminated her hair, her face, and her hands, which she held close to the fire for warmth.
Lübeck quietly approached her from behind, knelt down, wrapped his arms around her waist, pressed his face against hers, and whispered in her ear,
“Don't worry, I'll be back soon, just like always.”
“No, I'm not worried,” Ruth replied, but she didn't turn around, and there was no sign of improvement in her mood.
Lübeck could only wrap one arm tightly around her waist and the other around her shoulders, using his own body to envelop her fragile form, trying to protect her from harm.
Every time they parted, Lübeck felt a pang of guilt for putting his family through such pain while he was powerless to help. He didn't know how much longer this would go on, so he could only imagine a day when the population of the Sanctuary was large enough that he wouldn't have to keep running around like this anymore and could stay by their side for good.
After a bland breakfast, Lübeck went straight to the security forces' headquarters, met with Trudi, dismissed everyone else, and spoke to Trudi alone in the office,
“The largest survey operation will take place tomorrow. The marker stakes will be distributed by tonight, so starting tonight, there may be issues. Could you send someone to reinforce the message about law and order? I hope they won't make any more mistakes.”
“Alright, I'll arrange for someone to convey the message shortly,” Trudi replied.
“Bring out the map; let's discuss the strategy,”
“Alright,” Trudi said, retrieving the map and laying it on the table.
“These locations,” Lü Beck pointed out while marking them with a pencil,
“These are survey sites that require personnel to maintain order. Additionally, personnel related to property and the routes for entry and exit must be monitored.” As he spoke, Lübeck marked several major roads,
“Deploy a small number of open sentries and place hidden sentries around the perimeter as a precaution,” Lübeck said, handing Trudi a document,
“Later, send someone with this document to the spaceport warehouse to collect a batch of personnel identification armbands for nighttime friend-or-foe identification, as well as a small number of Delsey M1841 needle-fired rifles. Distribute a few to each of your covert sentry teams so they can familiarize themselves with the sound of these rifles, as the reinforcements I’m sending you are equipped with this new type of rifle for nighttime sound identification.”
“Alright,” Trudi nodded in agreement as she listened to Lü Beck's instructions,
then Lü Beck marked the locations on the map,
" Tonight, after dark, I will order the spacecraft to depart and drop off the support personnel at these locations. You must send personnel to meet them to avoid accidental injuries at night. They will serve as your reinforcements. The password is..." As he spoke, Lübeck wrote the password on the map,
“Eliminate any rebel forces and avoid casualties among the security personnel,” Lübeck reiterated, looking into Trudi's eyes,
“Alright,” Trudi replied.
Lübeck stared into Trudi's eyes for a moment before asking,
“What I mean is, can your team carry out this mission?”
Trudi paused, unsure how to respond.
"Let me clarify further: rebels who use force to resist stubbornly must be eliminated. Collaborators may be accepted as prisoners of war under the condition that the safety of the security forces is guaranteed. Set up a perimeter to prevent anyone involved in the armed rebellion from escaping,"
After speaking, Lübeck looked at Trudi again and added,
“This is necessary for the stable development of the Sanctuary and to ensure social fairness and justice,”
“Alright, I understand,” Trudi replied.
“Assign Joachim’s former comrades to the operational team and emphasize the principles I just outlined,” Lübeck said to Trudi.
“Alright, I understand your meaning,”
“Alright, that's settled,” Lübeck stood up, shook Trudi's hand,
“The rest of the arrangements are up to you. Ensure the safety of the team members as much as possible,”
“Yes, Captain,” Trudi saluted. Lübeck bid farewell,
returned to City Hall from the security forces' headquarters, and immediately issued an order to distribute survey markers and commence the first phase of unified surveying the next day. However, he did not stay for lunch but returned home, wanting to spend more time with his family before setting sail.
The midday sun, with its lower color saturation, combined with the clear sky, cast a pale glow over the land and the road home. As he gradually left the town behind, the increasingly sparse houses in the bleak, sunlit wilderness, along with the repetitive scenery and monotonous carts, seemed to intensify the sorrow of parting.
Upon returning home, Ruth had already prepared lunch, and Emma was seated at the dining table. However, the once-vibrant energy of the young girl had vanished. Lübeck sought to comfort her with love, first kissing her lips, then gazing into her clear, wide eyes.
Only the child in her arms remained innocent and joyful, dancing and clapping in welcome as Lübeck returned.
He stroked the child’s head and held his little hand, and Lü Beck couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion. How wonderful it would be to be like a child, forever carefree. But when he looked up at Ruth and Emma, they were his responsibility. How could he be like a child?
After a plain and somewhat boring lunch, Emma carried the child back to her room, while Lübeck accompanied Ruth to the kitchen to clean the dishes.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the narrow window, casting a single beam of light into the enclosed kitchen space. The steam from the hot water rose, gently disturbing the beam of light, as if narrating its passage.
As Ruth moved, the light occasionally passed through her hair, occasionally illuminated her cheeks, and occasionally, when she faced him, it shone brightly into her deep eyes and the longing in her pupils.
“Go be with Emma; she needs you too,” Ruth said softly, her eyes fixed on Lübeck.
Lübeck dried the water from his hands, gently embraced Ruth, and caressed her waist and back with his hands, as if he could touch the heart that deeply loved him within her fragile body. The sunlight streaming through the narrow window seemed just enough to illuminate the outlines of the two embracing figures.
Dust particles floated, light and shadow drifted, and love endured forever.
As the evening glow faded, Lübeck's U-2513 set sail once more, using antigravity to float into the air and move silently along its predetermined course.
Captain Lübeck stood at the top of the control console bridge, holding a telescope to observe the ground below. Though the last vestiges of the evening glow were still visible from the ship's altitude, the ground had already plunged into night. Lübeck observed the roads on the ground, the various commune settlements, and checked for any unusual gatherings of people.
Looking back at the last vestige of red glow fading on the horizon, he did not want a bloody uprising to occur on the ground tonight, but who could decide that?
Closing the hatch and returning to the submarine's interior, Lübeck gathered the soldiers to distribute supplies and weapons, giving them a final pep talk,
“Soldiers, you are the guardians of this sanctuary. You have the responsibility to protect this land and its people, to safeguard everyone's lives and property from harm, and to defend social fairness and justice from being trampled by tyranny. Can you do this?”
“We can do it.” The young men’s morale was high, and their response was crisp and loud. Lübeck continued,
“Today’s mission is for you to be led by your own squad leaders to different locations to support the police force and suppress any acts of rebellion. The reason for this operation is simple: local illegal forces are constantly challenging the legal boundaries of the Sanctuary. I believe some of you have already participated in the operation in Joachim. To avoid unnecessary sacrifices, we must take decisive action to counteract them. Do you have the confidence to complete the mission?"
“Yes,” the young men answered in unison, their voices even louder and their morale high.
"Good. Pre-operation mobilization complete. Begin the operation. After issuing the operational orders, Lübeck directly proceeded to the submarine's lower compartment, waiting at the descent hatch for the operational team members.
Soon, the descent location was reached. The spacecraft hovered steadily, the hatch opened, and the green light illuminated. The captain on the opposite side prepared to lead the descent. Lübeck reached out and pushed his chest, saying,
“Complete the mission and return safely. Can you do it?”
“Yes, Captain,”
Lübeck nodded, patted his shoulder, and then watched each team member rappel down to their deployment positions.
After completing all deployment tasks, the spacecraft gradually ascended in altitude. Lü Beck returned to his captain's cabin, transmitted the spatial navigation coordinates, and his thoughts wandered to Ruth, Emma, and his son, as well as his action team members and the people of the Sanctuary—men, women, and children—wondering how everything would unfold in the days to come.
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