Chapter Twenty-Three: The Final Shot

This is an image of people using their bodies to block a flood! This is a real event! It's a scene of overwhelming shock!

At that moment, no one spoke. They finally understood why they couldn't finish filming at the Bayi Factory, finally understood what kind of film they were making...

Wu Xiang didn't want to say much. He just wanted to finish the movie in his heart, to show the heroic spirit of fighting against nature. He continued, "That's the plan. For the final shot, I still think we should go to the south, where the climate is a bit warmer."

He was right. In fact, he'd planned to start shooting in mid-September. Filming this scene at the very beginning simply wouldn't work—the team wasn't united then, and a crucial shot like this, the heart of the whole film, couldn't be done without proper coordination and chemistry. To be honest, the current progress was already ahead of schedule; Wu Xiang had originally expected they wouldn't reach this point until December or even next year.

Yet, although it was only the edge of winter, Yanjing was in the north, and the river water now was nearly as bone-chilling as it could be. Wu Xiang remembered clearly that, because of the El Niño phenomenon, the winter of '98 was especially cold.

But as soon as Wu Xiang finished speaking, someone immediately stepped forward.

"Director! Commander! I have something to report!"

It was the company commander playing the leader of the disaster relief soldiers—if Wu Xiang recalled correctly, his name was Liu Licai.

"Go ahead. This isn't the military camp, no need to salute," Huang Hong replied magnanimously. He noticed Liu Licai had just saluted him, a bit too formal. Huang Hong was currently a deputy regimental commander at the division level—he could accept such courtesy.

"Yes, sir!" Liu Licai still stood at attention and continued, "Director! Commander! I just want to ask, do you look down on our Old Third Company?!"

Look down on them?

"Where did you get that idea?" Wu Xiang was confused.

"You've done your tasks very well," Huang Hong said, also puzzled.

Liu Licai raised his voice, "If you don't look down on us, then why is the last scene being shot in the south? Are you saying northern soldiers can't complete the mission?"

Now Wu Xiang understood. Honestly, he found Liu Licai rather endearing at that moment. Smiling, he replied, "There's absolutely no intention of looking down on anyone. It's just, after considering everything, we really can't shoot here right now."

"Director! I understand what you're saying now! But your claim that it's impossible to film here might not be right!" Liu Licai's voice was full of conviction.

Wu Xiang laughed. Even though Liu Licai was challenging him, he wasn't angry at all and wanted to reply, but Huang Hong stopped him.

"If you think he's wrong, then who's right? You know, when we're acting I have to listen to the director! Are you the one who's right?" Huang Hong took on the tone of a commanding officer.

"Commander!" Liu Licai didn’t back down. "Neither of us is right, but I know someone who is!"

"And who would that be?"

Liu Licai didn't answer Huang Hong directly. Instead, he saluted, then approached Wu Xiang. "Director, may I borrow that newspaper for a moment?"

"Of course," Wu Xiang replied without hesitation, also curious to see whom Liu Licai considered the true authority.

Liu Licai took the newspaper, saluted again, and strode out of the tent.

"All troops, assemble!" His voice thundered, and several other noncoms joined in.

Soon, outside the tent, all the soldiers involved in the shoot had formed up, counting off, "One, two, three, four..."

"Comrades! We've filmed up to this point. Just now, the director and commander told me our scenes are done, that we won't be needed further because they think we can't do it! Director and Commander mean well—this last scene is indeed hard for us. But comrades, I don't agree with them. Because I haven't asked all of you yet! Look here—this is the final shot! Tell me—can we film this or not?"

Liu Licai’s voice was strong and rhythmic, with that special cadence unique to soldiers. As he finished, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

Many of the officers and soldiers had seen that image in the newspaper before, but now, it felt completely different.

"We can film it!"

"We can do it!"

"Company Commander! We can finish the task! Leave it to us!"

By this time, everyone in the tent had come outside. Hearing the soldiers’ words, they were deeply moved; many female actors and crew members burst into tears.

Wu Xiang was extremely touched, his eyes brimming with tears. He hadn’t expected his troops, his soldiers, to be so endearing.

Liu Licai raised his voice again, “Comrades! This year, the flood hit, but our unit didn’t get to do disaster relief in Yanjing—our brother units completed the mission! Glorious! But now, this task—this film about fighting the flood—should we let our brother units take it from us too? True floods we couldn’t fight, but are we afraid of a fake one?!"

"Not afraid!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Louder!"

"Not afraid!"

"But the water is cold!"

"We’re not afraid!"

"Can we complete the mission?!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

After this exchange, Liu Licai immediately turned and jogged over, snapping to attention and saluting Huang Hong, and then said to Wu Xiang:

"Director! I said you were wrong! I said I was wrong! But I think they are right! We can definitely complete this mission!"

Then he addressed Huang Hong, "Commander! If you think I’ve offended the director, you can remove me from my post! But please let us finish this shot! Please, give the order!"

"What do you think, Xiangzi?" Huang Hong’s eyes were also misty.

But by then, Wu Xiang was already in tears.

What is democracy? This is democracy. The minority obeys the majority—that is democracy!

Wu Xiang had no reason to object; his heart was full of gratitude and pride.

"Of course I agree—just please, everyone, take care of yourselves. We must prepare plenty of ginger tea and herbal medicine so no one catches cold, or I’ll feel terrible."

"Hahaha..." Huang Hong was overjoyed. "That's easy! Let’s shoot!" He turned to the assembled soldiers and called out loudly,

"All personnel!"

With a sharp snap, everyone stood at attention.

"Prepare for the final shot! We must do our best!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

"Excellent! Go get ready!"

"Yes, sir!"

Thus, the oath-taking meeting for the final shot came to an end. Though impromptu, it was as effective as any formal rally. The officers and soldiers’ enthusiasm was fully ignited, and the entire film crew was bustling.

"Kun, you’re really not afraid?" Wu Xiang, always concerned about the lead actor, asked. After all, Kun was not a soldier—his body wasn’t as tough.

"Enough talk! Let’s shoot!"

With that, what more was there to wait for?

Everything was ready: ginger tea, medicine, blankets—these were easy enough to prepare, but the hardest thing was enduring the cold water!

In cold conditions, people’s breath is visible as white mist, but the floods happened in the summer—how could they avoid that? There was a solution: rinse your mouth with ice-cold water before the take and the mist wouldn’t show.

“All teams, get ready! Last scene! Action!”

They had to break open the dam they’d built earlier to create a scene of the flood breaching the levee, and then the performance would begin.

“Ah!” Clad in a life jacket, the actor shouted and leaped into the icy floodwater, gripping the wooden stakes driven in earlier, using his body to block the current. Kun’s teeth had been chattering from the cold, but now only determination shone in his eyes.

Earlier, they’d already pushed a newly painted junked military truck into the water—otherwise, just using people wouldn’t have worked. This was as true to life as they could get. Wu Xiang didn’t want to exaggerate, but due to budget constraints, he couldn’t fully recreate the reality. In Jiujiang, they had sunk ten ships to block the breach—Wu Xiang simply didn’t have those resources.

“Ah! Ah!...”

One after another, more soldiers leaped in, all rushing fearlessly into the freezing river, as if facing the raging floods that had claimed countless lives.

Wu Xiang’s blood was boiling; even his hands were trembling. How he wished he could jump in himself, but at that moment, he had to stay by the monitors...