CH 38

When Dr. Fernando and his scouting party returned by rubber boat to the base camp construction, the same one they used to ride out of their boat, they could see from the sea that a fairly full-scale base had been constructed by the soldiers who had landed.

A number of containers had been unloaded, large deployable tent barracks, and parabolic antennas for communication facilities had been erected.

Around them, simple trenches had been dug and surrounded by barbed wire, and even machine gun emplacements had been placed with sandbags piled up around them.

[The place looked heavily armed.]

[The northern part of the country is still home to rebel guerillas. If the need arises, there’s artillery support from the ship off the coast.]

[Guerillas huh…… This area is still affected by the civil war huh……]

[It’s not like the capital or the south.]

The expression on that soldier, who had spat out such words in a tone so strong that Dr. Fernando involuntarily turned around, was obscured by his full-body protective suit and mask, unable to be seen by Dr. Fernando.

★　★　★　★　★

The good thing about the base camp was that the quarantine system had been strengthened.

The first step is to wash the entire body, including their protective clothing, in a high-pressure shower of seawater and disinfectant that has been set up.

One couldn’t wash themselves, so the people showered with each other.

[Uuuu…… It’s so cold!]

[It sure makes you want to have some warm shower, doesn’t it, Doctor?]

[We’ll just have to be patient a little longer.]

It feels good to cool down the clothes that were heated under the hot sun near the equator. 

They also couldn’t dump their wastewater into the ocean, so they decided to pour it into a hole they dug on the beach and threw in lots of disinfectant in it.

In the end, those water would eventually be thrown into the ocean, but it was better than throwing them directly into the ocean.

Carefully removing the double gloves and boots, they took off his full-body protective gear and dipped them into the precious pool of fresh water and disinfectants.

[We’re going to use the same equipment huh, Doctor.]

[Yeah. If we had more time and money to arrange for more protective suits, we could use disposable ones. However, we aren’t the US or Chinese military.]

The handling manual for full-body protective suits states that they can be reused as long as they have been pressure tested and are airtight.

Since the base camp facilities don’t allow pressure tests, they will have to operate on the assumption that if no bubbles form when submerged in water and no water leaks out of the water, then it’s OK.

Dr. Fernando still hopes that the Director back in the capital had made arrangements for additional clothing though.

In fact, they had found scratches on several gloves when they were submerged in the water.

They must have been caused by operating firearms or boat equipment.

Fortunately, there were enough gloves to replace them.

They also confirmed that there were no holes in the boots, although some of them were dirty.

Somehow, it looks like they will be able to continue the survey tomorrow.

The tropical sunshine and sea breeze quickly dried their protective clothing.

★　★　★　★　★

The base camp was constructed so that Dr. Fernando’s reconnaissance team and the soldiers of the base camp would be completely separated and their movements wouldn’t intersect.

Specifically, water, eating places, tents, and even toilets are separated.

Basic conversations between the two groups are carried out via radio.

This was the agreement reached by Dr. Fernando on board the ship, but the soldiers at the base had stiff expressions on their faces due to the unfamiliarity of the situation.

On the other hand, the SBS soldiers in the reconnaissance team, who were indeed elite special forces troops, were relaxed and at ease, saying that they were thankful for the tents and had no complaints about the hot meals.

[It seems that the guys setting up the base were so scared of this area that they sprayed a lot of fungicides and insecticides around. I’m sure Doctor will be able to sleep soundly tonight.]

[Wait a moment. Putting aside fungicides, you’re also spraying insecticides?]

Ceylon Island is home to many unique and precious plants and animals, and eco-tourism for Western tourists is flourishing.

And yet, for them to spray a large number of insecticides on this island is just……

[No, Doctor, camping in the jungle without spraying insecticide is just insane. Centipedes, leeches, mosquitoes, horseflies…… All kinds of biting, blood-sucking insects will come into your tent and you will be able to sleep, you know?]

[……Is that so?]

[Yeah. The eco-campgrounds that Western tourists are so grateful to stay in are neatly mowed, filled with water and sprayed with insecticides. My brother runs one of those campgrounds, and he complains that it may be lucrative, but it’s time-consuming.]

[I see…… Well, I guess that’s just how it is.]

Perhaps, people like nature when all the unpleasant factors are removed.

Can such a thing still be called nature though? Not bothering to think about this matter any longer, Dr. Fernando just thought of leaving this debate to the rich, bored eco-enthusiasts.

[It’s especially the worst when we were pursuing guerillas. You can’t use lights, you can’t build a fire, and since you have to make sure you can’t be detected through scent, we would need to track them through the jungle for days with unscented insecticide on our skin…… We would also end up consuming our water, so we fill our hats with water from the squall and need to purify them before drinking…… The only food we get is cold rations that taste bad…… Compared to that, this place is heaven! After all, we don’t have to store our shit in plastic!]

[This one sure has quite the difference!]

The loud laughter of the soldiers was very encouraging for Dr. Fernando.

After the sun went down, Dr. Fernando was allowed to retire to their tent, as there was nothing much to do.

An amateur like him would only get in the way even if he volunteers for nighttime surveillance.

It would be better to review the tasks for tomorrow and onward.

His private tent was surprisingly comfortable, and Dr. Fernando immediately fell asleep.

At such a time, he had a dream.

One where he was in a dark, warm place.

★　★　★　★　★

At dawn, very early in the morning, Dr. Fernando woke up.

[……What’s happening?]

He felt some rustling around the base.

As he exited the tent, his eyes met those of the stern-faced SBS Captain.

[One of our soldiers is missing.]

[Eh? Could he have gone back to the ship by any chance?]

Soldiers were shuttling back and forth between the base camp and the ship, partly because of the need to transport supplies.

It wouldn’t be surprising if there was at least one soldier who had the good sense to spend the night on the ship in order to take advantage of the ship’s air conditioning.

[No, it was a soldier in the unit who disappeared. I don’t think that’s what happened.]

[One of…… the SBS huh.]

Recalling the conversation he had with the soldiers last night, Dr. Fernando didn’t feel like they were people who would be bothered by this environment.

In that case, were they caught up in an accident? Or perhaps, had they been caught by an enemy attack?

[Enemy……]

At that moment, an illusion that an attack was about to come from the jungle right next to the base camp assaulted Dr. Fernando’s mind.

Despite the beautiful warm sun rising from the eastern horizon, Dr. Fernando felt his knees trembling and cold sweat running down his spine.