White Olive Tree

7 • Remember

The rain was indeed heavy.

The water on the open space flooded over Song Lisa 's shoes. Li Jungkook held the big black umbrella. The wind was strong, but his hands held the umbrella firmly.

She kept a polite distance from him. The umbrella was wide, but the rain still fell on half of Song Lisa 's shoulder. She didn't mind.

He walked her to the passenger side of a military SUV and she got in.

He walked around to the driver's seat, took the big black umbrella and put it on the back seat.

A trail of water stains dripped from the tip of the umbrella.

Song Lisa then realized that his left shoulder was also soaked. The navy blue police uniform had now turned black.

Li Jungkook started the car and reminded: "Fasten your seat belts."

"Okay." Song Lisa did as he was told.

The windshield was full of rain, like a faucet had been turned on. The wipers were swiping furiously. The side windows were covered with a thick curtain of rain, and it was impossible to see clearly what was outside.

Song Lisa felt like they were sitting in a glass box underwater, quiet and peaceful, with only the endless sound of wind and rain outside the box.

After driving out of the compound, he finally remembered to ask, "Where is Beimen Street?"

Song Lisa replied: "Qingzhixiang."

"Yeah." He tapped the steering wheel with his index finger and said nothing else.

After all, it was midsummer, and after driving for a while with the windows closed, the car felt a bit stuffy and warm. Song Lisa wiped the sweat off her lips, and Li Jungkook looked at her through the interior mirror:

"Do you want to turn on the air conditioning?"

"No need." She waved her hand, "I get dizzy when I ride in an air-conditioned car."

"Car sickness?" He smiled faintly, "Reporters have to travel frequently, right? What should we do?"

"I always try to fall asleep." She said quickly.

"Then close your eyes and rest. I'll call you when we get there."

Song Lisa : "..."

She didn't want to sleep. But she couldn't figure out what to say next.

The carriage fell silent again.

She looked out the window and bit her lip, feeling slightly frustrated.

Li Jungkook 's guess was correct. Her car must have drifted into the water halfway back.

The garrison area was on the Luoyu Mountain in the southeast of Liangcheng. At first, the route was smooth, but after the terrain dropped a little, the streets were flooded and the sewers were full. The water had nowhere to flow, and it was raging like a beast in the city. In the morning, there were still people pushing carts in the water, but now they were just letting it flow. Even the buses stopped running.

The city is empty and deserted, with only water.

The military vehicle drove through the flooded streets, splashing water high up like a ship breaking through the waves. Several times it even seemed as if the entire vehicle was submerged.

Song Lisa originally wanted to give directions, but Li Jungkook seemed to know the terrain very well. Even without turning on the navigation, he could clearly tell which avenues and which alleys were which.