At lights out, He Zeling lies in his bed and turns on the bedside lamp to write his journal. He puts down all his thoughts in an effort to soothe his nerves.
After he finishes, He hands the journal to Liu: “If anything happens to me tomorrow –”
“Enough!” Liu interjects. “Nothing will happen. You should trust yourself and have faith in science and in us. I’m sure the jump will be successful.”
“It’s not that I’m afraid. I just want to tell you that I’m determined to become a good paratrooper. I will jump even it’s hell down there,” He says.
Liu nods and urges him to go to sleep. Tomorrow will be the culmination of months of hard training. As the squad leader, Liu is under as much pressure as the recruits. The training period this year is a third shorter than previous years, posing a challenge for recruits and trainers alike.
It is a sleepless night for Liu. Amid the snores of the recruits, he wishes for the coming of the dawn.