Ice is sleeping water.

Author: Liu Meng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Following the depiction of the lesser-known lives of China's special forces soldiers in Wolf's Tooth, Water Is Sleeping again turns its focus to the military, choosing the more attention-grabbing theme of "National Security Warriors." According to Dazhong Literature and Art Publishing House, Water Is Sleeping is the first full-length novel in China to showcase the mysterious lives of National Security Warriors, authentically portraying their daily realities.
Over the years, what belief has sustained our comrades who fight on the hidden frontlines with selfless dedication? What belief has enabled us to face all kinds of difficulties and dangers? What belief has driven us to fight stubbornly at the forefront of the struggle against the enemy?—I tell you, there is only one sentence: "Absolute loyalty to the Party, being highly skilled and professional!" This is our belief, our oath, even our faith—in the face of this faith, all that an individual possesses is insignificant; only our cause is eternal!
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They walk in the darkness to guard the light. That is water; that is ice—water is sleeping. You are human water, and I am too, but I am sleeping!
As an intelligence officer, you bear too much misunderstanding and pressure. This misunderstanding and pressure may come from your friends and family, even from your superiors and colleagues, and you often have no room for explanation. The secrets hidden deep within you are known only to a very small circle, secrets that can even affect the future of the nation—so you cannot speak, not even when your personal fate suffers great setbacks. You must remain silent and endure misunderstanding.
A lifetime is only a few decades. Perhaps by the time the truth comes to light, you will already be in your twilight years. Your youth, your prime years—how they have passed away. What belief can sustain you in the face of such misfortune?
Over the years, what belief has sustained our comrades who fight on the hidden frontlines with selfless dedication? What belief has enabled us to face all kinds of difficulties and dangers? What belief has driven us to fight stubbornly at the forefront of the struggle against the enemy?—I tell you, there is only one sentence: "Absolute loyalty to the Party, being highly skilled and professional!" This is our belief, our oath, even our faith—in the face of this faith, all that an individual possesses is insignificant; only our cause is eternal!
It is a sentence, a simple sentence! But it is a supreme oath defended by countless martyrs and nameless heroes on the intelligence front with their own blood!
You must master special skills beyond the reach of ordinary people, including military, political, linguistic, legal, psychological, and social skills, and apply them with proficiency. You must learn recruitment, network building, intelligence transmission and analysis, codes and secret languages, interrogation and counter-interrogation, infiltration and counter-infiltration. Most importantly, you must learn to use your brain—intelligence officers are not supermen, but they must possess a mind more agile than ordinary people to excel in this work.
This is a world of secrets, filled with secrets, plots, lies, and schemes. It is not just about bravery but, more importantly, about wit. Every step you take, every word you speak, even every glance you miss can affect the safety and future of the nation—such immense psychological pressure is beyond ordinary for anyone engaged in the intelligence profession.
Intelligence officers are not supermen; they have the same vulnerabilities, emotions, or weaknesses as ordinary people. But these must be suppressed beneath a sacred belief, never to be unleashed. You must be strong, indifferent, or even ruthless, with a heart of iron.
How many tragedies must you face? How much misunderstanding must you endure? How much pressure must you bear? What is real in your life? What is false? Can you think it out? Can you say it clearly? But you must do this work, because you have given everything to the intelligence cause, to that simple belief—absolute loyalty, being highly skilled and professional.
So you can only swallow your pain and say, "It tastes fine,"—that is what is called "doing the un doet, the impossible."