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 focuses on the military, choosing the more attention-grabbing theme of "National Security Warriors." According to the Mass Literature 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. In the darkness, they guard the light. It is water, it is ice—ice is sleeping water—you are human water, and I am too, but I am sleeping!
As an intelligence officer, you endure too much misunderstanding and pressure, which may come from your friends and family, even your superiors and colleagues, yet you often have no room for explanation. Deep within you lies a secret known only to a very small circle, a secret that can even affect the future of the nation—so you cannot speak, not even when your personal fate faces severe setbacks. You must remain silent and endure the misunderstanding.
A lifetime is merely 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, all spent like this. What belief can sustain you in the face of such misfortune? Over the years, what belief has upheld the selfless dedication of our comrades fighting on the front lines of covert warfare? What belief has enabled us to overcome all difficulties and dangers? What belief has driven us to fight tenaciously at the forefront of the struggle against the enemy?—I tell you, it is only one sentence—a simple sentence!—Absolute loyalty to the Party, excellence in expertise! This is our belief, our oath, even our faith—in this faith, everything personal is insignificant, only our cause is eternal!
It is a sentence, a simple sentence! Yet it is a supreme oath defended by countless martyrs and nameless heroes on our intelligence frontlines 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, establish intelligence networks, transmit and analyze intelligence, use codes and secret languages, conduct interrogations and counter-interrogations, engage in infiltration and counter-infiltration—most importantly, you must learn to use your brain—intelligence officers are not superhuman, but they must possess a mind more agile than ordinary people to excel in this work.
This is a world of secrets, filled with plots, lies, and schemes. It is not just about bravery, but more 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 any intelligence officer. Intelligence officers are not superhuman; they have the same vulnerabilities, emotions, or weaknesses as ordinary people, yet these must be suppressed beneath a sacred faith, never to be unleashed. You must be strong, cold, 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 and say it clearly? But you must do this work, because you have given everything to the intelligence profession, to that simple belief—absolute loyalty, excellence in expertise. So you can only swallow your blood and grit your teeth, savor the taste, then face everyone and say it's fine, it's acceptable—that is what is called—doing what others would not, achieving what others could not.