3. Extend index finger, middle finger, and thumb, with the remaining fingers closed.
4. Close thumb, extend the other four fingers.
5. All five fingers extended.
6. Close thumb and ring finger, extend index finger, middle finger, and little finger.
7. Close thumb and ring finger, extend index finger, middle finger, and little finger.
8. Close thumb and middle finger, extend index finger, ring finger, and little finger. Note: the thumb should rest on the middle finger, not a "orchid finger."
9. Close thumb and index finger, extend middle finger, ring finger, and little finger.
"These are the hand gestures for numbers. I'll repeat them twice. You all need to follow along. Let's get familiar with them first."
Lin Yuan and the others also sat on either side, still fumbling with the movements.
"It's okay to be clumsy; it's very normal. After we finish, I'll provide an illustrated guide to help you remember. First, I'll lead you through the basic gestures," Wang Zhihai said, observing them without much comment. Proficiency indeed required practice.
"Next, we'll cover referential commands:
First, 'You': Extend your arm with your index finger pointing towards the team member being addressed.
Second, 'Me': Point your index finger towards your own chest.
Third, 'Adult': Extend your arm sideways, raising your hand to shoulder height, palm facing down.
Fourth, 'Child': Place your hand on your waist, with your palm at a right angle to your body (appearing to indicate height).
Fifth, 'Male': Stroke your beard.
Sixth, 'Female': Place one hand on your chest, palm cupped.
Seventh, 'Dog': Lower your hand, palm at waist height, palm facing up, fingers spread or curled. This gesture can also refer to any animal that makes sounds.
For these hand gestures, you only need to memorize the first two and the seventh. The rest are for general understanding. I will demonstrate them all again, and then focus on the first two individually."
After finishing, Wang Zhihai took a sip of water to moisten his dry throat.
"Now, we move to the core of today's lesson: common hand signals used during combat.
First, 'Come': Extend your arm, fingers closed, and wave towards yourself, indicating team members to approach.
Second, 'Heard': Raise your arm, fingers closed. Touch your ear with your thumb and index finger, palm slightly cupped and facing the trainees.
Third, 'See': Fingers closed, horizontally place your palm above your forehead.
Fourth, 'There': Extend your arm, pointing towards the target with your index finger.
Fifth, 'Advance!': Bend your elbow, with your forearm pointing vertically towards the ground. Your arm forms an 'L' shape, fingers closed. Then, swing it forward from behind to signal team members to push forward. More directly, it means 'Brothers! Advance!'"
Sixth, 'Received': Open your hand, forming a circle with your thumb and index finger. Extend the remaining fingers upright; it's basically the traditional 'OK' gesture.
Seventh, 'Around the corner': Extend your arm horizontally, forming an 'L' shape with your hand. Swing it from behind to the front. This usually follows the 'Advance!' signal, forming the meaning "Turn the corner!"
Eighth, 'Hurry': Form a fist, bend your elbow, and move your arm up and down.
Ninth, 'Stop': Extend your arm with your palm facing the team member being addressed.
Tenth, 'Cover me': Raise your hand above your head, bend your elbow, palm facing upwards.
Eleventh, 'Quiet': Form a fist, raise your index finger vertically to your lips.
Twelfth, 'Don't understand': Slightly bend your arm, palm facing up, raise it to shoulder height, and shrug.
Thirteenth, 'Understand': Extend your arm to your side, bend your elbow, raise your wrist to cheek height, form a fist, palm facing the recipient.
Fourteenth, 'Enter': Fingers closed, extend your arm, and swing it horizontally behind you, as if parting curtains.
Fifteenth, 'Assemble': Form a fist with your wrist, raise it high above your head, extend your index finger vertically upwards, and move in slow circles.
Sixteenth, 'Ignore': With your palm facing the recipient, fingers closed, wave from side to side as if wiping a blackboard.
Seventeenth, 'Descend': Extend your arm to your side, bend your elbow, and move your palm downwards to the desired height.
Eighteenth, 'Column formation': Form a fist with your hand, extend your arm horizontally.
Nineteenth, 'Single file': Raise your arm, bend your elbow, palm vertical, and make chopping motions forward and backward.
Twentieth, 'V-formation': Form a fist, extend your arm at an angle to your body, and then swing it backward.
Twenty-first, 'Double file formation': Bend your elbow, raise your hand to head height, form a fist, extend your index and middle fingers like hooks, and swing them back and forth.
"These are the 21 tactical hand signals commonly used in combat. We'll teach you the remaining ones later. Today, we will primarily focus on the first 10, plus all the number hand signals I explained earlier, and three from the referential gestures. In total, that's 23 hand signals. You need to become familiar with and able to apply them within these two hours. You can use writing combined with practicing the movements to help with memorization."
To make memorization easier, Lin Yuan and Wang Zhihai brought pens and notebooks. After demonstrating twice, most people became familiar with the movements they needed to learn today.
"Now, practice each movement one by one. Comrade Mu Qingtian and I will be nearby. Raise your hand if you have any questions," Wang Zhihai instructed.
Zhao Mengnan was not involved in their training. He was on sentry duty with binoculars in the sentry post, also keeping an eye on the injured person resting on the sofa to prevent them from accidentally falling.
Lin Yuan was also practicing with a notebook. Suddenly, Zhao Mengnan ran out from the sentry post. Without disturbing the practicing group, he whispered something to Wang Zhihai before returning. Wang Zhihai then approached Lin Yuan.
"Captain, the injured person is awake."
"Awake? Come on, let's go see them," Lin Yuan closed his notebook and walked into the sentry post with Wang Zhihai.
The man who had been lying down was now sitting up, his mind still a bit groggy.
Lin Yuan stepped forward and patted his other, uninjured shoulder, "Comrade, how are you feeling? Better?"
Sun Haiping shook his head, clearing his senses. He looked at the man patting his shoulder and realized with a jolt that this was his savior who had carried him out.
Thinking of how he had almost endangered his entire family, and not knowing what fate would have befallen his wife and son if he hadn't been rescued in time, he was speechless. He immediately tried to get up to kneel before Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan reacted quickly, supporting Sun Haiping. "Comrade, please don't do that. I cannot accept it."
Sun Haiping tried to struggle to his knees but found his arm gripped by Lin Yuan like a vise, unable to break free.
Looking at Lin Yuan, he quietly sat back down. "Comrade, my name is Sun Haiping. I'm a communications engineer. Now that I've lost an arm, how can I ever repay you?"
Sun Haiping thought that with one arm gone, he was useless in this apocalypse, and how could he possibly repay anyone? He could only sigh softly.
Lin Yuan already knew his name from his wife, Qin Xia. As for the lost arm, he wasn't too concerned. As long as a person's spirit remained, they would eventually find their way.
Instead, he asked, "Repayment is not really the issue, and it wasn't just me who saved you. If you really want to thank us, perhaps when our training is over, you could ask your wife to cook some delicious food for the team." At that moment, Lin Yuan heard some movement; the mother and child had woken up.
"For now, you should focus on talking with your wife and son."
Hearing this, Sun Haiping turned and saw his wife and son, their eyes still red and swollen. His heart filled with joy, and he moved to rush forward for a big hug.
However, as he took a step, he almost fell, but Wang Zhihai caught him. Having lost an arm, his sense of balance hadn't fully adjusted. He stood up again and took a couple more steps, nearly falling again. It took some effort for him to regain his balance, allowing the family of three to reunite.
After exchanging a few words, he brought his wife and son to Lin Yuan and said, "Your life-saving kindness is immeasurable. If you ever need anything, just ask. Although I've lost an arm, I've been following the radio's advice and have kept up my exercise; I still have strength."
Lin Yuan smiled and replied, "We are members of an apocalypse survival team, and I am the leader. Whether you can join us will require further discussion with everyone tonight, as not everyone may agree with our plans. For now, please tell us how you injured your arm, and are there any other survivors in that building?"
"I cut it," Qin Xia suddenly said, her eyes welling up with tears again.
This startled Lin Yuan. What was going on? Qin Xia had been involved, yet their relationship seemed so good?
Sun Haiping nodded in acknowledgment and sat down with his wife and son. As he opened his mouth to speak, his voice became hoarse.
Only then did Lin Yuan realize it was normal; after all, for a person to drink two large bowls of thick sugar water, it was bound to make their throat dry.
He handed Sun Haiping an unopened bottle of water. Sun Haiping carefully took a few sips to moisten his throat before speaking again, "Actually, I lost my arm because of the water."