Chapter 35: A united front
In mid-February, Poland and Hungary held a ceremony in the United States, formally joining the US-led NATO. Su Can knew that before long, NATO would pass a major agreement marking its transformation from a "collective defense" organization into an offensive military alliance.
In late March, evening had fallen over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then caught in repeated civil wars involving the Serbian government, Kosovo, and other regimes, when the sharp roar of wings suddenly tore through the sky. Forces from eight NATO countries, organized into formations of military aircraft and warships, including stealth strategic bombers and stealth fighters, brazenly launched their first air strikes against its air-defense and radar positions.
The NATO bombing of the Southern Alliance had begun.
War would not reach Xiahai City, a place so remote that time itself could almost be forgotten. This war could only be seen on the speckled television screens in grocery shops, or in the brief lunchtime news broadcasts in the school cafeteria: Central Television reports showing nights bombed into red clouds, with distorted gunfire and artillery booming out of the television sets.
In this era, when Tencent's instant messaging service had only just launched and the first generation of QQ had only recently entered public view, Su Can still rode the swaying bus, arriving at the Platform on time. As he got off, Li Jumei was walking along the morning road with several girls heading the same way. Their voices chirped and twittered, white fluff drifted through the air, and this was the scene that greeted Su Can as he stepped off the bus.
Li Lumei actually belonged to Chen Lingshan's network of friends, a circle formed at No. 1 High School back in junior high. Their reach was considerable. Of the seven classes in