On May 7, 2022, the scorching sun scorched the town of Mohan on the China-Laos border, with the temperature reaching as high as 33 degrees Celsius. The air was hot and humid, making it a little breathless. In a green canvas tent at the exit of the No. 2 inclined shaft of the Friendship Tunnel of the China-Laos Railway and built on the hill on the left side of the inclined shaft, Kong Zhijie, a post-00 worker of the Pu'er Infrastructure Section, was already sweating all over. While nibbling on the steamed buns, he used his legs as a table and checked the checkpoint records again.

The Friendship Tunnel is a cross-border tunnel of the China-Laos Railway. In order to prevent unrelated persons from entering the tunnel and endangering the driving safety, on the basis of protective fences and inclined shaft doors, guard points were set up at the entrance of the tunnel and the entrance of the inclined shaft in the Pu'er infrastructure section. Year-old lads formed a team and were on duty in two shifts.

The interior space of the tent at the exit of the No. 2 inclined shaft is small, covering an area of only about 4 square meters. Kong Zhijie said: "Both guard stations need to be on duty 24 hours a day, with shifts changing every 12 hours. Since the opening of the China-Laos railway, I have been on duty for 75 days."

"When I was a child, I wanted to join the army to protect my family and the country when I grew up. Now I am protecting the safety of the cross-border tunnels, and I am also protecting the gate of the country. Although the work is a bit boring, I am very proud." Kong Zhijie said that he has another way. , a childhood dream come true.

The sun is setting, and the evening wind is rising. Mohan has a huge temperature difference between day and night, the heat during the day is unbearable, and the coolness at night. It was pitch black all around the small tent, and Kong Zhijie's mobile phone was the only light source. Outside the tent, the cricket's cry was like a serenade, accompanying him through the time on duty.

After graduating from school, Kong Zhijie came to work on the China-Laos Railway from his hometown in Shaanxi, and has been sticking to the China-Laos border. There is no mobile phone signal at the duty point, and no companions to talk to. When asked how to relieve his homesickness, Kong Zhijie took out a professional book that had been turned over and said, "When I feel homesick, I read books and turn my attention to work."

At the entrance of the Friendship Tunnel on the other side, Wang Bochao, a member of the guard team, is also earnestly performing his duties. The weather in the Mohan area is hot, and steamed buns, which are easy to store and carry, become the first choice for Wang Bochao and his friends to bring their own meals. Although the meals are simple, the young people are quite satisfied.

Wang Bochao is mainly responsible for real-time monitoring of 8 important places including tunnel entrance, tunnel interior and inclined well entrance through surveillance video. Compared with tents, the conditions in the monitoring room are slightly better, but there are more tasks and responsibilities. While on duty, Wang Bochao kept watching in front of the screen.

It is worth mentioning that with the completion of the installation of the smart security system at the inclined wellhead, the tent duty point at the inclined wellhead will end its "mission" in the near future. This system can monitor the situation of the inclined wellhead in real time, and issue early warnings in time. The boys can sit in the monitoring room and be on duty. Both the operating environment and efficiency will be greatly improved and improved. Editor/He Yuting