By Geng Pengyu and Shi Jing

What can you do in 0.6 seconds? To blink your eyes, click a mouse, or lift your chin...

What can you do in 3 seconds? To take a sip of water, let out a loud sneeze, or type a word on the keyboard.

Not long ago, a short moment of 3.6 seconds almost marked a moment of life and death for two service members.

On November 14, a thunderous explosive sound, louder than ever before, was heard from an explosion site on a training ground under the Zhangjiakou Detachment of the Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force located in Hebei Province. The smoke from the explosion engulfed layers of dust, permeating with the wind inside the bunker.

The instructor Cui Chengliang, who was in charge of on-site grenade-throwing safety, opened his eyes with ears still buzzing. The pungent smell of TNT made him unable to restrain from coughing. He could feel slags and fragments still falling over his helmet and clothes.

However, a raw recruit surnamed Lee was still held down by Cui’s body. Cui Chengliang’s took a while to collect himself, realizing that a grenade had exploded on the other side of the T-shaped low wall. “Lee had got the grenade slip out of his hand,” Cui recalled.

A real-time video monitor recorded the entire process of the breathtaking moment on the range.

At about 11 am that day, the realistic training for grenade throwing was held with the raw recruit team under the Zhangjiakou Detachment .

Standing in front of the bunker, Lee took the grenade handed over by Cui when his heart got pounding, and his palms sweated all of a sudden. He closed his eyes with might and main, trying to calm down.

After Cui made an order, Lee held a real grenade, pulling the pull-tab, swinging his arm to throw it out with all his strength, and then squatting to hide.

Cui turned his gaze on the projected trajectory as usual but did not see the grenade flying out from overhead. “Where did it go?” He caught a glimpse of a dark shadow falling straight down behind Lee.

Subconsciously, Cui instantly grabbed Lee’s shoulder with a hand, stepped back to give an escape space, and pushed Lee up to cross the T-shaped wall to the left with all his might. He also crossed the wall with his whole body pressing against Lee to protect the young man.

Boom! The grenade exploded at a distance of fewer than two meters, stirring up countless sand and stones together with smoke and dust.

Soldiers reviewed this miraculous reaction in the video record again and again. From the pull-tab operation to actual explosion, it usually took 3.6 seconds, and from the grenade landing to the successful hide of the two, it took 3 seconds as shown in the video. This means that Cui took only 0.6 seconds to identify the situation and 3 seconds to grasp, push, and press.  

“The 0.6 second has reflected Cui’s determination to save his fellow on a conditioned response. The three seconds, on the other hand, has also shown his excellent physical fitness and practical skills, according tocommanding officer of the detachment.

“There is no time to hesitate. If it weren’t for the conditioned response developed by dozens of repeated drills, or if it were delayed for half a second, the consequences would be unimaginable”, said Cui afterward.

Behind the act of being able to he courage to save his fellow from the grenade explosion, lies the instinct of an outstanding soldier.