War Photographer's Notebook

In the hidden space of the basement, he could hear the rustling noises outside getting smaller and smaller. Wei Ran immediately took out the small oxygen bottle that had long since lost pressure from the gas mask bag, and took out a heavy large liquid oxygen bottle from under the bed. The bottle was pulled out and carried to the bed, and the butt end was raised higher.

After searching around, he successfully pulled out a rubber tube with joints on both sides from a wooden box filled with woolen shirts and underwear under the bed.

Connect one end to the liquid oxygen bottle and the other end to the small oxygen bottle. As the valves of the two cylinders were opened one after another, the pointer of the pressure gauge began to move slowly amidst the hissing sound, and frost gradually began to form on the interface. The small oxygen bottle held by Weiran also gradually Get heavier.

When the pointer on the pressure gauge entered the red zone, he immediately closed the valves of the large and small cylinders, and disconnected the rubber tube with a hissing sound of deflation. The brightness of the David lamp hanging on the wall behind him also increased slightly for a moment, and then continued again. The original brightness was restored.

Putting away the small oxygen bottle and carrying the large oxygen bottle back under the bed to restore it to its original state, Wei Ran reached out and took out a set of woolen shirts and underwear from the box, looked at them, took off his clothes and put them on himself without any pressure. .

After putting on his clothes and pants again to warm up his body, he finally had the guts to take a wetsuit off his head and take a look.

It has to be said that Spier's "bag licking" skills are indeed good. This casually taken off diving suit has no shortage of parts, especially on the left arm, which also has a Pena 2011 fixed with a scabbard. A diving knife produced by Haihai, and a diving watch also from this company is fixed on the right wrist.

But at the same time, he also noticed that the diving suit seemed to have a lot of damage, and they were all repaired in a way similar to repairing tires on bicycles.

How can this be used?

Wei Ran grinned, and couldn't help but have the slightest doubt about Spier's plan.

At this moment, there was another rustling noise outside, and a moment later, Vanessa came in holding a flashlight.

"What did they say?" Wei Ran asked casually.

“Nothing said”

Vanessa said angrily, "They were busy getting into bed, and they didn't even have time to close the door."

After saying that, the girl also noticed Wei Ran's diving suit left on the bed. She came over to look at it and asked, "Victor, can you dive?"

"You know how?" Wei Ran asked.

"of course"

Vanessa replied matter-of-factly, "Spiel taught me and my sister before, and last summer, he took us to St. Malo for diving. What about you? Can you do it?"

"It's not a big problem," Wei Ran said ambiguously, "Spiel used to dive often?"

"He just graduated from the Meteorological College the year before last, and diving seems to be a required course for them."

Vanessa said with admiration, "If it weren't for the war, he would have been sent to work in the Arctic, but now he can only guard this broken lighthouse."

"How did he meet Heidi?" Wei Ran continued to expand on this topic.

“The summer of my college year, my sister and I went on vacation to Nice, and he worked as a surfing instructor on the coast where we were vacationing.”

Just as the chat was progressing, a rapid whistle and the sound of submachine gun fire suddenly came from outside the lighthouse.

Hearing this, Wei Ran and Vanessa's hearts sank. Less than half a minute apart, Heidi hurried into the basement carrying a bag. Behind her, the entrance to the basement was blocked by Spier outside with wooden boards and oil drums. .

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked in a low voice.

"do not know"

Heidi put down the bag in her hand and explained in a low voice, "It seemed that a group of Germans were chasing someone just now. When we looked out the window, we only saw a few flashlight beams swaying on the beach, and the Germans What are you shooting with a submachine gun?"

At this point, Heidi had already opened the bag, first took out three French sticks that could be called weapons, and then took out a small folding saw from the bag for disassembling "weapons".

This was not over yet. Heidi, who still had strawberry marks on her neck, then took out two sets of British army lunch boxes that were probably picked up from Dunkirk and an enamel milk jug with a lid from her bag.

When she opened the lids of these milk cans, they were filled with buckets of thick French stew. The British army lunch box opened by Vanessa was filled with dried smoked fish and three sets of cutlery.

"Let's eat something first"

Heidi used a saw to cut apart one of the French sticks and whispered in a low voice, "But we'd better make less noise, especially if there are any knocks on the door."

Hearing this, Wei Ran and Vanessa each nodded, took the baguettes Heidi gave them, soaked one end in the hot stewed soup, and waited patiently for it to soften before putting it into their mouths. .

Sitting side by side on the small bed, which was not very spacious, they each filled their stomachs. Wei Ran took the initiative to stand up and said, "You guys can rest here. There are warm shirts in the box under the bed that you can put on."

"What about you?" Vanessa asked immediately when she saw Wei Ran preparing to walk out.

"I'll go guard outside."

As he spoke, Wei Ran had already picked up the small flashlight that Vanessa had just used, "Get some rest. We are just taking turns to keep watch. I will wake you up when the time comes."

Before he finished speaking, he had already wormed his way out along the narrow passage. The two Heidi sisters looked at each other, and the former said, "You rest in bed."

"You go to bed"

Before Vanessa finished speaking, she had already dug out two sets of warm shirts and underwear from the box under the bed. After giving one set to Heidi, she asked in a low voice while changing clothes, "You and Spear said you Are you pregnant?"

"not yet"

Heidi, who was also changing her clothes, shook her head, "How could I tell him this at this time? If I did, he would definitely find a way to stay."

"But."

"I'm not even sure I'm pregnant yet."

Heidi said first, "In short, don't tell Spear about this before arriving in the UK. And Vanessa, if we can escape to the UK, it will be a good thing for us and the unborn child, right?" ?"

Hearing this, Vanessa opened her mouth, and finally nodded without saying anything else.

At the same time, Wei Ran, who was hiding outside, sighed silently and used the beam of his flashlight to observe the basement filled with debris.

Because of the structural characteristics of the lighthouse itself, which is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, the basement is naturally much larger than the small room at the top. Of course, there are all kinds of debris accumulated here.

In addition to the oil drums that can be seen from time to time, there are also various broken furniture, old wooden boards, rolls of canvas, bundles of rope, and even a pair of boats that look to weigh three to four hundred kilograms. Anchors, and several boxes of rusty tack.

What made him even more unexpected was that he found a dozen bottles of wine covered with dust on the bottom of a rather retro-looking wooden shelf in the corner, as well as several wine glasses that were also covered with dust and two rusty wine glasses. A stained bottle opener.

He casually pulled out a bottle and wiped the dust off it. Wei Ran couldn't help but feel happy when he saw the broken trademark on it. This was a bottle of brandy, a brandy bottled in 1920.

I picked up another bottle and looked at it. It was still brandy, and it was bottled in the same year.

Could it be left by the lighthouse keeper back then?

While Wei Ran was muttering, he took out the gas mask bag without any delay, put one bottle into the bag, and successfully recovered the metal book.

He randomly found a bundle of canvas and sat down. Wei Ran put the flashlight aside and wiped the dust on the wine bottle. Then he used the corkscrew he found together to open the bottle of brandy that had been aged for 20 years and blew on the bottle. took a sip.

He really needed a drink now - it wasn't really that warm in this slightly humid basement.

After taking two gulps of wine, Wei Ran decisively corked the bottle, unfolded the bundle of canvas that was filled with a strong musty smell, wrapped it around him and lay down against a broken table.

Not long after, Wei Ran, who was keeping vigil in name but actually just to make room for rest, fell asleep.

When he woke up again, the oil drums at the entrance to the basement were being moved away. Seeing this, he immediately opened the canvas and at the same time took out the seized PPK pistol from the metal book.

Fortunately, as the wooden board was lifted, Spear was the only one standing outside.

"Heidi? Victor? Fanny" Spear shouted in a low voice amidst the roar of the plane rumbling outside.

"I am here"

Wei Ran responded in a low voice and used the light coming from the first floor to avoid the debris in the basement.

"I brought breakfast, sorry, stew."

Spier said, passing a milk can wrapped in cloth to Wei Ran, and then handed over two cloth bundles, "Your clothes and shoes have also been dried."

"Thank you"

While Wei Ran took these things, Heidi also came over from behind carrying the milk can that had been stewed last night.

"What happened last night?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice while passing the things in his hands.

"It seems that someone was planning to drive a boat out to sea along the A River but was discovered."

While taking the empty milk can from Weihan, Spier explained in a low voice, "I looked through the binoculars just now. It seemed that they were a family of three. Their bodies were dumped on the beach. The boat was also destroyed by the Germans in the morning. Burnt.”

"God."

When Heidi heard the horrific news, she couldn't help but cross herself on her chest, and a look of uncontrollable horror appeared on her face.

"do not worry"

Spear comforted him in a pale tone, "We will leave safely. I swear, okay, I'm going to block the entrance. Maybe the inspector will come to Kanak in a while. You all have a little patience, bad guys." The weather is coming soon.”

After saying that, Spear had already covered the entrance with the wooden board he was holding.

"Spiel, what time is it now?" Wei Ran finally asked.

"let me see"

Spier said, taking out a copper pocket watch from his pocket, opening it and taking a look, "Eight forty-four in the morning."

There are almost 12 hours left.

Wei Ran muttered secretly, letting Spear cover another thick wooden board from the outside, and listened to Heidi and Vanessa as he moved the oil drum to suppress the two wooden boards.

Carrying the food back into the small space, sisters Heidi and Vanessa put on their own clothes and boots, while Wei Ran opened the lid of the milk can and poured some thick milk into each person's lunch box. fish stew.

After filling his stomach with the leftover baguettes from last night, Wei Ran, who finally had shoes to wear, also chose a spot farthest away from the small space in the basement to urinate, and then took a pee from the gas mask bag. He dug out the gold-cased hunting pocket watch that he had found with the IOU, and after some fumbling, he adjusted the time to 9 o'clock.

It was already September 9th, and just like the previous week, German bombers were busy laying bombs on London day and night.

Compared to the busyness in the sky, Wei Ran lay down on the canvas and dozed off again. He didn't know when Spier planned to escape, but he knew very clearly that the weather would get worse tonight, and by late night, it would be A strong northeasterly wind blew.    So it will be tonight?

This is an extremely important question, but one that not even Spear has the answer to. But he still did not give up on another seemingly insignificant "small problem": of the two language tasks this time, one of them learned Latin, and what exactly did the other learn?

Wei Ran had many guesses about the answer to this little question, but since there was no corresponding situation to help him "load the database", those guesses were just guesses after all.

But just when he was about to give up this little trouble, he heard a faint knock on the door from the first floor of the lighthouse.

Almost as he ran to the blocked stairs by the light of the flashlight, Heidi and Vanessa also ran over.

A moment later, with the sound of footsteps on the stairs and a soft "squeak", the wooden door on the first floor of the lighthouse was also opened by Spear.

"Spear, I'm here to bring you today's food."

A slightly hoarse voice said, "Also, have you copied everything I asked you to copy?"

"The copying is ready," Spear said enthusiastically in French, "Please come in."

After saying that, the wooden door on the first floor of the lighthouse was closed again with a "squeak". Immediately afterwards, Wei Ran listened to the hoarse voice and asked in another language, "Speer, you got what I need." ?"

"Let's go up and talk about this," Spear also said in a strange language that Wei Ran could understand.

"Let's chat here, I have to rush back."

The hoarse voice whispered anxiously, "Yesterday the Abraham family failed, and their bodies were on the beach not far away. Spear, we can't wait any longer, when can you repair the diving suit and boat?" ?I’ve already paid and I don’t want to wait any longer!”

Spier replied awkwardly, "Teacher Vicente, now the diving suit and the boat are almost repaired, but the most important oxygen bottle has never been purchased. There is no oxygen bottle, let alone an air pump. We only rely on the air pump." The best you can do to refill the cylinder is to hold on."

"I don't want to hear this"

Vicente asked in a dissatisfied voice, "Spear, how long will it take for me to get those things?"

"I promise you, I will have everything ready before the end of this month."

Spear vowed, "So please wait a little longer, and there will definitely be the northeasterly winds I mentioned in October, and there will often be thick fog on the strait, and the chances of escape will be much greater by then."

"You better not lie to me!" Vicente said in a gloomy tone.

"of course not"

Spier said firmly, "I want to flee to England with your family, and your daughter Eva and I are getting married. How could I lie to you? What's more, if I cheated on you, how would I leave France? ?Even if I get to England, I really don’t have any friends anymore.”

"As long as you know better!" Vicente finally asked worriedly, "Will it really be ready by the end of the month?"

"It will definitely work!" Spier promised firmly, "I swear on my mother!"

"I can't wait until the end of the month, Spear, you'd better get everything ready within a week."

After Vicente said this, Wei Ran also heard the "squeak" sound of the door closing again, as well as the slightly heavy footsteps of Spear going upstairs.

Until the footsteps disappeared, Heidi, who was also eavesdropping, asked in a low voice, "Victor, do you know Hebrew? Can you understand what they just said?"

"I I can't"

Wei Ran sighed secretly and asked with a normal expression, "What about you? Don't you know how?"

“How could I possibly know Hebrew?”

Heidi said as she walked back, "Spear did teach me some words, but I didn't remember a few at all."

Sighing secretly, Wei Ran was caught in a contradiction. He already knew that the second language task he learned was Hebrew, but he would rather not understand the conversation just now. That way, there would be no need to worry about telling Heidi the shocking news revealed in Spear's words.

Forget it, just pretend you don’t understand it for the time being.

Wei Ran sighed when he sat back on the canvas bundle. At the same time, he also became more vigilant about Spear. He didn't know what the relationship between Mr. Vicente and Spear was, let alone what Spear was planning to do with him. The fact that the other party's daughter got married was somewhat true. He didn't even know whether Spear left with the three of them.

But he only knows that the weather is going to change tonight. If he wants to escape, tonight is the last chance, because by tomorrow night, the British air battle will change its offensive and defensive position, and this port will probably be washed into ruins by British bombers. .

"You have something on your mind?"

While he was secretly calculating, Vanessa came over and sat on the canvas next to Wei Ran. After Heidi got into the small hidden space, she immediately turned off the flashlight.

"I'm just a little nervous," Wei Ran replied half-truthfully.

"Me too"

Vanessa sighed, "I don't know why, but I've been very uneasy since hiding here."

"You can't trust Spier?" Wei Ran asked in Latin deliberately.

"I didn't know you! You know Latin?!"

Vanessa turned around in surprise, widened her eyes in the darkness and looked at Wei Ran who was very close at hand, and then asked in Latin, "Didn't you say you couldn't do it?"

"Did I say that?"

Wei Ran said as if he was making a fool of himself, "I'm just saying, do you think I can do it? You think I can't."

"Okay" Vanessa slapped her forehead, "How come you know Latin?"

"I'm French, of course I know Latin." Wei Ran replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Forget it, just pretend I didn't ask"

Vanessa laughed after she finished speaking, then brought the topic back and asked in Latin, "Where were we talking about just now?"

"Let me think"

In the darkness where he couldn't see his fingers, Wei Ran deliberately pondered for a moment, and then casually said in Latin, "I ask you, do you not trust Spear."

"Why do you ask that?" Vanessa asked.

"You said you've been feeling uneasy since you came here." Wei Ran threw the question back again.

"I do not know either"

Vanessa sighed in the darkness, and after a moment of silence she suddenly whispered, "He is a Jew, and he has many letters written in Hebrew. My sister doesn't know who he is communicating with, and even more... I don't understand the content of the letter.

It was like the two of us were communicating in Latin and my sister could hear everything but had no idea what was being said.

My sister once said before that she always felt that Spear had many secrets. Especially before France surrendered, he sometimes even made his sister feel that they were from completely different worlds. "

"Aren't they ready to get married?" Wei Ran said casually.

"yes"

Vanessa sighed, "This is what makes me feel most confused about how to evaluate Mr. Spear."

"How to say?"

"Mr. Spear has discussed with his sister that after they get married, they will move to the UK and move our tailor shop to the UK."

"Move to England?" Wei Ran raised his eyebrows, already vaguely guessing Spear's plan.

"To get out of debt at Reno's Grocery Store"

Vanessa sighed, "At least that's what he said at the time, move to England, change your identity, and let those debts go to hell."

"So what do you suspect?" Wei Ran asked.

"I don't doubt anything"

Vanessa shook her head, "I want to study law because I really want to solve the debt my father borrowed, but it's not just because of that. I want to have the opportunity to become a lawyer in the future, not a tailor, and I don't want to go to England. .”

"Why?" Wei Ran asked with interest.

“Their food is terrible”

Vanessa was successfully changed the subject, frowning in the darkness and said, "It's like fried stinky socks, greasy and chewy, and it doesn't taste good and is boring."

"Perfect description" Wei Ran said with a smile.

"Have you been to England?" Vanessa asked.

"I haven't been there," Wei Ran replied with a smile.

"You'll know once you've been there. The chefs there are all monkeys pretending to have lost their senses of taste and smell." Vanessa mocked mercilessly.

"It seems that you didn't eat anything good when you went to England before."

“There is no local cuisine that can be called food”

"Is it such an exaggeration? Where is your grandmother's house in the UK?" After Wei Ran asked this question naturally, he secretly added the expected answer in his mind - "Brighton".

"Liverpool's countryside, but I'm not exaggerating at all."

Vanessa gave a very different answer, "I didn't like it there, not just because there was nothing to eat, but it was also very humid and we hadn't been there since our grandparents died."

Not Brighton

Wei Ran sighed secretly and absent-mindedly asked the girl next to him about what he had seen in Liverpool.

(End of this chapter)