War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1537 Entering the Refugee Camp

"Let's go, he's letting us in."

After the hot air balloon reacted, he immediately translated it, and then he opened the door of the back compartment and got in.

One step faster than him, Wei Ran also got into the carriage filled with strong smell of gunpowder.

Fortunately, although Edelweiss was frightened to the point of almost crying, she did not have any wounds on her body.

  As for the three shots that just hit the civilian radio station installed right in front of the co-pilot!

"Don't cry," Wei Ran said in German as he closed the car door, "Hold back your tears first."

Edelweiss nodded, gripped the gear lever with trembling hands, and drove the car steadily through the checkpoint and into the refugee camp.

"Do you need me to drive?"

Wei Ran asked, and before Edelweiss could answer, she had already started to wipe away the tears that were pouring out in a hurry. She was really scared just now.

"Stop the car, I'll drive." Wei Ran said with a sigh.

Although Edelweiss nodded in agreement with Wei Ran's decision, she still insisted on driving the car to another road until she blocked the view of the checkpoint behind her, and then she pushed open the car door.

"You go to the back"

When Wei Ran passed the other person, he said, "Change to the co-pilot seat for the hot air balloon."

Edelweiss nodded and got into the back seat. At the same time, the hot air balloon that got out first also opened the passenger door.

"Do you need me to show you the way?" Hot Air Balloon asked after Wei Ran got in the car.

"need"

While fastening his seat belt, Wei Ran asked, "Which direction is the Kuwait Embassy?"

"Are you looking for a commanding height?" The hot air balloon instantly guessed Wei Ran's thoughts.

"right"

Wei Ran nodded honestly. He was indeed looking for a commanding position.

Coming from later generations, he knew even more that before the massacre was about to begin, the Yiselie military used the seven-story building as its headquarters, from which they could overlook the entire refugee camp without any cover, making it easier for them to command the Falange via radio to ensure the massacre went more smoothly.

However, he couldn't say all of this. He just hoped that the combat proficiency of this retired sniper from outside the law sitting next to him in the hot air balloon would meet his expectations.

"That direction"

After giving Wei Ran a cigarette, the hot air balloon raised his hand and pointed in a direction.

Following the direction of the other party's finger and looking at the abrupt seven-story building in the distance, Wei Ran slowly lit a cigarette, and then steered the car slowly on the narrow streets of this refugee camp which was no more than one square kilometer in size.

"Second question"

Wei Ran asked while observing the surrounding buildings, "What medical institutions are there in the refugee camp? Where are they located?"

"The main medical resources here come from Gaza Hospital and Acre Hospital"

Hot Air Balloon introduced them like a treasure trove, “In addition, Near East has a medical center in the refugee camp.

In addition to them, Norwegian People's Aid, Doctors Without Borders and the Red Crescent are also stationed here.

However, the scale of them is not too large. Most of them work in the two hospitals mentioned above, and a small number of them have established general practice clinics in residential areas.

As far as I know, the hospital where you worked before borrowed people from those two hospitals.”

After a brief pause, the hot air balloon asked, "Where are you going next?"

"How about taking a walk first?" Wei Ran asked behind him.

Naturally, the people in the back seat had no objections. Seeing this, the hot air balloon didn't ask any more questions. Wei Ran just drove the car and paid attention to the environment outside the window.

He was not driving fast, it could even be said that he was driving too slowly.

It was not without its benefits. At least it gave him time to raise his camera again and again and press the shutter towards the street scenes outside and the overcrowded refugees.

During the slow journey, he used the Nikon SP in his hand to shoot two rolls of film, and then drove the car around the refugee camp.

In general, the refugee density here is too high, and the living environment is far worse than imagined.

On the other hand, he also noticed that the edges of the refugee camp were either blocked by walls, or covered with barbed wire, or guarded by checkpoints.

"Have you found a suitable location?" Wei Ran asked the person sitting in the co-pilot seat of the hot air balloon.

"Turn right at the street ahead," said the hot air balloon, pointing to the intersection ahead.

"That two-story building?" Wei Ran asked back.

"There's an alley next to it, and our car can probably drive in."

Hot Air Balloon handed Wei Ran another cigarette and said, "That two-story building can just block the view from the direction of the Kuwait Embassy. I mean, if we need it."

“I hope we don’t have to use it.”

Wei Ran took the cigarette and muttered something incoherently, allowing the hot air balloon to light the cigarette for him.

"What are you talking about?" Edelweiss, who had actually been eavesdropping on their conversation, asked curiously.

"nothing"

Wei Ran ended the topic before Hot Air Balloon spoke, "Where are we going next?"

"Where is the nearest medical unit?"

Sewing Machine asked, "I mean, where is the nearest medical unit to the location you just talked about."

"Akka Hospital"

Hot Air Balloon exchanged a glance with Wei Ran before answering, "The other side of the alley is the side entrance of the hospital, but the other end of the alley has been blocked by debris."

"You seem familiar with this place?"

Wei Ran asked casually as he steered the car towards the building he had seen while circling around earlier.

He and the hot air balloon had already spotted several such safe houses when they were circling just now, and most of them were next to the medical points here.

Of course, most of them were found by him using the hot air balloon.

“Of course I’m familiar with this place.”

The hot air balloon stared out the window blankly and replied, "My wife is from here. She almost grew up here. When our children were alive, they loved to come here to play. She has more than a dozen good friends here.

They spent their childhood in this dilapidated and overcrowded refugee camp.”

"Sorry, I think I asked the wrong question."

"No, it's nothing."

When the hot air balloon turned around, his eyes were already full of bloodshot, but he still forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, it's already happened."

The topic came to an abrupt end, and the only sounds in the car were the smell of nicotine and the roar of the engine.

Not long after, Wei Ran stopped the car again, pointed to an inconspicuous, dilapidated two-story building outside the window and asked, "Confirm, this is where we are talking about, right?"

"That's it," the hot air balloon nodded, "but we don't have the money to rent this place."

"I have"

As Wei Ran spoke, he rolled up his trouser leg and took out a gold necklace and two gold rings from his socks. Then, he lifted up the other trouser leg and took out two hundred dollars from his socks and handed them to the stunned Hot Air Balloon.

He had hidden this money yesterday. If it wasn't enough, he could even take out another hundred dollars from under each of his two insoles.

Of course, if that wasn't enough, he also had a Mauser bayonet hidden in his sleeve, and that living ancestor had even more special remedies for greed.

“I almost wanted to rob you.”

After receiving the money, Hot Air Balloon made a promise with a smile, "I will find a way to rent it. With so much money, I can definitely rent it."

"Aren't we staying in the hospital?" Edelweiss asked.

"Of course, of course we live in the hospital."

Wei Ran answered as a matter of course, "But some things are not convenient to bring into the hospital."

Before he could finish his words, Hot Air Balloon had already pushed open the car door, pulled out the Uzi submachine gun from the roof and hid it in his backpack, then walked straight to the building that he and Wei Ran had just chosen.

Seeing this, Edelweiss quickly opened the car door and got into the passenger seat.

"What are you and the hot air balloon going to do?" Edelweiss asked as Wei Ran maneuvered the car to get moving again.

"Those weapons cannot be brought into the hospital," Wei Ran pointed to the top of his head, "It will cause trouble for the hospital."

"I mean, what are you and the hot air balloon worried about?" Edelweiss asked, looking at the root of the matter.

“We are responsible for your safety”

Wei Ran explained gently, "If we can rent that house, it will be our safe house. When necessary, I mean if necessary, we can hide there.

Of course, they can live there before knowing whether Akka Hospital agrees to let Rama and his team work in the hospital. "

Hearing this, Edelweiss opened her mouth, but ultimately did not ask any further questions—even though she vaguely felt that there were more reasons than that.

As for the sewing machine and cradle in the back compartment, they had been whispering to each other before the car started moving.

Unfortunately, although Wei Ran could understand their language, the engine noise was too loud, so he couldn't hear clearly at all.

In just a few words, Wei Ran had already gone around to the other end of the alley and drove into the Aka Hospital unimpeded.

After some communication with the hospital director, they were successfully assigned an operating room, a general practice clinic, and two dormitories with slightly rudimentary conditions.

Without any rest or much courtesy, everyone changed into surgical gowns and started to get busy.

The only difference from before was that this time they didn't have Rama, the little translator, nor Dalal to help them guard the operating room door, nor Hanward who was responsible for pushing the patient, nor Ed who would never wake up. Instead, there were two local nurses assigned to them who could serve as translators.

On the other hand, compared to the patients outside the refugee camp, most of the patients in the refugee camp had diseases that Wei Ran was not good at treating. Because of this, he became Edelweiss's assistant.

While they were busy receiving patients, Rama, Dalal and Hanwad, who had lost their jobs, were also busy cleaning up the two dormitories assigned to them.

At the same time, the hot air balloon successfully rented the second floor of the two-story building and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Of course, even though everyone had something to do at this time, everyone, including the three children and everyone except Wei Ran, was worried about one thing - whether the blown-up barrel would trigger a new round of war, and whether the war would spread to the refugee camp.

  Only a madman would fire at a refugee camp.

Everyone except Wei Ran couldn't help but think so.

“I don’t know if there will be another fight.”

While directing Wei Ran to help give injections to the patients she was in charge of, Edelweiss said, "I'm very worried about those people we had so much trouble saving."

'They will survive'

  Wei Ran, who was busy giving injections, promised, but in his heart, he also sighed. People outside the refugee camp might survive, but in this refugee camp

"You seem a little absent-minded?" asked Edelweiss.

"It's fine," Wei Ran replied calmly, "it's just that this kind of treatment is not what I'm good at."

After a moment of silence, Edelweiss changed to German, which only the two of them could understand, and asked, "I'm still curious, what is that house used for? I mean the house that you and Hot Air Balloon liked."

“The dormitory conditions provided by the hospital will not be very good”

Wei Ran answered as a matter of course, "And there are only two rooms, one for men and one for women. I guess Mr. Sewing Machine and Mrs. Cradle definitely don't want to be separated."

Hearing this, Edelweiss didn't know what she was thinking of. She subconsciously touched her trouser pocket and felt the things that Cradle had given her that morning. Her face, which was blocked by the mask and stains, also became a little hot.

"You seem a little absent-minded too?" Wei Ran asked back.

"Ah! No!"

Edelweiss waved her hands in panic, "Nothing! I... Can you continue with your story from last night? We are the only two here who can understand German anyway."

Hearing this, Wei Ran was silent for a moment, and glanced at the nurse who could understand French without leaving a trace, "Wait until the evening."

Hearing this, Edelweiss nodded and asked no more questions. The only communication in the clinic was between the doctor and the patient through the translator.

As time passed, one patient after another walked into the clinic for treatment, and then walked out of the clinic and went somewhere unknown.

Near noon, Edelweiss, Wei Ran, and the nurse whose French name was Sophia, sent away the last patient.

Almost at the same time, the sewing machine knocked on the door from outside, "Our work over there is finished, we can switch places this afternoon, you go to the operating room, we will see patients here."

"We just sent off our last patient," Edelweiss replied, "where do we go now?"

"Let's go check out the dormitory," the sewing machine suggested as if it hadn't seen anything just now.

"Shouldn't we go take a look at that house?" Edelweiss asked curiously only after saying goodbye to the nurse.

"That's the question. Mr. Veterinarian, are you off work now?" the sewing machine asked Wei Ran.

"Of course." Wei Ran nodded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"You'll have to ask Mr. Dongfeng about that," the sewing machine said again seriously, "after all, that's the house he rented."

"After dark," Wei Ran said in a low voice.

Hearing this, Edelweiss could only suppress her curiosity, and joined Cradle who was walking towards them, and walked together towards the two dormitories assigned to them.

Perhaps considering the convenience of getting to work, the two operating rooms are located in the corner of the first floor. They are basically two adjacent wards, and the layout inside is no different from that of a ward - there is no electricity supply either.

"This is much cleaner than the garage," Cradle said with satisfaction.

"And we have windows," said the sewing machine, also quite satisfied.

"But how do we live?" Edelweiss asked the question she was concerned about. It was true that this was a ward, but there was not even a curtain in it.

“There’s always a way”

"The children can squeeze in with us, and..." said the cradle, half jokingly and half seriously.

Before she finished her words, Rama, Hanwad and Dalal came in from outside carrying a few lunch boxes in their scarves, and behind them followed Hot Air Balloon, who was wearing a white coat and also holding a few lunch boxes in his hands.

The joking topic about how to allocate the rooms came to an abrupt end, and everyone immediately looked at the hot air balloon.

As if knowing what everyone wanted to ask, the hot air balloon made an OK gesture and said, "It's done. We'll go take a look at it tonight."

"Have those things been delivered?" Wei Ran asked.

"Of course," the hot air balloon nodded, "all have been delivered."

"That's good"

Wei Ran responded vaguely, but he was secretly worried in his heart. He didn't know whether the arrangement made by him and the hot air balloon based on tacit understanding could save people, and how many people could be saved.