War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1562 At Least You Survived

"Clang!"

Accompanied by a crisp bang, Wei Ran once again dug out a deformed bullet head from the wound on Bat's shoulder and threw it into the tray together with the hemostatic forceps.

"The scapula is fractured, fortunately the main blood vessels are not damaged." While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already taken the needle holder that Edelweiss had prepared in advance and began to sew.

"Mr. Varta is still interviewing," Edelweiss said the information that Wei Ran wanted to know, "His interview has been going on for four and a half minutes."

"Pay attention to your surroundings," Wei Ran said as he quickened his hands' speed.

At 11:12 in the morning, Wei Ran not only helped Bat suture and bandage his wounds, but also helped him put on the civilian clothes that had been prepared in advance.

Almost at the same time that Edelweiss had finished cleaning up the blood-stained medical waste, the blood bag hanging on the roof railing was also emptied.

"How do you feel? Do you want another pack?" While asking, Wei Ran had already pulled out the blood transfusion needle for the bat.

"It would be even better if we could add some wine or soak some Chat." The bat had regained consciousness and although his tone was weak, he still had the energy to make a joke.

"You can taste them with your own mouth after you have fully recovered."

Wei Ran took the initiative to say without waiting for the other party to ask, "You were unconscious for less than half an hour since I took you down from the armored vehicle."

"So we're still in the refugee camp?" Bat looked around. "Where are the kids? Where's my bag?"

"Packed behind"

Wei Ran pointed to the stack of cartons behind the seat and the backpacks on top of the cartons, and said in Arabic, "The children are here too, Hanward, say hello to the bats."

"We were hiding inside, all seven of us are here, and no one was injured."

In a hidden space disguised as a pile of cardboard boxes, Hanward and Dalal said in unison - like the seven dwarfs.

"Okay, now continue to be quiet."

Before Bat could speak, Wei Ran continued in Arabic, "We are in Mr. Varta's interview car. We will probably not leave the refugee camp in the short term, so everyone should be alert. The danger is not over yet."

“Here is your press card.”

Clara said, taking out a badge from the pocket of her slightly larger director's vest and hanging it around Bat's neck, "You are now Mr. Varta's driver and bodyguard. Varta is a freelance journalist invited by the Yisheli military to report positively on them."

As if to make a point, Edelweiss sneered, "For this, those demons who deserve to be made into lampshades generously paid $10,000 in cash."

"Backpack"

Bat became even more anxious after hearing this. "Don't let those idiots find my backpack. It will bring trouble."

"And there's that camera bag," Wei Ran also reminded.

"What's in there?"

As Edelweiss spoke, she had already lifted the curtain between the cab and the driver's seat, reached out and pulled over the camera bag on the passenger seat. At the same time, Wei Ran also picked up the backpack behind the seat.

"Here are the negatives of the photos taken by the hot air balloon over the refugee camp"

Bat took the backpack, opened it and took a look, then lowered his voice and said, "We need to hide these negatives. No matter if they are the Falangists or the Chairmen, they will not be willing to have the contents of these films released."

"give it to me"

Wei Ran took the backpack and then bent down to open the small door under the seat and handed it to the hiding children.

"This camera was borrowed from the special forces of the Yisheli military. They might be able to recognize it." Wei Ran said, and handed the camera bag that Edelweiss handed to Hanward.

He had just re-camouflaged the entrance and exit of the cardboard box, and Edelweiss, who had been staring at the outside, snapped his fingers and reminded, "Mr. Varta is back."

"Are you waiting for me to walk over?" Before Edelweiss finished speaking, Varta's harsh shout came from outside the car window, "Drive the car over here quickly!"

"Go, go."

As Wei Ran said this, he opened the car door and got out at the same time as Edelweiss. At the same time, Bat also wrapped his head with a brand new Arabic scarf.

"You two go to the back."

Varta said before Wei Ran opened the car door, "Where is my bodyguard? Isn't it his job to drive?"

Before Edelweiss could say anything, and before Wei Ran could hold Edelweiss, Bat came out from the back seat of the car and said in a full voice, "Sorry sir, I'm here."

"Hurry up and drive us around. I need to get the first-hand news. This is related to whether you can get extra bonuses!"

As Varta said this, he pushed Wei Ran away with a look of disgust, opened the passenger door and got in, "You two go to the back compartment!"

With an inconspicuous glance at the soldier passing by, Wei Ran happily pulled Edelweiss back to the back compartment which was still filled with the smell of blood and disinfectant.

"Can you still hold on?"

It was not until the soldiers who had just passed by walked away and the car was started smoothly that Varta, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked worriedly.

"no problem"

Bat said as he had already taken out a piece of Chat from his pocket and put it into his mouth, which he had just taken out of his backpack.

"Tell me what happened last night"

Varta lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "Take us around the refugee camp. Victor, don't you have a camera? Take some pictures."

“I’ll take pictures of everything I see.”

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already taken out the two Nikon cameras under the cover of his vest. Fortunately, both cameras were loaded with film and had not been used.

"Please lend me one," Edelweiss said to Wei Ran.

After a little hesitation, Wei Ran handed the Nikon SP to the other party. He hesitated not because he was reluctant, but because he didn't want Edelweiss to see everything outside the car window.

"A lot of people died last night."

Just as Wei Ran, Edelweiss and even Mr. Varta raised their cameras, Bat sighed and began to recall in a hoarse voice while chewing khat.

According to his story, Wei Ran followed the last armored vehicle to evacuate the refugee camp, while he stayed behind to secretly watch over the children in the cellar. It was his uncle Wum who sent the precious horses back to the refugee camp.

Apart from this small difference, the rest was not much different from what Wei Ran had personally experienced.

Outside the refugee camp, which he had never experienced, with Edelweiss's few words, she and Wei Ran treated the seriously injured sewing machine, but failed to save his life.

In order to return to the refugee camp as soon as possible, Varta took the initiative to contact his friends in the Yishelie military early this morning and got a press pass that allowed him to come in and report, as well as an unexpected reward of $10,000.

Bat slowly stepped on the brakes as the topic came to this. Outside the car window that was covered with flies, there was still an ambulance with a destroyed front and an armored vehicle with a big hole in its side that had not been cleaned up yet.

Also not cleaned up in time were the bodies hanging upside down nearby and the body in the hot air balloon.

At this time, his body was covered with flies. The only thing that allowed people to recognize him at a glance was the rabbit-like blue eyes that fluttered slightly in the wind with a strong smell of corpse.

"We have to find a way to get his body."

"Need not"

Bat didn't wait for Edelweiss to finish her words, and simply shook his head, "No need, let those Falangists do whatever they want with his body."

"What did you say?" Edelweiss subconsciously looked at Wei Ran who was sitting next to her with a pleading look.

"I say, let the Falangists do whatever they want with his body."

Bat had already slowly stepped on the accelerator while speaking, and continued to drive along the street, saying, "He was a warrior. It was an honor to die on the land he protected in order to protect the people he wanted to protect. Even if he was hung there, it was also an honor for him.

Whether it was him or my Uncle Umm, or me or even the kids, we were all prepared for the same thing.”

At this point, Bat took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "On the contrary, maybe we should think about sending the Sewing Machine couple home after we leave here alive. What about the children? What about them?"

"Do you have any ideas?" Varta, who had been silent, asked as he looked at the flies flying outside the window.

“I have a big house in Corsica, and next door is the house that Hot Air Balloon bought, and we even dug a passage between the basements.”

The bat said firmly, "Let the children live there. I will take care of them and raise them up. I will train them to be the best soldiers, the best doctors, the best reporters, the best..."

"Painter," Edelweiss added, "believe me, only painters can scare the warty people."

"Well, the best painter."

Bat smiled indifferently, "No matter what, I will raise them as my own children. When they grow up, they can choose to live in France as French people, or they can choose to return to Beirut, Palestine as Palestinians and do whatever they want."

"I will help you"

Varta made a self-deprecating promise, "I will help you take care of those children. If they are willing to become journalists, I can be their teacher. Although I am a scumbag, a scumbag who is afraid of painters."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Valta." Edelweiss apologized quickly, "I forgot about you."

"It's ok"

Varta waved his hand indifferently, and said while pressing the shutter out of the car window, "I was only as old as Rama when I escaped from the prison in Nacu. I spent most of my childhood in the prison.

But kids, look at what's happening out there!

It's no exaggeration to say that I have never seen such a miserable scene in any centralized management company managed by the Germans.

I began to wonder if those Germans who escaped trial after World War II came here under different names and started a new life.”

"That's definitely not the case," Edelweiss, who had been frightened by the numerous horrific corpses and the strong stench of corpses outside and turned pale, said self-deprecatingly, "Although my grandfather was an Austrian, he was no different from traditional Germans, just as old-fashioned and lacking in imagination.

So even if he and his colleagues escaped the trial and came here, they would definitely not do such a thing. "

“Compared to those kids”

Varta tapped the car window with his fingers, pointing at the smelly little corpses lying on the roadside. "Compared to them, I actually started to think that my childhood was pretty good. Although those Germans always ordered their dogs to chase and bite my butt for fun, at least they didn't confiscate my penis and scalp."

At this point in the topic, Bat slowed down the car again, took a deep look at the corpse tied to the roadside electric pole, then just wiped his eyes and increased the speed again.

In the back seat of the car, Wei Ran sighed silently while pressing the shutter. The body was Uncle Wum.

Almost all the skin on his body had been peeled off, leaving only a face that was filled with pain and hatred, flies all over his body, and skin fragments that had been carelessly discarded all over the ground.

"parking"

Varta spoke without warning, and Bat subconsciously stepped on the brakes.

"vomit--!"

As soon as the car door opened, Varta pulled off his mask and vomited. However, when he noticed that not far from the vomit, there was a corpse that was crushed by the tracks and could only barely make out a human figure, he hurriedly waved his hands to signal to leave, and began to dry heave more violently. At the same time, he had to drive away the flies that tried to fly into his mouth.

Starting from this nightmare-like noon, Wei Ran took the interview car as an intern assistant, and Edelweiss, who had the same identity, followed Mr. Varta around, and carried out meaningless interviews and painful filming while he and Edelweiss vomited uncontrollably again and again.

Also persisting are Bat, who has a broken shoulder blade but has to serve as the driver, and the children hiding in the secret compartment of the cardboard box.

Fortunately, until the sky grew darker and the sun was blocked by the horizon, no flares were fired and no one discovered the children hiding in the carriage.

Unfortunately, even though it was already dark, surviving refugees were still being discovered one after another.

In the camera lenses they raised again and again, they showed the unarmed refugees being driven to the entrance and exit of the refugee camp.

But this was not the end. These few survivors were separated by gender. A considerable number of women were released, but the vast majority of men, including underage men, were taken directly into trucks and taken away.

"Where will those men be taken?" At the entrance of the refugee camp, Valtar stopped a lieutenant and asked in fluent Hebrew.

"stadium"

The lieutenant waited until Wei Ran finished taking the photo for him, then pointed in the direction where the trucks disappeared and said, "They will undergo necessary investigations, and will be released after it is confirmed that they are not terrorists."

“So that’s how it is”

Varta nodded in sudden realization. "Sir, we have been interviewing here for a whole afternoon. We are going to leave here and follow those trucks to the stadium. Do you and your soldiers need to check my interview car?"

"Of course not, Mr. Varta."

As the soldier spoke, he called on the soldiers nearby to raise the pole, and said confidently, "Mr. Varta, welcome back here again. By then, this place will become our land, with beautiful communities and smooth streets. At least it won't be as smelly as it is now."

"I look forward to that day and wish you a happy life."

Varta shook hands with the other party with a smile, handed the camera in his hand to Wei Ran, and said in French, "Victor, take a photo of me and this gentleman."

"It's my pleasure"

Wei Ran said this, took the other person's camera, and pressed the shutter button towards the two people standing side by side.

After paying for his ticket to leave with a photo, Varta shook hands with the lieutenant again before getting into the passenger seat and letting Wei Ran close the door for him.

"Good-bye, gentlemen."

Varta opened the car window and said loudly in Hebrew, "It is obvious that this place is so safe because of your presence. Thank you for your protection."

"crash"

Wei Ran, who had already gotten into the car, closed the door of the rear compartment at the same time. Bat also stepped on the accelerator and drove the car slowly out of the refugee camp, following the truck in front and disappearing into the night.

"Go," Valta said tremblingly, "Go to the dock quickly! Ugh--!"

After looking at Varta who was retching again while holding onto the car window, the bat spat out the khat that had already been chewed into pieces in his mouth and slowly stepped on the accelerator.

In the back seat of the car, Wei Ran also gently hugged Edelweiss, whose face was pale and whose body was trembling.

"Escaped, did you?" Edelweiss asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I escaped." Wei Ran subconsciously hugged the slim girl tightly.

"Let's have a drink when we get back," Edelweiss looked up at Wei Ran and begged.

"Have a drink," Wei Ran nodded, "We'll have a good drink after we get back."

As Wei Ran sighed regretfully, everything in front of him was obscured by white light. The real touch in his arms and the strong stench of corpse also disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if nothing had happened.

  So, did you and the children survive?

As Wei Ran muttered to himself, the white light gradually faded away, and he also felt the slightly cool wind blowing towards him.

When his vision returned to normal, Wei Ran was stunned.

As far as the eye can see is a high mountain with a snow-capped top, and closer is a green grassland.

On the grassland, a fat and strong St. Bernard was chasing a running goat in a slightly clumsy manner.

Almost subconsciously, Wei Ran guessed where this place was. He even guessed that the St. Bernard's name must be Adolf.

Turning his head to look around, he found himself on the terrace at the entrance of a two-story wooden house. Through the half-open wooden door, he could vaguely see a slender girl in a skirt busy doing something in the room with her back to him.

Next to him were two single sofas and a not-so-big wooden coffee table. On the coffee table was a can of candied dates.

He lifted up his sleeve and put it to his nose to smell it. Although he was still wearing the same clothes, fortunately, the strong lingering stench of corpse was no longer on his body.

I walked to the terrace very cautiously. Next to this beautiful wooden house, there was a garage which was not very big but was kept exceptionally clean.

In the garage, there was also a six-wheeled emergency vehicle that he was very familiar with. He could even see the blue-eyed rabbit pendant hanging on the rearview mirror through the windshield.

"looking at what?"

Just as Wei Ran was staring at the car in a daze, Edelweiss's question came from behind him.

I turned around subconsciously and saw Edelweiss had brought a bottle of red wine in an ice bucket and two highball glasses on a tray, as well as a plate of Mozart chocolate balls and two Sacher cakes.

Compared to when she was in the refugee camp, Edelweiss now looks more beautiful and exquisite in both appearance and dress - like a princess.

But compared to the beautiful white dress she was wearing, she was still wearing the prisoner-of-war watch that belonged to her grandfather on her wrist.

"nothing"

Wei Ran subconsciously rolled up the sleeves of his sweater. On his hand, he was wearing the same Soviet watch that he had seized. It was exactly stopped at the 12 o'clock position, and the second hand had just turned less than half a circle.

“We agreed to have a drink.”

As Edelweiss spoke, she had already picked up a bottle of red wine, wiped it carefully with a towel, and then poured it into the two wine glasses.

"Is this your grandfather's house?" Wei Ran took the wine glass and asked while sitting on the sofa.

"yes"

Edelweiss picked up another glass of wine and sat on Wei Ran's lap with familiarity. She clinked her glasses with him and took a sip of the wine. Then she lay in his arms and said in a daze, "This is my grandfather's farm. I almost grew up here. Did you see that St. Bernard?"

"Is it Adolf?"

Wei Ran also took a sip of wine, gently hugged the girl in his arms again, and asked in the same delirious voice.

"Yes, it is Adolf, a very clever St. Bernard."

Edelweiss whispered softly into Wei Ran's ear, "When I was little, I often rode a goat with him to see who could reach the top of the mountain first, and I always fell off the goat's back halfway.

But every time he would stop, spin around, wag his tail happily at me, and lick my face like crazy."

"Mr. Adolf's sheep-herding skills don't seem very professional?"

Wei Ran asked softly into the other person's ear, even though they had had such a conversation before in almost the same posture, squeezed in the cab of the ambulance.

"He's not much of a sheepherder, and certainly not one to bring whiskey to rescue people, but he's a pretty good mouse catcher."

Before Edelweiss finished her words, Wei Ran once again felt hot tears sliding down from the girl's eyes and hitting his neck, giving him goose bumps and making him subconsciously hug her tightly.

"very nice."

Edelweiss also hugged Wei Ran tightly, and whispered in his ear with tears in her eyes, saying thankfully.

"What."

"At least you survived"

With tears streaming down her face, Edelweiss murmured softly, "I'm glad you survived."

The moment he heard what she said, Wei Ran felt his heart stop beating. He suppressed his panic and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said."

Edelweiss hugged Wei Ran tighter, and in the white light surging around him, she whispered softly in his ear, "Continue to tell me those stories about your time on the battlefield."

"it is good"

Wei Ran responded desperately, allowing himself and the delicate, protective girl in his arms to be completely swallowed up by the tide of white light.