War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1668 Gift
In the last few days of November, in order to go to St. Petersburg with Sui Xin and Chen Luoxiang, Sui Sui put all her energy into work every day, which made the Hela girls who worked for her so busy that they had no time to spare.

As for a certain historian, after sleeping in for two days, he resumed his normal daily routine.

In order to avoid being drafted and arousing unnecessary suspicion, he would still take some time every day to investigate the things sent by Ninel.

Unfortunately, no matter what information he could find openly or what he looked for in some undisclosed archives through his cheap mentor Kajik, there was only so much information about that crew member.

The only clear record he found was the approximate whereabouts of the crew members' families.

Simply put, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the families of the crew members of this helicopter attack crew are basically not in Russia.

The wife of the co-pilot, or mechanic Ruslan Petrov, returned to Minsk, Belarus with her only daughter and immigrated to the United States shortly afterwards - this was the information obtained from Niner.

The pilot was from Yebao. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, his wife remarried and lost contact with him. His son joined the army a few years later and eventually died in Grozny, where Wei Ran had mistakenly entered.

Ironically, the helicopter's weapons systems officer, or gunner, was from Chechnya, from Grozny.

His family, or his wife, was labeled in the non-public information that Kajik helped to look up with a word that would make most Russians nervous - "black widow".

Apparently, his wife had died, in a particularly tragic way.

Compared to these two, the information of the military doctor in the photo is particularly vague. He is from Moscow, graduated from the First Moscow State Medical College, joined the army in 1986, and disappeared in the front-line fighting in 1988. That's all. There is not even any relevant record of his parents.

Seeing that the investigation had reached a deadlock and time had come to the last day of the month, Wei Ran decisively put these troubles behind him, and happily took his dog Beria, followed by Sui Sui and others to board the fruit transport plane to St. Petersburg.

“We have a week’s vacation this time!”

In the transport plane filled with the rich aroma of fruit, Sui Sui put her hands on her hips and said proudly, "No one is allowed to talk about work during this week! Whoever agrees, whoever disagrees!"

"Agree!" The many girls accompanying them cheered in unison.

"set off!"

Sui Sui waved her hand and gave a command into the communication headset. Then Wei Ran pulled her to sit down and fasten her seat belt. She chatted with the sisters around her while waiting for the transport plane to take off.

More than half an hour after Sui Sui gave the order to take off, the transport plane finally began to taxi and eventually took off smoothly and flew towards St. Petersburg.

"What are your plans for this trip?"

After the plane stabilized, Wei Ran asked into the communication headset.

"When we get there today, let's go to the Shostakovich house that Olga and Olena's father bought."

Sui Sui covered the microphone of her headset and said, "It has been completely renovated this summer and has started to receive tourists. Let's go take a look, and then go to Aunt Daria's exhibition hall. Sui Xin and Chen Luoxiang will hold a small concert there with Olga."

"And then?" Wei Ran asked as if he had lost his mind. In fact, he was just worried that he would be assigned another temporary task.

"Then Olga's father will take us to the forest to hunt," Sui Sui said excitedly, "If the weather is good, he might even take us ice fishing and camping."

"Are you really going there for fun and not to investigate the project?" Wei Ran asked suspiciously.

"Of course not! That's not happening! What are you thinking?" Sui Sui flatly denied.

Hearing this, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief and stopped asking further questions. As long as he had no work, anything would be fine. Ever since he was forced to go hungry during the Battle of Leningrad when he came here as a guest last time, he was really afraid of this place.

"How about we go back earlier this year?" Sui Sui, who seemed a little guilty, took the initiative to change the subject.

"Returning to China?" Wei Ran asked curiously, "Are you not busy with your work anymore?"

“It won’t be too late to go back and get busy”

Sui Sui said, "Just leave the work here to the girls, and Lola will stay."

"also"

Wei Ran nodded indifferently and turned to ask about the other party's plans after returning home early.

While the two were chatting, the transport plane loaded with tropical fruits landed smoothly in St. Petersburg.

When they walked out of the airport, sisters Olga and Olena had been waiting at the door for a long time. What Wei Ran didn't expect was that Ninel hadn't left yet.

"Why haven't you gone back yet?" Wei Ran, who was holding the dog, asked Ninel curiously.

“I am waiting for your investigation results.”

Niniel answered slowly, "Did you figure it out so quickly? It seems that Uncle Karp said..."

"you guessed wrong"

Wei Ran said unhappily, "I haven't started investigating yet."

"So you are here to send them here, and then go back to continue investigating?" Niniel continued to say wishfully, "It's really hard work."

“I’ll stay too.”

"So when are you going to investigate?" Ninel asked dissatisfiedly, "I'm very anxious."

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't worry yet."

Wei Ran directly pushed his suitcase to the other party and said, "There is no rush for this kind of thing. Don't worry, I will give you a result before the American Christmas."

Hearing this, Ninel thought about it carefully for a moment, and then slowly said a belated welcome, "Well, you are welcome to be our guest as well."

"Olga, please take care of your Ninel." Wei Ran teased helplessly, "He doesn't seem to welcome me."

"He just hopes that you can help him find a result as soon as possible," Olga said perfunctorily with a smile, making it clear that she was on Ninel's side.

Amidst joking and chatting, everyone got into a large Iveco van driven by Olga herself, left the airport and drove into the city, finally stopping on the side of a street.

"The one above is the former residence of Shostakovich that my father bought, and Aunt Daria bought the one next door. Now the two houses have been connected and opened to the public."

Olga opened the car door and said, "Let me take you on a tour."

"Let's go!" Sui Sui responded more actively than anyone else.

Leaving the dog Belia in the car, Wei Ran and Ninel followed the girls up to the fifth floor and took a good look at the meticulously renovated former residence.

Both expected and unexpected, most of these people were tourists from China, and they all seemed to know Sui Sui.

Not only that, next to the house bought by Daria, there were two old guys that Wei Ran was very familiar with.

These two old men were the fishermen who used to fish with Olga and Olena's father, Mr. Ivan, a professional fisherman in sinking lakes.

But now, both of them have changed into suits and are busy checking tickets and selling various souvenirs here.

As for these souvenirs, it seems that most of them are various small sculptures made by Olena.

Are they both also part of Deathstroke?
Wei Ran couldn't help but think while chatting with these two "old colleagues".

This was destined to be a question without an answer. After a brief pause and taking a few photos, everyone rushed downstairs and got into the car, heading straight for the Fish Island outside the city.

It is now early December. Although the rivers along the way are still navigable, many places near the river banks have already frozen.

"I have a plan"

Before leaving, Sui Sui said she didn't want to talk about work but still couldn't help it and spoke in her native language into Wei Ran's ear.

"Let me guess?" Wei Ran asked back in his native language.

"Guess! If you guess correctly, there's a prize!" After saying that, Sui Sui put her ear close to it.

"You plan to wait for the river to freeze, no, I should say, wait for Lake Ladoga to freeze, and then organize some sleds to walk the road of life on the ice again, right?" Wei Ran asked confidently, putting his ear close to the other person's ear.

Hearing this, Sui Sui immediately nodded vigorously, "You know me well, so tell me, what do you think of this idea?"

"not so good"

Wei Ran shook his head. "It's too dangerous. What if someone falls down or freezes to death?"

"What's the danger of running close to the shore?"

Sui Sui said proudly, "I also plan to get some traffic guards holding red lights along the way as save points."

Hearing this, Wei Ran couldn't help but dazed for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he smiled and asked, "Are you sure this will work?"

"Snapped!"

Sui Sui snapped her fingers crisply and whispered in his ear mysteriously, "The official cooperation has basically been negotiated."

"When did it happen?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"The last time we released the news that we had commissioned a studio to shoot a film about the siege of Leningrad"

Sui Sui said proudly, "At present, we don't have enough scale to shoot that movie, or rather, the scale of the studio is not enough to make that movie good enough, so I can only reluctantly pull the locals to make some money together, and then shoot it when we have enough money."

"Who are you planning to trick this time?" Wei Ran asked, trying not to laugh.

“I don’t like to hear what you said.”

Sui Sui snorted, "This time, we will push into the German market first, let them test the waters first, and then push into the Russian domestic market after confirming it is safe."

"You're not going to fleece the sheep at home this time?"

"It doesn't matter who you grab, we'll push the domestic ones last."

Sui Sui said excitedly, "This route will be mainly promoted to schools in the future, for high school and college students. They are cold-resistant and fatigue-resistant, so it's just right for playing this in the middle of winter."

"You are calculating."

Wei Ran shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He knew that this time the girl definitely didn't come here just for fun, otherwise this girl wouldn't have such great motivation.

"hey-hey"

Sui Sui smiled proudly and whispered into Wei Ran's ear again, "I also made one in China. This time I asked Brother Xia and his busty girlfriend Qin Qi to help me make it."

"what?"

“Retracing the Long March”

Sui Sui didn't notice the strange expression on Wei Ran's face. She almost hugged his neck and explained in a low voice, "It's the route where you discovered the Long March relics. You also visit Uncle Jiang and his family, which is considered to generate income for their family." "When did this happen?" Wei Ran asked puzzled.

“I started planning on November 11th.”

Sui Sui kissed her man on the face and said, "The travel agency that Sui Xin's parents took over is already being promoted. Otherwise, why do you think Sui Xin came this time?"

"Okay, okay, as long as it's none of my business." Wei Ran was somewhat relieved.

"Who said it's none of your business?"

Sui Sui said something that made him feel like he was falling into an ice cellar, "You'll have to do me a favor in a few days."

"What. What help?" Wei Ran swallowed subconsciously.

"You will know then"

However, Sui Sui kept the question in suspense at the most critical moment, and then started talking to him about topics that had nothing to do with work.

Don't go to Leningrad again.
With Wei Ran feeling a little nervous and resistant, yet with a hint of anticipation, the car drove onto Yudao Island and finally stopped at the entrance of the exhibition hall.

As expected, there were quite a few tourists here, and it seemed that there were also many of Olga's classmates and teachers.

However, unexpectedly, although Wei Ran and others got off the car, Ninel not only did not get off, but put on a mask and baseball cap early.

Not only that, he even kept Wei Ran in the car under the pretext of "helping to move things".

After all the girls got out of the car, Ninel immediately stepped on the accelerator and drove towards the pier in the northeast corner of the island.

Seeing that Ninel was not going to explain, Wei Ran stopped asking questions. He stroked the dog's head leaning against his leg and waited patiently.

Soon, Ninel drove the car to the edge of the dock, slowed down, and then drove into the garage of a two-story wooden house.

Without waiting for the car to be completely turned off, the garage shutter door was lowered with a rattling sound, and the beautiful wooden garage was lit up with dazzling lights.

"Get out of the car," Ninel said, having already taken out his BlackBerry and thrown it away, before opening the car door and jumping out.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also took off his electronic devices, opened the car door, took his dog Belia out of the car, followed Ninel through a wooden door, and walked into the living room of the wooden house.

"Victor, we meet again."

Before he could see the layout of the house clearly, Uncle Chabu, who was sitting by the fireplace, greeted him warmly, "Come over and warm yourself up! Is this the Caucasian dog named Belia that you raised?"

"Hello again, Uncle Chub."

Wei Ran politely greeted the other party, then patted the dog's head, "Belia, go say hello."

After receiving the signal, Belia wagged his thick tail, moved closer to Uncle Chabu, sniffed him, and then licked the back of his hand.

"What a smart and good kid"

Uncle Chabu said this, reaching out and touching the dog's head, then picked up a piece of ham from the plate on the small table next to him and handed it to Belia's mouth.

Although the piece of ham immediately made Belia drool, he still turned around and looked at Wei Ran eagerly until the latter nodded, and then he carefully licked the piece of ham into his mouth.

"This dog is well trained," Uncle Chub praised.

"Teacher Dalia helped me train."

Wei Ran sat down on another single sofa next to the other party and said, "I am often on business trips, so I don't have much time to accompany it."

"A dog doesn't live that long. You should spend more time with it."

Uncle Chabu wiped his eyes and said sadly, "I once raised such a smart Caucasian, but unfortunately, it was beaten to death in order to protect me. Since then, I have never raised a dog again."

"Can you guys talk about dogs later?"

As Niniel spoke, he placed the cup he had just taken on the table, and unceremoniously picked up the wine bottle to fill his and Wei Ran's cups. "Now I'm more curious about what's going on with Uncle Chabu? Is this some kind of exclusive nickname?"

“It’s not important”

Uncle Chabu patted the sturdy dog ​​Belia and said, "You can call me that if you want."

"Forget it. I haven't watched a cartoon since I was eight."

Niniel drank the wine in the glass, reached out to pick up a pickle and took a bite, then stood up and said, "I brought the people to you, you guys."

"You should stay and listen too."

Uncle Chabu greeted him and ignored Niniel who seemed to be quite familiar with him. He turned to Wei Ran and said, "After the last incident, I made a lot of money from it. Victor, I said I would give you some decent gifts."

"I haven't thanked you for helping me yet," Wei Ran said modestly, and then asked curiously, "So what's the gift?"

Uncle Chabu was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter, "Victor, I like your attitude! This is what a young person should be like.

Unlike that little bastard Ninel, every time I tried to give him something, he would yell no like a pure little girl! "

"Is this why you asked me to stay?" Ninel snorted unhappily, as if he was used to such teasing.

However, it can also be seen from the side that Uncle Chabu, who is unwilling to reveal his true identity, seems to have a very good relationship with Ninel.

"Good boy, I let you stay only because I missed you."

After Uncle Chabu finished speaking, he picked up a deck of cards on the sofa and placed them on the table, rubbing a straight line large enough for Wei Ran to see the cards.

To his surprise, the cards in this deck were all printed with various Soviet weapons and equipment.

From AK47 to various tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, there are even various types of aircraft, warships and ships. Especially the big and small Wang, which are printed with the symbols of nuclear weapons and chemical weapons respectively.

"I told you before, I'm an honest arms dealer."

While Uncle Chabu introduced himself again, he carefully pulled out the cards with individual weapons and tanks and armored vehicles printed on them.

However, before Wei Ran could say anything, Ninel sneered, "Uncle Chabu, there is also an arms dealer. Even if you write my name backwards, I'm afraid you can't think of these three words together."

“I hope Comrade Lenin can come back to life”

Uncle Chabu also snorted and threw the picked cards directly into the trash can.

Finally, the remaining cards only include various types of military and civilian aircraft and ships, as well as dangerous kings and queens.

"You don't want this historian to be your arms dealer apprentice, do you?" asked Ninel.

"Him? He can't do that. He's a historian, which is much more impressive than my identity."

As Uncle Chabu spoke, he gathered the remaining cards on the table, shuffled them very fancy, and laid them on the table again, but this time they were face down.

"Okay, Victor, just draw three cards at random."

Uncle Chabu said to Wei Ran, who seemed like an outsider, without warning, "I'll give you whatever you draw. If you draw the King, I can even give you a nuclear bomb that is about to expire as a gift."

"You'd better not draw the king"

Ninel gloated and reminded, "That's as disgusting as having last night's shit for breakfast every day."

"Then let's change it"

Uncle Chabu was surprisingly easy to talk to. "If you can draw a big king or a small king, I can give you an abandoned land-based nuclear missile launch base. How about this option?"

"Is this a gift?" Wei Ran asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Of course it's a gift," Uncle Chabu said seriously.

'He's not kidding'

Ninel "helped" on the side, "He only knows how to give these gifts. My 15th birthday present was a poisonous stinger that had expired for who knows how long. I almost demolished my neighbor's house with that precious gift."

"gollum"

Wei Ran couldn't help swallowing his saliva. Even though he considered himself knowledgeable, he was still intimidated by this unique way of giving gifts.

However, after noticing the flash of scrutiny in the other party's eyes, Wei Ran smiled and unexpectedly asked, "Can I ask what type of nuclear warhead it is?"

“You’re a lunatic”

Uncle Chub made a serious comment, then laughed and said, "But I like crazy people."

"So what type of nuclear warhead is it?" Wei Ran asked again calmly.

"Ten thousand tons or one hundred thousand tons of equivalent on the dot"

Uncle Chub was rarely serious. "They are still usable. At least they can be used as dirty bombs."

"But the price is that you will be listed as a terrorist"

Ninel hurriedly reminded him. He realized belatedly that this seemingly gentle friend was indeed a madman, a real madman, just like what the damn fat man said.

"What if I draw Xiao Wang?" Wei Ran's tone also became more serious.

"The same chemical warhead from the dot"

Uncle Chabu looked into Wei Ran's eyes and replied, "The poison filled is Novichok, codenamed A232. If you draw Xiao Wang, the warhead will be yours, but if you choose to use it, I will reveal your identity no matter where you are."

"Are you scared?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

“Just to protect myself”

Uncle Chabu suddenly laughed out loud, "Many people know that I have this bullet, so if you use it, I must distance myself from it."

"In this case, I hope that the Three Pure Ones, the gods and Buddhas of heaven, the Guanyin of the South Sea, and the living ancestors will bless me so that I can draw the big and small kings."

Wei Ran muttered a "spell" that the two of them couldn't understand, and stretched out his hand without hesitation, and before Uncle Chabu and Ninel could react, he casually drew out three playing cards.

"Do you want to take a gamble?" Wei Ran asked, holding down the three cards he had drawn.

Seeing Uncle Chabu and Ninel looking at each other in confusion, Wei Ran smiled, turned over the three selected playing cards one by one, and threw them on the table one by one.