War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1698 Friends War Children
Outside the cave that was about to be abandoned, Wei Ran and the other two stood side by side, allowing Habibullah to take a group photo of them with a Minolta X700 camera that he had found from somewhere.

When Wei Ran's small request was met, the three of them, at Mahbub's urging, changed into the robes prepared for them and covered their heads with turbans.

Following closely, Ruslan, who had a thigh injury, rode on a donkey with the help of Hakim, while Wei Ran and Kirill lifted Ayana, who was lying on a stretcher. Her two children were held by two little girls, Soraya and Qiaoya.

"If you are willing to trust me, let me hold the two babies." Ruslan offered.

"No need"

Habibullah said, "You take care of it"

“I am also a father”

Ruslan said, "My daughter is not as old as these two."

"Then how could you have the heart to drop the bomb from a helicopter?" Hakim asked sarcastically.

“I am a soldier”

Ruslan said seriously, "I have to obey orders. Besides, I am a mechanic. The main mission of our helicopter gunship is rescue, and the pilot and gunner have been killed by you."

"stop fighting"

Mahbub rode on a donkey with the help of Habibullah. "Let him hold Ayana's two children. Comrade Ruslan, this is our war, not the children."

"I have no objection to this point. This war has nothing to do with children." Ruslan said seriously.

"But we have already had many children killed by your bombs and bullets."

"Joya, Soraya, let him hold the baby."

Mahbub said before Hakim could finish his sarcasm, "You two ride on a donkey. Murtaza, you lead the Soviet man's donkey."

“We can hold it”

Soraya, who didn't understand Russian, spoke quickly, and Qiao Ya beside her even subconsciously held the baby in her arms and moved away from Ruslan.

"We have a long way to go," Mahbub said a little tiredly.

"Joya, Soraya, give my child to that Soviet man."

Ayana, lying on the stretcher, said weakly, "I believe that even if he is a Soviet, he will protect my child."

After a slight hesitation, the two sisters, Joya and Soraya, looked at each other and reluctantly handed the babies they were holding to Ruslan who was riding on the donkey. The latter also took a blanket handed to him by Habibullah and held the two children to his chest with great skill.

Even his bearded face couldn't help but reveal a doting smile, "Don't worry, I will protect these two little guys."

"let's go"

Mahbub said, "Habibullah, you go in front with the sheep. Comrades Viktor and Kirill, you go behind the donkeys, and Hakim, you go at the back."

Under his arrangement, everyone set out to leave the cave one after another.

Compared to Murtaza who helped lead the donkey, Ruslan who was riding the donkey seemed to have forgotten his identity and was teasing the two babies in his arms all the way.

Especially these two little ones who were born not long ago were very considerate of him. Not only did they not cry or make a fuss in his arms, they would even hum and laugh from time to time.

This somewhat contradictory warmth also somewhat diluted the tension on both sides, and made Hakim, who was walking at the end, feel a little relieved, and he finally put down the gun that had been pointing at Ruslan.

"You two don't have any children?"

Ayana, who was lying on the stretcher, suddenly asked in Persian, and added a directional title - "Soviet".

"no"

Kirill, who was walking in front carrying the stretcher, answered in Persian without looking back, "Also, my name is Kirill, his name is Victor, you don't have to call us Soviets."

"What about you, Victor?" Ayana looked up at Wei Ran who was also responsible for carrying the stretcher.

"Me neither," Wei Ran replied, adjusting the straps of the stretcher on his shoulders.

"So are you married?"

Ayana seemed to have endless curiosity, but Wei Ran knew that the young mother was trying to ease the relationship between the two parties through small talk, just like Ruslan and her two sons were doing.

"no"

Kirill was still the first to answer, "Victor, what about you? Are you married?"

"no"

Wei Ran answered truthfully, "But I already have a girlfriend, and we may get married at any time."

"Doesn't Kirill have a girlfriend?" Ayana asked.

This time, Kirill was silent for a moment before answering, "There was, before I came to Afkhan."

"You broke up?" Ayana continued to ask.

"yes"

Kirill seemed to be aware of Ayana's thoughts as well, so although he was reluctant, he still answered honestly, "She is my adoptive father's daughter, four years younger than me. I separated from her to join the army."

"You should go back"

Ayana regained her strength and said, "You should all go back. Why would you abandon the woman you love for the sake of war?"

"My father disappeared near Kandahar in 1980. He was also a military doctor."

Kirill replied, "I want to find him, just to find him, it has nothing to do with the war."

"but."

"I didn't want her to wait for me like I waited for my father and then wait for bad news." Kirill smiled, "So I separated from her."

"If possible, let's go back."

Ayana looked at the desolate sky above her head and said, "That woman must still be waiting for you. If you can't find your father, at least let her wait for her beloved one."

“I’m just a military doctor.”

Kirill said without turning his head, "These are not for me to decide."

"yes"

Ayana shook her head weakly, looked at Wei Ran and asked, "What about you? Mr. Victor, no, Comrade Victor, why did you join this war?"

"I"

Wei Ran was speechless. He didn't know how to answer this question while ensuring honesty.

"Does your girlfriend, or your fiancée, support you coming to Afkhan?" Ayana asked.

“She didn’t know about it.”

Wei Ran shook his head. "There are always many frustrations in life, just like me joining this inexplicable war."

"baffling?"

Ayana smiled and said, “Indeed, this is indeed an inexplicable war.

Look at your companion, he loves my two sons so much that he took the initiative to carry them on the journey without asking us if we need his help. "

“Like the Soviet Union?”

“Just like the Soviet Union,” Ayana sighed.

"Ma'am, you may have the potential to be an excellent reporter." Wei Ran said sincerely, "Your perspective is very unique."

“You almost guessed it.”

Hakim, who was walking behind Wei Ran, couldn't help but join in the conversation, "She originally had the opportunity to become a radio host, but the war changed everything, turning a woman who originally had the opportunity to become a radio host into a guerrilla fighter who had to be carried by the Soviets."

Although the other party's words were full of sarcasm, his willingness to join the conversation was a good start. Because of this, Wei Ran did not have a verbal conflict with the other party. Instead, he pretended to be curious and asked, "What about you? Mr. Hakim, if there is no war, what will you become?"

“If there is no war.”

Hakim muttered the preconditions put forward by Wei Ran, and then fell silent. Perhaps he had never thought about this question.

“He might”

Ayana switched to Pashto, which only Wei Ran could secretly understand among the "three Soviets", and said, "Hakim, you will definitely go to Montpellier to study at the university, right? With Vida."

“Probably,” Hakim sighed and answered in Pashto.

"Then what? Stay in France?" Ayana continued to ask.

"Probably," Hakim answered again, and there was some regret in his vague tone that he hadn't hidden well.

"Let's talk about something else." Ayana made Kirill and Wei Ran nominally able to understand Persian.

"Can Mr. Hakim take a picture for us?"

Wei Ran asked, "This is a very special scene for the two Soviet military doctors carrying the stretcher and the Afkhan female guerrilla lying on the stretcher, isn't it?"

"Is it okay, Hakim?" Ayana left the decision to Hakim who was walking at the end.

"You look more like a war photographer than a military doctor."

Although Hakim said he was reluctant, he still raised the Minolta camera hanging around his neck, took a few quick steps and took a photo of them from the side and front.

"Someone once said the same thing to me," Wei Ran sighed. In the previous scene, the person who said this was still Hakim.

"Actually, you also have a small camera like that, right?" Hakim returned to the end of the team and said almost affirmatively.

"yes"

Wei Ran answered honestly, "I hid it in my boots. If you like it, I can give it to you."

"never mind"

Hakim was unusually generous, but his words were still sarcastic, "Maybe that was a gift from your father."

"Where did you get your camera?" Wei Ran once again ignored the other party's ridicule and asked in a gentle tone.

"That was left by a freelance journalist from France a year ago," Ayana answered the question, "He lived with us for a long time."

"He" "He didn't survive"

Hakim replied, "He was poisoned by your chemical weapons while following the guerrillas on their move. All he left was this camera and some film."

When the topic came to this point, the four people at the end of the team with different positions inevitably fell into silence.

But soon, Ayana started a new topic, "Kirill, do you want to go to Kandahar to find your father?"

"Yes," Kirill replied absentmindedly, "but I never got the chance to go to Kandahar, and I don't know whether he is alive or dead."

"What's his name?"

It was Mahbub, who was riding a donkey, who asked the question in Russian. "What is your father's name?"

"Ninel Polyakov" Kirill said a name that sounded a little coincidental to Wei Ran.

He also had to enter this history because of "Ninel", just as Kirill had to enter this cemetery because of this name.

"We are going to go to Kandahar next."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Mahbub said abruptly, "We will join the guerrillas there. If we can get there alive, I will help you ask if anyone knows about your father's situation."

"Thank you," Kirill replied, still absentmindedly.

"Is this considered bribery?" asked Ruslan, who was riding a donkey side by side with Mahbub.

"Whatever you think"

Mahbub replied nonchalantly, "We are no more capable than these goats and donkeys in making any difference in this war.

But just like you were willing to help hold those two little ones, we are also willing to do something to help you.

If you think this is bribery, then are you briberying us by helping us hold our baby?"

"I'm sorry, I said something stupid that ruined the atmosphere."

Ruslan was silent for a moment before saying, "If there hadn't been this war, we might have become friends, and these children might have become friends with my daughter."

"Maybe"

Mahbub sighed, "Friendship is difficult to build, but it is easy to destroy it. All it takes is a war."

"yes"

Ruslan followed suit with a sigh, "I hope that after the war is over, our children will have a chance to rebuild their friendship."

"If the Soviet Union wanted to rule the world, it would not have ended the war in Afkhan," said Habibullah, who was at the front. "Our children would never have had the chance to become friends."

“It would be nice if the Soviet Union disappeared”

Murtaza, who was also riding a donkey and was responsible for leading Ruslan's donkey, couldn't help but "dream".

“The Soviet Union disappears?”

Ruslan snorted, "The Soviet Union will not disappear. Germany didn't do that back then."

"It's just a child's angry words"

Mahbub smiled and said, "His name is Murtaza, he is my grandson. I used to tell him about my experience during the short period of time I lived in Moscow. Everything there was as incredible as another world for us mountain people."

“I’ve only been to Moscow once”

Ruslan said, “I am from Minsk, and my wife used to work in Jifu.”

“I have never been to Jifu and Minsk”

Mahbub shook his head and talked to Ruslan about his experiences living in Moscow.

"Before the War Begins"

Lying on a stretcher, Ayana said in Persian, "My father often told us about his work in Moscow. That was what he was most proud of."

"He often talked about his experiences in Moscow in class."

Hakim couldn't help but say, "Teacher Abdul used to be very envious of his experience. He often said at that time that if he had the chance, he would go to Moscow to see the Kremlin, the Red Square, and the Moscow subway stations and the Bolshoi Theatre, which he wanted to visit the most.

He wanted to go to the Bolshoi Theatre with his wife to see a show and ride the Moscow Metro, which was his biggest dream.

“Because my father went to the Bolshoi Theatre and rode the Moscow Metro.”

Ayana said with an unstoppable smile, "He even got into a fight with a drunk black man who was trying to harass a Soviet woman in a subway station and beat him up."

"Ayana!"

Mahbub, who was chatting with Ruslan, said in Pashto with a little embarrassment, "Don't mention that anymore."

“My dad doesn’t want me to talk about this anymore.”

Ayana said with a rare smile in her tone, "But he has always been very proud of what he did at that time."

“He really has something to be proud of in that regard.”

Kirill, who had been silent just now, said, "I am from Moscow. I have heard a lot of scandals about gorillas from the primeval forest since I was a child."

"But after the war started, I rarely heard them mention it."

Hakim said, “Everything that Mr. Abdul once admired has become something he hates.”

"My father too," Ayana sighed with a hint of pity in her tone.

"Are you from Moscow?" Mahbub asked Kirill curiously.

"right"

Kirill nodded at the other party and said, "My home is near Gorky Park. Do you know Gorky Park?"

"I know, of course I know, I even fed the pigeons there." Mahbub said subconsciously, "The pigeons there are not afraid of people at all."

"yes"

Kirill was stunned for a moment. “When I was as old as those kids, my father often took me there to feed the pigeons on weekends.”

After saying this, the people in the back half of the team fell silent again. Just like Mahbub said, it is difficult to establish friendship, but it is easy to destroy it. All it takes is a war.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence that in this silence, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, which was already covered with a layer of haze.

"Everyone, watch your step"

Habibullah, who was walking in front, reminded us in Russian, "We need to go over the mountain in front along the slope. The next mountain road will be very difficult to walk on."

Before he finished speaking, Wei Ran and Kirill each adjusted the straps of the stretcher. Ruslan in front took the blanket handed to him by Mahbub and wrapped it around the child he was holding in his arms.

Just as Habibullah reminded him, the next road was indeed not easy to walk on. Not to mention that those who were riding on donkeys almost lay on the donkeys' backs, Wei Ran, who was carrying the stretcher at the back, had to lift the stretcher to almost the same height as his chest in order to prevent Ayana on the stretcher from sliding off.

Even so, they still had to cut diagonally down the mountain and go back up.

"Do we have to cross the mountain from here?" Wei Ran asked with gritted teeth. Ayana on the stretcher was not heavy, but the angle of lifting the stretcher was too tricky.

“Only from here”

Habibullah, who was walking in the front, pulled the lead sheep ahead and explained, "If we continue along the valley, a large area will be covered with butterfly mines by you. Only this road is safe. There is also a water source on the other side of the mountain. We can rest there."

"Can't those bastards place mines here too?" Wei Ran complained unhappily.

“The slope here is too big”

Ruslan answered his complaint, "Even if it falls, it will roll down to the bottom of the mountain."

"So you better pray you don't fall"

Habibullah said, "When we came here, a goat accidentally slipped and fell down. It was blown to pieces with almost no intact bones left."

“It would be great if prayer could help at this time.”

Ruslan grunted, and subconsciously squeezed the donkey's belly, holding the two children and lowering his body again to lower his center of gravity.

"Can I ask a question?"

Wei Ran, who almost lifted the stretcher onto his shoulders, said while gritting his teeth.

"what is the problem?"

Hakim, who was behind them, had caught up while they were talking, walked between Wei Ran and Hakim, and held the stretcher from the outside.

"After crossing this mountain, how far are we from Kandahar?" Wei Ran asked as he walked carefully.

"One week"

It was Mahbub who answered the question, "We will have to walk for at least a week."

"Stop! Stop!" Ruslan suddenly shouted, "There's a plane coming! It's a bomber!"

Before he finished speaking, everyone heard a loud roar coming from far away, as well as the unique whistle sound of a bomb falling at high speed!
It’s the Tu-22M3 bomber!
Wei Ran looked up subconsciously and recognized the monster flying overhead from the huge and slender shadow and the whistling sound!

"Get off the donkey! Get off!"

Ruslan and Wei Ran made the reminder almost at the same time, and the latter even shouted to remind Kirill and Hakim to put down the stretcher quickly.

However, before Habibullah could help Ruslan untie the blanket around his waist and take over the two babies, a series of deafening explosions, which were even very close, were heard from the other side of the mountain!
Amid the loud rumbling sound, the mountain began to tremble, and rocks of all sizes began to fall from the sky!

At this moment, Wei Ran didn't care about anyone else. He, Kirill, and Hakim almost simultaneously used their bodies to protect Ayana, who was lying on the stretcher, in a nearly push-up position. At the same time, they also tacitly used one of their knees to support Ayana's body to prevent her from slipping!

Amidst the continuous screams, stones of all sizes hit the shoulders and the back.

But the only thing Wei Ran and the other two could do was to bury their heads under their arms and scream while enduring it.

Just at this moment, with the scream of a donkey, Wei Ran was horrified to see that the donkey that Ruslan was riding was hit on the head by a stone as big as a shoe box!
Under this heavy blow, the donkey's two front hooves knelt directly on the slope of the mountain. But at this time, Ruslan had just stepped one leg off the donkey with the help of Habibullah and Murtaza!

However, before he could step firmly, the donkey hit by the boulder softened and began to roll to the foot of the mountain. The donkey also knocked down Habibullah and Murtaza, and also caused Ruslan, who was holding two babies in his arms and had an injured leg, to roll down the mountain!
"Ruslan!"

Wei Ran and Kirill cried out in surprise, and watched Ruslan hug the child tightly in his arms, and then adjust his posture with difficulty. Finally, before rolling to the foot of the mountain, he turned into a posture with his feet down and his head up, with his back against the mountain and his face facing the sky!
But at the same time, he held the two babies tightly in his arms, and tried to sit up, using his shoulders and his head to protect the children in his arms, and also blocking the large and small stones that were chasing him from behind!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Amid a series of weak explosions, Ruslan's screams were heard at the foot of the mountain. Halfway up the mountain, Wei Ran and Kirill's exclamations and Ayana's cries were also heard!
Recommend a book, this book is awesome, it has been updated to 500 million words (bushi