War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1700 Someone Must Survive

In the cave that blocked the cold wind, Wei Ran and Kirill lay down after finishing their own dinner. They closed their eyes and listened quietly to the vague chatter of the family beside the simple fireplace in the distance and the howling of the wind outside the cave.

After an unknown amount of time, Wei Ran fell into a deep sleep, but Kirill was still staring at the photo left by Ruslan in the dim light of the campfire.

When Wei Ran was awakened by the cold wind again, the felt blocking the cave entrance had been taken away, and it was almost dawn outside the cave.

This time, it was Ayana who was still in charge of guarding the two of them with a gun. The others, led by Mahbub, were praying devoutly with their hands clasped on the spread blanket.

While Kirill was holding up the camera to take pictures of Mahbub's family, Wei Ran also placed the lamb legs, naan bread and leftover milk tea that he had not finished eating last night back by the campfire.

As usual, they finished their simple but filling breakfast in silence. Then, accompanied by Habibullah and Hakim with guns, they went outside the cave to urinate respectively, then they carried Ayana up again and left the cave with everyone else.

The wind blew all night last night, and although I don't know how long it has been snowing, there is only a thin layer of snow mixed with sand on the ground. The only effect of this snow is to make the body temperature much lower, and make the rugged mountain road under my feet more difficult to walk.

"What do you want to talk about today?" Kirill asked in Persian.

"Save your energy and hurry on your way"

Hakim, who was walking last, tightened the blanket around him and said, "We must get to the next water source today."

Hearing this, Kirill shut his mouth obediently. This cold and dusty weather was indeed not suitable for chatting.

During the whole day, everyone was traveling in silence. Every hour, Habibullah and Hakim would replace them and give them half an hour of rest.

Every time this happened, the two of them would go behind the flock, and be guarded by Mahbub, who was riding a donkey and holding a gun.

As evening approached, the group, who had hardly stopped all day, finally arrived at a deep valley.

After walking along this narrow valley for more than an hour, Habibullah, who was walking in front carrying an oil lamp, finally stopped.

In the area covered by the oil lamp, between a huge stone and the foot of the mountain, a small but hidden hut was built with stones and felt against the mountain.

"Just rest here tonight"

As Mahbub spoke, he got off the donkey with the help of Habibullah. Wei Ran and Kirill immediately carried the stretcher to the door of the small shack.

There were also several bundles of dirty felt in the shack, as well as a greasy iron bucket.

"Habibullah, you and Murtaza go get some water."

Mahbub arranged, "Hakim, take Soraya and Joya to set up the tent. Suviktor, Kirill, can you be in charge of filling the oil stove?"

"No problem," Wei Ran and Kirill said at the same time and accepted this simple job.

Taking the oil stove handed over by Hakim, the two sat down against the rock wall and began to pump air into the stove with a crackling sound, while also looking at the busy people.

Mahbub was not idle. He was using a small knife to cut up the mutton that he had not finished eating last night. Beside him, Ayana was still holding a gun and guarding Wei Ran and Kirill.

"Do you take this route often?" Kirill asked in Persian for the sake of conversation.

“Walking every day”

Mahbub answered the question casually, "Habibullah, Murtaza, and I are responsible for transporting weapons and ammunition to the guerrillas."

"A lot of people were lost on the road, right?" Wei Ran also asked.

"yes"

Mahbub answered while cutting the mutton, "Several of my students and my children died on this road, but the ammunition and weapons we transported also killed many Soviets."

"In the years since I came to Afkhan, I have seen many wounded and fallen soldiers," Kirill said absentmindedly.

"We suffered heavy casualties," Mahbub said somewhat helplessly.

"What are you going to do with Victor and me when we get to Kandahar?" Kirill asked casually.

"I might trade you for weapons and ammunition," Mahbub said. "We won't know until we get to Kandahar."

"Have you ever captured prisoners before?" Kirill continued.

"We've caught some, all of them."

"boom!"

Before Mahbub could finish his words, a huge explosion was heard in the direction where Habibullah disappeared!

"Habibullah! Murtaza!"

Hakim dropped the felt in his hand and ran over with Qiaoya and Soraya.

"Medical kit!"

Wei Ran and Kirill also abandoned the oil furnace that had not yet been pressurized, and without caring about the weapon Ayana was still holding, they quickly ran to the side of the restless donkey, each took off a medical kit and ran out.

"Want to run away?" Kirill asked in a low voice.

Subconsciously looking around, they found that the slopes on both sides of the valley were even steeper than where Ruslan had fallen before, so they couldn't run away at all.

"Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything." Kirill chose to give up with a little helplessness before Wei Ran could speak.

They ran all the way following Hakim's flashlight beam in front of them, and when they stopped, they saw the explosion site.

This is a small pond that is not very big and has already frozen over.

At this time, Habibullah was lying on the edge of the pond, but his legs and even his abdomen were almost blown to pieces.
Just by looking at the injury, Wei Ran could tell that he had stepped on a PMN explosive anti-personnel mine, and only this type of mine could cause such excessive damage.

Without looking any further at Habibullah who had lost his life, Wei Ran and Kirill ran to Murtaza's side.

Although it is inappropriate to say this, it was in fact thanks to the fact that it was an explosive that was highly suspected to be a PMN explosive anti-personnel mine.

Compared to Habibullah's tragic condition, Murtaza's injuries were much lighter. He only had his tibia broken by the flying debris. According to Wei Ran's judgment, he didn't even need amputation.

"Hakim, let's take him back first."

As Wei Ran was speaking, he had already used a tourniquet with the help of Kirill to stop the bleeding of Murtaza who was screaming in pain. The latter also gave him an anesthetic in time.

Without waiting for Hakim's consent, Wei Ran had already picked up Murtaza and ran in the direction they came from with Kirill.

"them."

"We need to operate on Murtaza. Hakim will explain the rest. Kirill, the plasma bag."

Wei Ran didn't wait for Mahbub to finish speaking as he carried Murtaza into the low shack. At least this would block the sandstorm that might infect his wound. It would also allow him to escape the pain of explaining to the old man what had happened.

Kirill, who was also worried about how to inform Ruslan's family of the bad news, was obviously also escaping. He simply picked up the plasma bag as quickly as possible and then went into the low shack.

"Will I die?" Murtaza asked loudly in panic.

"will not"

The person who answered this question was Kirill, who was helping Wei Ran.

"I can't hear you, what did you say?" Murtaza asked in panic. He already had tinnitus due to the explosion.

"You won't die, and your legs won't be disabled."

Kirill raised his voice and shouted, "You will become a guerrilla fighter like Hakim and Mahbub. You will not die here."

"Is Uncle Habibullah dead?" Murtaza asked loudly in tears while trembling uncontrollably.

"he"

"Murtaza, keep quiet. We are going to help you suture your wound. Don't be distracted." Wei Ran reminded loudly with a hard heart.

"Can you save him?" Murtaza tried to hold back his tears. "Please, save him."

“We will rescue him.”

Wei Ran sighed and coaxed, "Your injuries are more serious than his. Once your wounds are treated, we will go to rescue him. Murtaza, keep quiet now."

Hearing this, Murtaza finally stopped talking. He just opened his mouth and bit the roll of gauze that Kirill handed to his mouth. He stared in a daze as the other party hung a bag of plasma on him and then covered his eyes with a dressing.

At the same time, Wei Ran had already started cleaning the wound and pulled out a piece of shrapnel only the size of a fingernail from the wound on the opponent's calf.

Fortunately, the shrapnel entered from the calf and only broke the bone.

"Will he be disabled?" Kirill asked in a low voice, switching to Russian.

"will not"

Wei Ran answered confidently, "I will do my best to treat his wounds and avoid any sequelae."

"Thank you"

"Thanks?"

"I don't know why I should say thank you," Kirill sighed while holding a flashlight.

Hearing this, Wei Ran was stunned and said nothing more. With Kirill's help, he carefully cleaned the wound and sutured the blood vessels and muscles. Finally, after bandaging the wound, Wei Ran went out to ask Hakim for a few wooden boards to fix the broken leg, and then he and Kirill went out of the low shack.

At this time, Habibullah's body had been carried back. Ayana, who was lying on the stretcher, and Mahbub, who was kneeling beside him, were each holding a piece of cloth and carefully wiping the blood and stains on Habibullah's face and hands.

"Need. Ahem."

Wei Ran cleared his hoarse throat and asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"he died"

Mahbub said, "The rest is beyond the doctor's ability to do. Leave it to Master Zhen."

"If you want to help, just dig a grave for him," Hakim said calmly.

"it is good"

Wei Ran nodded, and walked to Hakim's side with Kirill. The former picked up a small axe and chopped the sandy and gravelly ground again and again. When the soil was loose, the latter dug it aside with his hands.

While the three of them were busy, a not-so-big grave was barely dug out, and Habibullah, who had been wrapped in felt, was placed in the shallow grave by Hakim alone.

As large and small stones pressed down on the mutilated body, Ayana, Soraya and Qiao Ya, who were not far away, couldn't help but burst into tears.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Amidst the suppressed cries, the old Mahbub clenched the PPSh submachine gun tightly, pointing it again and again at Wei Ran and Kirill who were helping to bury the bodies, but then put it down again and again.

In the end, the old man who lost his last son sighed, and no one knew what decision he made.

In the silent bustle, Habibullah's body was eventually completely covered by stones and sand mixed with snow, leaving only an inconspicuous bulge on the ground at the bottom of the valley.

“This road is no longer safe.”

Mahbub said in a hoarse voice, "We will take another route after daybreak."

"Do we have any other way to go?" Hakim couldn't help but ask.

"Have"

Mahbub sighed, "We still need water, Hakim."

"Let me go"

Wei Ran said without waiting for the other party to finish, "Let me go. If you are not worried about me running away, let me go. Regardless of whether we are on opposite sides, at least we can't let anyone get hurt now."

"Won't you get hurt if you go?" Hakim couldn't help but say.

"You are the only able-bodied adult male in this guerrilla group."

Wei Ran warned bluntly, "If you also want to get hurt and let us decide for ourselves whether to save you or abandon all of you and run away, then go ahead."

"Hakim, they are really helping us now." Mahbub said weakly, "Let him go."

After a slight hesitation, Hakim handed Wei Ran a flashlight, then an enamel kettle and an axe, "If you run away..."

"Then you kill him."

Wei Ran pointed at Kirill who seemed to be distracted, and then walked towards the water source in the distance without looking back.

Returning to the edge of the pool that was still filled with a strong smell of blood, Wei Ran looked around carefully with a flashlight, carefully walked around the blood on the ground and any suspicious places, came to the other side of the pool, smashed the frozen ice with an axe, and put the not-so-clean ice cubes into the kettle.

Instead of fetching water, he was looking for other mines. He wanted to see whether the mines nearby were laid by aircraft or buried by humans.

If it is the former, it is fine, but if it is the latter, from the guerrillas' perspective, they should leave here as soon as possible to have a chance to survive.

That was why, after he filled his kettle, he did not rush back, but instead walked around the area.

Not long after, he finally found the second PMN mine with the help of the flashlight beam. It was lying on the sandy ground without any cover, but still full of danger.

With a slight sigh, Wei Ran returned to the camp with the kettle and placed it on the lit gas stove.

Yesterday, because of Ruslan's death, the seeds of friendship seemed to have sprouted. But tonight, because of Habibullah's death, the seeds of hatred were planted in the hearts of the few remaining guerrillas under the watering of blood.

Even so, Wei Ran and Kirill still got enough naan and mutton soup to fill their stomachs, and were given a felt tent that barely did not leak.

"They only had two girls and Hakeem left unharmed."

In the low tent, Kirill huddled beside the small oil stove and said in a low voice, "Our situation is becoming increasingly dangerous."

"Yeah, it's getting more and more dangerous."

Wei Ran, who was also curled up beside the oil stove, murmured in agreement. At this time, the balance of fighting power between the two sides had been broken. Once they failed, once Wei Ran and Kirill seized the opportunity, they could not only escape, but even counterattack.

This was not good news. Instead, it would make Mahbub and the others overly alert. In other words, if there was any misunderstanding, they might really open fire.

"What do you want to do?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"I'm not going to run away," Kirill said abruptly.

"You, you don't want to go home?" Wei Ran looked at the other person in surprise.

From his own perspective, he did not care about betraying the Soviet Union. He was just a passer-by in time and space, an insignificant bystander.

But from Kirill's perspective, even if the decision he made could not be considered a betrayal, it was no different from walking into a trap.

"Except for three people who were not injured"

Kirill said, "They also have an injured old man, an injured child, a woman who just gave birth and two babies, Victor, they need a doctor."

"and then?"

Wei Ran asked bluntly, "Follow them to Kandahar?"

"Let's go first"

Kirill said, "There are troops stationed in Kandahar as well. I want to wait until we are close to Kandahar before trying to find a way to escape."

"Is this your plan?"

"If we run away now, are you sure you can walk back?"

Kirill asked back, "We are at least 150 kilometers away from the base, and this is just the straight-line distance on the map. Or, do you plan to steal their donkeys and goats and then kill them?"

"Aren't they enemies?" Wei Ran asked deliberately.

“We are their enemy”

Kirill's tone was filled with confusion and pain. "I am a military doctor. I have never killed any Afkhan. I have been saving people, saving our soldiers and those Afkhan who came to the base for help. I don't plan to kill anyone in the future. This is my bottom line."

“Then let’s go to Kandahar.”

Wei Ran said, "Let's follow them to Kandahar."

"You might die on the road," Kirill warned.

"yes"

"I just thought you were going to run away"

Kirill rolled over, "I was prepared for them to find out you ran away and kill me."

"If I run away, maybe they won't kill you."

Wei Ran reminded bluntly, "After the two sides regained their advantage."

"They won't have the upper hand unless they kill you"

Kirill is obviously not a fool. "If you escape alive, you will only become a hidden danger to them, a hidden danger that they need to pay attention to at all times."

What if there is no time and space for me?
Wei Ran couldn't help but think, did Kirill offer to fetch water?

If he proposed it, did Mahbub agree to it?
If he agreed, was it because of those half-true and half-false reasons he just told that Kirill didn't run away?

"Will someone else die tomorrow?" Kirill asked in a delirious voice.

"I do not know"

Wei Ran also gave an unclear answer, then closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep quickly and get through this cold winter night.

Turning his head to look in the direction of Mahbub and others, Kirill took out his miniature camera, opened the lens cover that served as the winding and film pressing device, and then took out a small film from the inside of the long cover.

Point the film at the burning oil stove between the two people, and you can see through the continuously burning fire that the film freezes over a picture of Kirill before he joined the army and a long-haired girl riding a motorcycle with a shotgun in her hand.

“I will be back”

Kirill muttered to himself, then carefully stuck the inconspicuous film back on the inside of the lens cap.

“Someone has to survive.”

Wei Ran squinted his eyes and muttered something worriedly in his heart. Then he turned over with his eyes closed, pretending that he saw nothing.