War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1712: Floating Corpses and Visiting Friends
Early the next morning after returning to Kazan, Sui Sui rushed to the airport in an armored pickup truck driven by Wei Ran himself.

"Are you really not going with us?" Sui Sui, who was sitting cross-legged in the passenger seat, asked with a yawn.

“I’m not going.”

Wei Ran said regretfully, "I have to deal with the work I have accumulated in the next few days. The wrestler might come at any time, and there must be someone at home."

"also"

Sui Sui yawned again and said, "My parents will be here around the 28th, and we will be back before then."

"It's okay. I'm always home."

Wei Ran said, "I'm counting on you to entertain Makar and his two families."

"Don't worry," Sui Sui said, stretching, "There will be people to entertain them when they get there. I'm mainly here to check out the movie location."

"Have you found a suitable place?"

"It's near the hot spring camp," Sui Sui said, "Aunt Anna will go with us to take a look. She's already at the airport."

"In that case, I'll drive faster," Wei Ran said as he stepped on the accelerator.

While chatting, they arrived at the airport and reunited with teacher Anna. Wei Ran sent them on the plane and then drove back to the city alone.

After returning home, Wei Ran took out the mobile phone that Anfisa gave him last night, changed into different clothes in different places in the room and took a few photos.

That evening, Wei Ran changed into an inconspicuous work suit and disguised himself. He took advantage of the night to come to the construction site of the neighboring winery which had already stopped working and got into a van truck parked in the shadow of the building.

About an hour later, the van truck driven by Hela started and left the construction site, heading quietly towards the airport. It loaded some cargo onto a transport plane whose final destination was Papua New Guinea and would stop in Vladivostok for refueling.

Two days later, Wei Ran, disguised as an inconspicuous local, once again rushed to Niigata for nuclear recruitment.

According to the address provided by Anfisa, Wei Ran found an inconspicuous van truck. He got into the cab, found the key, started the car and drove straight to the warehouse. After driving the car in, he never left.

Wei Ran waited patiently in the warehouse until night. He had already checked the surroundings carefully and then he took out the transport truck in the dark amidst severe pain. He carried out Ms. Nale's still fresh body and loaded it into the van.

After opening the warehouse door and taking some observation, he drove the van out of the warehouse again, headed straight to the dock, and got into a bulk carrier that was about to leave the port.

In the darkness of the night, no one noticed that a body sank silently into the sea, and no one noticed that a lady's boot was deliberately thrown into the gap of the breakwater.

Two days later, when Wei Ran had rushed back to his home in Kazan and had a good sleep, a female corpse finally floated up from the bottom of the sea with the help of microorganisms and attracted onlookers at the dock in Niigata.

Soon, an insider revealed the sensitive documents found on the body.

When these inside stories were made public and caused an uproar, Wei Ran, who had been "staying at home all the time", welcomed a new guest in great danger.

"Why are you here?"

Wei Ran asked as he called Xia Shushi and Qin Qi to follow him to the house next door.

"I missed you and came to see you." Xia Shushi answered casually.

"Where's Sui Sui?"

Qin Qi, who was being held by Xia Shushi's hand, asked, "And what about that Lola sister? I heard that she was..."

"That's not the case," Xia Shushi said quickly.

"They all went to Yinta," Wei Ran explained with a smile, "Some friends happened to come over to play recently, so find a place to sit by yourself."

Xia Shushi and Qin Qi were not polite either. They fell on the sofa in unison, kicked off their thick boots and took off their coats.

"It's almost New Year's Day, why are you two coming to my place?" Wei Ran asked while making tea.

"I'll help you make money." Xia Shushi picked up a dragon fruit, peeled it and handed it to Qin Qi beside him.

"Your friend who recruits nuclear weapons?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"Not him, but almost."

Xia Shushi looked at Wei Ran who brought the tea tray over and asked, "Did you know that someone in the Japanese army recently organized a cartoon submission contest?"

"Comic submission contest?"

Wei Ran poured a cup of tea for each of them with a normal look on his face. "I saw it on the news. What's the matter?"

"What else? Just make money."

Xia Shushi took a bite of the dragon fruit and said, "Five hundred thousand dollars."

"Are you planning to change your career to painting?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"He can't even write clearly, yet he's trying to draw," Qin Qi said sarcastically as she took a bite of the dragon fruit.

"You need to practice your crappy handwriting," Wei Ran teased.

“Two different things”

Xia Shushi said, "A friend of mine in the Guizi area has a cultural company. He has recently signed a number of down-and-out cartoonists and is preparing to make some money. However, he is in need of a historical consultant. What do you think? Are you interested?"

"Not interested in"

Wei Ran said without thinking, "I have a lot of work to do here, so how can I have the time to earn that money?"

"If it works, we can at least split it in half," Xia Shushi continued.

"How much is half?" Wei Ran asked, "25 US dollars? After deducting all the miscellaneous things, it would be good if there are 20 left."

"What you said would be more than 100 yuan if converted into RMB," Xia Shushi said dissatisfiedly.

"What if it doesn't work?" Wei Ran asked, "Is it all in vain?"

“How can I work in vain?”

Xia Shushi said casually, "My friend is planning to negotiate for this competition in China."

"Stop it!"

Wei Ran didn't give the other party a chance to finish speaking, even though he knew that the other party must know that this matter was closely related to him.

"I really don't have that much time," Wei Ran said, "I'm busy helping Sui Sui direct a movie recently."

Without waiting for the other party to speak, Wei Ran said, "But since you are here, I have a few things for you to help me with later."

"What's the matter?" Xia Shushi, who came here just for formalities, asked immediately.

"I'm not in a hurry here. Let me first tell you about the current situation of your friend who is recruiting nuclear weapons." Wei Ran said as he also picked up a cup of hot tea.

"Nothing special"

Xia Shushi replied, "All clues are gone, and that friend is busy participating in that competition recently, and has no time to continue this matter."

"The traitor who was trying to overturn the verdict hasn't been found either?" Wei Ran continued to ask.

"no"

Xia Shushi shook his head. "We can find some fragments of relevant records, but we can't find the person or his descendants."

Without waiting for Wei Ran to continue asking, Xia Shushi asked with great interest, "That matter is not urgent, let's talk about your side first, what did you want to say just now?"

"Put on your shoes and follow me."

Wei Ran stood up and called the dog lying at his feet to follow him out the door.

"Let's go"

Xia Shushi and Qin Qi looked at each other. These two unruly dogs put on their thick boots and coats again, followed Wei Ran out of the villa and walked towards the basement of the library next door.

"Where did you find this?"

Xia Shushi asked in surprise when he saw a table full of things related to the Spanish column.
Among these things, he immediately noticed the letter, the pendant, and the two seals.

"It was taken in Spain a few days ago," Wei Ran replied casually.

"For this?"

Xia Shushi took the gloves handed to him by Wei Ran and put them on, then he picked up the envelope in the sealed bag and the jade pendant and seal placed next to it and looked at them.

"That's right," Wei Ran nodded, "What can you see?"

"The seal is made of chicken blood stone, and the pendant is made of Hetian jade."

Xia Shushi just took a look and said, "They all have good foundations. Those who could afford them must have been rich people at the time."

As he said this, he put the two things down and focused all his attention on the letter.

"The address of this letter may be decipherable through some technical means"

Xia Shushi said, "But the pollution is so severe that I think it might be soaked through."

“That’s the problem”

Wei Ran pointed at the bullet hole through the sealed bag and said, "The blood may have seeped in through here. If we deal with it hastily, it may ruin the letter, and it has not been opened yet."

"I'll find a way to check it for you," Xia Shushi said as he put down the envelope.

“Take your time”

Wei Ran took out a box of ink and found a piece of A4 paper, and used the seal to print the four words "Yu Yanlin Seal".

"It would probably be easier if we have a name," Xia Shushi said as he picked up the paper.

"Take this letter back with you."

Wei Ran said, "Find a professional to handle it, and remember to film the whole process."

"You trust me," Xia Shushi said, but he didn't know how to be polite and directly handed the letter to Qin Qi beside him.

"Stop talking about useless things"

Wei Ran pointed to the rest of the things and said, "These have to stay. I'll see if I can find any clues."

“Let me take some pictures”

As Xia Shushi spoke, he took out his cell phone and took several photos of the seal and pendant from different angles.

"Please help me ask about another thing when the time comes," Wei Ran said as he walked towards the door of the studio.

"Is there anything else?" Xia Shushi, who was busy taking pictures, became interested.

"It's also an old item, but it's not something we're good at."

Wei Ran explained as he walked, "We also took a picture of another antique. A cultural relic, I guess."

"No, has your communication always been so efficient?" Qin Qi asked curiously.

"Why be polite to him?" Wei Ran and Xia Shushi said the same reason in unison.

“Scrap of the same kind flock together.”

Qin Qi muttered softly, took the sealed bag containing the envelope and the A4 paper, and followed the two deaf and dumb scumbags out of the basement.

Returning to the first floor of the villa next door, Wei Ran ignored Xia Shushi and the others and went upstairs alone to take out the phoenix crown from the safe. By the way, he also sent a WeChat message to inform Sui Sui. After all, this phoenix crown belonged to Sui Sui, and although she took a lot of photos wearing it, she had not published any of them.

After receiving a reply from Sui Sui expressing her agreement, Wei Ran took the phoenix crown downstairs and placed it on the table.

“You guys took the photo too?”

Xia Shushi asked in surprise, and quickly stopped Qin Qi's outstretched hand, "This thing can't be touched, it will be troublesome if a branch falls off."

"Did you recognize him?" Wei Ran asked with interest.

"Dragon and Phoenix Hairpin Crown" Xia Shushi and Qin Qi shouted out the name of this phoenix crown almost in unison.

"We have been discussing the wedding."

Qin Qi explained, "There is one similar to this one in the National Museum of China. We are planning to find someone to help us make a replica for our wedding."

"How long have you two been together?" Wei Ran muttered to himself, but all he could say was blessings. "I'll ask someone to ask for you."

While taking photos, Xia Shushi asked, "How much did you pay for it?"

"Forehead"

Wei Ran grinned, "It didn't cost any money. This thing was taken by a soap man and given to me as a gift."

"."

Xia Shushi and Qin Qi looked at each other and asked with a grin, "How about I take this back for you too?"

“Forget about this,” Wei Ran waved his hand, “This is Sui Sui’s stuff.”

Xia Shushi, who was just joking, never touched the Phoenix Coronet in the box, and even didn't let Qin Qi touch it. "I'll ask my teacher to ask someone to help you ask about this thing. Is it a secret?"

"Keep it a secret"

Wei Ran said without thinking, "I don't know how many photos Sui Sui has taken since she got this thing, and she hasn't posted any of them."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Hearing this, Xia Shushi sent out the photos he had just taken, and then asked Wei Ran to take the phoenix crown out of the box and take several close-up photos from different angles.

"We're going back now," Xia Shushi said abruptly after putting away his phone.

"go back?"

Wei Ran glanced at the teacup on the table and asked, "You came all the way here, and you're planning to go back without even finishing a cup of tea?"

"The New Year is coming in a few days, why should I waste my time here with you?"

Xia Shushi said as a matter of course, "Besides, do you plan to get involved in the comics business? Even if you just put your name on it."

"Is there something hidden in your words?" Wei Ran put down the phoenix crown and asked directly.

"But there is no hidden meaning in what you say"

Xia Shushi lit a cigarette and said, "The second generation's crazy aunt is interested in that comic contest and is planning to invest money."

"Then what?" Wei Ran asked, pretending to be confused, even though he knew the answer.

“There is something to be done about this”

Xia Shushi was too lazy to expose Wei Ran, "The market for these comics is too big in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and even those tiny islands the size of bird shit in the Pacific Ocean and the United States.

Let me put it this way. Let’s take Australia, where we have been, as an example, and draw cartoons based on the history of that time, and then translate them into English.

Let’s not even mention the influence behind it, we can make a lot of money just from paid subscriptions and advertising revenue.”

"Do you think anyone is watching?"

"Do you think my cousin's aunt is a fool?" Qin Qi asked without raising her head as she tapped the phoenix crown with her cell phone.

"Everyone can make money from this. At most, the Japanese officials will feel as uncomfortable as if they had eaten shit, but they have no reason to stop it."

Xia Shushi urged again, "How about it? Are you interested?"

"I'm really not interested," Wei Ran hinted with a rejection attitude, "I don't think this can make money."

"understood"

Xia Shushi snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. Have you read the news about the Japanese recently?"

"The one with the floating corpse?" Wei Ran asked, "I saw in the news that it involved some biological weapons."

"Can't"

Xia Shushi continued to instigate, "I heard that some cartoonists from the Japanese side have submitted their cartoons based on this incident, and some even suspect that the biological weapon is related to the Niu Niu Guo organization that organized the submission activity."

"There is such a thing?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"If you think about it, you will know it is just a rumor. How can you develop a chicken feather biological weapon in an environment like cow urine? A ladle of Ganges water will be enough."

Xia Shushi gloated, "But I heard that the information about biological weapons should be true. The cow urine organization held a comic submission solicitation before this, which was a good time."

"God won't let a blind man starve to death," Wei Ran said noncommittally, "even a blind cat can catch a dead mouse."

"No matter if it's just a blind trick or a blind cat, I plan to get involved in this matter to make some pocket money."

Xia Shushi stood up and said, "Okay, we have finished talking, let's get ready to leave."

"Are you really leaving?"

“Not really”

Xia Shushi had already stepped on his boots while speaking. "The spirit of the meeting has been conveyed. We won't stay any longer. Can you at least put your name on my studio as the head office?"

"Studio? When did you have a studio?" Wei Ran became more and more curious.

"I set up a studio when I started working on that movie."

Xia Shushi said, "From now on you are an honorary employee of my studio. Do you want me to apply for social security for you in China?"

"It's up to you." Wei Ran shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and was too lazy to tell whether the other party's words were true or false.

"I'll tell Sui Sui later that I'll go visit her during the New Year." Qin Qi said as she put on her boots and coat and walked out with Xia Shushi.

Knowing that he couldn't keep these two friends with clear goals, Wei Ran could only drive them to the airport himself and put them on a direct domestic flight.

But on the way back by car, he couldn't help but start to wonder, could it be that the clever idea that Su Su had casually helped to come up with could really make a fortune?
With this wonderful expectation, Wei Ran drove back home, sat by the fireplace, turned on his tablet computer, and browsed the news about Zhao He's floating corpse, as well as various speculations and revelations whose true or false were unknown.

Before the day was over, a strange phone call came in.

Wei Ran picked up the phone, glanced at it, and pressed the answer button.

"The Soviet soldier who participated in the Afkhan War that I asked you to help find has been found."

As soon as the call was connected, Ninel on the other end said directly, "According to the address you provided, it was found in Italy."

“Just find it.”

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then he breathed a sigh of relief, "So there are still people alive?"

“Alive and well.”

Ninel said, "The man who survived is called Kirill. He is now a doctor in a private clinic. When the daughter of the helicopter co-pilot Ruslan found him, he recognized her at a glance."

"anything else?"

"I hired some people to go to Afkhan"

Ninel said, "Ruslan's body will be brought back before the New Year and buried in a cemetery outside Minsk."

"Okay, that's fine."

"Are you coming to the funeral?" Ninel asked.

“You investigated this.”

Wei Ran raised his head, looked at the crystal chandelier above his head and said, "So I won't go, and this matter has nothing to do with me."

“I’m just asking as a courtesy.”

Ninel inadvertently added insult to injury to Wei Ran, "I won't go there then."

“Give me the address of the cemetery.”

Wei Ran smiled and said, "If I have the chance to go to Minsk in the future, I might go and have a look."

"I'll send it to you later"

Ninel paused, "When are you free for the profitable business I introduced to you?"

"Maybe after the New Year," Wei Ran said, "I've been quite busy lately."

"No problem," Ninel said and simply hung up the phone.

“Just find it.”

Wei Ran turned off his cell phone and threw it aside while muttering to himself, then he closed his eyes while holding the two little foxes in his arms and the dog Belia who jumped onto the sofa.

Now that there are only a few days left until the New Year, he is also preparing to take a vacation and have a good rest.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The next day, the library had just opened for business when the pink little girl from Baba Yaga knocked on the door and woke up Wei Ran who was planning to take a nap.

"what happened?"

Wei Ran stuck his head out of the window and asked sleepily towards the people downstairs.

"Boss, no, Mr. Victor."

The little girl pointed to the library next door and said, "Two guests came to visit you. They said they had an appointment with you."

"What guest?" Wei Ran yawned and asked, "What's his name?"

"I forgot to ask," the little girl replied with a silly smile.

"Tell them to wait a moment, I'll be there soon."

Wei Ran closed the window and then brushed his teeth, washed up, and changed into a fairly formal set of clothes.

When he arrived at the library next door accompanied by his dog Belia, he recognized from a distance the wrestler Miguel and his brother-in-law Juliano who were chatting happily with Apoli in the library, and of course, the blonde translator following behind them, two women who looked to be in their thirties or forties, and five half-grown children.

Apoli speaks Spanish?

While Wei Ran muttered to himself, he walked into the library and greeted Miguel and Juliano enthusiastically.

"Victor, my friend, I hope our visit does not disturb your life," said Miguel, the wrestler, with extraordinary humility.

"of course not"

Wei Ran waved his hand. "I guess you guys didn't get through to me. I'm so sorry. I just forgot to charge my phone last night."

"That's true," Giuliano said with a silly smile, "In fact, we arrived yesterday evening."

"Sorry, sorry, it was my oversight."

Wei Ran quickly motioned for them to sit down and talk, "I sometimes lock myself in the archives room, so my phone sometimes can't be reached."

After the blonde woman finished translating this sentence, Wei Ran took the initiative to ask, "Friends, are these people your family members? Especially these cute little ones."

"That's right"

Miguel introduced with the help of a translator, “This is Antonia, my wife and Giuliano’s sister.”

After introducing and shaking hands with the guests one by one, Wei Ran also asked Mrs. Samantha to help make a few cups of non-alcoholic milk tea and distribute them to the children.

"Victor, we brought those weapons here, legally."

As Giuliano spoke, he could no longer wait to take out the long gun box at his feet, put it on the table and opened it again.

In addition to the G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle and the P38 pistol, the gun box also contained the Astra M400 pistol that was originally found together with the flag of the Spanish International Brigade. Wei Ran asked them to help bring it over.

Coincidentally, at the same time the gun box was opened, an armored pickup truck drove into the library.

As the car door opened, Jima and Maya, who were wearing couple outfits, and Greva, who was driving for them, came out one after another.

Wei Ran waved to them through the French window and said with a smile, "Today is a really good day. My best friend, Ji Ma, the movie star who used to be in a gang, is here too."

"Let's go back and watch all the movies starring your friend."

After listening to the blonde woman's translation, Miguel said, "We were still discussing on the way whether we would meet this movie star. Especially my daughter and son, they both want to get Mr. Jima's autograph and take a photo with him. They love his movies very much."

"I bet a hundred euros"

After listening to the translation, Wei Ran said with a smile, "My friend happens to carry a Polaroid camera with him, and he will definitely become good friends with you, if you are willing."