War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 664 The space launch site is still there

On the edge of the sparse coniferous forest, a DT30 transport vehicle with all light sources turned off still kept its engine idling, even though a layer of snow about ten centimeters thick had accumulated on its roof.

In the cab that was too warm, Apo used a 14.5mm bullet case that he didn't know where to put it on the lit cigarette, smoking one after another, and at the same time staring at the situation outside the forest.

Since they left the camp suddenly, they have been waiting here for almost two hours. During these two hours, the transport vehicle has not turned off, and Wei Ran was also forbidden by Apoli to leave the driving position.

In the living cabin that the two of them couldn't see, Dr. Murat and Dr. Pavel also tried their best to lead the four young people to dismantle the upper and lower bunks against the wall and put away everyone's personal belongings. After entering the bathroom, they even lifted the two solid wood tables and four chairs outside the living cabin, and temporarily tied them to the roof of the car with ropes.

That's not to mention, when they cleared out enough space in the living cabin, they immediately moved the metal drawers and even the metal cabinets in the cargo hold into the living cabin.

"Apolly, what are they doing?" Wei Ran frowned and asked.

"Clean up the space" Apoly explained dryly, but then fell silent again.

Seeing this, Wei Ran didn't ask any more questions, and quietly waited for the situation to change.

With the low sound of the engine running, time passed by, but the blizzard outside the car window showed no sign of stopping, and even Apoli became a little restless.Almost every ten minutes or so, a cigarette would be lit and the cartridge casing held in his hand.

Wei Ran knew that the other party put the cartridge case on the cigarette butt just because he didn’t want people outside the car to see the flame of the cigarette butt, but this also proved in disguise that someone would come to meet them, and Apoly probably didn’t believe the other party.

Sure enough, about an hour and a half later, a flickering light appeared outside the forest. After several long or short jumps, the light finally went out.

"Drive the transport vehicle out," while Apoly said, he had already taken off the rifle from the gun rack.

Wei Ran glanced at the weapon in the opponent's hand, and after hesitating for a moment, he stepped on the accelerator, controlled the transport vehicle to leave the coniferous forest, and approached the headlights that started to dance again.

When he got closer, he also gradually saw a DT30 transport vehicle facing him.It can only be distinguished from the paintwork and canvas cargo canopy, this is one of the left-behind camps.

"Shut down and turn off the lights, don't turn off the lights." Apoli reminded Wei Ran, and after the latter stepped on the brakes, he immediately opened the door.

At the same time, a person jumped out of the cab of the transport vehicle, walked quickly to the front of the transport vehicle driven by Wei Ran, and saluted and shook hands with Apoli under the dazzling headlights. shook hands.

Only from these actions and the opponent's body shape, Wei Ran judged that this person was precisely the Shagoli who sold supplies to them privately when he returned to the camp for supplies last time.

"I brought everything"

Shagoli pointed to the transport truck behind him and said, "I got 15 barrels of fuel oil and 5 barrels of coking coal, but I only got potatoes, onions and carrots for vegetables.

In addition, the fruit is gone, and there is no fruit supply in the whole camp, but I got you four boxes of vodka, and a lot of flour and seasoning.There are also some sundries that I think you should use to pack together. "

"What about the generator and the car radio?" Apolly asked.

"Generator got a spare, but the radio is really out of the question, I can't even get a soldier radio system or even a walkie-talkie."

Sha Geli spread his hands helplessly, "Actually, the battalion commander is considering controlling radios and radio communications."

"Block the news?" Apolly asked, frowning.

"Blocking possible bad news in the future"

Sha Geli sighed, "Now the other several exploration teams are either going on strike or are planning to withdraw from here. Just now, the head of another exploration team that belongs to the Siberian Academy of Sciences like your scientific research team has committed suicide Yes, even the soldiers in the camp."

"Shagoli, get out of here in time."

Apoli said seriously, "It's still too late to leave, go find your girlfriend. I remember you told me that she is in Yebao. My friend, she must need you very much now."

Sha Geli nodded unobtrusively, took a deep breath and changed the subject, "I will leave as soon as possible, but these things cannot be exchanged with only animal skins."

After hesitating for a moment, Apoli took off his gloves and gave the other party a look, and put them on again before the other party reached out, "load the car, then it will be yours, with this, you and your girlfriend will definitely Go through the most difficult period of time."

"Do you need me to contact your family?" Sha Geli took the initiative to ask and answer.

"No, let your people load the car quickly." Apoli urged with a smile.

"You...don't plan to come back?" Shagoli asked the last question.

"how is this possible"

Apoli shook his head without even thinking about it, and asked back with his hands outstretched, "Didn't you tell me that the supply of supplies was about to run out when we were resupplying a week ago?"

"makes sense"

Sha Geli secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and waved his hand behind him. Immediately, the transport vehicle approached amidst the roar of the engine.

When the cargo compartments of the two vehicles were aligned, the cargo compartment door of the opposing vehicle was opened from the inside, and a few soldiers wearing cold masks set up between the cargo compartment doors of the two vehicles.

Moments later, barrels of fuel were sent into the hold first, followed by chunks of coking coal in barrels.At the same time, even the driver of the transport vehicle used an electric oil pump to connect the fuel tanks of the two transport vehicles together.

Gradually, 13 square-sized cargo compartments were completely filled with various materials, and the wooden boards between the two hatch doors were also removed. The driver who filled Wei Ran's transport vehicle with oil , also got into the cab immediately after helping to unscrew the fuel tank cap.

Until this moment, Apoli took off his gloves again and handed them to Shagol.

The latter took the gloves and took a look in front of him. He immediately nodded with a smile on his face, and said something in Apolly's ear.

When Apolly said the same thing, the expression on Shagoli's face changed, he raised his hand in salute, turned around and quickly boarded the transport vehicle and walked away.

"Let's go too." Apoli said to Wei Ran after boarding the cab, "Let's go as fast as possible."

"Sit still." Before Wei Ran finished speaking, he had already stepped on the accelerator.Against the heavy snow with visibility less than 20 meters, we drove to the direction of the river where the materials were buried.

Along the way, Apoli never said a single extra word except to help guide the direction, and even the small speaker above his head was extraordinarily quiet.

Finally, when he parked the car again in the middle of the river where he took a group photo a few hours ago, Apoli didn't even say hello, he opened the car door and jumped down.Seeing this, Wei Ran quickly turned off the engine and followed quickly.

When the two of them walked into the living cabin one after the other, they found that Dr. Murat and others were sitting on the fallen metal cabinet and were silent.

And on the floor among them, besides a radio with noise, there was also a single-soldier backpack radio that was turned on.

Just a few hours ago, both the radio and the individual radio were basically in a semi-control state, and only two doctors in the entire car were qualified to use them.

But now, even though these two devices are placed in the middle of the crowd, no one touches them at all.

However, although the quietness in the back cabin was scary, the expressions on the faces of these people were different.

The gloomy faces of the two doctors Murat and Pavel were full of despair and regret.The closed disciples of the two, Taras and Agwan, looked at a loss.As for the two students, Shalip and Gennady, who always do hard work, they still have the same expression of indifference and even a trace of joy.

As for Apoli, from the beginning to the end, Wei Ran didn't see any expression on his face, but he was obviously silent a lot.

"Kang Dang"

Apoli threw a few pieces of firewood into the stove that was about to go out, and waited until there was no more stuff in the hearth, and then sat down on the metal cabinet lying on the floor.

"Dr. Murat, Dr. Pavel, it's time for you to answer my question. Do you want to continue your scientific research?" Apoli asked seriously, looking at the person sitting opposite.

"It doesn't make sense anymore"

Pavel said in despair, "When the Soviet Union loses Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, our scientific research projects will no longer be able to continue."

"Soon our project will be cut by the Academy of Sciences"

Murat said regretfully, "Although we had expected this day, we didn't expect it to come so soon. Apoli, we should go back."

Apoli nodded expressionlessly, and asked after a moment of silence, "The supplies we have accumulated are enough for us to survive this winter without any problems. Murat, Pavel, how far is your scientific research progress?"

"Actually, it's very fast"

Pavel's tone also became extremely regretful, "The samples we collected before are almost enough to carry out the first space environment survival test in April this year. But our teacher hoped that we could Go to the tundra to collect some samples to speed up the progress of scientific research. But obviously, the camp will not allow us to go to work in the tundra hundreds of kilometers away by bicycle."

"So this is the real reason why you asked me to reserve supplies in advance?" Apoly asked blankly, "Do you want to go to the tundra?"

Seeing that the four students all looked at him and Dr. Murat, Pavel nodded after hesitating for a moment, "Our teacher will be retiring in two years, this is the last scientific research he presides over. Project, we don't want him to have regrets. Sorry Poli, we lied to you, originally."

"After we finished resupplying, my friend Shagoli has agreed to help, personally sent the last batch of collected samples to Irkutsk, and watched your two teachers receive all the samples face to face."

Apolly's words made everyone in the car stunned, followed closely, and heard him continue, "Although I don't understand the content of your scientific research projects, comrades, although the Soviet Union has lost the crucial Russia, Belarus And Wu Kelan.

But at least the Soviet Union is still there, Kazakhstan is still there, and the Baikonur Cosmodrome is still there.Your teachers were able to receive the samples we worked so hard to collect on time. Even the rocket launch mission that is expected to be launched in April next year, I guess it hasn't been canceled yet, has it? "

"that's right!"

Taras was the first to stand up and agreed, "The Soviet Union is still there, Kazakhstan is still there, and the Baikonur Cosmodrome is still there!"

"Teacher, we still have a chance!" Agwan was the second to stand up and said, "There is still enough time until April!"

"Even if we can go back now, we don't know where to go, let alone what to do." Gennady expressed his attitude tactfully.

Shalip also comforted in a joking way, "Teachers, you will never let us lose our jobs at this time?"

"What about you?" Murat and Pavel looked at each other, then turned their heads to look at Apoli and Wei Ran.

"You promised me a few months ago that after this scientific research work is over, you will arrange for my wife to work as a laboratory cleaner at Irkutsk State University."

Apoli spread out his hands as a matter of course, "As long as you can save my wife from continuing to work in the pig farm, I have no problem even if I work until this time next year."

Seeing the two doctors looking at him, Wei Ran pointed to his feet, "Just treat me as a part of this transport vehicle. Of course, you can also treat me as a qualified photographer."

Murat and Pavel looked at each other, and after a long silence, they finally stood up one after another, "In this case, let's continue our work."

(End of this chapter)