War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 666
Amidst the low roar of the engine, Apoli drove the transport vehicle back into the deserted workshop.

Gradually, the dark workshop was completely illuminated by the halogen headlights mounted around the car body, leaving only the exhaust gas gushing out from the exhaust pipe, which left groups of changing phantoms on the surrounding walls under the illumination of the lights .

Finally, when the cab of the transport vehicle was completely swallowed by the workshop, Apoli finally stepped on the brakes and then turned off the engine.

Almost at the same time, Shalip and Gennadi also came out of the living cabin with a lighted kerosene lamp each, and handed them to Talas and Agwan who had already climbed on the roof, and the latter The owner hung it from a metal beam on the roof of the workshop.

Under the chirping kerosene lamp, everyone worked together to move out all kinds of materials from the living cabin, and neatly piled them on a concrete floor in the corner that was not eroded by ice and snow.

After emptying the supplies in the living cabin, everyone did not dare to rest, and immediately unloaded the excess stuff in the cargo hold, leaving only ten barrels of fuel oil and five barrels of coking coal, a fuel oil generator, and enough food for everyone for a week. supplies as a backup.

After locking the door of the cargo hold himself, Apoli put away the key and said, "The reserves inside are enough for us to insist on going back to the camp or rush to the Tunguska coalfield [-] kilometers away in a straight line, so we don't need to use the cargo hold until we decide to return. in reserve.

In other words, everyone must complete the scientific research tasks before the materials we moved out are exhausted. "

"These things are enough for us to eat for two months."

Gennady looked at the supplies piled up in the corner and jokingly said, "As long as Apoli doesn't cook, these things will definitely not be wasted."

"Gennady was right"

Shalip, another most cheerful and optimistic student in the team, echoed, "If Apoli still goes hunting every day like before, maybe we can persist for a longer time."

"I will catch as many prey as I can"

Apoli spread his hands, also in a joking tone, and said to Wei Ran, "Comrade chef, since the furs of wild beasts can't be sold at a good price recently, I won't skin them, but make the prey I caught into delicious food. This job is for you."

"No problem," Wei Ran agreed with a smile.

"If you have assigned the work, will you help move these things down first?"

Taras, who was still on the roof, leaned on the solid wooden table tied to it and asked loudly, "Also, Shalip, can you close the door of the workshop?"

"Okay! Right now!"

Shalip quickly responded loudly, calling Gennady for help, and closed the iron door of the workshop together to block the cold wind and snowflakes blowing in from outside.

At the same time, Wei Ran and others also helped Talas and Agwan on the roof to lift down the tables, chairs and several empty oil barrels one by one.

It's a pity, maybe because of the bumps along the way, or maybe because the quality itself is not good, one of the only two tables has a broken leg, and the top of the other has been cracked from the middle. The chairs and oil drums are still in good condition.

"It's ok"

Pavel, who hadn't spoken a moment ago, relieved, "After dawn, let's go to the surrounding buildings to search. When we came last time, I remember that there were many well-preserved tables and chairs there."

"Mr. Pavel, remember to bring those two corns, otherwise Comrade Khrushchev will jump down from the photo frame and stop us." Gennady's enthusiastic reminder immediately brought smiles to everyone's faces.

Pavel raised his voice slightly, "I'll remember to bring the corn, let's get the bed up again before then."

"And how about having a drink together as we've been doing for months?"

Dr. Murat's proposal was immediately approved by everyone, followed by Wei Ran, who was always trying to figure out how to set up a person, and deliberately put forward his own suggestion, "In this case, we might as well put the How about cleaning up the living quarters?"

“Our chef really loves to be clean”

Pavel grinned and said, don't look at this middle-aged man covered with sinews as a doctor, but he is also the most sloppy one in the whole team except for Apoli. The things that Wei Ran swept out from under the bed back then, at least Most of them are his.

"Didn't Victor say that?"

Agwan held Wei Ran's shoulders and said while stuffing cigarettes into his mouth, "He said he asked us to use him as a part of the transport vehicle. Of course he cares more about hygiene than we do."

"How about cleaning the living quarters together, and then I'll get you some delicious food?"

Wei Ran took a sip of the cigarette that Agwan forced to stuff, and took a sip on the flame of the lighter, and said, "Of course, if you want to sleep on stinky socks and eat the meals prepared by Apoli , I have no opinion."

"Don't be like this Victor, what do you need us for?" Gennady immediately expressed his attitude.

"How about at least wiping the floor, walls and ceiling of the living cabin?" Wei Ran put forward his own small request.

"It seems that if we want to eat the food made by Victor, we can only do what he said."

Apoli, who had just been teased by Wei Ran, walked towards the living cabin while talking, and took the lead in cleaning.

Under Wei Ran's instigation, everyone temporarily moved the stove and cleaned it.But when they were about to move the locked tin file cabinet, they encountered strong opposition from the two doctors.

Even the work of wiping the cabinet and even the safe was done by the two of them themselves.

Although there was too much distrust in this attitude, it seemed that everyone except Wei Ran had gotten used to it.

After a short trial, Wei Ran accepted it as soon as it was ready, and rebuilt the bunks with everyone.

After cleaning up the sanitation in the living cabin, while Shalip and Gennady were trying to make a good table out of two broken tables, Apoli also left the workshop with weapons and animal traps, and walked around the surrounding area. Traps began to be set up at the entrances of several deserted tube buildings.

On the contrary, the two doctors and their respective students, Taras and Agwan, were hiding in the living cabin at this time, not only locked the cabin door, but even closed the shutters with protective functions.

Wei Ran was also not idle. At this time, he had already lit the cast iron stove that was usually used for heating when sampling in the corner near the workshop gate, and put the pot on it to play the role of chef again.

"Gennady, do you think our scientific research project will be cut off?" Shalip, who was not far away, asked in a low voice while repairing the broken table.

"It's no longer a question of whether it will be cut or not"

Gennady smashed a nail into the corner of the table two or three times, "Even if we collected enough samples, even if our teacher extracted and cultivated the fire seeds that meet the conditions. But who will send them up?"

"Apolly didn't say that."

"I mean, in whose name"

Gennady lowered his voice slightly, "In the name of the Soviet Union or Kazakhstan? Or Russia? Belarus? Ukran?"

"Is there any difference?" Shalip asked inexplicably.

"Of course there is a difference!"

Gennady glanced at Wei Ran, who was facing away from them, and lowered his voice again and asked, "You don't really think that as long as Hasa's space launch site is still there, it's enough?"

"Isn't that so?"

"of course not!"

Gennady said firmly, "This is like our transport vehicle. If the space launch site is the cargo compartment, it can indeed carry our scientific research projects, but where does the fuel come from? Where does the driver come from? To the destination Where does the map come from? Even the car lights that illuminate the road can still be turned on, and who owns the car keys."

"You're trying to say that the Soviet Union was like."

"To be precise, the Soviet Union, which has 15 member countries, is like a transport vehicle that is in good condition, has a healthy driver and navigator, and has plenty of power."

Gennady continued almost raving, "Such a transport vehicle can easily send the fire we selected to any place, and can easily support us to complete any scientific research project.

At that time, even students like you and me who haven't finished college, even a transporter driver like Victor, may all be able to enjoy the fruits of victory of this project together. "

Before Shalip could open his mouth, Gennady, who was optimistic and cheerful in the past, also sighed, swung his hammer vigorously and hit the nail hard, and said with a little resentment, "But now! The cargo compartment of this transport vehicle is still Now, but there is not much fuel in its fuel tank, and the driver and navigator comrades don’t know where they went, and even the headlights are not on.”

"But."

Gennady shook his head, and before Shalip could finish speaking, he said very seriously, "It may still be able to carry our scientific research projects for the time being, but it may not be able to send us to the end."

"So." Shalip looked at his good friend Sharip blankly, but didn't know what to say for a while.

"This is a scientific research project that has the potential to succeed, but is doomed to fail."

Gennady turned his head to look in the direction of the living cabin, and muttered to himself mockingly, "We not only need the bacteria under the permafrost of the Siberian tundra, but also a complete Soviet Union.

But obviously, it is impossible for the 15 member countries to re-cooperate for our scientific research project that has not received much attention.In other words, they will not work together again for any one reason. "

"Really. Is it impossible?" Shalip asked with deep disappointment, "I still plan to rely on participating in this scientific research project"

"Which one are you asking?"

Gennady threw away the hammer in his hand, pulled a chair over and sat down and asked, "Make the Soviet Union complete or save our scientific research projects?"

"Of course it is to save our scientific research project!"

Shalip subconsciously raised his voice, and gave an obvious answer without even thinking about it. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't you want?"

"Frankly speaking, I think it's a good thing that Estonia has chosen independence." Gennady almost lay on the unrepaired table, carefully expressing his true thoughts.

Hearing this, Sharip from Belarus shrugged, but did not clearly express his inner thoughts, but asked, "You haven't answered my question yet."

"Which question?"

Gennady subconsciously asked a question, and then said to himself, "If you want to save our staff project, there is a way."

"What way?" Shalip asked subconsciously.

"Sell it," Gennady finished in a low voice, and immediately covered Sharip's mouth, "Don't shout, listen to me."

After struggling for a while, Shalip finally calmed down and stopped resisting.Seeing this, Gennady continued, "Pasteur once said that science has no borders. If we want to continue this project, the best way is to find a 'transporter' as powerful as the Soviet Union. .”

"But Pavlov also said that science has no borders, but scientists have borders."

"Are we scientists?"

Gennady spread his hands and asked, "I don't even know if I'm a Soviet or a fresh Estonian. What about you? Are you a Soviet or a Belarusian?"

Faced with Gennady's question, Sharip fell into a daze and silence.

"Scientists do have national boundaries, but the motherland of scientists is gone now, isn't it?"

Gennady raised his voice slightly and asked, "Where are you from, Victor? Victor?"

"What did you say?" Wei Ran, who had been eavesdropping just now, turned around and looked at him blankly.

"I said, soldier, where are you from?" Gennady asked again.

"People from Kazan, we are rich in beauties." Wei Ranhun gave an answer that didn't involve nationality, turned around and continued to cook meals that didn't need to be taken care of.

"All right"

Gennady shrugged, lowered his voice again and said to Sharip, "Perhaps Dr. Murat and Dr. Pavel are discussing in the living cabin to find a new boss for our scientific research project. I guess we The project will definitely sell for a big price."

"Dr. Murat and Dr. Pavel are not the kind of people you think," Shalip retorted, frowning.

"maybe"

Gennady said indifferently, "Actually, the two of us don't have to worry about this kind of thing. Don't forget, we can only be regarded as Talas and Agwan's assistants at best, or in other words, we are actually more like workers they hired for free That's all."

"That's true." Shalip sighed, "This matter really shouldn't be our concern."

"Since you agree with this last point, be as happy as ever."

Gennady picked up the hammer thrown at his feet again while speaking, "No matter what the final result is, our job now is to fix the table as soon as possible. I can already smell the fragrance from the pot, so I don't want to wait for dinner There wasn’t even a table at the time.”

"After dawn, let's go find two new tables in the next few buildings!" Shalip also relaxed.

"Isn't this a good deal?" Gennady had already hammered a nail into the edge of the table while speaking.

While the two of them changed the topic, in the relatively warm living cabin, the four of Murat also made a certain decision by showing their hands.

"Since everyone has no opinion, then this matter is so decided."

While talking, Murat got up and locked a document signed by four people, together with the old-fashioned mechanical typewriter, into the open metal cabinet, "Okay, it's time for us to have a drink together. Victor and the others discuss the follow-up exploration route."

Seeing this, Agwan, who had just knelt beside the bed and was in charge of drafting the document with a typewriter, immediately got up.And Taras and Pavel also got up one after another, and opened the steel shutters outside the windows on both sides.

Almost at the same time that the teachers and students walked out of the living cabin, Apoli, who was carrying a rifle, also came in from outside the workshop.

"Apolly, you came back just in time." Pavel shouted from a distance, "We just need your help."

"What do you need me to do?" Apoli immediately took a few steps to meet him.

Murat and Pavel looked at each other, and they worked together to spread a map on the newly repaired table.

"Taking advantage of the time before the meal, let's arrange the next work. Of course, it won't waste too much time for everyone."

After finishing speaking, Murat pointed to the marks made on the map with the pencil in his hand, "Comrades, we will focus on this abandoned mine for the rest of the time to carry out sampling work.

These are the sampling locations we planned, there are 26 in total, and the farthest distance from us is about 150 kilometers in a straight line.Each sampling point needs to be sampled ten times within one kilometer. "

"It will take us at least a month to complete this work." Talas volunteered the time it would take.

“Looks like we're going to be here for Christmas”

Shalip was as optimistic and cheerful as usual, "Victor, you have to prepare some delicious things for our Christmas."

"It's a pity that we don't have geese in our supplies." Gennady said regretfully, "My mother's Christmas goose is very delicious."

"Don't even think about Christmas geese, even if we have geese in our supplies, I wouldn't make that kind of thing."

Wei Ran spread his hands and said confidently, "But you will definitely be able to eat something that you haven't eaten before, I promise."

"We'll talk about Christmas later"

Agwan brought the topic back, "Apolly, we need you and Victor to help us plan the fastest route."

"Leave this to me." Apolly folded the map and stuffed it directly into his arms while speaking. "Comrades, should we pour vodka into the cup?"

"Leave this job to me!" Before Shalip finished speaking, he had already pulled out two bottles of vodka from the wooden box against the wall.

When the bottle cap was unscrewed, even though the dinner prepared by Wei Ran was not ready yet, the weekly gathering started without any hindrance.

Under the busyness of the crowd, a constantly beating bonfire was ignited in the half oil drum usually used as a sleigh cart.The only table and eight chairs were placed around the campfire.Even Dr. Murat took out the radio and tuned it to the music channel.

In the impromptu performances of these Soviets who are about to or are not Soviets, Wei Ran also slowly filled everyone's dinner plate with an astonishingly calorific stew.

Fat and thin bear meat, deer steak with bones, fatty pork and soft rotten potatoes are mixed in the thick soup with a strong aroma.

Finally, a box of condensed milk and a basket of hot Da Lieba were placed in the middle of the table. Now, everyone was too lazy to pay attention to whether they were Soviet or not.

Or to put it more bluntly, these people are not so much self-forgetful about their work as they are about self-forgetful escape, but they seem to have their own ideas in their waking hours while escaping.

After drinking a few glasses of cold vodka, everyone was also listening to the music on the radio. They rashly decided to rest for a whole day from dawn. Can you find something that works.

After eating a lively meal for more than two hours and drinking an extra bottle of vodka, everyone hooked their shoulders into the warm living cabin and fell asleep.

In the long night, the continuous snoring made the cleaned living cabin as noisy as a pond in early summer night, but in the faint light leaking from the stove, a figure quietly got out of bed and touched the dark Gently opened the hatch.

When the cabin door was closed again, Wei Ran also opened his eyes and listened carefully to the movement. After a while, he sat up slowly, moved to the edge of the car window and carefully looked out.

However, outside the window was the pitch-black workshop, and the only thing he could see were some blurred reflections.

After some thought, Wei Ran finally lay obediently on his bed, continued to listen to the artificial toads around him, and secretly waited for Apoli to come back.

At the same time, Apoli had already circled around the front of the car, took out a tin bucket and a small shovel from the cab, shoveled some red charcoal from the bonfire that had not been extinguished, and carried them into the cab, familiar with the road The little cast-iron stove was lit.

After unhurriedly installing the chimney and filling it with firewood, Apoli glanced at the direction of the rear of the car through the rearview mirrors on both sides. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, he jumped out of the cab, took out the key and opened the car next to it. From the tool compartment of the fuel tank, a wooden box was taken out that looked no different from an ammunition box, but with a circle of bicycle tires fixed around it.

Carrying the box into the driver's cab, Apoli closed the blackout curtain that he had installed by himself a few months ago, and finally opened the wooden box on his lap, and took out a backpack with a carrying system from it. Yellow-green metal suitcase.

If Wei Ran was sitting next to him at this time, he would definitely recognize it at a glance. This is a spy radio code-named R-394KM, or it can be called "Swift KM".

Back when he was learning radio at Hongqi Forest Farm, Wei Ran even briefly owned his own Swift KM spy radio for practicing radio transmission.

Therefore, he is very clear that this metal suitcase with an output power of only 15 watts can easily communicate with the same frequency transceiver device within a thousand kilometers by sending a telegram as long as the antenna is installed properly.

Although Wei Ran had no chance to see this very familiar radio system at this moment, Apolly would not regret it.

In the faint light provided by the stove, he familiarly pulled out a cable connected to the metal armrest on the top of the cab from the small drawer at the top of the windshield, and connected it to the connector on the radio station that should have been used to install the antenna.

Immediately afterwards, he pulled out the second cable and connected it to the power supply port of the device.After finally connecting the earphones and the plug-and-play light fixed to the inside of the cover, Apolli flipped the switch.

Immediately, the small light that could be adjusted at any angle lit up with a soft light, perfectly illuminating the function marked words next to each operation button.

Rolling up his cuffs, Apoli looked at the time, then adjusted to a channel, and waited until the monotonous and meaningless ticking sound came from the earphones, then switched to a quiet channel, took out his notebook and pencil and waited patiently .

However, until a full 10 minutes past the agreed time, his earphones were still exceptionally quiet.

In disbelief, he switched back to the frequency of repeating the ticking sound, and a little panic appeared on Apolly's face.

But soon, he took a deep breath, switched to the third channel, and tapped the button on the lower right corner of the radio equipment panel with his fingers again and again.

However, after repeated inquiries were sent through Morse code, there was no response at all.

Switching to the fourth channel in disbelief, Apoli continued to repeat the process just now, but still did not get a reply from even a single signal.

Seeing that there were less than 5 minutes left before the agreed end time of the communication, Apoli decisively gave up the communication, ripped off the power supply line and the antenna with a slightly rough action, and put the radio equipment back on as quickly as possible. Put it back in the unassuming wooden box and re-locked it into the tool bay next to the fuel tank.

Re-drilled into the heated cab, but Apoli couldn't feel the slightest warmth like falling into an ice cellar.

(End of this chapter)