War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 73 Hunting Game

"clang!"

In the silent night, the sound of metal knocking made Wei Ran, who had just fallen asleep, suddenly turn over, and hurriedly grabbed the pistol beside him.At the same time, a stone the size of a quail egg fell from the rear bumper of the truck and hit the asphalt road with a soft "click".

Less than 20 meters away from the door of the security room, the aunt at the front desk yawned and put away her slingshot, turned around and entered the lounge.

And Wei Ran in the car was completely sleepless at this time, took out his mobile phone and looked at it, it was [-]:[-] in the morning, but this sudden movement was already the fourth time.

"Fuck!"

Wei Qi put away his pistol in a panic, wrapped his clothes tightly around his body and lay down again.He understood that Karp just didn't want to let himself sleep!

I have survived the Don River No. 19 position, can I be afraid of you?Wei Ran found a pale excuse for himself, closed his eyes to calm down, and tried hard to fall asleep.

But just when he started to feel confused, he suddenly felt something stepping on him.When he reached out and touched a lump of fluffy and moving things, his whole heart was raised in his throat, he jumped up and jumped up and down, but found that at some point, there were already two fat sticks in the carriage. The almost oily white rabbit!
If this is wild, he can eat the gas lamp hanging above his head!Pushing aside the canvas curtain, Wei Ran sat down on the uneven floor with a "Oh my God", and saw outside the canvas curtain, a poster the size of a door panel had been erected at some point, and it was printed on it, but It's the big head of a plump Caucasian dog!The most deceitful thing is that this dog-headed poster is luminous at night!
Look at the time again, it's [-]:[-] in the morning, and I only slept for an hour at most?Wei Ran glanced in the direction of the entrance of Hongqi Forest Farm with an ugly expression.He put down the curtain in a fit of anger, took off the gas lamp hanging above his head, extinguished it, and put it in the leather notebook, then pulled the suitcase over and buckled it, and sat down on it to stare at the canvas curtain. What a new trick.

However, after waiting until after five o'clock in the morning, the other party did not make any noise.Wei Ran, who didn't sleep well all night, leaned against the canvas carport, closed his eyes for longer and longer, and finally fell into a deep sleep and started snoring.

Quietly, the lady at the front desk tied the drawstring of the canvas curtain into a dead button, then went around to the side near the driver's cab, gently scratched a corner of the canvas tent with a scalpel, reached in and stuffed it in. A smoke bomb turned around and got into the bushes on the side of the road.

Thick smoke filled the compartment, and Wei Ran, who was choked awake, almost thought that the whole truck was set on fire, and was about to open the curtain and jump out in a hurry.

"Which bastard's dead button is this?!" Wei Ran cursed, and then he was snatched by the smoke and coughed again and again.

Not caring about anything else, he held a Mauser bayonet in his left hand, swiped the canvas curtain with force, and at the same time retracted the bayonet, jumped out of the carriage.However, when his hands and feet touched the ground, he realized that the asphalt road behind the car had been paved with a big piece of sticky mouse board at some point.

With this jump, not only his hands and feet were pressed on the sticky mouse board, but there were even a few struggling big mice on the surrounding sheets!

Enduring his nausea and tearing off the sticky mouse pads on his hands and feet, Wei Ran squatted on the side of the road and scooped up the sand to wash away the mucus stained on his hands.At this time, thick red smoke was still billowing from the truck compartment behind him.

After barely cleaning up the stolen goods in his hands, Wei Ran took out his mobile phone and checked the time. It was 47:[-], and there were still three hours before the assembly at [-]:[-].

This time, I really can't sleep anymore. Wei Ran, who has been tossed like a neurotic, looked around vigilantly until the smoke stopped coming out of the carriage, and immediately got in and took out the soft-sounding sniper rifle and pulled it towards the top of his head. trigger.

Weak gunshots rang out twice in a row, and Wei Ran, who finished warning shots, turned around and climbed onto the roof of the cab, holding his gun and staring in the direction of Hongqi Forest Farm.

In the bushes less than ten meters away from the roadside, the aunt at the front desk showed a satisfied smile on her fat face, her fat but flexible body backed away silently, walked back to the forest farm in circles, and went directly to her own dormitory in the consultation center .

Suppressing sleepiness until [-]:[-], Wei Ran didn't care about the luggage that was scattered all over the carriage, and ran into the Hongqi Forest Farm with a sniper rifle that he had been carrying all night, and stood there at exactly [-]:[-]. The entrance of the counseling center.

"How did you sleep last night?" Karp, who smelled of alcohol, came out sleepily, and greeted Wei Ran kindly.

"Very good." Wei Ran gritted his teeth and squeezed out a smile, "The wild animals near Hongqi Forest Farm are very lively and hospitable!"

"Thank you for your compliment, come in and have breakfast." Karp pointed to the weapon in Wei Ran's hand, "Remember to store your weapon at the front desk, you won't be able to use it here for the time being."

"So my course starts now?" Wei Ran asked as he followed the other party to the counseling center.

Karp looked at his watch, "It started 2 minutes ago, by the way, your schedule, you can choose to study for a week and rest for a week, or you can choose to study continuously for half a month and then rest for half a month, as long as Just tell me in advance."

"According to the first method first!"

While Wei Ran was speaking, he handed the Sonic sniper rifle in his hand and the Sonic pistol in his pocket to the aunt at the front desk, signed his name on the deposit slip handed to him by the other party, and chased Karp into a room. Not a big restaurant.

"You have an hour"

Karp waited for Wei Ran to bring the food by himself, and then spread a map on the dining table unhurriedly, "This is the map of Hongqi Forest Farm, and there are barbed wire fences on the border. At 10 o'clock, you and Jima's The game starts in this area."

"What game?" Wei Ran, who just took a bite of the pie, raised his head and asked.

"Put this on first"

While speaking, Karp handed a watch to Wei Ran, "This is a locator, as long as you run out of the range of Hongqi Forest Farm, you will receive an alarm, and if you are in danger, you can also press and hold the red button. "

While talking, Karp also took out a Polaroid photo from his pocket and handed it to Wei Ran, pointing to the electronic device in the photo and said, "I have hidden three blackboards within the scope of Hongqi Forest Farm. This thing is It's with the blackboard, and your job is to find the blackboard, sign your name on it, and touch your watch to it."

"Where's Ji Ma?" Wei Ran put on his watch and asked in confusion.

"He'll be leaving at ten o'clock sharp"

When Karp said this, Jima, who had changed into a hunter outfit, honestly picked up the paintball gun on the table and shook it, "The effective range is 40 meters. My job is to catch you."

"Every time he hits you with a paintball gun, he catches you."

The smile on Karp's face became brighter, "If he catches you 10 times in one day, you will have to pay a ransom of [-] rubles."

"Is there any ransom?" Wei Ran's eyes widened.

"Of course, there must be a ransom."

Karp tapped the Polaroid photo on the table with his finger, "If you find any of these three blackboards before six o'clock in the afternoon, you can end the game, and when you come back, you will not only have dinner, but also a dormitory. If any two are found, the ransom for that day will be halved; if all three are found, the ransom will be waived."

As if the stakes were not high enough, Karp continued, "If you not only find all three blackboards and write your name on them, but also the quarter horses caught you less than 10 times before [-] p.m., you can Come to me for a bonus of ten thousand rubles. If this happens, Jimma, you will pay the ten thousand ruble bonus."

Turning his head, Karp continued to say to Wei Ran, "Of course, if you don't find a blackboard before [-]:[-] p.m., you don't have to come back. Tomorrow I will ask Jima to change the color of the paintball gun and continue to catch you. Do you have anything else to ask now?"

"No more," Wei Ran swallowed and replied with difficulty.

"Then, have a good meal. You still have 46 minutes to eat breakfast. At 10 o'clock, I will let Jima set off to start his hunting." After Karp finished speaking, he picked up the coffee on the table and drank it. He got up and left the restaurant which was not too big.

Wei Ran and Jima looked at each other, and the latter had a greedy smile on his face, "It seems that I can pay back the money I owe you today."

"Don't even think about it!" Wei Ran grabbed the pie on the dinner plate and the mineral water that hadn't been unscrewed in time, and was about to run out of the restaurant.

"Don't worry! Come back first!"

Jima called to Wei Ran, bent down and picked up a grass-green canvas bag from his feet and handed it to him, "There is a compass, a knife, water, and a pistol for self-defense. Victor, you Be careful, the most dangerous thing in this forest is not bears, but groups of wild boars. If you encounter them, you must stay away. If you really can't hide, press the rescue button. However, you must see clearly before shooting , don’t take me for a wild boar.”

"Thank you for your reminder, but I won't let you catch me." Wei Ran touched fists with the other party, and ran out of the restaurant with his bag.

Less than 10 minutes after his departure, Nicholas also arrived at the Hongqi Forest Farm in a quarter horse van, followed by Karp who came out to greet him, and got into an office in the corner of the first floor of the consultation center.

Not long after, the luggage that Wei Ran left behind on the truck at the door was brought in by the front desk aunt and placed on the desk.

Nicholas, who was sitting at the main seat, rummaged through Wei Ran's luggage, found out the medical file and glanced at it, then put it aside, picked up the cigarette case on the table and took out a cigarette Going up, unhurriedly asked Karp who was standing straight across the desk, "How is that young man?"

"Barely able to teach," Karp replied solemnly.

"Tell me what you found." Nicholas waved his hand, motioning for the other party to sit down and talk.

Seeing this, Karp sat down and replied bluntly, "He and his teacher run a studio in Volgograd. A few days ago, that studio was transferred to Victor. His teacher also resigned." I lost my job as a university teacher, and now I am working for the businessman I checked earlier, and today is his first day at work."

"Continue" Nicholas picked up the medical file again, seeming to put all his attention on it.

"The last time he and Jima went to Inta, they were hijacked by a local gold prospector, but in the end the gold prospector was killed by him, and the body was thrown into an abandoned mine on the outskirts of Upper Inta. It is very likely that it was also snatched from the other party."

"Where's the corpse?" Nicholas looked up and asked.

"It has been cleaned up by me," Karp replied honestly. At that time, he was Inta who secretly followed the two young people, so he naturally knew everything that happened.

"Look at this medical file." Nicholas directly changed the subject and handed the document to Karp.

"It's not." Karp frowned, he was too familiar with this file.

"I asked the young man to help look into that matter. Everything in the ampoule room was sent to his studio in Volgograd." Nikolai's tone became low, "Tell me, why did he only Bring this file."

Karp was not in a hurry to answer, carefully re-read the file that he had seen countless times, finally shook his head and said truthfully, "I don't see anything special about it, this new generation's fragile I don’t know how many people were killed at that time. And the insurance company he worked for, according to the information we found, it was wiped out by an explosion in February 1985, but the time when the ampoule disappeared was in April month, even if he did, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the cause of his death."

Nicholas nodded silently, "Put everything back."

"Captain." Karp hesitated for a moment, and asked tentatively, "Do you really want to teach him?"

"Didn't he pay the tuition?" Nicholas said with a smile on his old face, "Teach carefully, and I will check randomly when the time comes, so don't let me down."

"Understood!" Karp and the front desk aunt standing at the door immediately stood up straight and replied in unison.

"I'll go back first." Nicholas stood up, "I'll leave this to you two."

After Karp and the aunt at the front desk saw him off, Nicholas walked out of the office slowly, left the consultation center, and drove out of the Hongqi Forest Farm in a van.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Quarma, who was locked in the kitchen of the restaurant, rushed out of the consultation center like a wild dog waving a paintball gun in his hand.Around the edge of the forest around the building began to circle.

Not long after, Jima stopped, picked up a bunch of shrub branches, touched the incomplete tip of one of the branches with his fingertips, and then stuck out his tongue to lick the fingertips.

The unique bitterness of the sap secreted from the stubble of the branches made Jima's face show a winning expression. He walked along the bushes into the dense birch forest, and soon after, he found half of it printed on the humus. Fragmentary footprints on the

At the same time, in the depths of the birch forest less than 200 meters away from Jima, Wei Ran struggled to pull the overgrown branches, and wandered aimlessly in the dense forest overgrown with wild grass, trying to find the blackboard Karp mentioned. .

But looking around, the field of vision is full of birch trees that have begun to lose their leaves, pine trees and oak trees mixed in, of course, there are waist-high shrubs and various small animals that pop up from time to time.One can imagine the difficulty of finding the blackboard hidden in this environment.

But on the other hand, last night's experience also let him know that the game organized by Karp was not a joke at all. If he couldn't find it, he might really have to sleep in this ghost place all night today.

Gritting his teeth, Wei Ran took out the compass from his pocket and looked at it, and continued to move in the established direction, while trying not to leave too many traces of himself.

But the further he walked, the uglier his face became. The terrain here didn't look much lower than the surrounding area, but when he stepped on it, the humus layer covered with fallen leaves could almost ooze water, and even he himself, You can see the series of obvious footprints behind you.

Seeing that it was impossible to hide his whereabouts, Wei Ran simply quickened his pace and widened the distance between him and Jima as much as possible.

However, in less than an hour, with a soft "pop!", a ball of azure blue sticky paint exploded on his buttocks.

"the first time!"

Ji Ma, who was wearing a hunting suit, stood up, shook off the fallen leaves covering his body, and said with a smile, "I can hear the sound of you kicking fallen leaves and walking 50 meters away."

"How did you know I would go here?" Wei Ran touched the dye on his buttocks and asked helplessly.

Jima didn't hide his secrets, and said cheerfully, "The trees here are relatively sparse. No matter people or animals, they will subconsciously go to places that are easier to walk. This is common sense."

"I really appreciate your common sense." Wei Ran stooped to grab a handful of fallen leaves, and wiped the dye on his hands and butt indiscriminately.

"you are welcome"

Jima grinned stupidly, "Okay, I'm going back to the edge of the forest now, and I'll come back to look for you again. Before that, try to figure out how to prevent me from finding out!"

Watching Ji Ma go farther and farther and finally being completely blocked by trees, Wei Ran randomly chose a direction and ran for a distance of [-] meters, then stepped on his own footprints and walked back backwards, lying on a bed like Ji Ma Behind the birch tree, I pulled the fallen leaves around to cover myself.

Half an hour later, there was another soft sound of "Pa!", Wei Ran's thigh was hit by the paintball, and the burning pain immediately made him groan.

"Not too stupid, but there is something wrong with the fallen leaves you chose."

Ji Ma stood far away and reminded, "You have turned out the damp leaves at the bottom, and the color of them is different from that of the fallen leaves around, it's too obvious."

Wei Ran rubbed his thighs and sat up, "I thought you would catch up with the footprints."

Jima pinched the branch in the middle of the two bushes, "If you go forward, the branch will get stuck in the direction you are going, Victor, don't make common sense mistakes again. Or should I put water for you? As In exchange, what if I don't have to pay back the money I owe you?"

"You want to fart!" Wei Ran raised his middle finger from a distance, watching Ji Ma walk towards the main building of the forest farm again.

　Thanks woofer for rewarding 1500 points

　　Thank you Flying Hands for rewarding 100 points

　　
　
(End of this chapter)