War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 743 The Test of the Bottom Line
In the quiet mine tunnel, Wei Ran bandaged Mikita's wound as quickly as possible, and then the two of them took up their weapons and carried the oxygen cylinder again, and walked towards the only exit direction again.

It's just that compared to before that thrilling "episode", the two of them were much more vigilant this time, so that they didn't even have a redundant chat along the way.

However, when they returned to the spacious mine where the left-behind prisoners of war were staying with great care, not only did they not see any lights!I even heard Yilini's panicked screams and unexplained roars!
"Bang!"

The two threw away the oxygen cylinders in their hands in no particular order, pulled out the spare flashlight, turned it on, and rushed up while covering each other.

When they got closer, they found that the prisoner who had been bitten by a wolf had already straightened the chain around his neck, but even so, his hands were still firmly grasping Yin Lin's ankle!

What's even more weird is that the prisoner of war who looked like a beast at the last moment, when the light of the flashlight swept over it, seemed to be stung by a scorpion, let go of Irini's ankle, and was about to roll and crawl elsewhere escape!
"Bang!" Amidst the crisp gunshots, Wei Ran, who was walking in front, quickly and neatly dealt with the chained prisoner of war.

"Irene, what's going on?" Mikita was about to walk towards Irene while speaking.

"do not move!"

Wei Ran grabbed the former's shoulder and said vigilantly, "Don't go there, your hand is injured, you'd better stay away from there now."

"what happened?"

Unknown, Mikita glanced at Irini, who was shrouded in the beam of light from the flashlight, and then at Wei Ran, who was still holding a gun.

However, Wei Ran did not answer Mikita's question, but directly asked the woman who was huddled in the corner of the rock wall and crying, "Were you hurt by it?"

Hearing this, Irene slowly raised her head, and let go of the hand that had been covering her face.Under the beam of the flashlight, there were two crescent-like tooth marks on Irini's cheeks, and there were still traces of blood around the tooth marks.Not only that, but on her neck, there were deep pinch marks and marks left by scratching.

At this moment, even Mikita realized something was wrong, and turned to look at Wei Ran.

"Is it rabies?" Wei Ran asked almost certainly.

Irene, who was almost desperate, nodded, pointed at her wound, sniffled her nose, and said calmly, "The neck was made by those two people who acted with me. They didn't know after they knocked me out. Where did I go. When I came back, I found that the lights here were off, and he was curled up behind a stone. I wanted to check his injuries, and then”

"Stop talking"

Wei Ran interrupted the other party's almost rambling explanation, "You are a nurse and should have a detailed understanding of rabies. Irene, your time is running out. I don't know if you have rabies vaccine in your medical kit, but If you want to survive, at least you can't waste your time here."

"I want to meet my son"

Irene's face seemed to be alive again at that moment, she looked at Wei Ran and Mikita pleadingly, "Captain Victor, Captain Mikita, I want to see my son after I go out, is that okay? "

Mikita and Wei Ran looked at each other, they sighed in unison, and nodded in unison.

"Thank you"

Irene quickly got up, and said with the professionalism of a nurse as she walked out, "We don't carry vaccine preparations, even if we rush to Sarampaul immediately, it will take at least two days.

In addition, I have been bitten for about 15 minutes, and then I need to wash the wound with running water.But he bit me on the face, so I probably won't get away with it.

If I contract rabies, the next three days to a week may be my last time, and I am afraid that I will only be awake for a maximum of three days. "

"I'll do my best to keep you alive."

Mikita let Wei Ran wrap his injured hand with the clothes he took off, followed behind Irini, and walked out at a faster speed, saying, "Later, other people need to enter the mine to clean it up. The collapsed mine tunnel I designated."

"I'll help you," Irini replied bluntly, obviously having understood Mikita's plan.

"Do you regret it?" Mikita asked abruptly.

Irina, who was walking in the front, slowed down and said, "I regret it, I don't regret it, I have had a wonderful life these years, Quanyang. No, Xishan Dameng, he also loves me very much, our child Also cute and his relationship with Vajim is really good too.

Although a little disappointed that no gems were found, these were enough.It's just a pity that I probably won't be able to grow up with Vajim and the others. "

Speaking of this, Yilinni looked back at Mikita and Wei Ran who was walking at the end, and asked with a smile, "You won't let Xishan Dream go, right?"

"will not"

Wei Ran's firm answer passed Mikita who was walking in front, and clearly reached Irini's ears.

"I see, this is not bad." Irene paused, and asked unwillingly, "Where are Vajim and the four children?"

Mikita waited patiently for a moment, and seeing that Wei Ran didn't answer the question, he said, "We are not Fazsi, and Victor is not the executioner in the Nacho concentration camp."

"In Sarampaul, there is a woman named Wallia. She is my good friend. If you can spare those children, send them to her."

Irene sighed, and added extra selfishly, "A good friend I met at construction site 501."

In the quiet mine tunnel, the forward posture of the three of them ranged from straight waist to bent waist, and then to crawling forward. Yi Linni talked about various topics without words, but Wei Ran and Mikita fell into the trap one after another. There was silence.

When the three of them returned to the mine road of No. 5 mine with difficulty following their footsteps, Irene, who had been talking all the way, took the initiative to end the topic that only she had joined, and took out a medical mask from her pocket to block it. The wound on the cheek, and then the collar turned up again.

"Baolide, it's us."

Mikita and Irini exchanged positions, and shouted from a long distance, "Eagle of the grassland, we are about to come out."

"White trout of the Volga River, come out." Baolid called out the safety signal agreed in advance.

It wasn't until this time that Mikita put away his gun, bent down and was the first to get out of the low mine tunnel.

When Wei Ran, who was walking at the end, also came out, Mikita pointed to the prisoners next to him, "Let them also go to the mine to help, the innermost section of the mine also collapsed, and their people have already established a mine there. After leaving the camp, we may have to continue digging mine tunnels for the next week."

Baolid glanced at Mikita's right hand wrapped in clothes, nodded with a normal expression, and called the other prisoners of war to get up, untied them from the iron chains, and asked them to take tools such as pickaxes to drill Into the mine.

"You can see them as long as you walk straight along the mine," Irene reminded in Russian.

"I'll go find you soon." Irene hugged prisoner 589, and watched as he limped into the low mine tunnel with a pickaxe in his arms.

When the lights of the kerosene lamps carried by these prisoners of war were completely blocked by the corner of the mine, Irene also sat down on the ground.

"Can I come?" Yilinni asked just as Wei Ran picked up the detonator at the entrance of the mine.

"Of course." Wei Ran happily handed the detonator to Irene, "press it and it will detonate."

After receiving the detonator, Yi Linni's tears welled up from the corners of her eyes. With all her strength, she yelled something in Japanese that Wei Ran and others could not understand, and then severely pressed the switch of the detonator!
"Booming" there was a dull explosion, and the narrow mine entrance collapsed instantly in the smoke and dust, leaving no gaps.

Before the smoke cleared, Mikita walked out and said, "Hurry up, you don't have much time."

Irene looked down at the detonator in her hand, gritted her teeth after a moment of silence, stood up, and followed the three of them towards the entrance of the No. 5 mine.

On the way back, Mikita picked up important things and briefly recounted to Baolide what happened in the mine, but didn't mention any words about gems.

"You wanted to let me go, didn't you?" Irene asked Wei Ran who was walking behind.

"Unfortunately you're out of luck"

Wei Ran replied absent-mindedly, from his point of view, he really didn't intend to do anything to Irene and those children, if he wanted to blame, he really could only blame her for being unlucky.

Yilini sighed, and finally said nothing more. She left the No. [-] mine in silence, and returned to the abandoned hospital together with the others in a truck.

However, before Baolid, who was driving, turned off the engine, they saw that the five children who were under the care of Selsey, were led by Irene's son, a boy named Vajim, with guns. Pointing to Sercy who had been waiting for a long time in the corridor on the side of the hall.

Among them, there is a little boy who seems to be the second oldest holding a TT33 pistol that was obviously seized from Selsey with a little effort, while the remaining two little boys and a little girl are also holding a pistol. kitchen knife.

"Vajim! Put the gun down!" Irene yelled in panic after jumping off the cargo bucket with Baolid.

"I want to change them back!" Vajim responded stubbornly with an AKM assault rifle in his hand, "I don't want to kill people, but I want to change them back! Otherwise they will all be killed! These people are murderers! "

Before he finished speaking, the little boy with a pistol pointed his gun at Wei Ran and Mikita who came down from the cab!

"You killed my father!"

The little boy Wei Ran didn't even know his name looked crazy, his yellow skin was covered with tears, "You killed him! You go to die! You all go to die!"

"Don't shoot!"

The mother and son Irene and Vajim yelled in unison, and the latter even lowered the muzzle of the AKM rifle subconsciously!
"boom!"

The moment the crisp gunshot sounded, Wei Ran felt a violent impact from his right wrist.

At the same time, Mikita let out a muffled groan.And the little boy named Vajim had already pushed away the sluggish Sercy and rushed towards the kid who shot!
"boom!"

After the second shot, there was a bullet hole in the temple of the child who was still holding the pistol, and a faint white smoke wafted from the muzzle of the TT33 pistol in Baolide's hand. .

Before the child's body fell to the ground, Irene rushed over, hugged her son Vajim in her arms, grabbed the assault rifle he was still holding and threw it far away.

But even so, Baolide didn't stop shooting, but pulled the trigger again and again amidst the screams of those children!

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

After another three shots in a row, the other three children with kitchen knives in their hands fell to the floor one after another.Although they were not hit by the bullets, when the three bullets flew past their ears just now, the strong airflow still seemed to slap them hard on the face, causing them to throw away their holdings in fright. kitchen knife.

"Baolide" Mikita's voice did not reach everyone's ears until the gunshots subsided.

Baolid bent down and picked up the AKM rifle thrown by Irini and threw it over his shoulder, then walked quickly to Mikita's side.

At this time, Wei Ran also wrapped his belt around the wound on his wrist indiscriminately, and the unprepared shot just now left a deep groove of blood on his wrist.Through the wound, he could even see the bone that was knocked out by the bullet!

However, the bullet did not only hurt him. At this time, Mikita also fell on his back to the ground, allowing Baolid to tear off his shirt, and picked up the blood-stained sweater and shirt.

Just seeing the blood-stained part of his ribs, Wei Ran frowned. The bullet left a wound like a child's mouth on the lower edge of the lowermost rib on his right side. !Through the wound, he could even see that Mikita's intestines seemed to be damaged.

Looking down at his injured left hand, Wei Ran quickly walked into the cab and pulled off the medical bag, found an analgesic from inside and stuck it around his wound, then picked up the second needle and stuck it on the wound. Mikita's body.

But then he became worried. With only one hand, he was not sure to operate on Mikita, and the only one who could help him, Irini, was at risk of being infected with the rabies virus.

"Selsey, don't...don't cry."

The pain from the wound made Sercy unable to speak at all, but he had a smile on his face, "Tell me, what's going on."

"My Asthma Committed"

Cersey, who was in tears, sped up his speech and explained guiltily, "Vajim helped me find the medicine and saved me, but he also captured me. They are going to exchange for those who went to the mine with you."

"It's okay, it's okay."

Mikita stretched out his hand and touched Celcie's head, "It's not your fault, not at all."

"Mikita, I'm going to try to operate on you."

Wei Ran cut open Mikita's clothes with scissors and said, "Your intestine was injured by a bullet. If you don't perform surgery, even if you didn't die from blood loss, you will die from abdominal infection."

"Can you perform surgery?" Mikita obviously didn't believe Wei Ran's words, "Even if you could, you only have one hand left to use."

"let me help you"

Irene didn't know when she came over, "Ten years ago, I changed my career to become a pediatrician."

Wei Ran looked up at Vajim, who was dizzy on the floor, and then at the other three children who were too scared to cry. He turned his eyes and reminded, "Your wound also needs to be treated."

"My chances of surviving are not high"

Ireni also looked at Vajim and the three bewildered children who were stunned by her own hands, "Let me help, while I can still help."

"Let her help"

Mikita said abruptly, "Selsey, Paulid, and Victor promised me that no matter whether she and I survive in the end... at least let that child go."

"We'll talk about these things later!" Baolid said, and was about to hug Mikita.

"Must, must say now"

Mikita suppressed the pain and raised his voice, "That kid saved...Selsi, he...he didn't deserve to die here. And...those three kids, they...they are innocent. Put them all To Sarampaul, to that woman named Warnia."

"I promise you"

Paulid was the first to say, "I'll send them to Sarampaul, and I'll send Selsey to your sister, whether you live or not."

"And those things." Mikita looked at his own backpack beside him, "distribute according to the way we agreed before."

"I promise" Baolid hammered his chest with his fists and made a solemn promise.

"What about you?" Mikita looked at Wei Ran with difficulty.

Wei Ran sighed, and while testing the effect of the anesthetic by touching the wound, he replied, "You are the captain, I will listen to you."

"Selsey, I'm missing you." Mikita looked at Selsey who was crying bitterly.

"I promise, I promise you." Selsey nodded while crying, "I promise you everything!"

"Help me take care of my little Sasha, and your mother Sasha." Mikita took a deep breath, and let Baolid pick him up and walked to the second floor under Wei Ran's command.

Without daring to waste too much time, after rough preparations, Wei Ran started this difficult operation with the help of Yi Linni.

After the abdominal cavity was opened, Wei Ran frowned. After the bullet made a wound on the lower side of the right rib, it not only cut a hole at the right-curved corner of the colon, but even the lower edge of the liver Some signs of bleeding.

However, the only thing I can use is my right hand, and I haven't even had time to treat the wound on my left hand.

And Irene, who risked her life to help, didn't have any experience in abdominal surgery at all. She was able to help at the side at this time, relying entirely on her experience as a nurse.

The only good news is that the blood types of Baolid and Mikita are exactly the same, which increases the success rate of the operation to a certain extent.

In such a difficult situation, Wei Ran finally successfully sutured the intestines, cleaned up the dirt in the abdominal cavity, and also treated the wound on the liver as well as he could.

After he stitched up the wound with Irene's help, the latter had time to wash the almost scabbed wound on her face with the soapy water prepared in advance.

But in fact, both Wei Ran and Yi Linni are very clear, doing so can only seek psychological comfort at most.

After bandaging Mikita's wound, Wei Ran handed over the escorting job to Sercy who had been waiting outside, so that he himself had time to deal with the roughly bandaged wound on his wrist.

"Can the captain survive?" Pale-faced Bao Lide asked at the same time Wei Ran walked out of the operating room.

"I don't know." Wei Ran shook his head, "It's up to him, what about Irene?".

"In the room over there"

Baolid pointed to the corridor outside the push-pull security net, "with her son Vajim."

Hearing this, Wei Ran nodded, took the cigarette handed by the other party and stuffed it in his mouth, allowing him to help light it.

"Are you going to let them go?" Baolid asked in a low voice.

"Those children?" Wei Ran asked without raising his head.

"Of course." Baolid had already pulled out the Nagant revolver on his waist while speaking, and loaded yellow-orange-orange bullets into it one after another.

"Forget it, let them go."

Wei Ran sighed with complicated emotions. Originally, he thought that this was a historical event in which a gentleman could avenge ten years and torture devils wantonly.

But along the way, he realized belatedly that every day here was a test for himself.

Starting from the anti-Japanese broadsword that can be taken out, starting from the identity of the captain of the firing squad, and even Mikita being shot twice not long ago, all of these seem to be testing him and bewitching him to hack in the most cruel way. He got rid of those devils and tricked him to pull the trigger on those children.

Now, those devils have been buried alive in the mine, but what about those children?Although he had just made the decision to let those children go, he had to admit that since he saw those children, he had thought more than once about whether to kill them.

Whether it is conscience, or the moral constraints cultivated by future generations in that peaceful country, they are all persuading themselves to keep some of the most basic bottom lines.

But he still remembered the immature arm that fell beside him in the trenches in Teng County, and the string of blood-stained five emperors' coins on his arm.

He would never forget that in the brief and only chat with the head nurse of Pontiac who had a Chinese name, the mass grave was mentioned by the other party.

They are also innocent, but have those beasts who pulled the trigger at them and dropped bombs and stabbed bayonets ever experienced the torment they have now?

"I'll ask you one last time, are you really going to let them go?" While Baolid was speaking, he had already depressed the hammer of the revolver, and even put his finger on the trigger.

"Leave them alone"

The cigarette butt flew off from the fire bomb of Wei, and his tone became more firm, "Let them go! Send them alive to Sarampaul, to that woman named Warnia—whether Mikita survives or not! "

While staring at each other silently, the cigarette that was thrown into the corner by Wei Ran's bomb burned until it was automatically extinguished. Then Bao Lide lightly released the hammer, and then pulled a bullet from the nest and put it in Wei Ran's hand. "You are the captain, listen to you."

"Thank you"

Wei Ran heaved a sigh of relief, letting the gradually rising white light completely engulf his vision.

(End of this chapter)