War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 785 Explosion in the Reserve

Before the sun went down, Wei Ran and his party joined Jima and Maya who were waiting at the airport pick-up gate, followed them and left the airport in two cars.

"Maya's home is in Bazartobe on the lower reaches of the Ural River, about [-] kilometers away from Uralsk." In the carriage, Jima, who was in charge of driving, communicated basic information with Wei Ran, the only passenger.

"Where is the aid station?" Wei Ran asked while adjusting the seat, "Where is the aid station?"

"In the Gobi wasteland about 70 kilometers away in a straight line to the southeast of Bazar Tobe, there is a protected area, and the rescue station was established for the protected area." Jima spread his hands, "In other words, that ghostly place It’s hard to see people in a radius of dozens of kilometers.”

"No wonder the police can't control it"

Wei Ran shook his head helplessly. Kazakhstan is one of the countries with the lowest population density.If it's fine in the city, if it's in the wild, it's not an exaggeration to see a single person within a radius of tens of kilometers.In other words, it's too late to wait for the police to come to such a ghostly place.

"The most important thing is that there is no evidence, let alone the identities of those people, otherwise the police can arrest them."

Jima slightly increased the speed of the car, "But what is certain is that this group of people is very cruel. About a week ago, the anti-poaching organization led by Maya's three older brothers destroyed one of the group's strongholds and seized almost three people from there. More than a hundred pairs of antelope horns."

"How much?" Wei Ran raised his eyebrows.

"There are more than three hundred pairs of antelope horns. According to Maya's brother, this is actually not the most."

Jima repeated it again, and continued, "There are also hundreds of Cossack fox skins, and more than forty golden eagles with their eyelids sewn shut for smuggling out."

"Those poachers didn't catch them?" Wei Ran asked an obvious question.

"Only a few unimportant minor characters were caught, but the stolen goods confiscated undoubtedly caused heavy losses to those bastards." Ji Ma said here and paused for a moment, "The most important thing is that an unidentified man was killed by mistake that time. .”

"Unidentified man?" Wei Ran subconsciously asked, "What unknown man?"

"It's just a man who doesn't know his identity. Even those who were caught don't know who he is."

Jima said nonsense, "The man is about 40 years old. It is said that when this man was running away, his gun accidentally went off and hit himself in the stomach.

It was a double-barreled shotgun with a sawed-off barrel. I don't need to tell you that even an alien couldn't withstand a shot from close range, and he died on the spot.Coincidentally, it was Maya's two elder brothers who were in charge of hunting down this man.

It was also after that incident that those who were not caught began to find trouble with the rescue station, and even injured Maya's second and third brothers in a later firefight. "

"So it's just pure revenge now?"

Jima nodded and then shook his head again, "It's hard to say, but I can be sure that someone in the police or anti-poaching organization must have been bribed, and that group can always run away without a trace before the police arrive."

"You are really willing to spend your money"

Wei Ran smacked his lips and joked, "There is a problem in Kazakhstan, and you can think of mobilizing helpers from Inta."

"I can't help it. People in the anti-poaching organization may have a problem. It is wisest to seek foreign aid." Ji Ma pretended to spread his hands, "However, Maya's father is very satisfied with me."

"Who wouldn't like such a fool to be taken advantage of?" Wei Ran muttered to himself in Chinese.

"You're scolding me again, aren't you?" Jima asked vigilantly.

"It's nothing, just concentrate on driving." Wei Ran waved his hand, lowered the seat back further and closed his eyes.

Ji Ma gave Wei Ran a middle finger, and stepped on the accelerator heavily.

This afternoon, they did not rush to their destination more than [-] kilometers away. Instead, they stayed in the best local hotel in Uralsk.

It's just that what made Wei Ran dumbfounded was that this hotel was exactly the one he stayed in when he came to complete the assessment. Even after learning about this situation, Anfeiya hacked into the hotel's computer with only her mobile phone. The hand also took over the surveillance of the hotel.

That night, as a landlord, Maya didn't mention her two injured brothers at all. Instead, accompanied by her two sisters and Jima, she took Wei Ran and others to the best local restaurant to have a good meal a meal.

Speaking of which, the country of Kazakhstan has two most. One is the low population density, with an average of only six or seven people per square kilometer.The only one with a lower population density than him is the Mongolian brother, a naval power.

And another most, is the amount of meat eaten per capita.At this point, if the Kazakhs are second, and dare to say that they eat more meat than them, I am afraid that there are only wolves in the vast wilderness of Kazakhstan.

It is also because of this that the dinner this evening can be described as extremely real, and even the name of the only dish, whether translated into Russian or Chinese, can be called "meat".

Of course, despite the simplicity of the name, there are quite a few servings and varieties, not to mention the taste, which basically belongs to the level where extreme vegetarians would swallow their saliva first, then burp, and finally turn into a fan of Luzhuan.

The host and guests had a good meal, during the dinner, Maya also talked with Sui Sui about the itinerary for the next day, and by the way, she also mentioned the matter of asking Wei Ran and Jima to help her brother .

Regarding this, Sui Sui, who came here to play, naturally had no opinion. As for the Katenka sisters, the two girls had been discussing the recipe of the pressure cooker goat milk stew, and they bluntly said that they would try it when they went back. He Suisui was a little scared, but he didn't care which boss he should hang out with in the next few days.

After eating and drinking enough, everyone had a good night's rest in the hotel. Early the next morning, Maya drove Suisui and sister Katenka to the planned scenic spot.

Almost before and after they set off, Jima also greeted the disguised Wei Ran to get into a van parked in the hotel, drove straight out of the city, and met a KAMAZ truck that was waiting in advance.

Following Ji Ma into the cab of the truck, before their car started, a woman who had been waiting at the rear of the car got into their van, switched heads and drove back to the direction of the city.

"That woman is Maya's eldest sister Diaz"

In the cab of the truck, Jima paused and continued, "It is Maya's big brother Anton who is helping us drive now."

"Welcome to Kazakhstan as a guest"

The driver shook hands with Wei Ran enthusiastically, and at the same time said in Russian, "As Jima said, I am Maya's brother Anton, thank you for coming to help us."

"Friends should help each other"

Wei Ran responded with a smile, and at the same time confirmed more and more that this man is the Anton who he pretended to be when he came to Kazakhstan for the assessment!It's just that looking at the other party, it seems that he doesn't know about this matter.

Fortunately, taking advantage of the rush, Anton also gave a general introduction to the current situation.

Simply put, Maya's parents and her youngest brother have been working at the semi-official aid station.

And her other three older brothers, the strong man named Anton and his two younger brothers, worked in the anti-poaching organization.

There is no doubt that this family is almost the perfect enemy of the poaching gang.In particular, the man who didn't know his origin died indirectly at the hands of Maya's second and third brothers.

Although he still doesn't know the identity of the unlucky ghost who shot himself, but Wei Ran can also see that that person is absolutely extremely important to that crazy poaching gang, otherwise unless he has a brain, Only then will there be meaningless revenge.

On the other hand, this Anton is also more Asian than the black-haired Maya.Although he had heard about Maya's life experience from Gorman a long time ago, he could roughly guess at this time that the family that raised Maya was definitely different from the father and son in Egypt who were engaged in arms smuggling.

At the very least, this Anton probably has nothing to do with those expired KGBs.Otherwise, it would not be Ji Ma's turn to help in such matters, let alone Wei Ran's turn to help.

But in any case, after figuring out the cause and effect, Wei Ran communicated with Ji Ma again and discussed what to do next.

Near noon, Anton drove the truck off the road, and after bypassing a small bump, it stopped in front of a yurt.

"Continuing south from here is the scope of the reserve. Our rescue station is in the center of this reserve. The straight-line distance here is less than seven kilometers."

While talking, Anton pushed open the door of the driver's cab, called Wei Ran and Ji Ma who had chatted all the way to get off the car, and led them to the door of the yurt.

As the wooden door of the yurt was opened, Wei Ran was surprised to find that there were not only two ordinary blue motorcycles parked in the yurt, but also a maroon horse. On the iron shelf, there is still an eagle wearing a leather blindfold!
"This is where I was most recently on duty"

Anton touched the eagle and explained briefly, then pointed to the two motorcycles and said, "The motorcycle I prepared for you is the most commonly used means of transportation for local herdsmen. If you drive around the protected area , Those people must be able to tell at a glance that something is wrong, so..."

"It's okay, the motorcycle is already fine."

While speaking, Wei Ran walked towards the maroon horse, "Is it more common for herdsmen to ride horses?"

"That's true, but it's not easy to take care of him, and it's the falconers who ride out this season."

Anton had already put on a pair of long-sleeved leather gloves while speaking, and then pulled off the blindfold on the eagle's head.

Without calling at all, the eagle nimbly jumped onto the former's arm, stood firmly on it, poked its neck out, raised its neck for the last time, and swallowed a small piece of red meat that Anton handed over into its stomach.

"Victor, are you still going to ride?"

While Ji Ma was speaking, he had already taken an SVD with a scope from the wall of the yurt and handed it to Wei Ran, "This kind of animal is harder to control than a reindeer."

"Are you so sure I can't ride a horse?"

Wei Ran muttered to himself, after all, he decided to hide himself, and skillfully checked the weapons and ammunition bags thrown by the other party.

"Jima, Victor, unless necessary, it's best not to hurt anyone."

Anton said worriedly, "We are only a semi-official anti-poaching organization. If someone is injured, it will be very troublesome."

"Don't worry, Brother Anton." Jima assured him very affectionately, "We are here to help, not to cause trouble."

"You also pay attention to your own safety," Anton said worriedly, "You are all Maya's friends, and I don't want you to be in any danger."

"I'm an experienced hunter." While speaking, Jima checked the second SVD sniper rifle he had taken down.

"There are tents, food and drink on the motorcycle, enough for you to support in the wild for three days. There is also a radio station. If you encounter danger, you must use the radio to contact us regularly." Anton spoke from his pocket again. He took out two TT33 pistols with thick patina and handed them over.

"I don't have to"

Wei Ran was the first to reject the opponent's weapon, and Jima took out a Makarov pistol with a suppressor from his pocket and shook it, "Don't worry, Brother Anton, we will definitely help You've taken care of your troubles here, and you're sure to come back safe and sound."

Anton opened his mouth when he heard the words, but in the end he could only take back the two pistols that he hadn't sent out. He watched Wei Ran and Ji Ma leave the yurt with their motorcycles, and then started the car and drove into the protected area.

"Where did you get the gun?" Wei Ran, who was riding a motorcycle, asked curiously.

"Of course it was supported by Teacher Daria"

Ji Ma patted the SVD behind him, which was fixed horizontally with the tent roll, and said, "Both the pistol and the SVD, and they are for you. I'll give them to you later."

"Forget mine." Wei Ran waved his hand casually, he still lacks a weapon?Especially pistols?joke!

"at least take this"

While Ji Ma was speaking, he took out a GPS from his pocket and handed it to Wei Ran, "I have marked the range of the protected area in advance, and we will search in two directions later, and contact by satellite phone every half an hour."

"No problem." Wei Ran took the GPS and fixed it on the bracket of the motorcycle handle.

It's interesting to say that this motorcycle, which looks old, is still a product from China, while the Ural motorcycle that Jima drives looks even older. He even suspects that it is an antique produced in the Soviet era.

"Choose a direction!"

Ji Ma, who had not ridden far, pointed to the left and right and asked, "We haven't caught those people a few times before, and their appearance and departure directions are also irregular, so we can only gamble."

"Is it arranged inside?" Wei Ran stopped the car and asked.

"People are arranged around the rescue station, but we don't have many people after all, and we have to guard against members of the anti-poaching organization or even the police who may appear traitors, so we can only gamble to see if we can meet them .”

"In this case, let's go to the left!" Wei Ran turned the accelerator, adjusted the direction and rode out while speaking.

"On my right," Jima muttered indifferently, and also turned the handlebar, driving in the opposite direction to Wei Ran.

In Kazakhstan in January, the outdoor temperature is definitely not comfortable. Although there is no snow in the vast Gobi, the temperature is frighteningly cold.

However, that Anton didn't know whether it was negligence or there was no local custom, but he didn't prepare helmets for the two of them at all. Instead, he tied a leather hat with very ethnic characteristics on the handlebars with a rope.

Looking at Ji Ma who was going further and further away through the cracked rearview mirror, Wei Ran slightly reduced the speed of the car, turned the motorcycle behind a small dirt bag, and then turned off the engine.

After waiting for a while, he got off the motorcycle, climbed to the top of the dirt bag and lay down, took out the binoculars from the metal book and carefully observed the surrounding situation.

Because it wasn't too far away, he could still clearly see half of the spire of the felt house, and he could even see Ji Ma running further and further away on a motorcycle.

Turning around in a 360-degree circle, seeing that there were only two big living people in his field of vision, he slipped out of the dirt bag unhurriedly, and then untied the luggage from the motorcycle.

In addition to the SVD prepared by Ji Ma and the supporting magazines, there is also a half leaf of mutton wrapped in sheepskin on the car, a stainless steel stew pot with a cover that is common on the grassland, and there are some Knives and forks and seasonings and a greasy cassette stove and a Soviet jug full of water.

In addition, there is a half-new and not old canvas tent and sheepskin blankets, plus a small barrel of gasoline and several gas tanks.

After a little hesitation, Wei Ran re-fixed these things, stepped on the motorcycle and rode forward for a certain distance, found a leeward position and stopped again, and put the SVD sniper rifle on the car together with the tent, cassette stove, and gas tank. These unused ones remained, and together with the license plate he removed, they were all hidden in a weeds.

Re-fixed the lamb wrapped in sheepskin, as well as the stew pot and the gasoline tank with a capacity of only 10 liters, and finally carefully folded the sheepskin blanket and placed it on the severely cracked car seat.

Wei Ran stepped on the motorcycle again, unhurriedly took out a leather winter flight hat inlaid with various trophies from the metal book, and put it on his head.

Then, he took out a pair of thick bearskin mittens and put them on, and then started the motorcycle that seemed to be older than him by stepping on it, and continued to delineate along the GPS Aimlessly advancing on the edge of the protected area.

After guessing that there was already a distance of the entire protected area between him and Jima, Wei Ran found a leeward position and parked the car again, and then dialed Jima's phone.

After some communication between the two parties, Wei Ran determined the direction of their respective vigilance. Wei Ran wandered around for a while, then took out the tent in the metal book, and after setting it up slowly, he spread the sheepskin blanket provided by Anton. The reindeer skin blanket and polar bear skin blanket that came with the tent were taken out one by one and spread on top.

He prepared a place to sleep and rest at night, but he didn't rush into it. Instead, he walked to a small mound more than ten meters away, put on the Soviet cloak that was also taken out of the metal book, and found a leeward position to hide Well, patiently observe the surrounding environment.

Based on his understanding of Ji Ma, in this environment, the only trouble that the other party could not trace the whereabouts of those poachers alone was that the scope was too large, otherwise, he might be able to solve it by himself.

It's just that Wei Ran couldn't help laughing when he saw the "made in metal book" outfit on his body.

With these things in place, put everything else aside. When you really need to survive in the wilderness, I’m afraid the difficulty will be cleared instantly, not to mention that there is a more comfortable DT30 transport in the dilapidated book, but the process of taking it out is not very comfortable. What about the car?

While he was thinking wildly, Jima also set up the khaki canvas tent between two big rocks at a distance of more than ten kilometers, and then carried the tent that he begged Teacher Dalia for help. The SVD sniper rifle climbed up to the high ground not far away, observing the surrounding situation as cautiously as Wei Ran.

While the two waited patiently, the sun gradually dipped to the west and finally sank to the horizon.However, until midnight, there was no movement from the radio station fixed on the motorcycle, and during the routine call with Ji Ma every hour, the other party also did not hear any trouble.

He raised his binoculars to look at the dark wilderness for the last time, Wei Ran slowly got up and walked back to the tent, took out the gasoline stove from the metal book again and lit it, and then took out a pack of Chinese-flavored spices from the food box, He unhurriedly cooked a small pot of mutton for himself, and at the same time secretly regretted that he should have found a way to bring the dog Beria here.

Although its combat effectiveness is still a question mark, at least its vigilance is not low.With it next to you, at least you can sleep soundly at night.

However, Wei Ran, who was secretly regretting at this time, did not know that, less than three kilometers away from him, there were several horses quietly approaching the rescue station in the center of the reserve in the night.

The people on the horses obviously had no intention of exchanging fire. They just untied a large bundle of fodder from their horses and threw them casually on the Gobi Desert a few kilometers away from the rescue station. Then they immediately turned around and left.

At the same time, about five kilometers away from Ji Ma, a group of people on horses also quietly approached the rescue station.However, what these people dropped was not fodder, but khaki canvas bags.

As time passed, Wei Ran also ate the stewed mutton in the warm tent, and drank half a jug of wine by the way.However, just when he was about to take a nap under the reindeer skin blanket, Jima called.

"Victor, just now, a series of explosions occurred less than two kilometers away from the rescue station."

"Explosion?" Wei Ran frowned, "Is it very powerful? Was anyone injured?"

"It shouldn't be too powerful. Listening to their description, I think it looks like mine explosives."

Jima paused, and continued, "Also, no one was injured, but many animals in the shelter were frightened."

"What happened after the explosion? Was there no firefight?" Wei Ran asked.

"If there was an exchange of fire, I would have caught them a long time ago." Before Ji Ma finished his sentence, there was another explosion not far from him!

"I'm pretty sure it's mine explosives!" Jima said through gritted teeth. "The explosion just now was less than 200 meters away from me. It's definitely a delayed detonation device!"

"Are you not injured?" Wei Ran asked with a frown.

"Not injured." Jima responded, "Hang up first, I want to inform other people to return to their respective positions. This is a trap, specially designed to blow up the trap of those who went to see the situation!"

(End of this chapter)