War Photographer's Notebook

On the sloping land beside the fork road that was shrouded in the fog that is characteristic of the jungle at night, Wei Ran held up the captured telescope to observe the lights that were getting closer.

Behind him, Squad Leader Liang and the other three hurriedly threw the unsmoked horse meat into the basket, and then threw all the other things into the basket as quickly as possible.Even the shack made of banana leaves was dismantled, and the mosquito nets and other things inside were put on the donkey.

Finally, he hung the canvas bucket with fruit around the donkey's neck. Squad Leader Liang patted Wei Ran on the shoulder, and then led the men into the jungle next to the hillside.

After waiting for a while, Wei Ran put away his weapon, stepped back and roughly cleaned up the donkey's hoof prints and footprints, and hid behind everyone.

As everyone advanced in the dark, the string of lights getting closer and closer behind them was quickly blocked by the dense jungle. The only thing that everyone could use to identify the direction was the He took off the pocket watch-style luminous compass in Luke's hand.

Although there was no communication, Wei Ran, who was walking at the end, with the help of Zhou Guochang, used vines and flexible branches that could be seen everywhere to set up traps that did not cause much harm but were definitely scary.

After advancing secretly and nervously for almost half an hour, the sound of submachine guns firing suddenly came from behind!Although the sound was far enough away, it still startled everyone.

"Continue to go north along that mountain road, or we continue to climb over two mountains in the jungle along the current direction, and there is a small village named Nanhaidang"

Luke, who was walking in the front, stopped abruptly and said in a low voice, "It's about two miles north from Nanhaidang, and that's Muncie. But I guess the people behind must have already parted out and rushed to Nanhaidang in advance. Waiting for us."

"Wei Ran, how many devils came here on horseback just now?" Squad leader Liang asked in a low voice while holding the donkey by the reins.

"There are at least twenty horses," Wei Ran replied while staring behind him.

"I need to take another look at the map," Luke said again.

"come around"

Before Squad Leader Liang finished speaking, Tan Shouzheng and Zhou Guochang stretched out the rain-proof canvases they were wearing on their bodies, and together with Squad Leader Liang, they surrounded a space enough to block the lights.

When Wei Ran also approached, the businessman Luke took out the map originally belonging to Squad Leader Liang from his pocket and unfolded it. Then he turned on the captured flashlight, pointed to the topographic map and said, "We are now in this mountain. , from our current position to the north is the South China Sea."

First pointed out the current location to everyone, Luke drew a meandering line on the map with his finger and said, "There are so many of us, there is no way to fight against so many enemies, so the best way is to follow The jungle bypasses the South China Sea and arrives directly at Muncie!"

"Can't we wait for the people from the 288th regiment to come over, and then go there with their main force?"

"Even if we wait for them, we have to move to be safe."

Wei Ran reminded, "There are five of us and one donkey. There are too many traces left along the way. Those behind us will definitely catch up."…

"And I don't think the 288 regiment you mentioned can come here so quickly."

Luke said and paused here, "I think we need to separate out a group of people and bring donkeys to attract firepower. Like Wei said, we have five people and one donkey, so the target is too big. We need to."

"Let me go! Let me go!" Tan Shouzheng said without thinking, "I'll lure them away!"

Seeing Wei Ran looking at him with an unfriendly expression, Luke immediately said, "You can also let me go, give me the donkey, and give you the medicine, and I will lure the enemies behind."

"Let me go." Squad leader Liang sighed and said, "Wei Ran, you and"

"Need not"

Wei Ran stared straight at Luke, "You want me to lure away the enemy, right, Mr. Luke?"

"I'm just offering advice." Luke spread his hands, "The decision has never been in my hands."

"What if we don't separate?" Zhou Guochang asked cautiously, but no one answered him.

Obviously, everyone, even himself, knew that in this jungle, if there was no one to attract firepower, it would only be a matter of time before they were caught up by those devils.

"Give your weapons to Tan Shouzheng and Squad Leader Liang." Wei Ran paused, then continued, "And your medicines and all supplies."

"no problem"

Luke happily took off his backpack and handed it to Squad Leader Liang. Then, he took out a FS combat dagger with a brass handle and knurled pattern from his boots and handed it to Wei Ran. Then he stretched out his hands to signal him to check it. .

Wei Ran was not polite either. After carefully groping his body, he took out a lighter and a pack of candies from his arms and handed them to Tan Shouzheng. The Browning pistol that he left and never returned was also given to Tan Shouzheng.

"Where do we meet?" Wei Ran looked at Luke and asked.

"If you can survive, it's just outside the town of Mansi Town, at the junction of the southernmost rice fields and forests."

Luke thought for a while and said, "If we arrive and you haven't arrived, we will find a banyan tree, build a fire under the banyan tree enough to burn the tree to death, and then go to the town to find the British .

If you get there before us, you can also take my dagger and go to the town to ask the British army quartermaster Alan Butler for help.

However, regardless of whether you come back alive or not, I will find a way to get you an extra box of quinine as compensation. "

"And your camera and all the film." Wei Ran abruptly put forward an additional request.

"Of course." Luke nodded very simply, "It doesn't matter if you want to take it now."

"Then it's settled"

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, he took away the backpack that originally belonged to Luke from Squad Leader Liang, and handed the devil officer lunch box containing medicine to Squad Leader Liang, but he left the backpack behind. own shoulders.

Seeing this, Squad Leader Liang opened his mouth, and finally he could only sigh. He patted Wei Ran's shoulder vigorously, and then stuffed the box of precious medicine into his backpack.

"I want to lure away the devils with you," Zhou Guochang said abruptly, "The less people there are in Uncle Liang and Mr. Luke, the safer it is, isn't it?"...

Seeing Wei Ran looking at him, Luke spread his hands indifferently, "I have no objection."

"Then follow me"

Wei Ran made a decision before Squad Leader Liang could speak, and then winked at Tan Shouzheng, who immediately nodded and glanced vigilantly at the businessman Luke.

After confirming the grouping and division of labor, Wei Ran refused the box gun that squad leader Liang insisted on giving him in the fortress, but urged him and Tan Shouzheng to hurry up and get some food and drink from the donkey, and then led the donkey and took Zhou Guochang Go straight north to the direction of the South China Sea.

"Let's go too"

Squad leader Liang also looked at the businessman Luke vigilantly, took the luminous compass from him, and led the team to the southeast, deciding to find a place to hide.

On the other hand, Wei Ran raised his submachine gun and fired a series of short bursts at the night sky within less than ten minutes of walking out, and then beckoned Zhou Guochang, who was walking in front, to turn around and head straight east.

Not only that, at this time even the kerosene lamps hanging on the two donkeys were adjusted to the maximum brightness, and Zhou Guochang even turned on the seized flashlight under Wei Ran's instruction. Shine a beam of light on the night sky overhead.

This is also beneficial, at least with the blessing of the lights, the speed of the two of them is much faster.

"I remember you said before that you grew up in oxygen light?" Wei Ran, who was walking at the back with a gun in his hand, asked indifferently.

"Yeah," Zhou Guochang, who was holding the rein of the donkey in front, responded absently.

"The relationship between Mr. Luke and you is not as simple as you said before?" Wei Ran asked flatly.

"He is still my godfather"

Zhou Guochang finally looked back at Wei Ran, and then continued walking forward while waving a hatchet and added, "Although I don't believe in religion."

"Do you believe in Christianity in Free Electricity?"

Wei Ran said with great interest that this tropical country is the territory of "skinheads". He doesn't know if the monks will burn him to death if he believes in the cross in this kind of place, but it is definitely different.

"It's very special."

Zhou Guochang smiled, "My father stayed abroad, and he believed in religion when he was abroad. According to my father, he became friends with Mr. Luke in the church. Later, he and my mother decided to come to Free Electric to do business. Great support from Mr. Luke."

"your parents."

"died"

Zhou Guochang said frankly, "My mother died when I was very young, and my father also died to save my two older sisters, just two months ago."

Hearing this, Wei Ran opened his mouth, and finally decided not to ask any further questions, but just blew out the kerosene lamps hanging on both sides of the donkey, and then, as if worried that those devils chasing soldiers would not find him, he pointed at the top of his head again. Pulling the trigger unleashed a series of bursts.

At the same time, Squad Leader Liang and others, who were traveling lightly, also found a small stream, and after walking up the stream for about a kilometer or two, they hid behind a small waterfall that was not too big .

With the passage of time and the distance between the two groups of people getting farther and farther, Wei Ran gradually stopped shooting, and even began to intentionally clean up the traces of the two people walking together.

At midnight, the night sky filled with water vapor was illuminated by a flash of lightning without warning.Immediately afterwards, Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang, who were still wandering in the depths of the jungle, heard deafening thunder.

"It is going to rain"

Wei Ran put away the compass that he just took out from the metal book, raised his finger and pointed to the northeast direction and said, "Before it rains, we can go as far as we can, and then find a place to hide."

"Do you think the little devil is still following us?" Zhou Guochang asked in a low voice.

"Even if you follow, you won't be able to follow for long."

Wei Ran said with almost certainty, "As soon as it starts to rain, the traces we left along the way will be destroyed soon. All they can do is to leave the jungle and go to the South China Sea to wait for us in Mansi."

“Finally able to rest”

Zhou Guochang let out a long breath. From the afternoon to the middle of the night, they had been fleeing across the mountains and mountains. Even with the help of the donkey, his legs had already started to ache.