War Photographer's Notebook

On the turbulent sea, Wei Ran, whose body was covered with fuel oil, used his trousers and belt to pass through the handles on both sides of the thermos barrel, and carried it behind his back.With this abundant buoyancy, he finally didn't have to worry about losing his strength and sinking to the bottom of the sea.

And the next thing he has to do is to find ways to survive the heavy rain and leave this cloud and rain area that is still filled with the smell of gunpowder.

In the torrential rain, Wei Ran, who drifted with the tide, first put oily socks on his feet, and then took out two condoms picked out of the first aid kit from the interlayer of the gas mask bag containing the basketball. It was a bit laborious. Put it on the outside of the socks on your feet.

This is not waterproof, of course, but it can achieve a similar insulation effect to a wetsuit-even if it only keeps your feet slightly warmer.

While he was using what he could find to improve the conditions little by little, two people with strange postures floated in the distance.

Maybe it's a bit late to say that they are people, at least Wei Ran has never seen anyone who can float in the water in an upside-down posture.

This time, he didn't have to swim at all, and the waves pushed the two people closer.

The first person was dressed like a Teletubbies, with a thick quilt wrapped around his waist, but, perhaps because the quilt was wrapped too low, the center turned over because it was too high after entering the water. At this time, this person is acting as a motionless floating object in the subdued posture with his head completely under the water surface and his calves below the knees exposed above the sea surface.

Looking at the other one, he was not wrapped in a quilt, but he also buried his face under the water, floating in a nearly prone position, and one of his hands was still stuck on the other person. In the tether gap of the quilt.

Without asking at all, Wei Ran knew that these two unlucky ghosts were actually killed by that yellow B4 life jacket.

Especially the latter one, the posture in which he was killed was also exceptionally standard.

The essential reason why you can drown while wearing a life jacket is the design flaw of this life jacket, but the manufacturer of the life jacket attributes it to the incorrect posture of falling into the water.

Well, yes, I drowned because I opened it the wrong way, and it has nothing to do with your manufacturer.

As for the sailor wrapped in a quilt, he was also killed by the life jacket, because he had a premonition that he might not be able to open the life jacket in the correct way. Instead of gambling on technology, it is better to use a safer way— —Wrapped in a quilt and dived.

After all, this fluffy quilt can provide far more buoyancy than a life jacket, and it is not easy to drown yourself—unless, like him, the quilt is wrapped too low for the convenience of movement.

Wei Ran didn't care whether the drowning man who used the life jacket wanted to save the companion who was wrapped in the quilt, or simply wanted to untie the other party's quilt for his own use.

Anyway, both of them seem to be completely cold, and they probably don't need these things anymore.All he could do was to help the other party adjust their posture for entering the water.

After groping around the corpse of the brave man who dared to wear a life jacket, Wei Ran successfully unfastened his water bottle, first aid kit and belt, first emptied the water bottle and tightened it, and then tied it with the belt and the individual first aid kit diagonally. the position of his chest.

He continued to touch his body, and saw that there was nothing useful, so he took off the life jacket around the other party's neck, put it on the belt on his chest, and let the corpse slowly sink into it. the bottom of the sea.

After some adjustments, Wei Ran, whose chest, back, and chest were covered with floating objects, turned the other corpse over with difficulty, and then bit by bit wrapped the straps of the gas mask bag with the basketball around the other corpse. On the underwater neck, while tightening the straps, let the opponent's submerged part surface with the help of the basketball and his own drag.

Look at the slightly whitish bullet hole in the opponent's chin, and then look at the opponent's right hand that is still in the shooting posture.Wei Ran sighed secretly, and after some groping, he first took off two water bottles from the opponent's waist, and then took off an A11 watch that was still moving from his wrist.

It was almost eleven o'clock. Wei Ran glanced at the time, and then used it to replace the watch with a broken dial on his wrist.

He also took away the opponent's belt, Wei Ran then took out the gravity knife and cut off the rope binding the quilt, and took off the mask bag containing the basketball, and this buoyant corpse also floated into the seabed.

It wasn't until the opponent was swallowed by the waves that Wei Ran unscrewed the newly acquired kettle. To his surprise, it contained Coke.Without waiting for all the rich bubbles to come out, he immediately moved to his mouth and took a big gulp.

After tightening the lid and putting the kettle on the belt of the same corpse, Wei Ran opened another kettle. This kettle was still filled with Coke, but only half of it was left.

After struggling to turn his head to look at the thermos bucket on his back, and then look up at the pouring rain, Wei Ran felt more and more frustrated.

There is coke, hot cocoa, and fresh water. If he had known that these things could be delivered to his door, why would he bother to steal them?
Cursingly, he put the other two emptied water bottles on the belt, and Wei Ran tied it to his chest and carefully adjusted the position.

Next, the trousers that served as the insulator's suspenders were replaced with the belt from the first corpse.Only then did he take off the canned bottle full of tobacco that had been tied under his armpit with gauze, first put a layer of condoms on it, and then put it together with the mask bag containing the basketball and even the one he found from the first corpse. The individual first aid kit and life jacket were all tucked into the trousers.

After all the busy work was done, he rested his hands on the self-made floating object, squinted his eyes and looked at the constantly moving clock hands on his wrist, curled up his legs and gritted his teeth to fight against the next enemy--the one brought by sea water and rain. low temperature.

One hour, two hours, three hours, when the time seemed to be past four in the afternoon, the torrential rain finally stopped without warning.

When the setting sun dispelled the cloud and dyed the sea surface into dazzling gold, the tumbling waves gradually calmed down, and Wei Ran, who had already been shivering from the cold, also put away the British Army P44 kettle, which was almost at the same temperature as the water.

Before leaving the USS Johnston, he had filled the kettle with scalding hot oil.This hand warmer created by accident has helped him a lot. Without this warmth, he would have been frozen to death.

After moving his cold and numb hands, Wei Ran looked around, only to find something flickering in the distance.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally stepped on the water and swam slowly against the setting sun.

Gradually, as the distance between him and the other party got closer, he was surprised to find that it turned out to be a person!It's a man in a swimming ring!In other words, it is a living person!It's a living being who's been waving a reflective object!

"Hi--!"

Wei Ran shouted at the other party with a long voice, waving his sore hands vigorously.

I don't know if his goal is too big, or the thermos bucket he is carrying is too big, but with just a voice, the person on the opposite side also yelled at him, followed by that person even raised his right hand, Aim the sky and pull the trigger!
"boom!"

Accompanied by the crisp sound of gunfire, the two people seemed to have heard the signal of the starting gun, desperately swam their arms and stomped on their feet, and swam towards each other vigorously.

Soon, as the distance got closer, Wei Ran also saw a person who was also wearing a fire-proof hood, and a blue work uniform on the upper body, but had an additional gas mask on his face.

However, the end of the corrugated tube connected to the chin of the mask was not connected to the canister, instead it was just covered with a white sock, and it was raised at least one meter above the head with a wooden stick that seemed to be a mop pole. distance.However, at the end of the stick, there are several round condoms that flutter in the wind!
Compared with this exaggerated self-made underwater ventilation equipment, the lifebuoy on his waist and the small mirror tied to the lifebuoy, and the 1911 pistol in the hard leather holster that is also hung diagonally from the belt on his chest, and the The M1917 naval sailor knife modified from the bayonet of World War I is nothing.

"Are you also on the Hall?" The man asked with a hoarse voice before Wei Ran, "Do you have anything to eat?"

"The Hall? Are you on the Hall?"

Wei Ran asked in surprise, and then took out a pot of Coke from the canvas sleeve under the waist and handed it to the other party, "I have Coke here, let's have a drink first."

"Thank you! Aren't you on the Hall? What ship are you on?"

While speaking, this person had already taken off his gas mask, revealing a face that Wei Ran had seen several times in the photos!This man turned out to be one of the two Indian soldiers he was looking for!Tatanka's father!But he didn't expect that the opponent came from the destroyer Hall that also sank in this naval battle!

"Destroyer Johnston, I'm Victor, the third-class cook on duty."

Wei Ran didn't notice until after reporting his family name that the other party was actually carrying a life-saving kit of a US military pilot that he was very familiar with on his back!
"Are you also a third-class cook?"

The Indian soldier who was drinking Coke looked at Wei Ran in surprise, and when he came back to his senses, he said, "I didn't expect you to be on the ship of the great chief. My name is Hawks, and I am also a third-class cook. I am from Hawkes." Er."

"I thought you were an air force pilot." Wei Ran pointed to the air force first aid kit on the other's back.

"This is what I took off a pilot's dead body"

Hawks took another sip of Coke and explained angrily, "After I fell into the water, one of our fighter jets fell to a position less than 20 meters away from me. By the time I swam over, the pilot had already climbed out. , but his thigh was punctured and he died before I could take him to the life raft."

While speaking, he patted the pistol on his chest, "This gun is also his relic, and I promised him to help deliver it to his home."

After finishing speaking, Hawks raised his chin behind Wei Ran, "Why did you move all the heat preservation buckets out of the kitchen?"

"If I didn't have this thermos, I would have died long ago"

Wei Ran grinned, and briefly described what happened to him. By the way, he waved his hand and rejected the water bottle handed back by the other party. He patted the floating thing he made and said, "I still have three water bottles. The ones you keep let's go."

"Thank you"

Hawks simply hung the kettle on the belt on his chest, and at the invitation of Wei Ran, he also put his hands on the floating objects that were almost rinsed.

In this vast sea, Wei Ran ran into one of the people he was looking for, and Wei Ran relaxed a little, and took the initiative to chat with him about what happened in the morning's war.

"The great chief died on the ship?"

Hawkes froze for a moment, and said regretfully, "I'm also an Indian, and I've heard of Johnston's Great Chief long before I set off from Hawaii."

"Are you an Indian too?" Wei Ran pretended to be surprised, "I thought you were Asian like me."

"no difference"

Hawks waved his hands nonchalantly, "Unless we become like the Great Chief, in the eyes of those white-skinned bastards, we are no different from the blacks on the ship."

"That's right." Wei Ran grinned, changed the subject and asked, "Hawks, where are you from?"

"Grant on the South Shore of Lake Superior"

Hawks carried the wooden stick on his shoulders like a Monkey King and said, "I grew up by the lake, but I wanted to see the sea more, so I joined the navy. What about you? You Where are you from?"

"Hawaii"

There was a smile on Wei Ran's face, "My house is next to the Ferraro Weapons Store, and there is a strip club across the road."

"I've heard of that weapons store, even looked in through the window."

Hawkes said enviously, "Those weapons are really beautiful, but it's too expensive. I can't bear to spend so much money on a pistol."

"Yes, but the owner of that store is very nice. He is a devout believer and is now a military chaplain." Wei Ran said emotionally about the pastor friend who lived in his heart.

"A white man?" The envious expression on Hawkes' face became more and more envious, "You actually have a white friend."

"My white friend even had a black friend"

Wei Ran smiled, "I'll introduce you when I have a chance, and then we'll take you to the strip bar across the road!"

"If we can survive, you can definitely call me."

Hawks asked with a look of longing, "I haven't been to a white strip club yet. Are the strippers there white girls?"

"When the time comes, you will find out by yourself," Wei Ran said encouragingly.

"In order to see the Nako of the white girl, I also want to survive."

Hawks licked his lips, squinted his eyes and looked at the sunset that was about to touch the skyline, "I don't know if we can survive."

"I will definitely survive," Wei Ran said confidently.

Just as expected, even in this sea where death can be fatal at any time, even if there is no shadow of land in the surrounding area.

But when two men were talking about women, if those predicaments just now were thrown on the scale, I am afraid that none of them would be heavier than the stockings that a stripper took off.

During the chat, Wei Ran also learned that Hawkes was only 18 years old at this time.

Although he is young, Hawks' water quality is much stronger than that of Wei Ran.He was even able to use his own rebreather equipment modified from a gas mask to dive underwater and easily catch a small fish the size of a palm with his bare hands!
Thanks to the fact that Wei Ran still had a pot full of Coke in reserve, the sea fish caught by this showmanship would naturally not be eaten, but after Hawkes skillfully disemboweled and cleaned it, he tied it with shoelaces. On the lid of the thermos that Wei Ran was carrying.

"Hawks, are you sure you can dry the fish in this way without attracting sharks?" Wei Ran asked suspiciously while tying himself to the floating object with a rope.

"As long as it doesn't rain tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, it will definitely work"

In the setting sun, Hawkes, who was also tying himself to the floating object with a rope, made a promise, "If it doesn't rain, we will have dried fish to eat, and if it rains, we will have water to drink. "

"What if sharks are attracted?" Wei Ran asked with great interest.

"Then we'll have bigger dried fish to eat," Hawkes said, patting the pistol on his chest, "Don't worry Victor, the waves on Lake Superior are no smaller than those here."

"But there are no sharks in Lake Superior"

"Although there are no sharks in Lake Superior, there are water monsters in it." Hawkes said confidently.

"Have you seen it?" Wei Ran, who found a new topic, became interested.

"Of course not"

Hawkes said affirmatively, "But since I was 12 years old, I have been fishing with my dad in a small boat on Lake Superior. I remember two times when our fishing nets were caught by something. Now, if my father hadn't cut the fishing net in time, our boat might have been dragged into the water."

"Well, let's hope the Lake Superior monster doesn't show up at our feet."

While talking, Wei Ran tore off the condom covering his feet, and stepped on the water indiscriminately to wash his feet to prevent them from rotting.

Listening to Hawkes telling the story of the Lake Superior monster vividly, Wei Ran inevitably thought of the Indian horror story told by the suspected granddaughter Tan Tu in the sugar maple forest, and sighed in his heart, Certain talents are, indeed, heritable—horror storytelling, for example.

Buried his head under the surface of the sea, with the afterglow of the setting sun, Wei Ran popped his head out again after searching for nothing. Naturally, there were no water monsters under the surface of the sea, let alone any sharks.But as night fell, he inevitably began to worry.

"Victor! Victor!"

Hawks abruptly stopped the unfinished "Two or three things my grandfather and the water monster had to say", pointed at the sky behind Wei Ran that was dyed red by the setting sun with one hand, and patted the floating object between the two of them with the other. .

Turning around subconsciously, Wei Ran immediately saw that there seemed to be a plane flying towards them in the distance!

Almost subconsciously, Hawks lifted the small mirror tied to the lifebuoy, and after Wei Ran realized it, he also untied his trouser legs as quickly as possible, rummaged inside, and took out the The box of razors that came along while stealing tobacco in the cabin.

Before he opened the metal buckle tremblingly with his cold and stiff hands, Hawkes hurriedly patted the floating object and said, "No! No! That doesn't seem to be our plane! And it seems to be smoking! "

Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately threw the razor back, and when he re-laced his trouser legs and looked at the plane again, they could even hear the characteristic humming of the propellers, and they could see clearly Here comes the black smoke trailed by this plane!
"Fuck! It's a devil's plane!"

Thanks to the angle of the setting sun and the help of sunglasses, he saw the aunt's blood logo on the wing of the plane at a glance.

Under the watchful eyes of the two, the plane was getting closer and closer to them, and finally swooped down with black smoke from a height of 300 meters above their heads, and finally disappeared from sight.

The two looked at each other, and they paddled vigorously at the same time, swimming towards the direction where the plane disappeared.

save people?

Of course they were not there to save people, but if there were still people alive on that plane, at least they could ask where the land was, or how far it was from the land.

Even if the people on it are dead, at least they can see if there is anything that can float on the sea, or something that can be eaten and used.

However, compared to the speed at which the plane roared past, it was obviously not an easy task for the two of them to swim across with two arms and two legs.

But even so, neither Wei Ran nor Hawks, who was obviously better at water, didn't stop, because both of them knew that if they found that plane, they might survive.

In order to survive, they all exhausted their strength, raised their arms again and again, and stepped on the water again and again.

On the vast sea, under the blood-red sunset, these two people are like two hermit crabs running a race, either carrying a thermos bucket, or dragging a floating object made of pants and various messy things, toward Working hard in one direction.

However, until the sun dipped below the sea level and stars appeared above their heads, they didn't see the devil's plane at all, and they didn't even see even a speck of oil slick on the sea.

"What, what time is it?" Hawkes asked pantingly, putting his hands on the floating object.

"Seven o'clock, seven forty-three"

Wei Ran, who was also out of breath, responded intermittently, looking around for the shadow of the plane.

"Also, are you still looking for it?" Hawkes wiped his face and asked, "I think that plane may already be on the bottom of the sea."

"Will not"

Wei Ran said affirmatively, "Just now I saw very clearly that it was a nuclear-armed Ninety-Nine Explosive Aircraft, and that aircraft had floating bags."

"That kind of suicide plane?" Hawkes asked with an ugly face, "So even someone on it is a lunatic?"

"Two lunatics to be precise." Wei Ran gritted his teeth, "Keep swimming, let's go find those two lunatics!"