War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1792 One year later

When the white light faded, Wei Ran came to the farm in Edelweiss Clara's dream as usual, and sat on the single sofa as usual.

In the room not far away, Clara seemed to be busy with something. She waved at him happily through the window with a bright smile.

Wei Ran also waved in response and turned his gaze back to the metal book on the coffee table in front of him. In just a moment, the requirements for the second act were already written on the pale yellow paper:

Role: Blue Lantern Guard

Return mission: Under the premise of unconditional trust in Lin Qiaoan and Zhang Taichuan, assist in completing the hunting and escort tasks.

Blue Lantern? What is this?

Wei Ran looked at the words just written on the paper with the metal feather pen and couldn't help feeling confused for a moment.

But soon, he threw aside the incomprehensible code and began to look forward to the "hunting" in the return mission.

The best is the devil!

This time I’m going to build a huge Jingguan!

While he was daydreaming, a white light came towards him, and he also saw the props that he could use this time in the white light.

At the forefront are still the Mauser bayonet and the food knife that appeared in the first scene.

Following that, he saw a Rollei camera, a hip flask, a silver lighter, a cigarette case, a three-piece pocket warmer, an English suitcase, and a photographic developing box that replaced the back bag.

In addition to these seemingly harmless things, compared to the previous scene, this time he was finally given some powerful gadgets - anti-Japanese swords and box guns!

Before the white light faded, he had already begun to look forward to this return mission.

Gradually, as the outlines of some scenery vaguely appeared in front of him, he also heard the sound of playing musical instruments, as well as the occasional singing and cheering in this lively accompaniment.

It’s Peking Opera! It’s the crossroads in Peking Opera!

Without even waiting to see clearly, he had already discerned what was being performed. Of course he could discern it, because he had seen this play more than once at the Xuqing Bookstore in Tianjin!

Will I run into someone I know? Will I run into Clement and Armani?

As his anticipation grew, everything before his eyes became clearer and clearer. He also noticed that he was sitting in an armchair next to a wooden table in an extremely indecent posture - with his arm slung across his waist, one foot on the chair, one arm resting on the table next to him, and a half-burned cigarette between his fingers.

The other arm was resting on the small table beside him, occupying almost half of the space on the table. In his hand was a half-eaten snack with teeth marks on it. The other half of the snack had been chewed into a paste in his mouth, and it tasted like osmanthus.

Looking around, I saw that this was a private room on the second floor. There was only a pot of tea and a plate of snacks on the table, and I was the only one in the room.

He swallowed the snack in his mouth and stuffed the half piece in his hand into his mouth. Then he stood up and looked at the performance on the stage.

At this time, "Ren Tang Hui" and "Liuli Hua" on the stage were fighting fiercely, and there were bursts of cheers from the audience.

In those days, Canhua and his friends could often perform this play.

Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but then, a strong and clear premonition emerged in his heart - I can do it too!

Is this what I learned from the previous scene?

Wei Ran guessed secretly, he was almost certain that what his father had stuffed into his mind were most likely some of the unique skills of Wusheng and Wuchou.

But I don’t have to perform on stage, so what’s the point of teaching myself these things?

No, no, no, that dad would definitely not teach me useless stuff for no reason. Every fart he says has a purpose!

Does that mean I will also be performing on stage next? Am I not a blue lantern? What does a blue lantern do?

Thinking about this, Wei Ran couldn't help but look at himself.

He was wearing a suit, leather shoes, a newsboy cap, and a pair of leather gloves in his pocket. Looking at the clothes rack beside the door behind him, there was a black woolen coat and a gray scarf hanging on it.

He sat down again, took out the box gun and checked it. Fortunately, there were bullets in the chamber, and all three magazines were full of bullets.

Almost at the same time as he put away the box gun, there was a light knock on the wooden door behind him. Then, a woman said respectfully in a pleasant voice, "Mr. Wei, Mr. Mu, the man you met, is here."

"Come in," Wei Ran responded as he put away his box gun.

As the door opened, a person dressed similarly to himself walked in. This person was none other than Lin Qiaoan!

"Brother Wei, how are you? Please take a seat!" Lin Qiaoan greeted him warmly and shook hands with Wei Ran vigorously.

"Mr. Mu is still as charming as ever."

Wei Ran responded while shaking hands, and then he and the other party sat on the left and right of the table respectively.

"I just saw Xiaowu and Liuzi."

While pouring tea for the two, Lin Qiaoan whispered, "You came at the right time. We are in need of help."

"We haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's talk about the general situation." Wei Ran responded in a low voice, and politely took the teacup handed to him by the other party.

"I left you three brothers in Peking to learn from me because you were not wanted. Then I brought Zhengqi to Shanghai and opened this theater. Zhengqi and Brother Taichuan set up a female troupe with money as a cover. We also used this theater to gather information."

Lin Qiaoan pointed at the stage and whispered, "Now it's the uncle and nephew who are performing. This scene was specially arranged for you three brothers because we knew you were coming."

"Are they the two on the stage?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"Can't"

Lin Qiaoan smiled, holding the teacup to her lips and explained in a low voice, "They don't usually go on stage. They mainly manage the Yue Opera troupe that my theater building uses as a cover."

"What about the main business?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"Since the fall of Shanghai, prices have been rising."

Lin Qiaoan sighed, "Our main business is to get some rice and flour from the guerrilla zone, sell them and exchange them for some medicines and bullets to send back to the guerrilla zone, and occasionally do some intelligence transactions.

In order to make things easier, I used my connections to get a job at Five Twenty-One making straw sandals. Now we need some trustworthy new faces to do some work, and that’s why I thought of you.”

Five twenty-one? Straw sandals?

Before Wei Ran could figure it out, the black-hearted shop owner "Liulihua" on the stage was knocked dizzy by the tiles, and the man with a pink face and black beard "Jiao Zan" also came on stage.

"The actor who plays Jiao Zan is Wu Si's son Zhao Jingrong. He was also our classmate when we were studying abroad in Japan. Ever since the day we met, he has been learning opera with Brother Taichuan, and he really likes it."

Before Lin Qiaoan finished speaking, the three people on the stage began to fight "in the dark" amid the rapid sound of gongs and drums. Wei Ran also learned a lot of key information from Lin Qiaoan's indirect hints.

It was already January of 1939, or the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month according to the lunar calendar. A full year had passed since the last time things happened in Fengtian.

During this year, Lin Qiaoan relied on his family's wealth to buy such a theater as a place to live and shelter.

At the same time, he and Zhang Taichuan also relied on their fluent Japanese to make friends with Japanese expatriates and bought various scarce supplies from them and sent them to the guerrilla zone.

As for Zhao Jingrong, whose entire family was brutally murdered, and Zhang Zhengqi, who suffered almost the same fate, they played the role of "hunters", hiding in the dark, chewing on the bitter national hatred and family feuds, and eliminating the traitors who blocked their way and some devils who discovered clues.

This time they wrote to invite Wei Ran and the other two to come over because Zhao Jingrong and Zhang Zhengqi were in urgent need of help.

Before that, Wei Ran and the other two had been learning in the opera troupe arranged by Zhang Zhengqi's master in Peking.

The chat ended here, and the fork in the road on the stage ended with the Liu couple being killed.

"Next is Yue Opera. Come with me and meet everyone." Lin Qiaoan said as he put down his teacup, stood up, and extinguished his cigarette.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also put out his cigarette, stood up, picked up his tweed coat, left the box, and followed the other party into the backstage.

This female troupe was self-explanatory. The girls preparing for the show backstage were all young girls who looked to be about 17 or 18 years old. They were either busy tying their hair or putting on makeup. No one noticed Lin Qiaoan and Wei Ran who were walking by the corner.

As Lin Qiaoan walked into a separate dressing room connected to the backstage, Wei Ran also saw Zhang Zhengqi and other two people who were removing their makeup, as well as Xiaowu and Liuzi who had been invited here earlier.

A year has passed in the blink of an eye. Whether it is Zhang Zhengqi, Xiaowu or Liuzi, they have all changed a lot.

Zhang Zhengqi's temperament has become much more refined, but the hostility that occasionally appears in his eyes is particularly eye-catching.

Wei Ran knew that was the look that would appear after killing someone, no, it should be said that it was the look that would appear after killing people repeatedly but without receiving proper guidance.

Xiaowu and Liuzi, on the other hand, are much stronger than "a year ago" and even their height has increased.

After looking at the familiar faces, Wei Ran couldn't help but look at Zhao Jingrong and Zhang Taichuan.

Zhao Jingrong is relatively tall and has an extremely ordinary appearance, but his eyes are very similar to those of Aunt Wu Si.

In comparison, Zhang Taichuan looked much more handsome, with a slightly fair and tender square face, and a milky bookish air that couldn't be concealed even by the grease paint on his face.

"Xiao Wei, long time no see." Zhang Taichuan greeted him gently.

"Second uncle, long time no see." Wei Ran responded respectfully.

Be it this second uncle, that Zhao Jingrong, or that Lin Qiaoan, they all looked to be no more than 25 or 26 years old.

"We are all family, so I won't waste time introducing ourselves and asking everyone to be polite to each other."

Lin Qiaoan whispered, "We are short on time, so let's talk about the most important things first. Because of the Japanese's wanted list, I am now using the alias Mu Anzhi, and I am the owner of this theater.

Brother Taichuan used the alias Qin Lichuan. On the surface, he was an amateur and worked as a translator in the Japanese newspaper.

The female Yue Opera troupe I bought was based on the skeleton of the Peking Opera troupe. Zhengqi was the general manager of the troupe, using the alias Qi Zhenglin. Jingrong used the alias Jin Fengrong, and was also an amateur performer, and a pioneer in the Hongmen. I was the straw sandal he developed, and this opera house was also the foot shop of the Hongmen brothers.

Wei Ran, Xiao Wu, Liu Zi, you must remember our aliases and don’t call them by the wrong names.”

"Don't worry, Boss Mu," Wei Ran was the first to say, and Xiao Wu and Liu Zi also quickly learned to shout "Boss Mu".

"Xiao Wei is a smart one"

Zhang Taichuan wiped the remaining paint on his face with a hot towel and said, "Jingrong, let him follow you. This kid's voice was ruined when he was reversing the warehouse, but his skills are actually more solid than Zhengqi's."

"become"

Zhao Jingrong nodded in response and asked casually, "Zhengqi said you have seen blood?"

"seen"

Wei Ran replied calmly, and then took the initiative to say, "Do you want to give it a try?"

"interesting"

Zhao Jingrong smiled and said, "I'll test you later, second brother. Let's talk about the important things first."

"Xiaowu and Liuzi will be in charge of serving tea and water in the private room."

Lin Qiaoan said, "By the way, I can also do some work like identifying faces and delivering messages, and keeping watch."

"Then it belongs to me too?" Zhao Jingrong asked.

"It's yours," Lin Qiaoan smiled.

"Brother Wei went to take a look himself."

Zhao Jingrong's test came as soon as it was said, "On the first floor, at the fifth table from the left in the second row, there is a bald fat man in a white suit. He is a traitor from the Anqing Gang who works for the Japanese.

Brother Wei, here we don't have uncle and nephew distinctions, we only consider brothers. But if you want us to not treat you as a junior, go and kill that bald fat man and bring back his eyeballs and the ring on his hand."

"What to do with the body?"

Wei Ran asked bluntly, "Hide or..."

"However lively it is, how to deal with it"

Zhao Jingrong made a special request before Wei Ran finished speaking, "Just don't do it on this street, don't bring trouble to your doorstep."

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

As Wei Ran spoke, he stood up and left the private dressing room alone.

"Why don't you try them?" Zhang Taichuan pointed at Xiaowu and Liuzi and asked with a smile.

"Do you have any work on hand?" Zhao Jingrong asked casually.

"I won't be hungry," Xiaowu replied.

"Go out for a walk and pick up a few wallets."

Zhao Jingrong said, "It only works if there are both men and women. If you get into trouble, don't run to the theater. Just let yourself die."

"How much tribute do you want?" Liuzi asked.

"It all belongs to you," Zhao Jingrong smiled.

"We'll be back soon"

After Xiaowu finished speaking, he and Liuzi left the separate dressing room.

"Sixth Master, you're having a hard time," Lin Qiaoan said jokingly, using the gang name.

"The next thing they have to do is to put their heads on their belts."

Zhao Jingrong threw the towel in his hand on the table and said, "Let's test their courage and skills first. It's true that we are short of people, but we can't just accept everyone. It would hurt them and ourselves."

"I can't guarantee the success of Xiaowu and Liuzi."

Lin Qiaoan poured a cup of tea for the other party and said, "But Brother Wei will not show his weakness. You have found a treasure this time."

Zhao Jingrong smiled and said nothing, but Zhang Taichuan said, "Arrange a place for the three of them to live and work nearby. Remember to keep them separate."

"Let Brother Wei go to the photo studio across the street," Zhang Zhengqi said, "He has photography skills, so it's a good place for him to go."

"I'll arrange it later," Lin Qiaoan replied.

"Let Xiaowu and Wei Ran live next to each other, and Liuzi can live in this theater." Zhang Taichuan suggested.

"Then let's give this room to him," Lin Qiaoan continued.

While they were busy making arrangements, Xiaowu and Liuzi had already slipped out of the theater and started looking for targets. Wei Ran came to the first floor of the theater and sat down in an inconspicuous corner. While listening to the opera, he looked at the bald fat man in a white suit at the fifth table from the left in the second row without leaving any trace.

Although only his back could be seen from this position, his suit and slightly bloated figure, as well as the cheongsam woman posing next to him, were all too conspicuous.

"You're fat, why are you wearing a white suit?"

While Wei Ran was secretly complaining, he had already started thinking about how to make the other party die in a more spectacular way - this test was really not difficult for him.

Without waiting for the play on stage to end, he left his seat and even left the two-story theater, walked into a dim alley, took out his suitcase, changed into his country boots in the dark, changed into a trench coat and a top hat, took a few silver dollars, and put the clothes he had changed into the suitcase.

After doing all this, he wrapped his scarf around his neck and returned to the theater entrance, took a quick look, and saw that the fat man in the white suit was still there. He then returned to the entrance of the dim alley, leaned against the wall, and quietly listened to the laughter coming from the theater.

After waiting patiently for more than an hour, the fat man in the white suit walked out of the theater, hugging the woman in a gorgeous fur coat, talking and laughing.

Seeing this, Wei Ran slowly crushed the cigarette in his hand against the wall, put the butt in his pocket, then adjusted his hat and walked over.

"Let's go to Paramount," said the fat man as he and his female companion got on a rickshaw.

After watching the other person go away on the rickshaw, Wei Ran got on a rickshaw that was some distance away from where the other person got on, and said in a low voice, "Paramount, run faster and you'll get a reward."

Hearing this, the rickshaw driver immediately became motivated and started running with his rickshaw.

In fact, even without the reward, this car could catch up with the one in front. After all, the fat man and his female companion weighed almost as much as two Wei Rans, so the speed would naturally be much slower.

After the rickshaw passed the car in front and passed another intersection, Wei Ran asked the driver to stop, stuffed him a few French francs, then walked forward about a hundred meters and finally stopped at the entrance of an alley.

He didn't have to wait long before a rickshaw pulling a fat man in a white suit came running over. Wei Ran weighed the silver dollars in his pocket, and a box gun appeared in his hand.

"An Qing is doing the work for you, take the money and stay away."

Wei Ran easily stopped the panting rickshaw driver and handed him the small stack of silver dollars in his hand. "Run into the alley. Don't stop until I tell you to."

The rickshaw driver was stunned for a moment, then he clenched the silver dollar and ran into the alley.

"You too, leave your coat behind and run into the alley."

Wei Ran gently patted the cheongsam woman's face and said, "Watch your mouth."

Before he finished speaking, the cheongsam woman had already taken off her fur coat, got out of the car in a panic and ran into the alley.

"Who sent you to stop me?"

The fat man in the white suit who was still sitting on the rickshaw had not yet finished speaking when Wei Ran had already sat down next to him and stabbed the bayonet into his back.

"It's your father"

As Wei Ran spoke, he slowly took out the cigarette box from the metal notebook, pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then pulled out the bayonet and wiped it on his white suit.

He slowly picked up the coat that the woman had taken off and covered his body with it. Wei Ran directly gouged out the man's eyeballs with his gloved hands and took off the ring on his hand. He also took out some valuable items such as French francs, silver dollars and silver pocket watches from his body and put them into his windbreaker pocket.

After doing all this, he put the cigarette in his mouth into the corner of the other person's mouth, then stood up and left the rickshaw, and followed him into the alley.

As for the one behind him, in this dark place, who would care about a rickshaw driver who was smoking and taking a break while waiting for work on the side of the road?

I got drunk yesterday because I met an alien on the road. When I got home and remembered that I didn’t update this matter until this morning. Anyway, it’s the aliens’ fault, not mine.