War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1794: A Cure for Snoring

On the first night at Dongyi Photo Studio, Zhang Zhengqi, who had suppressed too much pain in his heart, dragged Wei Ran to drink up the two bottles of white wine they brought, and then climbed over the window of the bathroom on the first floor and rushed into the window opposite.

After the windows on both sides were closed, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and went back to the relatively warmer upstairs, carefully packed up the dishes, lunch boxes, and wine glasses and put them away in different categories.

Although he had drunk a lot just now, he was not in a hurry to sleep. Instead, he carefully unpacked and examined the weapons that Zhang Zhengqi had just sent him.

This is a 9mm caliber flower-mouthed pistol. There are no signs of use on the gun itself, except that the gun serial number has been worn off.

After reassembling the pistol and loading the magazine, Wei Ran put it under the pillow. He then checked the bullets in the two lunch boxes. One of the lunch boxes contained 9X17mm bullets for the round-bottomed revolver, and the other contained Mauser pistol bullets for the box gun.

After closing the lid of the lunch box, Wei Ran took out the props that the metal book had given him this time one by one and examined them carefully. Then he went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face carefully, then got into the bed that had already been warmed by the hot water bottle.

That night, he slept particularly soundly thanks to the alcohol. That night, the fat man in the white suit also slept particularly soundly, leaning against a telephone pole with his hands in his pockets.

On the same night, the rickshaw driver took the cheongsam girl who was also preparing to escape and left the urban area of ​​Shencheng overnight.

After a discussion, the two unfortunate men, who were originally so far apart, decided to go all out. They bravely went back to the girl's residence to get their belongings and changed into convenient clothes. Then, they continued to be pulled by the rickshaw driver and headed straight for the guerrilla zone.

They didn't intend to participate in any gang feuds, and they didn't even care who the Mr. Zhang that Wei Ran made up was. Wouldn't it be better to take the hush money and live in a safe place? At worst, they could come back after the matter was over.

Small people naturally have their own way of living. As for whether their subconscious choice will make them scapegoats, if they can think of these, they probably won't be small people anymore.

Although the choice of these two minor figures was not within Wei Ran's expectations, as the morning sun illuminated the foreign land again, someone finally noticed the abnormality of the fat man in the white suit with his hands in his pockets.

After a brief panic, the patrolman arrived at the scene on a rickshaw, blowing his whistle.

However, when the patrolmen recognized the person whose eyes had been gouged out, they were at a loss as to what to do. They did not even dare to touch the body. Instead, they immediately sent two of their companions on bicycles to notify the director and the overlord of the Anqing Gang in the area.

Just when the street was surrounded by patrol police and gang members who rushed in after hearing the news because of this obvious vendetta, Wei Ran, who acted as if nothing had happened, had just gotten up.

She folded the quilt slowly and methodically, brushed her teeth and washed up carefully, and even added some coal briquettes to the fire.

While the water was boiling, he slowly went downstairs, opened the door of the photo studio, and hung the wooden board with prices and photo projects outside the door.

It was also through the opportunity of opening the door that he heard from passers-by about a body being found in the distance.

This matter definitely had nothing to do with him, so Mr. Wei, the owner of the photo studio, cleaned the counter with a feather duster, and then changed to a broom to sweep the store.

After completing the necessary steps for opening the shop and stretching his body, he went into the bathroom and took a comfortable bowel movement. Afterwards, he closed the shop with a clear conscience.

There was a murder a few streets away, and the police had gone to investigate at the Lihua Opera House across the street, which had not yet opened. It was perfectly normal for him to close the shop at this time.

Wei Ran made himself a breakfast with last night's leftovers by the stove on the second floor. He even made a pot of tea. He sat at the table by the window, eating breakfast while watching the excitement downstairs.

Almost at the same time when he finished his breakfast and drank his tea, several policemen and several suspected gang members walked out of the Lihua Theatre, and after clasping their fists towards Lin Qiaoan, who was using the alias Mu Anzhi, they simply left.

Lin Qiaoan glanced up at Wei Ran who was holding a teacup on the second floor without leaving a trace, then turned and walked into the theater.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also put down the cup, adjusted the damper of the fire to the minimum, and put some hot coal balls from the furnace into the brazier. Then he picked up the teapot and the brazier, turned around and went downstairs to reopen the shop.

Almost at the same time, Lin Qiaoan also came over.

"Boss Wei, I wish you good luck in your business," Lin Qiaoan clasped his fists and said a free and auspicious words.

"Boss Mu also opened a good business"

Wei Ran also responded with a fist salute, motioning the other party to sit at the counter and said, "Have a cup of tea."

“No need to drink tea”

Lin Qiaoan pushed a property deed to Wei Ran and said, "My female troupe has rehearsed a new play. If you are free, Boss Wei, please come over at lunch time to listen to it and take some photos for me to put in the newspaper advertisement."

"Okay, I'll definitely be there at noon." Wei Ran said, pouring the other person a cup of hot tea.

"The police and the Anqing Gang just came to investigate."

Lin Qiaoan lowered his voice and said, "Routine interrogation. Quite a few people saw that fat man leaving in a rickshaw yesterday."

"How do you define it?" Wei Ran asked with a smile, fiddling with the teacup.

"Vengeance. His eyes were gouged out. It must be a revenge."

Lin Qiaoan said, "Now both the black and white forces are looking for the rickshaw driver who took him away last night and the woman who disappeared with him. The two of them."

"They're still alive, so I let them go." Wei Ran said casually.

"Did I see your face?" Lin Qiaoan frowned immediately.

"without"

Wei Ran was confident enough about this. "Don't worry, I just made up an excuse. Even if the rickshaw driver is found, there will be someone to investigate."

"What excuse?"

"Mr. Zhang is in charge of disciplining his men, so the police don't have to worry about it." Wei Ran said in a low voice.

"You just arrived in Shencheng, how do you know he is Mr. Zhang's man?" Lin Qiaoan asked in surprise.

"Which Mr. Zhang?" Wei Ran asked.

"Which one are you talking about?"

"I just made it up," Wei Ran spread his hands, "I guess most people have the surname Zhang, let them guess for themselves."

"I'm talking about Zhang Xiaolin," Lin Qiaoan lowered his voice slightly, "What a coincidence."

“It’s quite a coincidence indeed”

Wei Ran was speechless. Of course he knew who Zhang Xiaolin was. He even knew that Zhang Xiaolin would not be around for much longer. He was a perfect scapegoat.

“Don’t talk about the dead.”

Lin Qiaoan brought the topic back to the topic, "That deed belongs to this shop. You bought it more than a month ago. The previous owner was in a hurry to sell the shop because he had to go back to Shancheng. He even sold the food in it for half a small yellow croaker."

"Anything else?" Wei Ran asked.

"After taking photos at noon, I'll keep you for dinner. Remember to drink more. We'll be closed in the afternoon."

Lin Qiaoan whispered, "Zhengqi will come to pick you up after dark. Go and kill a bunch of devils and make it a revenge killing."

"Vendetta?"

"That devil had a conflict with the fat white guy last night because of a woman half a month ago."

Lin Qiaoan said, "Why couldn't the Fatty White be killed by the Japanese? Now that Fatty White is dead, someone has to avenge him."

"What is the purpose?" Wei Ran continued to ask.

"That group of Japanese devils are the main force behind driving up food prices. It's almost the New Year, and we can't let ordinary people not even be able to afford rice." Lin Qiaoan said as a matter of course.

"Killing them will help?"

"it works"

Lin Qiaoan explained in a low voice, "Kill them one by one, kill them in groups, and when they are almost all killed, it will naturally be of some use.

Moreover, the Japanese had a batch of rice on the dock ready to be shipped away. As long as the person died and the account book was gone, they could find a way to seize the rice."

“Prepare some good wine and food for lunch”

Wei Ran raised his voice and said with a smile, "I'll take photos for Boss Mu for free, Boss Mu must let me drink to my heart's content."

"Don't worry!"

Lin Qiaoan also raised his voice, stood up and laughed, "We brothers hit it off right away, so we must have a good drink! Boss Wei, please stay and come to visit us at noon."

After saying that, Lin Qiaoan bowed again, walked out of the photo studio, crossed the street which still seemed a little deserted, and returned to Lihua Theatre.

"A nest"

Wei Ran smacked his lips, put away the title deed, closed the door and left the photo studio again. During his aimless stroll, he purchased various things, including a whetstone the size of a leather shoe.

Returning to the photo studio, seeing that there was still some time before noon, he rushed into the restroom impatiently, took out the anti-Japanese sword, wet the whetstone with water, and then carefully but frantically sharpened the blade, which was already sharp enough.

At noon that day, Wei Ran, who seemed to be polished by a whetstone and was particularly round, came to the Lihua Opera House across the road with a camera. According to Lin Qiaoan's various tricky requests, he took pictures of the girls on the stage.

After finishing his work, Boss Wei, with the enthusiastic company of Lin Qiaoan and the young general manager Zhang Zhengqi, drank a whole jar of sugar water that was pretending to be liquor.

Compared to Lin Qiaoan, who pretended to slip under the table and took a deep sleep, and was then carried upstairs by Xiaowu and Liuzi to rest, Zhang Zhengqi was a "member of an opera troupe" after all. After drinking the last and only glass of real white wine, he performed the drunken state to the fullest.

Of course, Wei Ran was not bad either. He even almost ran onto the stage and performed a "peeing in public" act. Only then was he helped to the photo studio opposite by Xiao Wu and Liu Zi who rushed over amid the laughter and ridicule of many guests.

"This gentleman has a good alcohol tolerance and really good drinking habits," Liuzi muttered as he walked into the theater.

"You think nothing will happen to him staying in the photo studio alone?" Xiao Wu also said.

"Really?" Liu Zi slapped his thigh, "Well, let's go over and take a look every now and then. Go to the kitchen now and get him a bowl of hangover soup."

"That's right! I'll go right away!" Xiaowu said, and ran to the kitchen.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen."

Liuzi bowed and said, "Our host is a wine lover. It's rare to meet a fellow drinker. I'm disturbing everyone's mood. So, I'm going to risk it today! I'll go and ask the manager to let the troupe perform an extra act for everyone while he's drunk!"

"Good! This kid knows how to handle things!"

Zhao Jingrong, who also came to watch the show, was the first to applaud. He took out a French currency and said, "Come here, young man. This is a reward for you! If your boss causes trouble for you, ask him to double the payment for next month."

"Oh! Thank you, sir!" Liuzi quickly took the tip and blurted out a series of auspicious words.

After this exchange, the guests around him began to speculate about Zhao Jingrong's identity. Since they had the money to come here to eat and listen to opera at noon, they naturally knew who owned the theater.

The rest is not difficult to guess. The person who can collect offerings here can't be the fat man who was said to have stood holding the telephone pole all night, right?

Amid the speculations of many "eyewitnesses", the stage soon began to sing again. The two particularly capable guys not only served tea and water, but also ran to the photo studio opposite from time to time to take a look.

As for the second floor of the photo studio, Wei Ran, who had eaten and drunk his fill, took a good nap with peace of mind, and even did not take the camera bag on the table.

When he woke up again, the street lights outside the window had been on for who knows how long, and the coal stove was still burning, making the room exceptionally warm.

Wei Ran stood up and yawned, then changed into a set of clothes in the suitcase, lit a cigarette and waited patiently. Not long after, a slight knocking sound was heard from the bathroom on the second floor.

Wei Ran walked quickly into the bathroom, opened the window, looked at Xiao Wu opposite him, then quickly climbed over the window and went in.

Almost at the same time, Xiao Wu also went to the restroom on the second floor of the library, obviously preparing to use lights and candles to create the illusion that Wei Ran had not left.

“We only have an hour and a half.”

Zhang Zhengqi led Wei Ran downstairs while whispering, "Try not to shoot, and don't leave anyone alive."

"How do we get there?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice, "Who will be attending?"

"The rickshaw passed by"

Zhang Zhengqi said, "If someone stops us, just say we're going to drink together. If no one stops us, just act normally. I'm in one car with my second uncle, and you're in one with Uncle Zhao. Do you have a knife with you?"

"Yes," Wei Ran whispered, "How many people are there on the other side?"

"We are going to their dormitory. There are seven employees to be killed, two section chiefs, one president, and the president's lover. No one should be left alive."

“A bit less”

Wei Ran thought about it secretly but didn't choose, just kill them slowly.

In a few words, Zhang Zhengqi took him through another window on the first floor and into an alley that was only one meter wide. The two of them walked around in the intricate alley for more than ten minutes. When they finally walked out of the alley, there were already two rickshaws waiting for them at the entrance.

Zhang Zhengqi raised his hand and pointed at the car behind him. He had already gotten into the car in front, and the driver immediately started driving.

Seeing this, Wei Ran immediately got in the car and sat next to Zhao Jingrong.

“Good job last night.”

Zhao Jingrong motioned Wei Ran to cover himself with a blanket, then sat back so that his upper body was hidden in the shadow of the tarpaulin. He commented slowly, "Now both the black and white forces are focusing on finding that woman and the rickshaw driver."

"Will they be in danger?" Wei Ran also sat back and asked in a low voice.

"will not"

Zhao Jingrong replied in a low voice, "That woman is a dancer. She and the rickshaw driver have already boarded the ship to Guangzhou. They dance and pull rickshaws wherever they go."

"Guangzhou is great. It's not cold in winter." Wei Ran said in a low voice.

"Yeah, it's not cold in winter."

Zhao Jingrong repeated it absentmindedly, but did not start any new topic. He just handed him two thick large wool socks and motioned him to wear them outside his shoes.

It was not until the rickshaw left the street that Zhao Jingrong suddenly spoke up and whispered, "The place we are going to is surrounded by Japanese immigrants. The people we want to kill live in a six-story apartment. They..."

"Are all the Japanese in that building?" Wei Ran asked suddenly, with a smile on his face, a bright smile.

Although Zhao Jingrong, who was sitting next to him, could only see his small white teeth, he shuddered inexplicably.

But soon, he said, "No one lives on the first and second floors. Starting from the third floor, every floor is occupied, but the devils we want to kill only live on the fifth and sixth floors."

"Who lives on the third and fourth floors?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice without giving up.

“Also a Japanese expatriate”

"Let's kill them together," Wei Ran said casually.

"them."

"If they were really innocent, they wouldn't have come to Shanghai"

Wei Ran said stubbornly, "And many of our victims were innocent. Since this is a gang revenge, they should kill everyone."

"you"

"If you can't do it, I'll do it myself." Wei Ran said indifferently.

"We'll talk about it when we get there"

Zhao Jingrong had no idea what kind of lunatic was sitting next to him, but he knew that killing tonight was not important. Even if everyone in the building was killed, it was not as important as seizing the batch of food at the dock.

But he also knew that at this moment he would most likely not be able to persuade Wei Ran who was already angry.

This communication lasted no more than five minutes. The rickshaw stopped at the entrance of an alley. Wei Ran also got off the rickshaw and followed Zhao Jingrong into the dark alley.

For the rest of the journey, the four of them kept quiet on purpose. Not only did no one speak, but even the sound of footsteps was almost inaudible.

They walked in the dark in the alley for about ten minutes. Zhang Taichuan, who was walking in front, pointed to a six-story building next to them. Obviously, this was their destination.

Without any communication or preparation at all, Zhao Jingrong and Zhang Taichuan leaned sideways against the wall to form a ladder. Zhang Zhengqi stepped on their crossed hands and while they were exerting force, he suddenly jumped up and grabbed the window sill on the second floor.

Following closely, Wei Ran also grabbed the windowsill in the same way. Although the window was tightly closed, Zhang Taichuan easily opened it by simply using the sharp knife in his hand to pry it lightly along the edge. Obviously, someone had made preparations in advance in other ways.

He climbed in through the window quietly, and the faint smell of urine made Wei Ran immediately realize that this was a toilet, and a public toilet with many squatting toilets.

After looking at Zhang Zhengqi who had already thrown away the rope around his waist and used himself as an anchor, Wei Ran did not go over to help. Instead, he tiptoed to the door of the toilet and looked outside.

It was already around ten o'clock in the evening, but the corridor was still dimly lit, especially in a room in the distance, which also had lights on, and from time to time the sound of a typewriter could be heard.

Glancing at Zhang Taichuan who had already climbed up behind him, Wei Ran walked towards the room facing the stairs and took a look inside through the half-open door.

This is an office, and at this moment, a man who looks to be about thirty is typing on a typewriter. Next to him, there is a kerosene heater emitting red light.

He retreated quietly. At this time, Zhang Jingrong had already climbed up and closed the window.

“There’s someone working overtime over there.”

Wei Ran whispered in Zhang Taichuan's ear, "Is it one of ours? Or, is there anyone of ours in this building?"

Hearing this, Zhang Taichuan shook his head and whispered into Wei Ran's ear, "I know what you are going to do, but don't rush to touch him."

"I know." Wei Ran smiled apologetically and followed them to the third floor quietly.

The corridor on this floor was also dimly lit, but from behind the doors came snoring sounds and a smell of feet that even the doors could not block.

After just a brief observation, the four continued to go upstairs, skipping the fourth and fifth floors and arriving at the top floor of the building.

There are far fewer rooms on this floor, the lights in the corridor are much brighter, and there are far fewer doors. It is obvious that the rooms on this floor have become larger.

Soon, Zhang Taichuan brought them to the door of one of the rooms.

After listening for a moment, he tried to turn the doorknob and opened the door easily. Immediately afterwards, he gave up his position and walked towards the next door.

Wei Ran didn't hesitate and walked into this rather spacious and exceptionally warm suite.

With the faint light from the kerosene heater, he could clearly see everything in the room, and naturally he could also hear the loud snoring coming from the bedroom.

"I'm an expert at curing snoring, but you've got to keep me busy today."

Wei Ran muttered silently, walked into the bedroom, lifted the quilt, stabbed the snorer in the chest and shook him hard.

He pulled out the bayonet by pressing the blade with the corner of the quilt, and then stabbed the bayonet into the chest of the woman next to him. In the swaying, he easily shredded the heart and severed the trachea.

He pressed the quilt to pull out the bayonet again, then tore off a pillowcase and wiped the bayonet, observing it in the light of the heater. Then he took out the pocket watch he had picked up from the fat man in the white suit and threw it into the drawer of the bedside table.

At the same time, Zhao Jingrong had stabbed to death a man and a woman who were sleeping together with a dagger, and put the ring that Wei Ran had also picked up on the thumb of the right hand of the corpse.

He even did not throw away the pair of eyeballs. Instead, he put them into a glass canning jar filled with an unknown liquid and placed it on the antique display shelf in the room.

(End of this chapter)