War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1903 Snow Maiden's Egg Marketing
On the morning of April Fool's Day, Sui Sui, unusually, didn't need the Kajianka sisters to wake her up. She didn't even wait for Wei Ran, who was sleeping next to her and acting as a pillow, to wake up before she hurriedly got up.

"Have the Ukrainians finally reached Kazan?" Wei Ran asked, groggily opening his eyes.

"How come you dream even better than a comedian?"

Sui Sui gave Wei Ran's bottom a sharp slap, "Get up quickly, we're going to Tula Town today."

"Where to? To Tula Town? What for?" Wei Ran finally came to his senses.

Didn't I tell you yesterday?

Sui Sui thought for a moment and said to herself, "It seems I forgot to mention that we're going to Tula town today to participate in their Easter celebrations."

"Easter celebrations?" Wei Ran sat up and yawned. "What celebrations?"

"Easter celebrations were held on the 4th, and the local authorities organized celebrations, which we were invited to attend."

Inta also organized a similar event, which was attended by people from Tima and Maya.

Sui Sui explained, "Anyway, hurry up. We need to catch the earliest transport plane. Also, grab your shotgun and seasonings. We'll be staying there for a few days before we come back."

Take it. Never mind.
Wei Ran, busy getting up, didn't bother to ask any more questions. Last night, the girl had gone to bed early with the help of a glass of cider, and he thought she was just tired. Turns out, she had planned ahead but forgot to tell him.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face as quickly as possible, Wei Ran went directly to the library's basement via the air-raid shelter corridor beneath the first-floor kitchen.
After some thought, he simply picked up the German-made G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle that the Spanish wrestler Miguel had given him, and then he also picked up the German Luftwaffe triple-barreled survival shotgun from World War II, along with their respective ammunition.

When he returned from the kitchen, he casually picked out a few more jars of various Chinese seasonings and put them in his bag.

When he came out again, not only were Sui Sui and the girls ready, but even the dog Belial was yawning as the Kajenka sisters helped him put on a warm cotton coat and little shoes.

"Are you bringing so many people?" Wei Ran asked, taking the suitcase.

Just by looking at the people gathered in the living room, you could tell that they had practically turned out in full force this time.

Whether it was the 14 Hella international student girls who initially worked for Sui Sui under the guise of being international students, or the 14 Hella girls who later joined under the guise of security, or even the 14 pink-clad delinquents belonging to the Baba Yaga Security Company.

Naturally, the Kachenka sisters, Marta, Lucinda, and even Lola also followed.

In short, apart from the two big-eared foxes that are afraid of the cold and the pet lamb that might become food, almost the entire flock came out this time.

"Go with everyone?" Wei Ran asked.

"That's right, all of them."

Sui Sui said proudly, "Wherever we work doesn't matter. Of course, we should all celebrate together on holidays."

"Whatever," Wei Ran said, too lazy to ask any more questions.

"Anyway, let's get going quickly, we'll explain the rest along the way."

As Sui Sui spoke, she hurriedly walked out of the house.

Before the sun rose above the horizon, a fleet of civilian armored commercial vehicles, led by two pink civilian armored vehicles at the front and rear, headed towards the airport.

With such a grand display of activity, Wei Ran couldn't help but suspect that the girl who was dozing off against him was up to something again.

However, since the other party had made it clear that they wanted to keep him in suspense, he naturally had to give them face.

When they arrived at the airport without any hindrance, an Il-76 was already waiting for them.

Almost as soon as their entire group of 50 people, including dogs, boarded the cargo hold, with most of them wearing noise-canceling headsets, the transport plane carrying the cargo took off and headed for distant Irkutsk.

After several hours of flight, it was already bright outside the window. When the transport plane landed at the airport and taxied onto the tarmac, another fruit transport plane, which looked like it had just landed, was parked next to it.

However, when the group and the dog walked through the open tailgate, they discovered that in addition to all kinds of tropical fruits that would never go unsold, the cargo plane also contained a large number of eggs.

"This is."

Wei Ran pointed at the eggs in the cabin with a look of astonishment.

"A gift from the Queen to the communities along the Tunguska River."

Sui Sui said proudly, hands on her hips, "I paid a lot of money for these eggs."

"Did it come from China?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

These are not.

Amid the noise of the airplane engines, Sui Sui explained loudly, "Last year, Greva sent his underlings to open up territory in the Warts region. On my advice, he invested in a large chicken farm according to our domestic standards!"

These eggs are all produced there, and they're completely free!

"Why invest in this?!"

Wei Ran asked loudly as well, already having a general idea that it must have happened after he was attacked and kidnapped in Vladivostok last time.

"Because they invested in a large area of ​​forests, logging sites, and farms!"

As Sui Sui pulled Wei Ran to find a seat, she said, "The crops from those farms are too cheap; it's more profitable to raise chickens instead!"

"You are such a genius!"

Wei Ran praised loudly while giving a thumbs up, saying that the so-called investment in forest farms and logging camps was probably a gift from the wealthy man, Yuta, who had initially planned to kidnap him.

"I think so!"

Sui Sui said proudly, while letting Wei Ran help her fasten her seatbelt.

"So this is just a big discount promotion?" After helping the other person put on a communication headset, Wei Ran finally didn't have to shout anymore.

"Celebrate Easter as Thanksgiving"

Sui Sui, holding the microphone of her communication headset, said, "We need to let the communities on both sides of the Tunguska River know who made their lives better."

"Of course, it's Your Majesty."

“That’s right!” Sui Sui stretched out her little hand and snapped her fingers, though not very successfully.

With this barely audible snap of the fingers, the tail door of the transport plane gradually closed, then it began its taxiing and finally took off smoothly.

This flight took much less time than the journey from Kazan to Irkutsk. By the time the transport plane, piloted by the talkative captain, landed smoothly at the airport in the town of Tula, everything outside the window felt completely unfamiliar to Wei Ran.

Compared to my last visit, the runway at this airport is much smoother, which is the most noticeable difference.

When the rear cabin door opened, the brightly lit Chinese welcome sign in the distance made him dizzy – “Through wind and snow, I’ll be waiting for you on the frozen Tunguska River.”

This is a special code.
Before Wei Ran could even express his feelings, Su Lie, the tour guide who had been recruited by Sui Sui a few years ago, and his girlfriend Sasha quickly came to greet him.

"You've finally arrived!"

Su Lie warmly shook hands with Wei Ran, "I've prepared everything for you. Hi! Lola! Long time no see! How are you and your sister?"

"haven't seen you for a long time"

Lola, whose ancestors had some connection with Su Lie's ancestors, greeted him with a smile, saying, "My sister has already learned a lot of Chinese, even better than me."

"Remember to visit my home sometime; my mom always thinks about you."

While Su Lie chatted casually, his girlfriend Sasha warmly entertained Sui Sui and the others.

How's work here?

After exchanging greetings, Sui Sui asked Su Lie and the other person.

“Very good”

Su Lie said gratefully, "Now Sasha and I are in charge of the entire riverside driving route, and I have recruited many Asian guides who can speak Chinese. We can take turns going back to Irkutsk or Chita to rest every week."

"Did you poach that couple who run the pet shop that I asked you to take care of?" Sui Sui asked, lowering her voice slightly.

"You mean Mr. Leonte of Yebburg? (680-683)"

Su Lie also lowered his voice, "I poached the couple a few years ago, and they are now mainly stationed on the second floor of the Aurora Tavern."

It's clear that the couple loves life here and rarely leaves.

“They’ve had a son, named Shagoli,” Sasha added, even speaking in Chinese.

"Shagoli"

Wei Ran, who hadn't understood who Sui Sui was talking about at all, shook his head for a moment and finally remembered from the name that it was the descendant of another person who, like Apoli, had survived in anonymity.

He vaguely remembered that he had asked Sui Sui to help him find an excuse to invest one million rubles in the other party's pet hospital.

So, after Apoli left, the descendants of Shagori, who had made contact with him, returned to this place.

How many people have you secretly taken care of over the years?

Wei Ran couldn't help but glance at Sui Sui; this girl had never mentioned this matter to him before.

Seemingly sensing Wei Ran's gaze, Sui Sui said with a smile, "It happened a long time ago. Mr. Leonte called me once and said that their pet hospital had gone bankrupt due to poor management and that they were afraid they would not be able to repay my investment."

"It just so happened that we needed manpower here, so I had Su Lie poach the two of them."

So they.

Emergency Rescue Doctor

Sui Sui said smugly, "Two of the helicopters you got were given to those two."

"Normally, whether it's the local indigenous people, our tourists, or the Wilderness Rescue Station left behind by Mr. Ivan, they will immediately respond whenever an emergency is needed."

“They also run the Aurora Tavern now, and we’ve also established a non-profit ice road rescue organization based at the Aurora Tavern.”

Su Lie explained, "The main members are tourists from China and all over the world. When they come here to drive, they also provide free roadside assistance to trucks along the way, and even take on some of the transportation work."

"This actually works?" Wei Ran's eyes widened.

"The tourists who pay to come here are working incredibly hard."

Sasha, a young Russian woman, spoke with sincere gratitude: "Last year, a Chinese doctor with a medical background even saved a seriously injured miner's life."

"Chinese people are now the most welcome and respected guests here."

Su Lie proudly stated, "Even local gangs offer assistance to Chinese tourists." That wasn't just empty talk.
Wei Ran and Sui Sui exchanged a glance. They knew better than anyone that it was no coincidence that the boss behind the gang here also used Alaher as his surname.

While they were chatting, several Ural trucks equipped with enclosed modular units lined up and drove over. With the help of many ground crew members, they quickly loaded all the tropical fruits and eggs that could not withstand the low temperatures into the warm modular units.

"Let's go to the tavern too."

As Su Lie spoke, he and his girlfriend Sasha each opened the doors of one monster truck after another, and then followed Wei Ran and Sui Sui into the same vehicle, where he took on the role of driver.

"We now have nearly one hundred monster trucks and almost double the number of Ural 4320 modular trucks here."

Su Lie proudly explained, "The former was sponsored to us by the local mine at almost half price, while the latter was sold to us at a low price by the nearby garrison after it was phased out."

In addition to these regular vehicles, we have approximately 10 TD10 transport vehicles and 30 ATS-59G tractor units available for rent, as well as five rescue helicopters ready to take off at any time.

"So many?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"This is the power of money."

Sui Sui explained proudly, "These cars are basically made from money earned here, and the local government will definitely provide strong support."

"So you've barely made any money here all these years?" Wei Ran deliberately asked a stupid question.

"Of course, we didn't make a single penny here."

Sui Sui glared at Wei Ran, emphasizing the word "here".

Wei Ran wasn't really stupid. He naturally knew that if they hadn't made any money here, they must have made a lot back in China. Otherwise, how could Sui Sui have come up with this reputation-boosting event of giving away eggs?

"Are the Lauritzs still working at the pub?" Anfisa, who was riding in the same car, quickly changed the subject and asked.

Back when Hela hastily established her business here, those two retired teachers were invited to be the children's teachers.

“They haven’t been here since last year, but they’re still working for us.”

Su Lie said, "They went to Turuhansk with Mr. Shiva, who was originally in charge of the tavern, and opened another Aurora Tavern there as the final stop for their road trip."

"We have also developed many short self-driving routes, all of which use various wilderness rescue stations as nodes."

Sasha, sitting in the passenger seat, explained, “In addition to our own guides and the tour guides who come with the tourists, the local gangs will also send two cars to follow us. Trust us, those gangs are more effective than the police.”

This is not nonsense.
Wei Ran and Sui Sui exchanged another glance. In this godforsaken place, gangs were indeed more useful than the police.

"And earlier this year we also caught a whole truckload of nuclear spies," Su Lie blurted out another bombshell.

"A whole carload?" Sui Sui asked incredulously. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"They were taken away by the police."

Sasha shrugged. "After confirming that this matter had nothing to do with us, the police even came to our door to apologize for affecting our business."

"The odds are outrageous."

Wei Ran and Sui Sui exchanged another glance. They had realized just how important the steady stream of tourists they brought was to the local area.

During this brief chat, several monster trucks had already arrived at the entrance of the Aurora Tavern.

Today, the area has increased more than tenfold, and even the streetlights along the way are now almost side by side.

What's particularly outrageous is that right next to the Aurora Tavern, there's a fairly professional car repair shop.

"How many tourists does this place send in each month?" Wei Ran couldn't help but ask Su Lie.

“During peak season, there are almost daily occurrences,” Su Lie replied, “and even during the off-season, there are quite a few.”

"Flying from Vladivostok here is as simple as taking a transport plane, with almost no cost. Previously, tourists in Vladivostok had to pay for their own travel."

Sui Sui explained with a beaming smile, "It's more affordable to come here than to Irkutsk. Apart from some service fees and car rental costs, the only expenses are food and drinks."

"The tourists who come here are very generous."

As Su Lie led them into the tavern, he said, "Car rental, shotgun rental, and gun safety personnel are the most popular services."

Today, although the pub still sells drinks, it has been transformed into something like a tourist information center. Even the signage indicates that part of the second floor has been converted into a temporary first aid room.

"The Leontes took a last-minute helicopter ride to a nearby settlement for rescue operations before your landing."

Su Lie led them up to the second floor, explaining, "This floor is not only the emergency room, but also their home. Of course, we've also kept a few guest rooms."

Before the words were even finished, everyone had already arrived at the lobby on the second floor, which indeed looked like an emergency room.

Following Su Lie and the other person through the staff passage to a small meeting room, Sui Sui said before even sitting down, "Let's talk about the Easter celebrations. Is everything ready?"

Everything is ready.

While his girlfriend Sasha was bringing everyone coffee, Su Lie said, "Two transport planes have delivered enough tropical fruits and eggs to here and Turuhansk respectively."

This evening, another transport plane will bring about 120 tourists, and the Easter celebrations will begin once they arrive.

During this event, regular vehicle rentals will be half price, but participants must distribute free fruit and eggs to the indigenous people in the designated areas along the way.

"How many tourists are participating in this event?" Sui Sui asked.

"The number of tourists here, along with those in Turuhansk, exceeds 800."

As Sasha brought the coffee to Wei Ran and Sui Sui's table, she picked up the conversation, "Many of them came here several days in advance after learning about the event."

Overall, most of our conventional wheeled vehicles have been rented out.

“There are several hundred people on Inta’s side as well,” Sui Sui said with satisfaction. “I’ve really invested a lot this time.”

"Won't we lose money?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"I just won't make any money, but I definitely won't lose money," Sui Sui replied confidently. She never does business at a loss.

“We’ve already prepared clothes for everyone,” Sasha continued. “Would you like to change now?”

"Clothes? What clothes?" Wei Ran asked warily, he had a feeling that he had been tricked by Sui Sui again.

"You'll find out later!"

Sui Sui quickly changed the subject, then called Su Lie and Sasha to bring clothes for everyone.

It wasn't until Sui Sui, with the help of the Kazhenka sisters, dressed Wei Ran and his dog Belial in appropriate outfits that Wei Ran finally realized that he was actually cosplaying a Slavic version of Santa Claus—no, no, it should be called Old Man Frost.

As for Beria, he was simply adorned with two conspicuous signs that read "Pretend he is a horse" in Chinese and Russian respectively.

"Would you dress up like this for Easter?"

Wei Ran, who was already wearing a white fake beard and a red cotton-padded coat that reached his ankles, asked.

"Who cares about whether we match or not? Being happy is the most important thing!"

As Sui Sui spoke, she led the group of girls into the guest rooms, where they all changed into blue and white clothes and put on white wigs—resembling the Snow Maiden.

Although he had suddenly grown two generations older than the girls, Wei Ran was not happy at all. He already had a premonition of what was going to happen next.

"The last group of tourists has arrived."

Just as the girls were about to take photos, Su Lie, who had been watching the commotion all day, waved his walkie-talkie and said, "Boss, it's time to go down and distribute the eggs and gifts."

"Come with me!"

With a wave of her little hand, Sui Sui led a group of girls, along with the reluctant old man Yan Han and the dog Belial pretending to be a horse, towards the first floor.

By this time, a large number of tourists and local television stations had been waiting for some time outside the Aurora Tavern.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous cameras, over forty beautiful snow maidens, along with Wei Ran, lined up at a long table that had been put together, distributing boxes of eggs and tropical fruits to tourists passing by.

After the tourists happily received a box of tropical fruit and a large box of eggs, they immediately rushed to their cars in the parking lot and began the Easter egg delivery service.

In fact, there are even some people here who have prepared their own domestic food delivery uniforms to wear for fun.

For this mining town located in an extremely cold region, the liveliness brought by a few hundred tourists can definitely match or even far exceed the New Year's celebrations, especially on the specially opened radio frequency, where chatting and even singing in Russian and Chinese are particularly lively.

In less than 20 minutes, the "task assignments" were sent to hundreds of tourists. Sui Sui and Wei Ran, who came specifically to act as NPCs, also gave a local interview—the interview took longer than distributing eggs and tropical fruits.

During this short delay, the tourists set off in their rented monster trucks or Ural 4320 modular trucks, either driving along the Tunguska River towards Turuhansk or heading in the opposite direction to other tributaries, led by their guides.

"Won't this be sending the same thing twice?" Wei Ran asked Sui Sui after the interview ended.

"of course not"

Su Lie answered the question, “Each vehicle’s route map points to a different destination, and in addition to the eggs they just received, their vehicles have been loaded with even more eggs in advance, totaling five hundred eggs and over a hundred kilograms of tropical fruit, enough for them to distribute along the way.”

"How could this special code remain intact after being bumped along the way?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"The train crew that suffers the least loss of eggs throughout the entire journey will not only have their round-trip travel expenses waived, but will also receive a bonus of 80,000 RMB."

Sui Sui smiled like a little fox and said, "Drive slowly. Staying for an extra hour will earn us more money, and this event will definitely not lose money."

"Can we make money?" Marta, who had come along, couldn't help but ask.

"You don't really think we provide the eggs for free, do you?"

Sui Sui gestured with her chin toward the interview vehicles that were ready to depart, "These eggs were ordered by local industrial and mining enterprises. Our eggs are cheap enough that they don't cost them much at all."

Seemingly knowing what Wei Ran wanted to ask, Sui Sui snapped her fingers crisply and said, "It's mutually beneficial. Alright, let's go!"

"So it's just a vanity project?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"That's right!"

Sui Sui said proudly, "From now on, every Easter here, the Snow Maiden will bring tourists from another world to give out eggs to everyone."

"God's Code: Another World"

Wei Ran grinned, but then felt that there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. For the residents of these mining towns who had lived on both sides of the Tunguska River for a long time, there was really no difference between distant China and another world.

Of course, Wei Ran, who was still dressed as an old man in the cold, had no idea that the celebration that Sui Sui and the others had been preparing for so long contained a near-fatal danger.