War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1915 Good Luck
"Hurry up and change your clothes!"

Wei Ran carried the slit-necked corpse into the basement of the abandoned church, tossed it aside, and said, "Do you two speak German?"

"No," Dragan and Milos glanced at the corpse, then quickly said in unison.

"No. That's okay. Do you speak Croatian?"

Wei Ran pressed further, "Were there any uniforms of Croatian auxiliary troops among the clothes you captured earlier?"

“Croatians speak the same language as us,” Milos corrected Wei Ran on a point that was common sense to him.

"I remember seizing quite a lot."

Dragan pointed to the stone coffin not far away. "What's going on outside? And where did this corpse come from?"

"We just intercepted a German half-track motorcycle."

Wei Ran quickened his pace and explained, "You two hurry up and change your clothes, and remember to prepare a set for me too."

After saying that, he turned around and crawled out of the basement again, carrying down the other two bodies as quickly as possible.

While the two of them were changing clothes, Wei Ran first scooped up handfuls of soil to absorb the bloodstains on the half-track motorcycle before he had time to check the contents of the small trailer.

What's infuriating about the metal notebook is that it always provides the most unnecessary things when they're least needed.

For example, right now, besides four 12-liter food thermal buckets and four 18-liter water tanks, there's also a small box of what looks like leftover tomatoes and a small sack of bread that looks like it was just baked recently.

Your uncle's
Wei Ran glanced at the wooden box containing the sesame seed cakes with fillings that he had successfully retrieved, and in the end, he could only put the box away with a sullen expression, pick up a tomato and take a big bite.

Amidst the splattering juices, he opened each of the four insulated food containers and glanced inside.

The first bucket still contained a little hot goat milk that was barely empty, while the second bucket contained about the same amount of coffee.

The third bucket contained stewed meat dishes with a thick, spicy red broth. There was quite a lot left over, a full quarter of the bucket.

The fourth bucket, which previously seemed to contain stewed meat, now contained a German mess kit soaked in broth.

As soon as Wei Ran opened it, he couldn't help but snort. Sure enough, it was filled with valuable items such as gold teeth, gold rings, and gold necklaces. There were even a few slices of bread covering these items, which seemed to be trying to cover them up.

After reattaching the insulated backpacks, Dragan and Milos, dressed in Croatian auxiliary military uniforms, emerged from the basement.

On their backs, each of them carried a Mauser rifle with a scope.

"Remove the scope."

Wei Ran immediately called out and, without saying a word, took the rifle from Dragan's shoulder, who was staring blankly at the pile of corpses, removed the scope, and then took Milos's rifle and removed the scope as well.

After securing the two rifles to the gun mounts on either side of the half-track motorcycle, Wei Ran quickly took off his overalls and used them to roll up the two scopes, hiding them inside the insulated food container.

After hiding the two mirrors, he took the uniform from Milos, shook it vigorously, put it on, and slung the submachine gun across his chest.

"Where's your suitcase?" Wei Ran asked as he tucked his trousers into his boots.

"Stay here."

Dragan withdrew his gaze from the corpses with difficulty. "Let's talk about it later."

"Then get in the car."

Wei Ran led Dragan to sit in the spot where the German soldier whose neck had just been chopped off had been. Because his right hand was injured, the bloodstains that hadn't been cleaned off were understandable.

Pulling the already tearful Milos to sit on the other half of the tracked motorcycle, Wei Ran pressed the top of Milos's head to force him to look into his eyes. "Milosh, Milos, listen to me."

You can't cry now, otherwise if it gets out, you'll ruin me and Dragan's lives.

Did you hear me? Answer me, did you hear me?

"I heard it, I heard it."

Milos wiped his eyes hard. "I won't cry anymore. I'm sorry, I won't cry anymore."

"Put on your goggles."

As Wei Ran spoke, he put a pair of goggles that he had just taken from the corpse on Milos's face. "Don't cry, we don't have much time left."

"I'm not crying anymore, I'm okay."

Milos said, his voice trembling with suppressed sobs, that he was sure he had found someone he knew among the pile of corpses.

Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Ran took the lunchbox hanging from the other person's waist, opened the insulated backpack again, filled it with a stew, and stuffed a piece of bread into his hand.

"Eat this food"

Without waiting for a reply, Wei Ran gave the order, then fastened the insulated backpack, stepped onto the half-track motorcycle, started it, and drove back onto the dirt road. "You guys need to give me directions. How do we get there? I don't know the way."

There's an intersection ahead.

Dragan's voice was weak. "Turn right from there, and as long as we don't get stopped, we'll survive."

"Where's the doctor? Where's the doctor?" Wei Ran asked as he stepped on the gas.

“After turning right, keep going straight and you’ll reach a town. There’s a doctor in that town,” Milos added.

"Sit tight," Wei Ran instructed, while also pulling up his dust mask.

The morning fog had dissipated, and visibility had improved significantly, allowing him to clearly see the road ahead.

This is both good news and bad news. Not only can he spot the checkpoints at the intersections in advance, but the enemy guarding those checkpoints can also spot them from afar.

“Listen, we need to come up with a suitable unit designation,” Wei Ran reminded him.

"Ustasha First Battalion"

Dragan immediately said, "Let's just say it like that, it'll definitely get away with it."

"Then the cooks from the Ustasha First Battalion will do."

Wei Ran added, "We deliver breakfast to the front lines. Our breakfast includes bread, goat's milk, coffee, and that kind of stew."

Shepherd's Stew

Dragan added, "That's shepherd's stew, a Croatian shepherd's stew, it's spicy, but it's delicious."

"Good luck"

Wei Ran breathed a slight sigh of relief. The vehicle had been seized from German soldiers, but they had disguised themselves as Croatian auxiliary troops.

This was originally a minor inconvenience, but the stew in the thermos made their identities seem much more plausible.

However, before he could drive his car to the intersection Dragan had just mentioned, a German medical truck pulled up behind him.

To his surprise, the car screeched to a halt in front of them, and at the same time, someone in the passenger seat stuck their arm out of the window and waved to them.

"Don't be nervous, just act naturally."

As Wei Ran slowly pressed the brake pedal, he whispered instructions, while enthusiastically raising his arm and waving to the medical vehicle in front.

"Is anyone injured?"

As the car door opened, a military doctor who looked to be in his forties or fifties jumped out and, gesturing as he spoke in somewhat broken Serbian, said, "I see that his hand looks injured."

"Yes, sir."

Wei Ran deliberately made some grammatical errors in his German and added a Serbian accent, "We're going to the front to deliver breakfast, and we'll bring him back with us. This unlucky guy got injured in the bombing."

Your German is good.

While offering insincere praise, the military doctor approached and asked, "Do you have breakfast? Could you give us some breakfast so I can help him?"

"make a deal"

Wei Ran stammered out a German word and enthusiastically extended his hand to the other person, "How many of you are there? Sir, what is your name?"

"Four people"

The medic held up four fingers. "My name is Gerhard, Gerhard Schäfer. Soldier, what's your name?"

“Victor, my name is Victor Allah.”

Wei Ran answered immediately, making his German sound more fluent, "I come from the cookhouse of the First Battalion of Ustasha."

After saying this, Wei Ran's German speaking skills plummeted once again. "Sir, we have shepherd's stew, a little milk, coffee, and of course, bread."

"Then give us one each."

Dr. Gerhard turned around and asked loudly in German, "Come down and have breakfast, and remember to take your lunchboxes."

"Quickly serve the gentlemen breakfast."

Wei Ran turned and patted Milos, who then realized what was happening. He quickly got up and jumped down, put the lunchbox in his hand on the seat, opened the insulated containers, and filled the lunchboxes of Gerhard and his three other companions with a lot of shepherd stew.

At the same time, Gerhard took the medical kit from his companion, unfolded it on the hood of the half-track, and began to clean Dragan's wounds, which was not gentle but absolutely professional and quick.

After glancing at it curiously for a few moments, Wei Ran went around to the side of the trailer and helped fill the cups of the other three German soldiers with milk or coffee. He also gave each of them two half-red and half-green tomatoes and a large piece of bread.

"What about those corpses next to that abandoned building?"

While busy with his work, Gerhard asked in his not-so-fluent Serbian, or rather Croatian, language.

"Yes"

"Let me tell you, you were in so much pain you were about to wet your pants, I was afraid you'd bite your tongue."

Wei Ran interrupted Dragan and explained in fluent Serbian, "It was probably left behind by the convoy that was escorting prisoners. We went there to check when we passed by just now. There were some older or wounded guerrillas there."

Upon hearing this, Gerhard sighed softly but said nothing. He simply beckoned two young medics to come over, hold down Dragan who had already been anesthetized, and begin treating the wound on his hand.

This makeshift roadside surgery didn't take any longer than if Wei Ran had performed it himself, and of course, Gerhard's suturing wasn't much more meticulous than if Wei Ran had done it himself.

Remember to change his dressing regularly.

As Gerhard handed some sulfonamide drugs to Wei Ran, he said in German, "Soldiers, good luck."

"Thank you for your well wishes, sir, and I wish you good luck too!"

As Wei Ran spoke in broken German, he didn't forget to give a salute.

Gerhard casually raised his hand in return, carrying a lunchbox full of food and a cup of coffee in one hand, and led his companion toward the medical vehicle in front.

Dragan and Milos both breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the medical vehicle drive away.

Let's keep going.

Wei Ran, who inexplicably thought of another German army medic friend, didn't say much, but simply urged the two of them to get in the car and sit down. He then drove the half-track behind the medical vehicle and continued forward. Soon, they saw the crossroads ahead, the checkpoint guarded by Croatian auxiliary troops, and naturally, the medical vehicle heading in a different direction.

"Remember to wave goodbye to the ambulance and express your gratitude loudly later."

As Wei Ran spoke, he increased his speed, closing the distance between the two cars and honking his horn.

It was amidst the blaring of the horn that the three of them waved enthusiastically at the ambulance and said thank you several times in Serbian. Gerhard, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the ambulance, also stuck his hand holding a spoon out the window and waved it at them.

Perhaps it was because of their familiar farewell that the soldiers guarding the intersection did not stop their half-track motorcycle.

Similarly, at Dragan's suggestion, Milos warmly tossed several packs of German cigarettes he had prepared to the guards at the crossroads, earning a string of thanks in return.

Having narrowly escaped the checkpoint, Wei Ran increased the car's speed again. "Can we meet up with the guerrillas as long as we pass through the town ahead?"

"I do not know"

Dragan replied, "Perhaps. At least we can hide in the mountains. Who knows how many people have escaped."

"Let's escape first," Wei Ran sighed.

"The gunshots in the morning."

Dragan switched to Spanish and asked, "What exactly was that gunfire?"

"Captured guerrillas and civilians"

Wei Ran also switched to Spanish, saying, "Many people have been captured; they are moving too slowly."

After saying this, Dragan fell silent with a sigh, his eyes fixed on his stitched and bandaged mutilated hand. No one knew what he was thinking.

Almost as soon as Wei Ran could see the town on the horizon, Dragan suddenly spoke up in Serbian, "That German doctor may have already realized we're imposters."

"What did you say?"

Wei Ran couldn't help but glance at Dragan sitting behind him through the rearview mirror, and even Milos became nervous.

He saw my Spanish tattoo.

Dragan shook his right forearm, which was wrapped in gauze. "I tattooed that phrase on my arm: 'Fight for your and our freedom,' but he wrapped it up with gauze."

"You really know how to make trouble for yourself," Wei Ran couldn't help but say.

He whispered "Hola" to me!

Dragan continued, "While you were helping them serve the food."

"We're so lucky!"

Wei Ran shook his head again. He had actually realized something from the sigh of the military doctor after questioning the bodies of the guerrillas and civilians.

But he never expected Dragan to make such a basic mistake, never expected him to be so lucky, and never expected the doctor to be so bold.

However, it was clear that the German medic's kind greeting, the bandage wrapped around the tattoo on his arm, and the piles of innocent corpses beside the ruined church walls left Dragan bewildered—even though he had participated in the Spanish Civil War.

As for Milos, who has fallen silent...
Wei Ran believed that he was feeling even more lost and tormented at this moment.

Like
Perhaps it's like when I first faced Hirano Aoi.
Wei Ran silently watched the town getting closer and closer, and the increasing number of German tanks, armored vehicles, and cars along the way, as well as the prisoners being escorted.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he couldn't even take out his camera and press the shutter.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Dragan pressed his uninjured hand firmly against Milos's shoulder, almost touching his ear, and said, "If it hurts, just... close your eyes."

Milos took a deep breath, but only gripped the edge of the handrail tightly, neither closing his eyes nor responding with a single word.

Amidst the roar of the engine and the agonizing torment of young Milos, Wei Ran drove the half-track smoothly through the small town that seemed to have few villagers left.

As the tracks turned, the town, which had already fallen completely, was gradually left behind until it was finally completely blocked by the verdant mountains.

However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, as their car turned onto the other side of the winding mountain road, Wei Ran's heart clenched.

The reason was simple: less than 100 meters ahead at the fork in the road, a sidecar motorcycle was parked in the shadow of the mountain.

What's worse, there were three chained dogs standing next to this sidecar motorcycle!

Just as Wei Ran saw them, one of the chained dogs raised its duty badge towards them.

"Get ready, trouble is brewing."

As Wei Ran warned those behind him, he raised his hand and waved to the chained dog in front of him, while also slowing down.

He had to slow down at this point. Of the three chained dogs, the one holding the sign was standing next to the motorcycle, another was riding on the motorcycle, but the third was sitting in the sidecar of the motorcycle, and there was an MG34 machine gun in front of him.

If he showed even the slightest abnormality at that moment, that mad dog might immediately open fire.

After he parked the vehicle, the dog, who had a duty badge in one hand and the other on his submachine gun in the other, first glanced at the army license plate on the front fender of the half-track motorcycle before asking in German, "Which unit are you from? Why did you drive here?"

“We came from the local guard and worked in the German army’s mess hall.”

While speaking fluent Serbian, Wei Ran gestured and led the other person to the trailer at the rear of the vehicle. He then opened the lid of the insulated container, pointed to the lunchbox at the other person's waist, and gestured with his head bowed as if he were eating with a spoon.

The chained dog glanced at Wei Ran, then at Milos and Dragan who had already gotten out of the car. He pointed at Dragan's hand with his duty badge, then patted his own hand with the badge, and asked in German, "What's wrong with his hand?"

Wei Ran then feigned a moment of confusion followed by sudden realization, pointed to the mountaintop, and gestured as if aiming and firing.

Then he pointed to Dragan's hand and made a "snap" sound before explaining in Serbian, "Sniper, he was wounded by the sniper. Snap! Sniper."

Perhaps because Wei Ran's gestures were so vivid and expressive, or perhaps because the aroma wafting from the thermos was so enticing, the chained dog finally turned around and said, "Come and eat, it's the mess hall's vehicle."

"Why are there three mute people today? And one of them is disabled?" said the chain dog riding on the motorcycle as he started to take out the lunchbox from his waist.

"It's probably because of the raid last night."

The chained dog that stopped the car put down its duty sign and began to take out its lunchbox from its waist.

"I think those bastards in the cooking squad are afraid of us and don't want to deal with us."

The chained dog, sitting in the sidecar, spoke with certainty. He also lowered his head and began to rummage for his lunchbox in the sidecar.

At the same time, Wei Ran and the other two also approached one of them.

"Hands on"

Before Dragan could finish speaking, he had already grasped the bayonet that had slid out of his left sleeve and plunged it straight into the neck of the chained dog riding on the motorcycle.

"Crack!"

Having been waiting for this moment, Wei Ran rushed forward and grabbed the leash dog by the neck with his arm. Using this force, he made the dog fall backward and lose its balance. At the same time, he reached around from behind with his other hand, gouged into the dog's eye socket, and twisted its neck with force.

Although Milos was young, perhaps due to the stimulation he had experienced along the way, he was now going all out.

This half-grown boy, who knew nothing about fighting, swung his arm and scratched the chained dog's face, especially around its eye socket.

Before the other party could scream, he quickly turned the grip of the machine gun and put his finger behind the trigger.

Milos may not know anything about fighting, but he knows perfectly well that there must be no gunshots at this moment.

It was precisely in those precious seconds or two that he gained that Wei Ran darted over and delivered a powerful kick to the other man's face.

"Click!"

With its spine broken, the chained dog, which was covering its eyes and about to scream in agony, went limp and fell still.

"Hurry up and change your clothes, change into their clothes!"

Without a second thought, Wei Ran urged, "And Milos, well done!"

"That kick of yours was really powerful."

Milos seemed to feel a little better after killing an enemy.

"If you want to learn, I'll teach you later," Wei Ran encouraged gently. "You can also play well."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true, but hurry up and change your clothes, these chained dog outfits are useful."

As Wei Ran spoke, he ran back to the chained dog he had killed, tearing off its clothes as he said, "If we wear this, the German soldiers will avoid us."

"My parents were burned to death by these chained dogs."

As Milos spoke, he had already circled around to the other side of the motorcycle and helped Dragan pull the chained dog off, which was not completely dead but had no strength to resist, and began to strip off his clothes.

In just about three minutes, Wei Ran was the first to change into the chain dog's full outfit and hang the shiny crescent-shaped metal tag around his neck.

Finally, he straightened the hem of his clothes, put them over the skinned, chained dog carcass, and then lifted it into the driver's seat of the half-track motorcycle.

Next, he removed the half-track trailer and attached it directly to the back of the Zundap KS750 sidecar motorcycle, also throwing the two rifles into the trailer.

After he finished his work, Milos helped Dragan change his clothes.

After helping the other party adjust the details and putting on goggles and gloves to cover the hand injury, Wei Ran then put the clothes that Dragan had taken off on the chained dog, who still had a dagger stuck in his neck.

They lifted the corpse and placed it in the back of the half-track, securing it with a belt to prevent it from falling off. Wei Ran then did the same to the last chained dog, giving it a new skin and strapping it to the back.

Finally, Wei Ran tied the wrists of the corpse in the driver's seat to the handlebars and hid a grenade under its buttocks. After starting the car, Wei Ran helped shift gears and release the clutch, letting the corpse drive the half-track motorcycle, carrying its cronies, into the forest on the other side of the mountain road.

After he saw off the three cooks who had been transferred to other jobs, Milos changed into the dog-chain uniform that was a bit too big for him.

After a leisurely look around, Wei Ran rummaged through the side boxes of the motorcycle.

"There are so many bullets in here!"

Milos exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the side boxes on either side of the sidecar; besides machine gun ammunition belts, there were also quite a few 9mm pistol rounds inside.

"Look what I found!"

Dragan, who was already seated in the sidecar, reached into the back of the sidecar and pulled out a small leather suitcase.

"It's a camera, a Robert camera."

Wei Ran recognized the box after just one glance. It wasn't surprising that the chained dogs had such a thing, after all, these beasts weren't just responsible for patrolling the intersection.

"Get in the car quickly, Milos, you sit behind me."

As Wei Ran urged him on, he had already climbed into the driver's seat, wiped away the few drops of blood remaining on the fuel tank, started the car, and then put on his goggles.

After Dragan got into the sidecar and used his uninjured left hand to hold down the machine gun, and after Milos was settled behind Wei Ran,

This heavy motorcycle, which would never have been stopped and questioned, was also easily maneuvered by Wei Ran, making a circle and continuing to run along the road, heading towards the outside of the encirclement.