War Photographer's Notebook

Something about Chapter 1932 feels off.

Led by Yalf, Wei Ran and his two companions, carrying their weapons and ammunition, took advantage of the shadows cast by the buildings and, after a frantic run, slipped into a dilapidated office building.

The upper part of the office building has collapsed. The remaining four floors are actually open to the elements, and the rest is mostly buried by the surrounding rubble.

Stepping over the jagged ruins of buildings, they entered the interior of the stronghold. After leading the three of them through partitions made of bed boards and curtains made of blankets in the corridor, they finally entered a room on the first floor whose windows were completely buried by ruins.

The room wasn't very big; four long sofas were placed in pairs, with a dusty long table in the middle.

But these pieces of furniture take up almost three-quarters of the room's space.

On the table were four Yugoslavian-made M76 sniper rifles, a box of bullets, a horseshoe watch, and a Soviet-made telescope.

Besides, in the only space near the door of the room, there were five young people dressed in civilian clothes, three men and two women, standing side by side.

The five young people were dressed differently. The oldest looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and the youngest looked to be only about twenty years old.

He noticed in particular that the two girls not only had buzz cuts, but their faces and necks were also smeared with waste engine oil, and they inevitably had a faint smell of engine oil on their bodies.

It goes without saying that this is essential for girls living in wartime—being beautiful is a cardinal sin.

"This is your recorder, Luna."

Yarf placed the ammunition boxes he had been carrying on the table and, pointing to the oldest-looking of the five young men, said in Serbian, "You can get to know the rest of you as you go."

As he spoke, he switched to heavily accented German and said to Wei Ran and the other two, "I will come to deliver supplies to you once a week. The training for these young people will not end until Christmas Eve. If all goes well, you will have the opportunity to go back and celebrate Christmas."

"It's only been half a month," Klaus said nonchalantly. "I don't think they can learn anything."

"Then I wish you a pleasant time together."

Alf didn't respond at all, and after finishing his sentence, he simply turned around and left the ruins.

Let me introduce myself.

Dragan put down his weapon and said, "I am Mr. O, this is Mr. W, and that is Mr. T."

"Hello, Mr. Three Letters."

Luna said, "They are..."

Who they are is not important.

Klaus put down his machine gun and backpack. "First, where do we rest? Second, what's the situation here?"

Finally, are you complete newbies who know nothing, or newbies who at least have some experience?

Although Klaus's attitude was a bit rude, the girl named Luna was good-natured. She pointed to the direction next door and said, "The room next door is yours. It's very close to the snipers in the surrounding mountains."

Before the war, all four of them were shooting athletes; I used to be the shooting team's medic.

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

Dragan picked up his weapon again, turned around and followed Wei Ran and Klaus as they walked towards the next room, asking questions as they went.

"Everyone has killed a sniper."

Luna, who had caught up, said, "That's why we have the opportunity to receive training."

Upon hearing this, Dragan paused for a moment, then said, "We will turn you into qualified snipers."

"Thank you," Luna said sincerely after a brief silence.

"Let's save our thanks for now, once we've survived."

Klaus, still seemingly deliberately sarcastic, said, "Let's rest first, we'll talk about the rest after dawn."

"it is good"

Luna nodded, stopped at the door of the room, and turned back to the next room.

Share your thoughts.

As Dragan spoke, he placed his weapons and backpack on one of the beds.

There were only three beds in the room, with simple curtains drawn between them.

Besides the bed, there was a large table in the room, on which there was nothing but a homemade lamp made from a car battery and a 50-liter plastic bucket filled with water.

I have no opinion.

Klaus placed his weapon on the long table and, while taking things out of his backpack, said, "But athletes should be on the field competing for gold medals."

"The Sarajevo Winter Olympics ended ten years ago," Dragan reminded her, also packing his backpack.

"If I remember correctly, there wasn't a shooting event at the Winter Olympics ten years ago," Klaus also pointed out.

"So there's nothing wrong with them being on the battlefield."

Dragan said matter-of-factly, "My dad told me about my trip to Yugoslavia."

Let's not bring up that story again.

Klaus pulled a submachine gun out of his bag and placed it on the bedside table. "I've heard it at least ten thousand times."

"All right"

Dragan, who also pulled out the same model of submachine gun, shrugged. "What's your opinion, Mr. T?"

I have no opinion.

Wei Ran sat down on the bed furthest from the door, and took out the submachine gun from his bag and placed it on the bedside table. "As long as it's a choice made by an adult, it's fine."

"makes sense"

Dragan finally ended the conversation, saying, "This godforsaken place is really cold."

"That's why I brought this."

As Klaus spoke, he pulled out an American Coleman oil stove and a matching heater from his backpack, followed by two large Coca-Cola bottles filled with kerosene.

What a coincidence!

As he spoke, Dragan pulled out a Soviet-style PT1 oil stove and two large Coca-Cola bottles from his bag, both filled with kerosene.

No wonder they were so generous with the flatbread oven this time.
Wei Ran muttered to himself, and while the two of them were pressurizing the oil stove, he also took out the contents of his backpack and checked them.

Needless to say, the clean clothes were still there, and the black tea in the kettle was still piping hot, but it inevitably had a lingering rubbery smell.

The lunchbox contained no food, but it did contain two packs of 9x39mm steel bars for the VSS silenced sniper rifle, and a tray full of 9mm pistol ammunition.

In addition, at the very bottom of the backpack, he found a piece of East German raindrop camouflage canvas, along with two first-aid kits and a whole carton of Marlboro cigarettes wrapped in the canvas.

While the two men were still busy pressurizing the oil furnace, Wei Ran took out everything that was easy to retrieve from the metal notebook and checked it over.

I don’t know if this is good news or not, but none of the props given this time were withheld. In particular, the black panther vest still had all the magazines, grenades, and directional mines attached to it, and even the double-sided camouflage boonie hat was still there.

As Wei Ran put on the boonie hat and put away his tactical vest, Dragan was the first to light the oil stove, remove the top and bottom covers of his water bottle, unscrew the cap, and place it on the stove.

At the same time, he couldn't resist complaining, "You West Germans use such fancy water bottles? Isn't it too much trouble?"

"It is indeed very fancy, but apart from the inconvenience of drinking water and the small capacity, it is actually very practical."

As Klaus spoke, he lit the oil stove and placed the heater on it. The room gradually became warmer and brighter as the heater heated up.

"It's inconvenient to even drink water, and the water bottle, which has a small capacity, is basically garbage."

As Dragan spoke, Klaus took out the kettle, removed the two-piece cup set, and placed it on the stove.

“Mr. T, do you need your kettle heated?” Klaus asked, “That way I can at least get a good night’s sleep.”

"I don't need to."

Wei Ran declined the other party's offer, saying, "I'm going to check on those newbies next door."

"You've taken a liking to that girl named Luna?"

Klaus asked with a hint of gossip, "Although her face is dirty, she does look like a pretty girl."

"You have excellent eyesight."

Wei Ran shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and opened the door to go next door.

The room had no door or curtain, so he simply stood at the doorway and used the dim light from the only candle lamp on the long table to get a sense of what was inside.

In this room, five young men and women were huddled together on beds made of sofas pushed together on either side of a table, wrapped tightly in blankets, shivering to ward off the chill of the harsh winter.

Apart from the candle lamp on the table, there was nothing else in the room that could be used to keep warm.

“Mr. T, is there anything I can help you with?” Luna, the recorder, was the first to notice him.

"nothing"

Wei Ran waved his hand, turned around and went back to the next room, knocking on the door.

"What's wrong?" Dragan and Klaus instinctively grabbed the submachine guns from the bedside table.

"Come and take a look," Wei Ran said, pointing to the next room with his thumb.

Dragan and Klaus quickly walked out of the room and glanced at the five bewildered young people next door. They exchanged a look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, would you mind squeezing in a bit?"

Dragan asked, noticing Klaus's exasperated expression, "We brought a heater."

“Sir, we are not foster women, so we are afraid we cannot sleep with you,” Luna said warily.

"We have no interest in doing anything with you in this environment."

Klaus snorted and turned back to the next room.

You'll find out soon enough.

Dragan said, then turned and went back to the next room.

“Just like they said, you’ll see in a bit.” With that, Wei Ran returned to the next room. Almost simultaneously, Klaus walked in, carrying a still-sizzling oil stove in one hand and a dark red heater on a bayonet in the other, and placed the heater on the long table in the middle.

Following closely behind, Dragan, wearing gloves, also came over carrying two kettles, while behind him, Wei Ran carried the small oil stove.

Once all these things were placed on the table and began to release their warmth, the five young men and women in the room finally received the kindness of Wei Ran and his companions.

"If you've already determined that we're not customers, then hurry up and come help us." Klaus's tone still carried a hint of arrogance—similar to old Junker's arrogance.

"What do we need to do?"

The three young men were the first to jump off the sofa and ask, followed closely by Luna and another girl.

"Of course, it's for moving things."

As Dragan walked toward the next room, he said matter-of-factly.

With the help of these five young men and women, Wei Ran and his two companions' weapons and backpacks were moved over, as were the foam mattresses on the beds. Even the curtains and bed boards between the three beds were removed to block the door and the broken window.

After everything was finished, the room finally warmed up, and the water in the two kettles on the stove was boiled.

"Bring all your water bottles over here."

Klaus asked, "Also, given that it's as pure and simple as a monastery dormitory, where will the three of us sleep?"

After he said that, the five young men and women couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, please sleep here. We don't take up much space," Luna said apologetically. "We misunderstood you."

"Let's squeeze in with the young men."

Dragan said, “Make room for us yourselves, and also bring out your water bottles.”

Although they didn't understand why, the young men and women still took out their water bottles from their pockets.

Interestingly, they were using Soviet paratrooper canteens, and these canteens, wrapped in towels, were still warm.

They skillfully unscrewed the kettles one by one and put them back on the oil stove to heat them. Two of the three young men also stepped on the table and moved the kettles to the sofa on the girls' side.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Wei Ran leaned back on the soft sofa, covered himself with a blanket he had brought from next door, and asked.

"I've already eaten," Luna, who was sitting opposite her, replied.

"When?" Klaus asked.

Before dark

The young man squeezed between Dragan and Wei Ran answered.

"That means they didn't eat."

As Wei Ran spoke, he took out four compressed biscuits from his bag and gave one to the person opposite him, and another to the young man next to him.

"Thank you"

The young man, who was half-lying next to Wei Ran, said somewhat reservedly.

Tell me your names.

Dragan asked as he increased the heat of the oil furnace.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Klaus asked.

"It won't take much time to get to know each other."

Dragan was far more friendly than Klaus, extending his hand to the young man between him and Wei Ran, "Let's start with you, what's your name?"

“My name is Damir Popovic.” The young man paused and then added, “I’m 22 years old, a member of the Sarajevo shooting team, and I train in the 50-meter rifle.”

Luna, the recorder opposite Luna Blatovic, spoke first, "I'm 25 years old and I'm the team doctor."

"Zorana Kadicci"

Another girl, squeezed to the very back by Luna, said, "I'm 21 years old, also from the shooting team, and I shoot skeet targets."

Emil Blatovich

The young man on Luna's other side said, "I'm Luna's younger brother, and I'm also on the shooting team. I'm 23 years old and shoot 25-meter pistols."

Goran Petrovich

The last young man said, "I'm also 22 years old, and I also shoot clay pigeons."

"If I had known earlier that this was the kind of student, I should have offered a higher price."

Klaus switched to German and complained, "How can you become a sniper by shooting at clay pigeon targets?"

"At least their reaction time should be pretty good."

Dragan put on gloves and, while distributing the boiling water to five young men and women, spoke in German as well.

"It would be best if," Klaus said, his tone still carrying a strange sense of resistance.

Dragan, however, didn't seem to care. As he turned off the Soviet oil stove, he switched to Serbian and said, "Alright, we know a little about you now. Eat your biscuits and drink some water first, then get some rest once you're full."

"Mr. O, shouldn't it be turned off?"

Luna pointed with concern to the American-style oil stove on the table and the heater it was scorching, and asked, "We don't have much fuel left."

"Don't worry, we brought enough fuel."

As Dragan spoke, he turned off the homemade headlight made from a car battery and turned down the heat of the American-style oil stove before lying down and covering himself with a blanket.

For a moment, the only sounds in the still not very warm room were the hissing of the oil stove and the red light emitted by the heater and the burner.

The five young men and women exchanged glances and then looked tacitly at the oil stove used for heating on the table.

Finally, they stuffed the compressed biscuits they had just received, along with the scalding hot water bottle that had been re-wrapped in towels and other items, back into their arms.

Having endured the hardships of a siege for long enough, they understood the value of food and fuel far better than Dragan and Klaus.

Wei Ran, the only one who truly understood them and had also suffered the pain of being besieged, remained silent throughout.

He probably understood the value of food and fuel better than these young men and women.

That's why he gave them five compressed biscuits—for those suffering from hunger, that small compressed biscuit was the hope of survival.

"They seem different from the mercenaries of the rumors."

Across the long table, the youngest, Zorana, whispered in Luna's ear, "I thought..."

"Don't let your guard down," Luna whispered a reminder. "Go to sleep."

Zorana paused for a moment, then nodded, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and closed her eyes while holding the water bottle and compressed biscuits that were constantly releasing heat.

That night, the occasional mortar shells kept Wei Ran from sleeping soundly.

Amidst the torment of being forcibly awakened from time to time, Wei Ran was finally woken not by the cannon fire outside, but by the horseshoe-shaped clock on the table.

"What time is the alarm?" Klaus asked, yawning as he got up.

"Six o'clock"

Luna, who had also gotten up, replied, "We go out to find fuel at this time every day."

Let's not waste time on this kind of thing today.

Dragan urged, "Grab your guns, grab your bullets, and your brains, let's go upstairs and try our luck."

After saying this, the four young men and women, apart from Luna, became excited. They each grabbed their weapons, took a handful of bullets from the box, and ran out of the room excitedly.

Dragan glanced at the oil stove, which had been deliberately extinguished at some point, picked up his sniper rifle, and said in German, "I feel like something's not right."

"Are you referring to this training mission? Or these young people?" Klaus switched to German and lowered his voice.

I can't explain it.

Dragan shook his head. "I'm just a little uneasy. Something feels off."

"We were sent in, but only to carry out teaching tasks."

Wei Ran also switched to German, "And judging from what that Alf said yesterday, there were less than 30 people sent in."

“What are you trying to say?” Klaus asked.

"What if sending them in to teach is just an excuse?" Wei Ran asked as he put on the reversible camouflage boonie hat.

"You mean, there are other tasks waiting for us?"

Dragan lowered his voice instinctively. Less than 30 people might not seem like much, but it was enough to do something.

It was at this thought that Dragan and Klaus subconsciously looked at the silenced submachine gun on the table, and they finally realized that something was wrong—this gun was a self-defense weapon that they were required to carry.

Is it necessary for snipers to carry silenced weapons?
Dragan and Klaus exchanged a glance. There was only one situation that required it: close combat, and when it was necessary to kill silently.

“It seems Mr. T was right,” Dragan said.

"I'm here to make money, not to be cannon fodder," Klaus subtly warned, "especially without prior notice."

"Keep your nerves on edge."

As Dragan spoke, he ripped off the cover of his SVD gun. "I didn't intend to be cannon fodder either."

What a coincidence!

Wei Ran, having put on his boonie hat, chuckled and murmured, his smile radiant.

"The next question is whether these young people can be trusted," Klaus said, making a throat-slitting gesture.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Dragan mumbled indistinctly.