War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 2003 Finale
In a side hall of Wuliang Temple, the old Taoist priest was already in tears as he looked at the interpretation of the divination.

"You...you wait for me here." The old Taoist priest said, already leaning on his cane and walking unsteadily out of the side hall.

"Zhi Qiu, you...you're a People's Liberation Army soldier now?" Wei Ran asked, seizing the opportunity.

"Ok!"

Xu Zhiqi nodded proudly, "I joined the army in 47, just in time for the tail end of the Liberation War, but our troops were about to enter the Korean War."

I was worried I wouldn't make it back alive, so I took leave to visit my family before I left, just to make a special trip, so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

"You want to go to the eczema?" Wei Ran's heart sank, and he subconsciously wanted to dissuade the other party.

But before he could speak, he abandoned the idea, knowing that these people wouldn't listen to his advice.

"Our 38th Army was among the first batch!"

Xu Zhiqi answered immediately with increasing pride, and Wei Ran sighed again. He didn't even dare to guess whether this young soldier named Xu Zhiqi would survive the war that followed.

In just a short while, the Taoist priest returned carrying a rough porcelain jar covered in dust.

"This is red sorghum liquor that I brewed myself after my senior brothers, junior brothers, and uncles set off. I've been planning to drink it when they come back."

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he broke the seal on the wine jar and tore off the red cloth covering the mouth of the pool and the lotus leaves inside.

Almost simultaneously, the young Taoist priest who looked to be about the same age as Xu Zhiqi also walked in carrying a stack of rough porcelain bowls.

"My junior brother said to drink three large bowls of wine, so let's drink three large bowls of wine."

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he filled the rough porcelain bowl that his young apprentice had just set out with wine.

You drink too.

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he filled two more wine bowls and said, "If the country is ever in trouble in the future, you should follow the example of your senior uncles, grand-uncles, and grandmasters."

"Now our country is going to fight the American devils in Chaozhou," the young Taoist priest said subconsciously.

"Do you want to go?" The old Taoist priest continued the conversation with a smile after pouring a full glass of wine.

"Yes, I've wanted to go for a long time!" the young Taoist priest quickly replied.

"Dare to go?" The old Taoist priest pressed down on the full wine bowl.

"Anyone who doesn't dare is a little dog!"

The young Taoist's subconscious response reminded Wei Ran of Zhao Shouxian in his childhood.

"Hahaha, good! Good! Great!"

The old Taoist priest laughed heartily as he raised his wine bowl. "Come on! The first bowl of wine! To celebrate the end of the war! Cheers!"

"Dry!"

Wei Ran, Xu Zhiqi, and the young Taoist priest raised their wine bowls and clinked them together with the old Taoist priest, responding in unison. Then, together with the old Taoist priest, they drank the nearly 20-year-old aged wine in their bowls in one gulp.

Setting down his wine bowl, the old Taoist priest picked up the remaining bowl of wine from the table and gently poured it onto the floor of the side hall.

He then refilled each bowl with wine and raised it again, saying, "The second bowl is to celebrate the people's prosperity! Cheers!"

"Dry!"

Everyone picked up their wine bowls again and drank them down in one gulp. The old Taoist priest also poured another bowl of wine on the ground and then personally refilled it.

"The third bowl brings peace to the world! Cheers!"

"Dry!"

After drinking the third bowl of wine, the old Taoist priest poured another bowl of wine on the ground.

"I just heard that you are going to fight in Korea?" the old Taoist priest asked Xu Zhiqi.

Xu Zhiqi nodded.

My little apprentice is 20 years old this year.

The old Taoist priest said gently, “His parents were killed by the Japanese devils. I took him in and raised him in this Taoist temple for 17 years. Young comrade, take him with you. It’s time for him to leave the mountain and cultivate himself.”

"He might not come back," Xu Zhiqi said, his tone, expression, and attitude becoming much more serious.

“My senior uncles, senior brothers, and junior brothers haven’t returned either, but look, Wuliang Temple is still here.”

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he picked up the kalachakra on the table, carefully putting them one by one into the small bag, then tied it tightly and handed it to his young apprentice. "Go on, wait for you to come back, and your master will play with these kalachakra with you. If you don't come back, then so be it."

Master, please take care.

As the young Taoist priest spoke, he carefully arranged the whisk in his hand and placed it on the table. He then took off his Taoist robe and stuffed the small bag of Galaha into his pocket.

"Let me take a picture of you," Wei Ran suggested. "I brought my camera, let me take a picture of you."

"Alright, let's take one then."

The old Taoist priest seemed much more at ease at this moment, letting his young apprentice, who was about to leave the mountain, help him to the outside of the hall. Standing in front of the main hall, he gently put his arm around his apprentice's shoulder and asked Wei Ran to take a group photo of the master and apprentice.

"Let me take a picture of you too," Wei Ran said, looking at Xu Zhiqi.

"it is good"

As Xu Zhiqi spoke, he subconsciously straightened his military cap and top button, and then stretched the hem of his shirt. He then stood up straight and let Wei Ran press the shutter button on his camera.

"Are you Wei Ran?" Xu Zhiqi asked abruptly just as Wei Ran was putting the camera away.

"You know me?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

My brother-in-law mentioned you to me when he was alive.

Xu Zhiqi said, "He said you like taking pictures, and you don't forget to take pictures even when you're fighting Japanese devils on the battlefield. He said you bring a monkey with you when you beg for food."

“Yes,” Wei Ran smiled bitterly.

"I'm about to set off," Xu Zhiqi said, already stepping towards the gate of the Taoist temple.

"I will definitely come back," Wei Ran pleaded.

"Okay!" Xu Zhiqi readily agreed, her response so resolute.

"Wait for me"

Just as Wei Ran was about to say something, the young Taoist priest who had just kowtowed to his master caught up with Xu Zhi Qiu and walked out of the mountain gate. He then turned around and bowed to his master again.

"Go on, kill more Japanese devils." The old Taoist priest waved his hand gently, watching his young apprentice disappear from sight.

But the next second, the old Taoist priest slumped against the door frame and slid down to sit, and the next second he was already in tears again.

Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Ran silently raised his camera and pressed the shutter button on the old Taoist priest, which resulted in a burst of white light that made him flee from this place.

As he waited wearily, the white light gradually faded, and the first thing he smelled was the aroma of wine, tea, and the unique fragrance of scallion pancakes.

The next moment, he found himself sitting in a small shop. Not far from the counter stood an old gentleman who looked to be over sixty, while behind the counter was a man who looked to be around thirty years old, busy calculating with an abacus.

At this moment, on the counter, besides a large abacus, there was a large teapot and two large bowls. Outside the window, a loudspeaker filled with echoes was broadcasting information about the battlefield of Chaomo.

"They've started fighting again. Those two soldiers who bought drinks on credit back then still haven't come back. I bet they've forgotten they still owe me money for drinks?" The old shopkeeper sighed as he dusted off the counter with a feather duster.

"Maybe they didn't survive. This is all... Hey! Dad! Don't hit me!"

Before the man behind the counter could finish speaking, the old man outside had already struck his arm and back with a feather duster, causing the man to grimace in pain and beg for mercy.

"I'll beat you to death, you filthy bastard who can't utter a single tusk!"

As the old man spoke, he had already blocked his son behind the counter and gave him two more hard slaps on the tip of his buttocks.

"Father, don't wait anymore."

The man behind the counter waited until his father calmed down before saying, "It's not easy to survive one battle after another."

"Let's wait, let's keep waiting."

The old man put down the feather duster in his hand and sighed, "If it weren't for them, we'd probably be working like animals for the Japanese devils right now. Pour the wine."

"Hey!"

The man behind the counter finally agreed, taking out a small wine pot and two small wine cups, filling them with wine, as if waiting for the person who used to drink on credit to come in and have a drink.

Meanwhile, Wei Ran, who had been silently observing, tried to speak, stand up, or even turn around again and again, but to no avail. He could only silently raise his camera and press the shutter on the father and son looking out the window, once again receiving a strong white light.

Finally, when the white light faded, he returned to his world, back to the basement of the Time Library on the shore of Lake Kaban in Kazan.

However, when he looked at the metal notebook, he found that the quill pen had not written anyone's name. Instead, it had started a new page and written new blood-red text:

终幕
Mission objective: Torture and kill Masami Furutani and all his family members, and find the safe that Masami Furutani has hidden.

Under Wei Ran's astonished gaze, the metal quill pen then provided a set of coordinates and a detailed address located in Kumamoto, the heart of the city.

This time, the quill pen even drew a portrait sketch in exceptional detail.

But after this sketch, there was a countdown of only 100 hours!
Who is this person?

Wei Ran reacted for a moment when the metal quill struck the paper. He then forgot all his curiosity and quickly copied down the address and coordinates, and took a picture of the sketch.

"Who could you be?" Wei Ran murmured to himself, looking at the sketch on the page.

He was certain that he had never seen this person before, nor had he ever heard anyone mention him in those previous scenes.

But now, this person has not only become the target of the final act, but has also been ordered by the living father of the book to "torture" and "exterminate" his entire family.

So, did I miss something?

Wei Ran continued to ponder. Based on his understanding of that living father book over the years, it was objective and fair enough, but at the same time, it strictly adhered to the game rule of "repaying grudges and settling scores".

If that's the case, then this Masami Furutani, whom I've never even heard of, must have committed some absolutely unforgivable crime that goes far beyond the war itself.

Thinking of this, Wei Ran's eyes turned much colder. The only person he could think of who deserved such a retaliatory act from the metal notebook was Jinling.

Only what Masami Ootani did in Jinling could probably qualify him to be specifically singled out by that living ancestor and nailed to the final kill list—in a torture-like manner.

In a flash, Wei Ran guessed a possibility: this person might be directly related to the Xu family's near-annihilation.
Thinking of this, he hurriedly put away the metal notebook and left the underground storage room. He then called to Belial, the dog lying at the door, to walk along the underground corridor to the villa next door. At the same time, he sent a message to Anfia.

Before long, Anfia walked from the ground into the villa.

Wei Ran gestured for the other person to sit down on the sofa, saying, "Do me a favor."

"whats the matter?"

As Anfia spoke, she pulled out her notebook, a more primitive but safer method than electronic devices.

"Send a clean enough person to this address and find this person."

Wei Ran handed the address and coordinates he had just copied down, along with the sketch of the person he had taken a picture of, to the other person.

“No problem,” Anfia readily agreed.

With a detailed address and even a sketch of the target mission, even Belial could find the other party, let alone the Hela organization.
"This person is hiding a safe. Find it."

Wei Ran paused, "Then kill him and his entire family, in the most painful way."

Upon hearing this, Anfia was taken aback. This was the first time Wei Ran had made such a request, which made her subconsciously tense up. She stood up and replied, "Yes!"

"go"

Wei Ran waved his hand, "Don't let any of them get away, and make sure the aftermath is clean."

"it is good"

As Anfia spoke, she handed the phone back to Wei Ran, turned around, and hurriedly walked out of the villa.

Gently rubbing his face, Wei Ran, exhausted both physically and mentally, temporarily suppressed the various strange speculations in his mind, turned around, went upstairs into his bedroom, took a hot shower, changed his clothes, ran to the second floor of the library to say hello to Sui Sui who was busy working, made an excuse to go camping, and drove away from home with his dog Belial.

That evening, as he set up his tent, lit a campfire, and prepared a meal at his private campsite deep in the forest outside Jima's village, Anfia arrived in a civilian armored vehicle driven by Lyubov.

"Found it?" Wei Ran said, pouring the other person a glass of baijiu he had brought from home.

Anfia raised her glass to clink with her boss's, downed it in one gulp, and then replied, "Found him. We just caught the last member of his family."

"Have some food, and we can talk slowly," Wei Ran said, handing the other person the only two spicy rabbit heads he had.

"Thank you"

As she spoke, Anfia skillfully broke open the rabbit's head, tore off a small piece of meat, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then, while eating, she said, "Masami Fukutani is already 80 years old."

"80 years old?" Wei Ran looked up at the other person in surprise.

"His health condition is fairly good."

Anfia stated, "Including his third wife, he has a total of 11 direct relatives with the surname Ootori, the youngest being this year."

"Get to the point," Wei Ran reminded him.

"After interrogation"

Anfia said, "Masami Fukutani admitted that his father had participated in the invasion of China and the Nanjing Tusa Incident."

"Anything else?" Wei Ran asked expressionlessly.

“We found two cameras and a photo album in his safe,” Anfia said. “We also learned that his father did not return to China after the defeat in 1945, but went to Xidu in China.”

"Xidu?!" Wei Ran put down the wine glass he had just picked up.

"That's right"

Anfia said, "His father died in Xidu in 1946. Masami Furutani entered the media industry after coming of age and has been working to whitewash the Nanjing Massacre. His son and grandson are also in the media industry and share the same political stance as him."

"Return the photo album and camera."

Wei Ran said, "Kill them all from childhood to adulthood in the most painful way, let them watch, let's begin."

"it is good"

Anfia readily agreed, took out her phone, found a chat interface, and sent a little fox holding a knife emoji.