War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 2040 Seeds do not represent justice.

In a building not far from the satellite launch site on Coconut Island in China, Apoli, who looked 30 years younger, was wearing a slightly outdated suit and quietly listening to Xia Shushi's father's introduction of the entire experimental process, accompanied by Xia Shushi, Wei Ran, and Sui Sui.

Frankly speaking, when professional terms came out of Xia Shushi's father's mouth in Russian, Wei Ran, Sui Sui, and of course Xia Shushi, who had just returned from France the day before, were mostly bewildered.

I don’t understand, I really don’t understand.

As for Apoli, he nodded repeatedly as Old Xia spoke, and from time to time he would ask some professional questions that left Wei Ran and Sui Sui completely bewildered.

How come your dad speaks Russian?

Wei Ran then whispered a question to Xia Shushi, who was standing beside him and also couldn't understand anything.

“My father had a Russian mentor,” Xia Shushi replied in a low voice, “who came from Russia.”

"Oh--"

"Isn't this your family's security captain? What's up?"

"That's just a side job," Wei Ran said casually. "I heard Qin Qi is about to give birth?"

"Next month," Xia Shushi said smugly, "you and Her Majesty the Queen will have to send some decent gifts then."

"What are you planning to give as a gift for Luo Luo's one-month celebration?" Wei Ran asked tentatively.

"You, a great scholar, still lack those three melons from me."

“Photographer, I am a photographer now,” Wei Ran corrected.

"Go play with the eggs," Xia Shushi muttered under his breath.

"That's roughly the experimental procedure, Mr. Apoli. We're about to launch, let's move to the observation deck."

Just then, Comrade Lao Xia also extended an invitation.

Upon hearing this, Xia Shushi and Wei Ran stopped arguing and obediently followed behind Apoli towards the observation platform with Sui Sui.

Whether by coincidence or deliberate arrangement, besides them, there were also many children wearing red scarves watching the launch from this observation platform.

"Will the spark be sent to your space station?" Apoli asked, staring blankly at the rocket in the far distance outside the window.

"Yes, Comrade Apoli."

Comrade Xia proudly stated, "It will conduct a series of space experiments on our space station to demonstrate its feasibility. In the future, it may be sent to the moon and Mars."

"You have accomplished something that even the Soviet Union had not done."

Apoli's tone was full of melancholy and regret, "But in any case, at least it got into space."

At this point, Apolly glanced at Wei Ran with satisfaction, then looked at the chattering children around him, and said with a smile, "Now that the term 'Soviet Union' has become history, I am very happy that the flame of revolution has been rekindled."

At the same time, I am even more grateful that the spark was refueled in your space station, rather than being used by NASA or ESA to fraudulently obtain research funding.

Regardless, she is still, at least, a spark of red flame, which is perhaps the best solace for those who protected that flame back then.

"Although the Soviet Union is history, communism will not."

Wei Ran looked at the rocket waiting to launch outside, then at the children, and said firmly, "Never."

"Never," Apoli murmured with equal conviction.

Just then, a countdown began over the loudspeaker, and everyone perked up.

At Wei Ran's prompting, Xia Shushi and Sui Sui silently followed him back a few steps, and he also raised the Pentax camera that he had been holding.

"3, 2, 1, Launch!"

As the massive launch vehicle outside the window began its ascent amidst a deafening roar and flames, Comrade Xia, with his back to them and his hands clasped behind his back, exuded confidence and composure, the words "China Aerospace" printed on the back of his launch-blue work uniform.

But next to him, Apoli seemed to have aged decades in an instant, appearing completely out of place with everything around him.

"salute!"

From among those little bean sprouts, a tender voice shouted loudly, and the classmates around him also gave a Young Pioneers salute in unison.

Almost subconsciously, Apoli, who could understand some Chinese, raised his arm to send his old friends off on their long-overdue, romantic space colonization.

"Crack!"

Wei Ran finally managed to capture the silhouettes of all three generations in the viewfinder and pressed the shutter.

As the launch process, along with the star and the spark, completely disappeared from sight, Apolly slowly lowered his arm and then sighed wearily.

"Are you planning to explore China next?" Wei Ran asked at the opportune moment.

“I do plan to do some sightseeing in China, but I don’t need you to come with me.” Apoli waved his hand. “I’ll just wander around by myself.”

"Alright"

Wei Ran nodded and stopped insisting. He and Sui Sui and the others said goodbye to Comrade Xia who had brought them down, and then, led by Xia Shushi, got into a minivan.

As the car drove away, Xia Shushi spoke in Russian, which still contained some grammatical errors but was at least able to express himself clearly, "Mr. Apolly, are you planning to spend a few days on Coconut Island?"

"Let's leave it at that."

Apoli waved his hand, "I plan to go to Chengdu to see how things are there. I visited China in 08, and I want to see how the post-disaster reconstruction is going more than a decade later."

"In that case, let me arrange your itinerary," Xia Shushi offered his goodwill.

"Then I'll trouble you," Apoli readily accepted Xia Shushi's offer.

"What's wrong with you two?" Xia Shushi switched back to Chinese.

"Since Grandpa and Qiqi are both in Bincheng, we won't stay any longer."

Wei Ran and Sui Sui exchanged a glance and said, "You should go back and take care of them as soon as possible."

“My mom and Qiqi’s parents are both here,” Xia Shushi said. “In that case, let’s get together again after the baby is born.”

"Okay."

As Wei Ran spoke, he handed a USB drive to Xia Shushi, "Well, they found some more things at your house. The address is here. Go get it and take it to your attic."

"My attic is connected to a treasure chest! How come I keep finding things there?"

"Who knows what's going on in your attic?" Wei Ran said, shoving the USB drive in his hand into the other person's hand.

Xia Shushi accepted the USB drive with a wry smile. Over the past year, as more and more things were discovered in his attic, he had become a well-known historian in China.

Even online, many busybodies frequently compare him to Wei Ran.

As for the results, the general consensus is that they are evenly matched in their professional fields, but their backgrounds are far inferior.

Of course, Xia Shushi himself knew his own situation. If it weren't for Wei Ran, the photographer who has almost disappeared from the internet these days, reminding him from time to time of the various forgotten things in his attic, garage, and non-existent basement, he probably wouldn't have been plastered to the wall so quickly and couldn't be pried off.

"What's going on this time?" Xia Shushi asked, putting away the USB drive.

“A veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Chaozhou might be a comrade-in-arms of your old man.”

As Wei Ran spoke, he took out another USB drive with a different design and handed it to Apoli. "Mr. Apoli, please give this USB drive to Mr. Calp. It contains a brand new script." "Can I know which war it is?" Apoli asked curiously as he took the USB drive.

"It's the story of a young sniper named Oleg."

Looking out the car window at the tropical scenery under the bright sunshine, Wei Ran absentmindedly explained, "He is from Stalingrad, and he participated in the Battle of Stalingrad and survived."

After the Battle of Stalingrad, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, Second Class, for Partisan Fighters in the Great Patriotic War.

“He’s lucky,” Apoli commented.

"Yes, it was really lucky to survive the Battle of Stalingrad."

Wei Ran withdrew his gaze and attention, cleared his throat, and continued, "In October 1943, he was killed in the Battle of Chicken Rot. Luckily, I asked Greva's men to find his grave on the outskirts of Chicken Rot."

Judging by the timeline, his remains have probably already been moved back to Volgograd.

“So this is the script?” Apoli asked.

“That’s right,” Wei Ran nodded.

"You don't need to rush to send it back. Just enjoy your trip in China. Even if the studio wanted to film it, they wouldn't have a slot available for at least a year."

Sui Sui added, reminding him that just like Wei Ran, although he is now the director of a photography studio, he is actually still the historical consultant for the film studio.

Although she is now essentially semi-retired under the guise of pursuing a master's degree and a doctorate in the future, she is still responsible for some decision-making work at the two film studios, one domestic and one international.

“I will remember to pass it on to Culp,” Apoli promised.

"Do you still plan to return to the wilderness rescue station after your trip?" Sui Sui asked, prompted by Wei Ran.

"Good boy, I know what you want to say."

Apoli said gently, "I will return to Kazan after my trip is over."

“In that case, how about you take on the role of principal for that bilingual kindergarten?” Sui Sui asked immediately.

“Okay,” Apoli readily agreed.

"You're not allowed to run away this time."

"of course not"

Apoli readily promised, "I've heard that the ladies you sent are very good at taking care of children. So don't worry, I won't run away again."

"I hope not," Wei Ran muttered to himself.

At the same time, the portable hard drive that had been handed over to Wei Ran before he returned from France had already been distributed to the reborn Charon and the Fertilizer Organization through the Hela Organization.

"let's start"

In the basement of the library on the shores of Lake Kaban in Kazan, Lyubov, in place of Wei Ran, typed on a keyboard and issued an order in an instant anonymous chat box: "In the name of the 8th Organization, hunt down every target on the list."

They interrogated them in the bloodiest way to extract all their secrets and possessions, and then sent the eye soaps they made to their most cherished family members.

We must become their nightmares, so that our shadows will appear in every nightmare they have for the rest of their lives.

"receive"

A series of emotionless responses popped up in this chat box that didn't display any member information at all.

On this day, in fragmented Europe, forgotten Africa, and even the Americas and Australia, one after another people with seemingly glamorous identities disappeared without warning from the sight of those around them.

A few days later, international parcels were transported to all parts of the world through the secret logistics channels behind the 28 Stars Chain Cafe, and then sent into the local logistics system, arriving at the doorsteps of families in a completely legal and traceable manner, but without any useful information.

Amid exclamations and cries, an invisible and intangible net of kobu cloth was cast over the heads of every member of a particular organization.

"Are we doing something just?"

In Paris, on the top floor of the Parade Jewelry store, the chief designer, the once overweight Alain, asked while wiping a dagger.

“Why ask such a stupid question?” asked Gaspard, Alan’s father and the founder of Parade Jewelry.

“Everything that’s happened these past few days has been so bloody, I’m honestly a little scared,” Alan said truthfully.

"We don't need to represent justice."

The no-longer-young Gaspard cautioned, "Unless you want to be a fool who wears red underwear on the outside or black underwear on his head."

“Then what do we represent?” Alan pressed.

"Of course it's fear."

Gaspard answered without hesitation, his reply tinged with nostalgia: "We represent fear, and only fear."

As for whether something is just or unjust, those are things that don't need to be self-proclaimed.

"Why?" Alan asked instinctively.

"Because truly righteous people are not afraid of the fear we bring."

As Gaspard spoke, he handed the other man a pistol with a silencer attached. "And since we're doing these things in the name of the 8th Division, it's obvious who our enemy is."

They should be grateful for our mercy as long as we didn't send them to Auschwitz for a repeat of World War II.

“What a hellish joke,” Alan said, taking the pistol.

"We are Charon"

Gaspard concluded with a warning, "Our ship can only go to hell, my boy. Don't waste any more time. Be back before dawn."

"Do not worry"

As Alan spoke, he turned and walked out of the room.

That night, in the chaos of Paris, more people disappeared into the darkness.

"This historian is truly frightening."

In an office building in China, an old man looked at the statistical data in his hand and exclaimed in admiration, "It hasn't been that long, yet we've achieved so much!"

"Isn't that a bit too scary?"

"I just came back with Wei Ran not long ago," asked Brother Liu.

"Only decisive measures can reveal a compassionate heart."

The person sitting behind the desk commented, "Besides, what evidence do you have that he did these things?"

"I have no evidence."

Brother Liu immediately understood, "I have no idea what's on the hard drive that woman gave him, and besides, these kinds of things didn't happen in China."

"Why bother worrying about that?"

The old man behind the desk had already stuffed the paper document into the shredder as he spoke. "Back then, it wasn't us who sent those unlucky guys to the furnace to be refined. The grievances have their perpetrators, and the debts have their debtors. Let them go find whoever they want."