A heartbeat, a lifetime

Chapter 41
It has been almost a week since I came to Swiya.

There are all kinds of mosquitoes in the jungle, and the film crew hired a middle-aged guide locally.The guide is nice, with dark skin and thick lips, he looks very simple and honest, but occasionally, he will slyly ask us for some tips.Overall, everyone gets along well.He carefully told us which mosquito bites are harmless, and which ones need attention, which are extremely poisonous and may even transmit serious diseases such as dengue fever.

I armed myself from start to finish, and I kept getting caught.Colleagues are in the same trousers and shirts as me, but in a much better situation than me.I gritted my teeth and scratched the itch, but the big red packets on my body didn't decrease, and pus even formed. No matter how much cooling oil I applied, it didn't help, and it didn't shrink in two or three days.

In addition to mosquitoes and hot weather, as well as local hygiene habits, there is a more obvious fact here.

——It's really not safe.

On the way to the hotel, you can see the residential houses and fences on both sides of the street, and there are mottled bullet craters everywhere. The guide who came to pick us up shrugged and said: "There was a gun battle here yesterday. You know, it's like this here, usually Try not to wander around, especially women." His eyes finally fell on me, and I couldn't help shivering in such a hot weather.

I didn't know the meaning of this sentence until later, because Lao Wang got a document from somewhere, which stated how many young girls were violated in this turbulent country, and the rate was shocking.

"I don't take a shower, I'm messy, it's safer, right?" I comforted myself and said to Lao Wang.

Lao Wang was rarely serious, "So hurry up and finish the filming and go back to China."

"Have you been in more dangerous situations before?" I wondered.

Usually Lao Wang talked about his great achievements, but these two days he was in a bad mood and didn't talk nonsense with me.Because there is one thing that bothers the whole team, which is the underestimation of the complexity of the shooting environment.

A bird's-eye view was originally set in the special draft of "The Destruction Speed ​​of the Swiya Tropical Rainforest is the World's No. [-]".The most ideal time to shoot is in the early morning, under the canopy of a huge tree towering as high as the sky in the tropical rainforest, to capture the first ray of sunlight through the leaves of the scene.

But none of us expected that the trees in the tropical rainforest are so incredibly tall.

The guide took us to find broad-leaved trees with ideal light angles.

The two trees grow side by side on the fertile and moist soil, and each tree needs seven or eight people to embrace it, and the height is so high that you can't see the end when you look up.The branches and leaves of the big trees are so luxuriant that they are like a huge green net, covering most of the light, and the sunlight penetrates down, leaving mottled and small spots of light.

I asked the guide how tall it was. He compared it for a long time, and I knew about it. It was about 20 floors high.

Standing under the tree, in addition to lamenting the magic of creation, we also immediately felt the insignificance of ourselves.

Even Pharaoh, who was used to seeing big scenes, felt excited, and immediately began to arrange the boom tools, but the boom kept rising until it reached the limit...but it just reached the center of the big tree, and couldn't reach the crown at all.

Everyone looked at each other, unable to think.

The engineering team has been trying to solve technical problems, and I follow Lao Wang to go out early and return late every day, haunting the refugee camps.

The living environment in the refugee camp is really hopeless. The rotten smell wafts hundreds of meters away. The elderly and children can only lie down and die slowly when they are sick.The food is distributed daily by the relevant United Nations agencies. The queue is very long each time, but the supply cannot be provided to all people. Before more people arrive, the staff has already left.

Every day, in the dilapidated tents, countless people died silently, were thrown into the river or cremated.The children's limbs were as thin as sticks, but their bellies were bulging. They grabbed my clothes and looked at me eagerly.I don't know what else to do but give them the food I have on me.

Growing up in China safely and steadily, and seeing such dense birth, old age, sickness and death for the first time, I suddenly found that compared with poverty and life and death, the so-called beauty I was pursuing before was too gorgeous and illusory.

Staying in such an environment for a long time will really make me feel like a lifetime away.

I hid in the tent at night, sorted out the photos, and sent those photos to Lao Mai's mailbox through the only network channel.

His responses to me are usually simple.

Or "very good", or "very powerful", but always remember to add "hope to come back safely".

While waiting for the mail to be sent, Pharaoh suddenly ran over and said excitedly, "The engineering team has borrowed a new boom."

"Is it long enough?"

"It should be fine, let's go, go there now."

I didn't have time to pack anything, so I got into the car with the big team with my bag on my back.

In order to catch the morning light, we had to set up all the instruments overnight.Sitting in the car, I asked my colleagues in the engineering team: "Where did you borrow the boom?"

"When my compatriots came here to invest in infrastructure construction, I borrowed it."

In the darkness, two powerful headlights shot straight forward, attracting countless mosquitoes and moths to come over like a flame.Holding the camera in my arms, I suddenly heard a very clear gunshot in the distance.

Everyone was awake, looking at each other anxiously.

Only the guide said lazily: "In the past two days, anti-government armed forces have stationed near here, we are all used to it."

"Hurry up and go back to the camp." In this situation, Old Wang's voice was still calm.

Everyone hurriedly turned on the work lights and temporary generators. After the boom and workbench were assembled, they slowly extended upwards.We watched the feedback on the computer screen below, and Lao Wang instructed them to switch the camera angle from time to time in order to find the best shooting point.

In the jungle late at night, sporadic gunshots in the distance will startle groups of birds and beasts.I looked at the time, and it was almost sunrise time, and every colleague began to wait silently.

I was both excited and terrified. I looked up, and the night sky under the dense leaves seemed to be diluted and gradually brightened.

A few test shots were transmitted on the computer screen. Pharaoh was smoking a cigarette, watching in a muffled voice, and adjusted the angle himself.

"Sunrise."

Suddenly someone said.

The sky suddenly lit up, and I could even see the mist surrounding everyone clearly. The pictures on the computer screen kept flickering and changing, and the three cameras captured the scene at the moment at a speed of more than ten frames per second.

Everyone was staring at the screen, and Lao Wang frowned—I knew he was really nervous.

The climate in the rainforest is ever-changing. If you can’t take a satisfactory photo today, no one knows whether there will be sunshine tomorrow, or it will simply rain.The high-definition camera is unmanned, placed at such a high height, no matter which link, the possibility of accidental damage is extremely high.

Half an hour later, Lao Wang said, "Okay, that's all for today, go back and look at the photos."

Everyone performed their duties and began to arrange the equipment and shrink the boom.

Suddenly someone said, "Huh? Why is Lao Guang gone?"

"Didn't he rush out just now?"

An urgent count of the number of people was found, and indeed Lao Guang was missing.

"Shall we go and look around?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Why are you a girl joining in the fun?" Lao Wang waved his hand, said a few words to the guide, and immediately made a decision, "Everyone go back to the station first, and the guide and I stay here. It would be more appropriate to ask the locals to help us find it together."

Although I knew it was dangerous, it was the only thing I could do.

I sat in the car, hugging the computer where the photos were stored, hoping that Lao Guang was just lost.

Those more frightening possibilities, such as being attacked by an unknown poison, or... being mistaken by the local armed forces for being held hostage by an international representative...

I forced myself to wake up quickly and stop thinking about those possibilities.

After waiting at the place where he lived all day, the gunshots outside became more and more frequent. In the evening, Lao Wang finally came back in a hurry, but his face was somber, and the situation was not optimistic.

"How is it?" Everyone leaned over and asked.

"I didn't find it." He gulped down a large bottle of water. "The locals said...they saw Asians in the barracks."

"Is it Lao Guang who was taken away?" I thumped in my heart, this is really the worst situation.

"The guide said to ask someone to confirm it." Lao Wang wiped his face impatiently, "Do you have any money with you?"

Everyone found out the US dollars they were carrying and gave them to Lao Wang—in fact, they knew it well. At this moment, the guide made it clear that they wanted to extort money, but they could only let it go.

Lao Wang went headlong into the night again.The colleague started to contact the embassy. After reporting the relevant situation, the other party attached great importance to it and told us to return to the capital of Swiya early tomorrow morning since we finished the filming.As for the specific situation of the abducted photographer, they will confirm it through the government and local forces.

After a night of trepidation, the guide finally brought back the definite news: Lao Guang was captured by a local armed force, and his life and death are unknown.

The only good news is that the embassy has already given positive feedback, has contacted the armed parties through some special channels, and hopes that we can provide more information about Lao Guang.After sorting out the relevant information and calling the embassy, ​​Lao Wang began to urge us to pack our bags and prepare to return to the capital of Swiya early the next morning.

I was lying on the bed with all my clothes on, but I couldn’t sleep. I remembered a video I watched a long time ago, in which a foreigner kidnapped by a certain country’s anti-government armed force was killed to demonstrate to the government and the world.

Lao Guang will not.I forced myself to deny this possibility, he is such a good old man, he definitely won't.

The last time we were out shooting, I spilled my mineral water.Old Guanghan smiled, poured half of his own bottle into mine, and said, "You drink."

That good old man has a daughter who just turned one year old at home...

Listening to the more and more intensive gunfire outside the house, I understand that not only Lao Guang, but everyone in our team is in high danger.The guide just rushed in and chattered, saying that our place is the upper reaches of the Zaire River, and it is also a high ground that the armed forces want to seize. It is best to leave as soon as possible.

Ever since Lao Guang was taken away, I have thought about death more than once.

For me, death is easier than others because probably no one will be sad because of my departure—except for Lao Mai... Fortunately, before I left, I had already done everything I needed to do, even Those sets of expensive but rarely worn clothes, I have already given to Xu Zhuo before leaving...

Suddenly he couldn't help laughing bitterly, Bai Xi, you are still afraid of death... Otherwise, how could you think of such details?
After finally surviving until dawn, the whole group got into the van and drove to the capital of Swiya.

Now I don't have so much fear of the closed compartment of the car, but for some reason, today I feel uneasy, as if something will happen on the road.

I comforted myself that it must be because trucks carrying soldiers kept passing by on the road, and the fighting became more intense.Lao Wang took the only available phone and kept in touch with the embassy and local acquaintances.

The body of the car suddenly swayed, and I heard a sharp brake sound. Everyone leaned to the side, and the car barely rubbed against the big tree on the roadside and stopped.

Still in shock, I sat up from my seat and saw a heavily loaded black soldier with a submachine gun, standing in front of the car and beckoning us to get off.

The guide held his bruised forehead, stumbled out of the car, and began to communicate with the soldiers.

After a long while, he came up dejectedly and said, "There is no way ahead."

"What do you mean you can't pass?"

"It's firing, wait for them to cease fire."

"Can't we make a detour?"

The guide gesticulated and said, "It's just a road like this. Does it go around the Suyl River?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, after all, Lao Wang had rich experience, jumped out of the car, quietly stuffed some money into the hand of the black soldier, and leaned over to say a few words.

The man took the money bluntly, but he still waved his hand at Old Wang, chattering for some reason.

After a long time, Lao Wang returned to the car with a livid face, "He is willing to let us go, but there is really an exchange of fire ahead, and it may be dangerous to go there."

"Then what should we do?"

"Wait, there used to be a small town over there, let's stay first. Anyway, it's common to stop fire here, maybe we can leave at night." He said in an optimistic voice as much as possible.

After driving for another half an hour, I found the small town. There was no one there, and I finally found a small hotel to settle down.The guide warned us very seriously, "Don't go to the hillside to the west. There used to be a high ground where government troops and rebels fought fiercely, and a lot of landmines were planted."

I was startled, and stared at the seemingly peaceful hillside, reminding myself not to set foot there.

"Well, let's all act together, don't go out if you have nothing to do." Old Wang looked around worriedly, and swallowed the last half of the sentence, "It's not safe here either."

To make matters worse, the communication here is completely cut off from the outside world, and the only phone can't find a signal, let alone the Internet.I have a lot of free and boring time, and I can only look at the photos I took before with my colleagues.

What is consoling is that on the most dangerous night, the top and bottom views were very exciting, and several of them were so perfect that no major retouching was needed. Lao Wang rubbed his nose and said, "The photos are really good, but they are not perfect." I know if there is life to send back."

He took out the pack of cigarettes, saw that there were only two or three cigarettes left, and put them back again, "Save and smoke."

We took turns to go out together to find out the news, but unfortunately, the ceasefire is not as soon as the previous optimistic estimate.Instead, the fighting intensified, and in the evening I even heard the loud bang of mortar fire.

It was another night doomed to insomnia, worrying about the disappearance of Lao Guang, and fearing that this small town would become a new battlefield.From time to time, I went to the balcony to look around. In the dark night, accompanied by huge bangs, fires rose from the ground from time to time.

I remembered that Lao Wang chatted with me in the afternoon and asked me: "Are you afraid of coming to this kind of place?"

"Why aren't you afraid?" I thought about it seriously at the time and said, "If I can go back alive, I will definitely live well."

Being trapped in this small town for two days was like being trapped on an isolated island, completely unaware of what was happening outside.Ever since I heard the guide tell about the tragic situation of women after being looted by rebels in a certain place, I have become more frightened.

I was afraid of death, but I was even more afraid of being humiliated before I died. I even turned to Lao Wang and said, "Do you have a fruit knife? Lend me a spare."

Old Wang patted my head vigorously, "Bah, bah, don't say such unlucky things."

In the evening, the guide who had been inquiring for information hurried in, and yelled as soon as he entered the door: "They are coming! They are coming!"

"Who's here?" Old Wang stood up abruptly, his face livid.

After drawing for a long time, I realized that both the rebel army and the government army were coming here. It seemed that there was a possibility of street fighting in this town.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Old Wang jumped up holding the machine, "Run!"

Everyone hurriedly lifted the machine and rushed into the van downstairs. When the driver stepped on the accelerator, the car rushed out.

"Don't go to the minefield." Pharaoh roared, "Go to the south!"

I looked back, and sure enough, I could already see most of the convoys coming, and the dust was flying.I put on a face uglier than death, "Old Wang, where is the fruit knife?"

After the car drove for two or three minutes, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror and started chattering.

The troops behind were chasing him closely. The driver released the accelerator, pushed open the car door, and ran away by himself.

Holding a machine in my arms, I rushed out with everyone.

The bushes in this grove are taller than people, and it is quite empty.I didn't know how long I ran with Lao Wang until I was out of breath and almost squeezed out all the air in my lungs, and my throat was dry and sweet.

If it wasn't for the support of the will to survive, I'm afraid I would have given up a long time ago, and my mind was dizzy, just like I ran to the end of the 800 meters in the physical education class.But the physical education test has an end, so I don't know when it will end like this escape.

(End of this chapter)