"I really want to be a war photographer in the future, but I don't have the courage to face the battlefield where I may die at any time."
Wei Ran waited for Nikolai to turn around, and became extremely serious. Looking into the other party's old eyes, he said, this time he really didn't lie, he just concealed some insignificant things.
Nicola slowly raised his head and glanced at Wei Ran, then lowered his head and lit a cigarette to himself, "Young man, sitting opposite you is a man who will soon be 90 years old. Birthday old man, I don’t have that much energy and physical strength to train you into a little KGB. But if you are willing to do me a little favor, I can recommend a place where you can learn something."
"What's the favor?" Wei Ran asked cautiously. A retired old KGB wanted to ask him for help. Even if it was a "small favor", he couldn't help but treat it with caution.
“Don’t be nervous”
Nicholas pointed to Weiran’s old camera hanging around his neck, “It’s not a big deal, you just need to go to Inta and take a few photos. , just bring me some things back. Since you want to be a war photographer in the future, I believe this will not be too difficult for you."
"Yinta?" Wei Ranyi. His face was blank, "Where is that place?"
"You always know Vorkuta, right?" Nicholas asked patiently.
"I know, of course I know."
The moment Wei Ran heard the name, he tensed up subconsciously. Anyone who has played a certain game here knows that What the hell is this place? As a history graduate, he knows this place name very well.
Vorkuta is almost located at the northernmost tip of the Ural Mountains, and even the Arctic Circle is about 150 kilometers south of it.
The reason why this place can be written into the history books is entirely because starting from the 1930s in Vorkuta, the Soviet Union sent nearly two million workers here to build the city. and mining coal.
Among this large number of workers, there are German prisoners of war from World War II, serious criminals from the Soviet era, and even civilians in the post-war German-Soviet theater. But no matter what their identity was before arriving there, the final ending was much the same, basically being left there forever by the cold or bullets.
"Inta is about two hundred kilometers south of Vorkuta, and is also located on the west side of the Ural Mountains." Nicholas said patiently, "As long as you help me in Inta Just take some photos in every corner and bring something back for me."
Wei Ran swallowed, "Can I...ask the reason?"
"That's where I used to work, and it was also the place where the Aleutian company commander was once imprisoned." Nicholas explained simply, and then said no more, just waiting for Wei Ran to do what he said. Decide.
After a moment of silence, Wei Ran looked up at the old man across the desk and asked, "What should I bring back?"Come? ”
Nicholas stubbed out the cigarette butts and said, “Don’t be too curious about this matter. I will ask Jima to go with you. When you get to Inta, he will help you find those things.” Okay, young man, it's your turn to make a decision. "
"Let Jima follow me? "Wei Ran couldn't help but frowned. The little gangster named Ji Ma didn't look very reliable.
"Don't underestimate Ji Ma"
Nicholas stood up and stood aside As he walked out, he said, "If you are more diligent, you can first learn from him how to be a qualified hunter. In addition, in comparison, I am actually more willing to believe Ji Ma than you, but his photography skills are really bad, just like his aesthetics of his own hairstyle. ”
“Are there any other requirements? " Wei Ran asked as he followed step by step.
Nicholas, who was walking in front, thought for a while and said, "Just use Zoya's camera to take pictures. Take as many pictures as possible. Just use black and white film. . "
"No problem, what else? "Wei Ran asked confidently. He brought a lot of film when he came here this time. It's not a big problem to help take a few photos.
Nicholas turned back and glanced at Wei Ran contemptuously. As he went downstairs, he continued, "Come back alive, don't throw your life away there, I don't want to help you tell your parents where the gifts you prepared for them are hidden. ”
Wei Ran grinned, and the confidence that had just risen suddenly turned into anxiety.
Returning to the classroom on the first floor, Nicholas cooked slowly A pot of coffee, and he never mentioned anything about Yinta until Ji Ma came back on the old Harley, then he left Wei Ran alone in the classroom and took the former to the second floor.
More than half an hour later, Ji Ma ran downstairs in a hurry and shouted at the top of his voice, "Victor, it's time for us to leave! "
"Leave now? "Wei Ran, who was bored and even regretful waiting, asked in surprise.
"Of course"
While Ji Ma urged Wei Ran to follow him out of the two-story building, He took the initiative to introduce, "The next train to Vorkuta leaves at 10pm, so we only have less than four hours to prepare. Anyway, let's go!" "
Looking back at Nicholas standing at the door, Weiran got into the van parked under the shade of a tree at Jima's urging before he could say anything.
p>Not even waiting for him to sit firmly, the impatient Ji Ma had already started the car and stepped on the accelerator to the bottom. Then he rushed out of the yard savagely amidst the friction of the tires and returned to the forest along the old cracked road.
“Jima, why don’t we take a plane there? "Wei Ran asked while grabbing the back of Ji Ma's seat.
"I'm afraid of heights"
After Ji Ma gave an impeccable reason, he took the initiative to add, "And You can't check weapons when you fly there. In that damn place like Inta, if you don't have a gun in your hand, it's almost impossible to check it in.It's almost like delivering food to wolves and brown bears. "
"You seem to be familiar with it? "
"At least a quarter of the people in this small village migrated from the freezing Inta with the help of Principal Nikolai before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "
"You also migrated from Inta? "Wei Ran asked with a surprised look on his face.
"I'm not."
Jima smiled and said, "I was born in this village, but my parents were born in this village. Moved here with the help of Principal Nicholas. ”
“No wonder you respect Mr. Nikolai so much”
Wei Ran murmured to himself, in the vast land of Russia, there are many people living near the Arctic Circle. , it’s not that they are reluctant to leave the big natural refrigerator, it’s just that they lack the start-up capital to move and the source of income after the move, so they can’t leave.
And what Nicholas did has a negative impact on those who were originally there. For the villagers who live in Inta, he is like a savior.
Before we could even talk about Inta and Nicholas, Jima was already in an old wooden house. He stepped on the brakes rudely, then greeted Wei Ran warmly and followed him into the house.
This old-looking wooden house was extremely simple in furnishings, with only a few household appliances. It also has the mottled appearance of time, and even looking at the shape, it might be older than Wei Ran.
Climbing up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, Ji Ma took it out from under the bed. A long, dusty plastic box was opened, and a rifle with a scope was taken out from it.
The moment he saw the gun, Wei Ran's eyes shrank subconsciously. It is a rare MTs-116M sniper rifle. Although its appearance is somewhat similar to a civilian shotgun, it is actually a high-end product specially prepared for Russian law enforcement agencies.
Look at it again. Ji Ma, who had assorted hair and was concentrating on loading bullets into the magazine, and this bedroom, which was like a doghouse, had more and more doubts in his heart. Apart from anything else, given the other party's financial conditions, it didn't look like him at all. He is someone who is willing to spend money to buy this fancy weapon to use as a shotgun.
I don’t know if he saw the confusion in Wei Ran’s eyes, Jima said with a smile while loading the bullet into the magazine. , "Victor, don't look at me with that suspicious look. This gun was an 18th birthday gift from Principal Nicholas to me. I can't afford such a high-end product myself." "
"Are you sure you want to take this gun to Inta? "Wei Ran picked up an empty magazine from the gun box and asked while helping to press bullets into it.
"The end of September is about to enter winter for Inta. The wolves there This is when the pack and brown bears are the hungriest. So if you don’t want part of your body to become food for them to survive the winter, it’s best to bring more weapons. ”
Before he finished speaking, Ji Ma inserted the full magazine back into the depression on the shock-absorbing sponge, stood up quickly, opened the cabinet, and took it out.He picked up a bulging mountaineering bag and threw it to the former, then walked downstairs holding the plastic gun case.
"Where should we go next?" Wei Ran asked, carrying a heavy backpack and chasing the other person into the van.
"When you go to the city, you need to buy some clothes that are thick enough." Jima tugged at his messy hair, "Besides, I also need to get a haircut. This color is too conspicuous in the wild."
"You also know?" Wei Ran secretly slandered and brought the topic back to Inta, the destination of this trip.
While the two were chatting, the van arrived at the entrance of an inconspicuous outdoor goods store on the edge of the SC district of Kabul. Jima didn't turn off the car at all. After opening the door and entering, he said to the shopkeeper warmly, "My friend wants to go hunting with me in Inta. Let's get him a suitable set of equipment!"
Bring The bespectacled shopkeeper glanced at Wei Ran and asked Ji Ma directly, "Do you need a shotgun?"
Ji Ma decisively refused, "No, give him the cheapest TT33 pistol for self-defense." That’s fine.”
“You don’t need a pistol, just give me a box of 9 mm pistol bullets,” Wei Ran said quickly. He still had the pistol given by Mr. Alexander in his notebook. There is no need to buy another TT33 pistol that is uncomfortable to use.
The shopkeeper wearing glasses ignored Wei Ran at all. It was not until Ji Ma nodded that he looked at Wei Ran carefully, and then took down a bulging mountaineering bag and a bag from the closely arranged shelves. A set of extra thick winter clothes and a pair of high-waisted cotton boots were placed on the counter.
"A total of sixty-five thousand rubles," the bespectacled shop owner said immediately after Wei Ran tried on clothes and shoes.
Wei Ran frowned, the price was a bit outrageous, but looking at Ji Ma next to him who looked so matter-of-fact, he finally wisely paid for what the other party provided.
After delivering all the purchased items to the car, Jima said with emotion, "You are the most generous customer I have ever seen. I thought you would bargain."
< p> "Can I make a counter-offer?" Wei Ran looked at the other party blankly."Of course! But it's best not to bargain. Although the thing you just bought is a bit more expensive, at least the quality is guaranteed, and you won't freeze to death in Inta."
"Do you often go to Inta?"
Faced with Wei Ran's question, Jima nodded happily, "My friends and I often take some boring rich people to Inta Hunting, although you don’t make much money, is at least more comfortable than sitting in an office.”
Is this a tour guide?
Wei Ran finally understood that the work he did at his aunt's travel agency was no different from that of the other party. It was just that the attractions he visited and the things he experienced were different.
With this in common, the two young people of similar age became more and more congenial. By the time they made all the preparations before departure and rushed to the train station, it was only a short distance from the departure. There was less than half an hour left.
What shocked Wei Ran was that a certain mohawk-haired gangster he had met once before actually worked at this train station. With his help, not only did the two of them board the high-end train compartment without any security check, they didn't even buy a ticket. Looking at them as if they were visiting their own backyard, this kind of thing was obviously not the first time. times.
When Weiran hung up the phone to report the itinerary to Alexei, the train started to start, and Ji Ma, who had already shaved his head by himself, had already bought the All the food and drink were placed on the dining table.
They each had a glass of cold beer, and Wei Ran finally asked the question he had been holding in his mind since he set off, "Jima, what exactly does Mr. Nicholas want us to take from Inta?" Did you bring the things back?"
Jima shook his head when he heard this, "I don't know about that. Principal Nicholas only asked me to find a safe and bring back the things in the safe, but he didn't tell me what was in it. Something."
Wei Ran pondered for a moment and asked the second question he had always been curious about, "Does Mr. Nicholas have any other family members?"
"This question is for you. Don't ask Principal Nikolai."
Jima sighed, "I heard from my father that Mr. Nikolai's wife is from Inta, and they gave birth to two sons and a daughter. ."
"What then?" Wei Ran asked.
"No more."
Ji Ma spread his hands, "Even my father heard about it from others, and no one has ever seen Mr. Nicholas's wife and children. But every time he mentioned them, Mr. Nicholas would lock himself in his room and get drunk. Once, if the people in our village hadn't found out in time, he would have died of alcohol poisoning. ”
"It seems that this old guy has hidden a lot of stories..."
Wei Ran sighed secretly, and at the same time he became more and more curious about what Nicholas wanted the two of them to bring back from Inta. .