"I can finally go back." Before the white light dispersed, Wei Ran sighed in relief, but then he realized something was wrong!
Although his eyes were still covered in white flowers, his ears could clearly hear the crashing waves, the annoying chirping of seagulls, and the roar of the engine.
Even his nose could clearly smell the fishy smell of the sea that made him want to vomit, and even his feet were swaying slightly!
It's not over, isn't it...
Wei Ran blinked his eyes quickly, and when his vision returned to normal, he immediately noticed that he was on an iron fishing boat that was only more than 20 meters long.
However, he did not see any sailors on the deck of this broken ship. Even the fishing nets were dry and fluffy in the sun.
I looked at myself subconsciously. I was wearing a slightly worn green pullover deck uniform on my upper body, with the MK43 telescope that once belonged to Captain Evans hanging on my chest, and a black leather Robert camera bag hanging blatantly on my shoulder.
An American-style water bottle is fixed on the other side of the waist. The lower body is a pair of loose beach pants and a pair of slightly worn US Navy service shoes.
Subconsciously he raised the telescope and looked straight ahead. Through the bright and sharp lens, he could clearly see a beautiful atoll and a long and narrow green island. On the island, there were groups of seabirds constantly flying.
Circle, rise and fall, or plunge into the water surrounding the island like a dive bomber.
"Crack!"
Wei Ran subconsciously put down the telescope, and immediately discovered that a puddle of mushy bird droppings fell on the back of his hand, and a black frigate bird was standing on the bow of the ship not far away.
"boom!"
Before he could recover, a gunshot rang out behind him, and the frigate bird fell into the sea, leaving only a few blood-stained feathers.
Clean deck.
Wei Ran subconsciously turned around and saw Hawks standing at the door holding a 1911 pistol in both hands.
At this time, Hawkes was wearing a brown cowboy hat, and his upper body was also wearing a pullover deck suit. On one side of his waist was an American water bottle, and on the other side was a bulging gas mask bag. The mask bag and body
In the middle, there is a hard leather pistol holster.
But his lower body was wearing jeans and a pair of navy service shoes that were also slightly worn.
Before Wei Ran could speak, Hawks put away his pistol and walked towards the bow of the ship and said, "I hate frigatebirds, just like I hate eating seafood and coconuts."
"I also hate frigatebirds, seafood and coconuts"
Wei Ran shook off the bird droppings on the back of his hand and handed the binoculars to the other party, but he couldn't help but think of the painful experience of having diarrhea.
"We're almost there"
Hawks took the telescope from Wei Ran and looked at the atolls and islands in the distance, but he asked, "Victor, where did you go after we separated?"
"Hawaii, of course Hawaii."
Wei Ran joked nonsensically, "I've been waiting to invite you to see a striptease. What about you? Where have you been?"
"I took a freighter and returned to the United States, and then changed my name and identity." Hawkes returned the telescope to Weiyan, "Now I am a hunter, and I never want to be a sailor again."
"Since you don't want to be a sailor anymore, what happened this time?" Wei Ran asked the other party with a smile while tapping the dirty deck with the toe of his shoe.
"I rented this fishing boat."
Hawks put his hands on the railing at the edge of the boat, "I promised the chief to help him bring back the flowers and seeds of the flower in the camp. Although he didn't say where to plant the flower, I
I’ve already thought of a place.”
"Where?" Wei Ran asked curiously.
"You'll know when we get there."
Hawks patted the railing, took out a Japanese-style small cigarette pouch from his pocket, filled it with tobacco skillfully, and recalled, "At first, I used the tobacco that matched this small pipe to wrap the inlaid piece of gold.
The gold rings we brought out were exchanged for the two of us to have Palau nationality. But I didn’t expect that when we came back this time, we would become Americans again.”
"Yes," Wei Ran sighed and said vaguely, "and it won't be long before Palau will be back in the hands of recruiters."
"What did you say?" Hawks looked at Wei Ran in confusion.
"Nothing." Wei Ran waved his hand, "Don't you need to worry about the cab?"
"Don't worry, although I don't want to be a sailor anymore, my sailing skills are very good."
Having said that, Hawks turned around and walked into the tattered cockpit, leaving Wei Ran standing alone on the dirty deck.
Seeing that there was still some distance before landing on Helen Island, Wei Ran simply walked to the deck at the stern of the ship, reached out to take out the camera from the camera bag, checked it, and skillfully put on the wide-angle lens and wound up the clockwork.
Reluctantly, he took out the oil drum containing hot cocoa from the metal book. Then he took out the British P44 kettle, unscrewed it, and filled the American kettle with the still hot cocoa.
After tightening the lid and putting away the oil drum, Weiran poured himself half a cup of hot cocoa with satisfaction, then took off the steel cup of the American kettle, poured half a cup of cocoa for Hawkes and sent it into the cockpit.
"Where did you get it? Why is it so hot?" Hawks asked in surprise after taking the steel cup.
"I've been sunbathing on the deck before."
Wei Ran made an excuse at random, but he and Ben didn't care whether the other party believed it or not. He just took out the camera and took a photo of Hawks, who was holding the steering wheel with one hand and holding cocoa in the other with a surprised look on his face.
"This tastes very similar to the cocoa on the USS Hall!" Hawks couldn't help but take another sip after saying that, but he didn't care at all that Wei Ran took a photo of him.
"It tastes very similar to the cocoa on the Johnston." Wei Ran clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he lamented the cup of cocoa that was long overdue.
"Many people on the Hall did not survive."
"So is the Johnston."
Hearing this, Hawks carefully took a sip of cocoa again, but said nothing more. He just slightly increased the throttle of the fishing boat.
More than half an hour later, the fishing boat dropped its anchor and shut down its engine at the spot where they ran aground.
Under the command of Hawkes, Wei Ran helped put down a small boat. The two of them rocked the oars and landed on the beach. Then they lifted the boat into the lagoon at the other end of the beach and rowed straight to the south side of the island. On the beach on the side.
"In this season two years ago, I remember when we first landed on the island, there were a lot of coconuts on the beach and in the lagoon." As he spoke, Hawks got up and left the boat, picked up a coconut with a cracked skin and threw it in In the cabin.
"When we left, there were a lot of coconuts in the cabin."
Wei Ran got off the boat and worked with the other party to pull the small wooden boat to the beach. At the same time, he kept saying, "I even remember you smoking the fiber in the coconut skin as tobacco."
"yes"
Hawks couldn't help but have a look of vicissitudes of life that didn't match his age. He took out two shovels from the cabin, gave one of them to Wei Ran, and said while walking towards the camp, "I often think of being on this island. what happened on.
When I have a good dream, I think of fishing with you, building a camp together, collecting food together, and talking about women together. When I have a nightmare, I think of Mr. Akira, his companions, and the great chief. Death scene."
"Forget those experiences, the war is over." Wei Ran patted the other party's shoulder and walked with him to the camp on the south side of the island.
Two years have passed, and the place has completely transformed into its original appearance. The only thing that allowed them to confirm that they had found the right location was the bonfire platform that Wei Ran had circled with stones, and the star not far away. Lush jasmine flowers.
"I'm here to clean up the camp. Do you remember the location of their graves?" As Hawks spoke, he was already waving the shovel in his hand and uprooting the bushes that were growing wantonly around him.
"Remember" Wei Ran paused, "Do you want to take them away?"
Hearing this, Hawkes stopped what he was doing, was silent for a moment and then shook his head, "Let them stay here. Just like the chief said, let him sink with the Johnston. And ..."
"What?"
"I think their families can't bear the second blow."
Hawks sighed, "I went to find their family secretly. Moose's mother is dead. She was shot and killed by a white police officer. It seemed that she accidentally walked into a bathroom that was only open to white people.
Sterling's wife seems to be ready to start a new life. The chief's wife is raising their two sons very strongly.
Victor, let’s not break the current calm. After all, the big chief is three-quarters of Indian blood. I’m not sure if taking him back will produce better results.”
"This is not something a 20-year-old sailor can say," Wei Ran said, finally walking towards the grave not far away.
"What happened here two years ago is not like what an 18-year-old boy should experience, right? But those are indeed the suggestions my father gave me."
Hawkes continued to immerse himself in clearing the weeds and dead branches, "He is waiting for me on the main island of Palau now. Victor, after we go back, we can find a place to have a drink. We also brought it specially for you.
Maple syrup that we make ourselves.”
"If only we had maple syrup"
Wei Ran sighed secretly and stopped next to a tropical tree whose trunk was full of healing marks.
The traces on the tree were left behind when he chopped them with an engineer shovel. Around here, you can even vaguely see the waterproof embankment he built with stones to prevent the cemetery from being flooded.
Wielding a shovel, Wei Ran cleared away the weeds and shrubs here. After carefully cleaning the area, Wei Ran took off the American kettle filled with hot cocoa from his waist and gently placed it on the fine white sand in the center of the cemetery.
After looking around, Wei Ran used a shovel to leave some marks on the trunk of the tree, and then turned around and returned to the camp.
After a while, Hawkes also cleaned up the camp. At this time, he was picking up the black seeds scattered around the jasmine plant. Next to him, there was also a 127mm naval gun shell shell. On the shell shell
, and also engraved with those English words that Wei Ran was extremely familiar with.
"Do you need me to do anything?" Wei Ran paused and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to plant these seeds in the cannon shells I brought to see if they can grow."
Hawkes pointed to the campfire not far away without looking back, "dig out those things."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ran immediately dug out the stones around the bonfire platform with a shovel, and then dug out the dry fine sand.
It didn't take long for him to find a tattered body armor under the sand.
Pulling out the body armor, he then pulled out a red rubber bag from underneath.
Even without untying the tightly wound paracord, he could tell that this was the sea anchor bag originally on the life raft, and under the sea anchor bag, there were two American-style steel helmets stacked.
Without any signal from Hawkes, Wei Ran took out his gravity knife and cut the rope, then opened the tightly sealed anchor bag.
There are not many things in this sea anchor bag. There is a hammock that is neatly folded but still stained with blood, and a sailor bag that is also neatly folded.
In addition, there are three frigate bird feathers tied to the ax handle. Wei Ran remembers clearly that Captain Evans personally tied those three feathers on it, and the original owner of the three feathers was
They almost died of dysentery at sea.
Continuing to take it out, there was also a can with an ax head inside. He remembered clearly that this can was originally the home of Hawks' pet, the hermit crab named "Halsey", but it was in Harbin.
After Erxi offered sacrifices to everyone's five internal organs temple, he used the cans and bottles to hold the oil used as sunscreen cream.
Apart from these items, the only item left in the bag is the long lunch box.
At Hawkes's signal, he opened the lunch box. It contained not only the gold bars that once belonged to Akira, some rings, and the two rolls of U.S. dollars, but also the roll of U.S. dollars that Wei Ran found in the can bottle containing shredded tobacco.
Photos with the gunnery commander's girlfriend.
"You can take these things with you, I won't need them."
Hawks said, pushing the long lunch box to Wei Ran, "Gunner Chief Hagen survived. I don't think he needs these things anymore, so I'll give them to you."
"Forget it, I don't need it either, you can keep it." Wei Ran waved his hand and rejected the other party's kindness. He really didn't need these things and couldn't take them with him.
"If those seeds can bloom in the cannon shells, I will send these things back to Evans and Sterling's respective homes and tell them where the island is and what happened."
As Hawks spoke, he took out a tightly screwed can bottle from the gas mask bag he was carrying on his body, shook a waterproof book inside towards Weiyan, put it into the anchor bag, wrapped it tightly and tied it up
Then put it aside.
Until this time, Hawkes deftly pulled out the mouthpiece of the ax handle, picked up a few jasmine seeds, pulled out a few buds and stuffed them into the mouthpiece, then reassembled them before continuing,
"I'll take good care of the seeds I plant in the cannon shells, and if they don't bloom, I'll keep them myself."
"What did you put in?" Wei Ran asked curiously.
"I have recorded my memories of everything that happened here in as much detail as possible."
Hawks scratched his neck with a trace of embarrassment, "I think they will always be discovered. I hope that by then, they will at least not be discarded as unimportant, nameless corpses. That would be too much for them."
It’s not fair.”
"You did a good enough job"
Wei Ran pushed the long lunch box to the other party again, "Take these things and treat them as storage fees. At least they will make your life a little more comfortable."
Hawks did not refuse Wei Ran's kindness. He took the anchor bag containing the cans and bottles and said while walking in the direction of the cemetery, "I forgot to tell you, I am a grown man now. Our family moved to Superior."
I bought a small sugar maple forest on the north shore of Erhu Lake, and I don’t spend much money on it when I usually go hunting.”
"Anyway, take it." Wei Ran stood up as he spoke, "I want to go visit the North Shore, do you want to come with me?"
"I'll forget it." Hawks quickly waved his hand, "But I will wait for you."
"See you soon," Wei Ran said, carrying a shovel and walking towards the north side of the island.
I deliberately went to the place where Hawkes killed Jiro, but unfortunately, there was no trace of the Wendigo on that beach.
Walking to the northern end of the island under the bright sunshine, the camp here is also covered with weeds and shrubs, but even so, it is difficult to cover up the Japanese-style one-piece flight suit that is still tied to the tree trunk, and even more difficult to cover up the
There were dead bones piled up in the tattered flight suit, and some remaining bones in the overturned helmet.
He bent down and picked up a Japanese officer's water bottle and glanced at it. Wei Ran threw it beside the corpse, clapped his hands and turned around to leave the deserted camp.
When he returned to the beach at the southern end of the island, Hawkes had packed everything including the shell casings into the sailor bag he dug out.
"It's time for us to get out of here"
Hawks let Wei Ran help him carry the sailor bag, and said as he walked to the boat in the distance, "I will never come here again."
"They will always be discovered," Wei Ran reminded pointedly.
"I know" Hawks smiled, "I'm even looking forward to that day, but at the same time I'm also very afraid of that day."
"What are you afraid of?" Wei Ran squinted his eyes and looked at the sparkling calm sea in the distance, and deliberately teased, "Are you afraid that those recruiters will attack Pearl Harbor again?"
"I'm afraid that the Americans at that time have forgotten the big chief, Captain Sterling, and the moose."
Hawks paused, then murmured and added, "Forgot their bravery and the justice they defended with their lives."
Having said this, Hawks put the sailor bag that the two of them were carrying together on the small wooden boat, and smiled to himself, "Forget it, I'm an adult, and I'm just an Indian who's just 20 years old. This I’m afraid it’s not my turn to worry about this kind of thing.”
"Yeah" Wei Ran stood by the water and took one last look at the camp in the distance, raised his camera and pressed the shutter.
At the same time, behind him, Hawks also pulled out a silver sailor's whistle from his collar, puffed up his cheeks, and blew a deep and deep whistle with all his strength.
"beep--!"
Amidst the whistle that resounded on the beach, a rich white light once again appeared in front of Wei Ran's eyes.
And, there must be more... Wei Ran muttered to himself, closing his eyes at the same time, waiting patiently.
After a while, when he opened his eyes again, he sighed worriedly. He finally saw the things on the table in the basement darkroom - and a titanium alloy oil drum with remaining cocoa!
As Wei Ran watched with gritted teeth, the metal quill slowly floated up and wrote the subsequent story on the pale yellow paper.
Warrior and Wendigo
Sailor Moose (Binnie Muse), colored seaman shell carrier on the USS Johnston.
On October 25, 1944, the USS Johnston sank in battle. In order to rescue Captain Evans, Vice Captain Sterling fell into the water and was later listed as missing and killed in DD-557.
On November 17, 1944, he died in action due to organ failure caused by long-term lack of water. On November 22, he was buried on the north side of the camp at the southern end of Helen Island.
Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Evans, captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, sank overboard on October 25, 1944 due to the sinking of the USS Johnston, and was later listed as missing and killed in DD-557.
On December 3, 1944, he was shot and killed by a nuclear-armed pilot on Helen Island, Palau, and was buried at the camp at the southern tip of Helen Island.
Captain Elton Bernard Sterling, deputy captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, sank in the battle of USS Johnston on October 25, 1944, and was later listed as missing and killed in DD-557.
On December 3, 1944, he was shot and killed by a nuclear-armed pilot on Helen Island, Palau, and was buried at the camp at the southern tip of Helen Island.
Pilot Akira Kano (Akira) failed to escape from the battlefield during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and was injured by the Hall's anti-aircraft gun. He died of starvation on Helen Island on December 5, 1944.
Pilot Jiro Kano failed to escape from the battlefield during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and his plane made an emergency landing in the sea.
On December 3, 1944, he was killed by a throwing axe. After his body was cut into pieces by Hawks to vent his anger, his body was floated into the Helen Reef lagoon without any trace of his body.
Hawks, a third-class cook on the destroyer USS Hall, sank into the water on October 25, 1944 due to the sinking of the USS Hall, and was later listed as missing and killed in DD-533.
On December 3, 1944, in compliance with his last wish, the captain and deputy captain of the USS Johnston were buried on Helen Island.
On December 18, 1944, he drove the repaired transport boat Johnston to leave Helen Island. On the 25th of the same month, he was rescued by the Aboriginal people of Toby Island.
In September 1945, he left Palau on an Australian cargo ship as a Palauan sailor.
In February 1946, he arrived in the United States on a freighter, then returned to his hometown on his own, concealed his experience, and moved with his parents to the north shore of Lake Superior to join his tribal relatives and friends.
In October 1946, he returned to Helen Island and took away some of the belongings of Captain Evans, Vice Captain Sterling and recruit pilot Akira, then returned to settle on the north shore of Lake Superior and set up a DD on the top of a redwood tree.
-Compass Deck No. 557, in memory of Captain Johnston.
In July 2000, Hawks passed away in a dream during a thunderstorm night.
After a brief pause, the quill pen listed a set of extremely small latitude coordinates and then listed an address in Palau.
After a brief pause, the metal quill pen started another line and wrote, "In this seemingly peaceful world, the warriors are about to be forgotten, and the Wendigo is also quietly reviving."
"The land that once gave birth to warriors is now overgrown with wendigos..."
Wei Ran sighed secretly, turned the pale yellow page to the back, and let the metal quill write under the slowly rotating red vortex: "Soldier, welcome aboard the Johnston."
Almost subconsciously, Wei Ran's heartbeat doubled as he subconsciously looked around. Obviously, if there really was a USS Johnston destroyer in that little red vortex, he would have to find a room that was spacious enough.
