In the early morning, due north of Helen Reef, shrouded in drizzle, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with string number "97" slowly stopped with a long whistle.
On Helen Island, Wei Ran, who was awakened by the whistle, rubbed his sleepy eyes and got out of his tent. He raised his hand to feel the drizzle outside the tent, but Wei Ran turned around and got back into the tent.
When he came out again, he had put on a set of quick-drying clothes and pants, and on his shoulders was a canvas gas mask bag issued by the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Pretending to reach into his bag and take out the British kettle from the metal book, Wei Ran took a sip of the slightly scalding hot cocoa and then calmly took out the MK43 that belonged to Captain Evans from the bag.
He raised the telescope and looked at the guided missile destroyer USS Halsey, which was shrouded in drizzle.
The reason why the Americans sent this destroyer is self-evident. In terms of symbolic meaning, it is perfect for "Halsey" to take his "soldiers" home.
As for Wei Ran, it's all teasing, but he doesn't have much ill feelings towards General Halsey. Patton of the Sea is famous for his hatred of little devils, but everyone has flaws, and this Halsey's flaws
, he is just too reckless and likes storms too much.
While he was holding up the telescope, the reporters and photographers who were also staying on the island also ran out of their tents carrying various equipment and pointed their lenses at the sea in the distance.
Before everyone could wait long, Weiran noticed that two carrier-based helicopters took off from the destroyer.
Soon, the two U.S. Navy-painted ship-based anti-submarine helicopters circled the island and landed on the beach not far from the Marine Protection Station.
As the hatches opened, the first people to jump out of the cabins of the two helicopters were two waves of reporters carrying long guns and short cannons.
Just as these reporters swarmed towards the grave pit on the south side of the island, which was still surrounded by tents of Indian boys and protected, the two ship-based helicopters took off again, and it didn't take long to pick up Kou Kou and her.
Tantu, Tantu's Indian housekeeper, and Xia Shushi, Tantu's nominal historical advisor, plus a white man wearing a U.S. Navy uniform and holding the rank of lieutenant colonel were sent to the island.
As soon as these people landed, they were surrounded by reporters who had been stationed on Helen Island. They held microphones and rushed to start interviews with the lieutenant colonel and Kou Kou. The two helicopters also took off again, and
During the round trip, three coffins and a group of honor guards with guns were delivered.
Waving vaguely to Xia Shushi, who was squeezed out of the crowd, Wei Ran waited for him to run over and took him directly into his tent.
"Is everything going well?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice after closing the tent door.
“Quite smoothly”
Xia Shushi took out a bottle of mineral water from the box, opened it and drank a sip of it. He sat down on a folding chair and whispered while teasing the hermit crabs that Wei Ran kept in the storage box.
"The day before yesterday, Sister Koko and Tantu knocked on the door of the U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii with the notes left by Mr. Hawks, and successfully met a general with the help of Carlos' lawyer.
I don’t need to tell you what happened next. We only waited less than a day, and under the general’s arrangement, we flew from Hawaii to Guam, and then boarded the destroyer USS Halsey.”
Before he finished speaking, a command sounded outside the tent. The two looked at each other and immediately got out of the tent, following the reporters to observe the next ceremony.
Witnessed by many cameras, the grave pit protected by the Indian boys was completely dug up, and three red and white rubber floating bags were also dug out one by one.
Out of respect, the detailed process of transferring the corpses to the coffins was not made public. However, when the honor guards lifted the three coffins, another group of honor guards also followed the instructions in a clear voice.
A gun salute was fired.
"How much of a performance do you think there is in this?"
Outside the crowd, when Wei Ran asked this question, his eyes did not leave the three coffins at all.
“America is no longer the America it once was.”
Xia Shushi responded nonchalantly, "Of course, the Halsey who came here to take the soldiers home is not the Halsey he was back then."
"Objectively speaking, I still admire General Halsey."
Wei Ran smiled and said, "In the entire United States during World War II, I would be hard-pressed to find another person who was as hostile to nuclear recruitment as General Halsey."
"If it were just this standard, I could list a lot for you."
Xia Shushi lowered his head and lit a cigarette, and said casually, "For example, Le Mei, such as Dolittle, and even recruiting the founding father MacArthur. Unfortunately, as I just said, the United States is no longer the United States it was before."
"Anyway, at least they can go home."
Wei Ran smiled, reached out and took out Robert's camera that he had put in his bag in advance, and took a final group photo of the three sailors who were about to return home.
He had just put away the camera when Koko came over from a distance with Tantu.
"Victor, what should I pay you this time?" Koko asked in French with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face, "Also, isn't Aurora on this island?"
"She has left Palau early, so forget about the reward."
Wei Ran smiled. This investigation was meant for both parties to get what they needed. If Kou Kou really planned to pay some compensation, he would lose money.
Koko smiled and joked after hearing this, "It seems that I have saved a lot of money. I am even considering making a false transaction with you to defraud some money from the Elk Foundation."
“I’m sorry Kou Kou”
Wei Ran cleared his throat seriously, "Although your proposal makes me very excited, unfortunately, I am also the supervisor of the Elk Foundation, so I will not let you cheat even a single coin from the foundation."
"You are so dedicated"
Kou Kou, who had no intention of paying, finally stopped joking, raised her little finger and pointed at the reporters who were busy in the distance, and subconsciously lowered her voice and said, "Victor, you have to help me with an interview later.
"
"No problem, let him be my translator later."
Without thinking, Wei Ran patted Xia Shushi on the shoulder and said in Chinese, "There will be an interview later. You can be my translator. I don't know English."
"You really don't know English?" Xia Shushi asked unexpectedly, "Didn't you learn it when you were in school?"
"I learned it, but it's almost the same as not learning it." Wei Ran said with a proud look on his face, "The English I'm most familiar with is ABCD in multiple-choice questions."
Xia Shushi shook his head with a wry smile, "Don't be proud of this kind of thing."
"I'm not proud," Wei Ran said, raising his chin towards the honor guard in the distance, "Are they planning to transport it away directly by helicopter?"
"I heard from Lieutenant Colonel James that the formal ceremony will be held on the deck of the destroyer USS Halsey." Coco explained on the side.
"That's not bad," Wei Ran muttered subconsciously in his heart, but he no longer had any intention of chatting.
While the four of them were waiting, the three coffins were carried onto the helicopter and flew to the destroyer USS Halsey staying on the sea under the watch of many cameras.
Immediately afterwards, the reporters, honor guards, and even the lieutenant colonel boarded the Halsey in helicopters.
During the repeated helicopter trips, only Wei Ran and others were left on Helen Island, as well as the Indian boys headed by Tatanka who were collecting garbage, plus an unburied grave and scattered on the beach.
of tents.
"It's time for us to go over and be interviewed."
After finishing speaking, Koko looked at Tatanka and said, "Uncle Tatanka, take the things belonging to your father, Mr. Hawkes, and come with us."
“Already prepared”
As Tatanka spoke, he pulled out the pipe ax that had been stuck on his waist and handed it to Koko. Then he called two Indian boys to help and lifted out a bulging sailor bag from his tent.
At the same time, Kou Kou handed the pipe ax she had just received to Tan Tu beside her, "Come and take it, you are the protagonist today."
Taking the pipe ax solemnly with both hands, Tantu looked at her father first, and then nodded seriously to Kou Kou.
Under the leadership of Kou Kou, a group of people boarded the waiting helicopter with their bulging sailor bags. The Indian boys who stayed behind took out the engineering shovels from the tents and walked to the island together.
North side.
In less than ten minutes of flight, the helicopter originally used for anti-submarine warfare landed on the deck of the USS Halsey.
Almost at the same time that the propeller stopped rotating, Wei Ran and others followed Kou Kou to the front deck of the destroyer.
"beep--!"
Amidst the low whistles, the honor guards who had been prepared for a long time immediately held the American Stars and Stripes in their hands and walked towards the three coffins placed side by side with extremely slow steps.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Amidst the deafening sound, the destroyer named Halsey also fired a salute for the three sailors.
Amid 21 consecutive gun salutes of the highest standard, the three coffins were slowly covered with the Stars and Stripes. Soldiers on the ship also presented military salutes to the three well-deserved warriors amidst the whistles and in front of the camera.
Inexplicably, Wei Ran thought of Sailor Hawks' worries when he met him for the last time: "I'm afraid that the Americans at that time had forgotten the chief, Captain Sterling, and the moose. They had forgotten their bravery and
The justice they defended with their lives.”
Looking at the American soldiers in the distance, Wei Ran was sure that at least at this moment, they were thinking of the destroyer DD-557 Johnston, the heroic Captain Evans, Captain Sterling, and his father and grandfather.
Half-breed sailor moose who are both rapists.
But he was not sure whether these American soldiers could remember the three Evans for longer than they remembered Captain America in the movie.
He was even less sure whether those American soldiers standing in front of the camera, those American soldiers who performed solemnly, still remembered or even cared about the justice that Captain Evans and others had sacrificed their lives to uphold.
For Wei Ran, this was destined to be a question that could not get a real answer and was meaningless. He even subconsciously thought of what Hawks added after expressing his worries: "Forget it, I'm a
Mr. Jia Ma is an Indian, and he is just 20 years old. I’m afraid it’s not my turn to worry about this kind of thing.”
"Yes, I am a Chinese, just an insignificant historian. It is not my turn to worry about this kind of thing."
Wei Ran muttered in his heart, and his face showed a trace of relaxation. No matter what, at least the three warriors could finally go home - in the name of well-deserved American heroes.
