On the treetop sentry tower, the guard used his binoculars to look at the two bodies that Vlada and Olga had moved away from the artillery position, and then looked in the direction of the other two islands.
The round of bombing just now seemed to have destroyed the artillery position on one of the islands. Although he could not see the details of the other two air defense positions due to the obstruction of the trees, he could see the steaming smoke and vaguely heard
The huge noise caused by the explosion of artillery shells.
He knew more clearly that when the next round of air strikes came, without the defense of an anti-aircraft artillery, it would be more difficult for them to support them.
"Bang!"
Just at this moment, another weak explosion came from the forest behind him.
Looking through the lens of the mobile telescope, it was Vasily who successfully detonated another butterfly bomb. Beside him, there were also old Ivan and Ruslan who were responsible for chopping firewood.
There are only so many left, how many can survive...
Weiran looked again at the northwest direction where German planes often flew. Then he put down the telescope and replaced it with a gun camera. He aimed at old Ivan, Ruslan and Vasily and pulled the trigger. Then he aimed at Fu, who was working together to carry the body.
Mother and daughter Radha and Olga.
Then, he aimed at the artillery crew led by Zonya and took a condescending photo of each of them.
There were only so many people left, and he didn't have much film left.
"Victor! Pay attention to the northwest!"
Yuri put his hands to his mouth and reminded loudly, "I put the stove and the whistle in the sack hanging on the tree trunk."
"Thanks!"
Wei Ran responded, slung the camera over his shoulder, then took out the whistle from the canvas bag hanging on the tree trunk and hung it around his neck, then stuffed his own stove into his arms.
It has no temperature, just like Sonia's body.
"Victor, keep an eye on it!"
Zionya also shouted, "We are preparing to change the position of the artillery, and it is all up to you during this period!"
"Don't worry!" Wei Ran shouted in response.
Under his gaze, Yuri called over Old Ivan and others, as well as Vlada and her daughter. Together, they used ice and snow, pine branches and
The cold lake water built a new ring-shaped fortress.
Taking another photo of them, Wei Ran took out the Schneider large telescope from the metal book, which had a clearer and sharper view, but was also heavier. He tied it to a tree branch with a rope and pointed it at the northwest direction.
Sky
While he was on alert, the sky gradually darkened, and a new artillery position more than a hundred meters away had been basically built.
Not only that, they even, under the leadership of Jonja, built an additional backup artillery position at the third point of the equilateral triangle connected to the two positions.
In such busyness, Olga also reported a piece of bad news that everyone was unprepared for. Yulia was dead. She did not survive the amputation after all.
But these living people just silently buried each dead person in the photos taken by the bystander on the treetop who pulled the trigger again and again, and then continued the work assigned to them.
Seeing that the setting sun was about to be blocked by the horizon, Yuri brought Wei Ran a lunch box full of fish head soup and a lunch box lid of fish jelly.
By the time he got down, Zionya and others had already dragged the artillery to the new artillery position.
But this was not the end. Zionya not only directed everyone to light a bonfire near the old artillery position, but also asked old Ivan to help saw a straight birch tree and put it on the edge of the old artillery position.
And it was covered with a camouflage net, leaving only a small section of the "gun barrel" exposed.
"Can this deceive them?" Olga couldn't help but ask.
"As long as our artillery doesn't fire, they will definitely attack here."
Jonia pointed to the new position in front of her that was located on the edge of the island and almost next to the lake and said, "That is our only chance. When they start to attack the old position, we may have a chance to shoot down a bomber.
"
"Try it." Yuri supported the girl he liked mindlessly.
"At least it can reduce some casualties."
Old Ivan sighed, "I don't know when Seryosha will come back. I don't know how to explain to him that so many children have died."
"It's not your fault"
Jiao Niiya managed to gather her energy and said, "Everyone, hurry up and fill your stomachs, maybe..."
"The German plane is coming again!"
However, Wei Ran had to blow the whistle, interrupting everyone's plan to eat under the tree. "There are four planes, no, three. One of them seems to have been shot just now. They are flying towards us."
"Prepare!"
Zionya immediately issued an order and rushed to the position on the shore of the lake with the newly formed artillery crew members. This time, they used camouflage cloth to cover the artillery tightly, only a piece of camouflage cloth was exposed in the middle.
Aiming window.
As the distance got closer and time passed, the roar of the plane became clearer. Olga and Ruslan followed Jonya's plan to cover the bonfire near the old position with snow, and then ran into the shack quickly.
Hiding.
Even Wei Ran put away his Schneider camera and tightened his grip on the rope, ready to slide down at any moment.
At a certain moment, the three bombers began to dive and scream. Immediately afterwards, dense bullets also fell around the old position where the bonfire had just been extinguished, and extended all the way into the depths of the forest.
Almost as soon as the first one pulled up and flew sideways, the second one dropped bombs, and the third one started to dive, the anti-aircraft artillery commanded by Zonya opened fire!
"Tum! Tum! Tum!"
Amidst the intensive gunfire, the second plane's tail was shrouded by the exploding cannon, and the third plane was directly penetrated by the cannonball into the cabin!
"Well done!"
Wei Ran couldn't help but let out a shout that was completely covered by the explosion. His eyes also followed the only plane that escaped, watching it fly in the direction of the ice highway.
Under his gaze, the climbing aircraft with a damaged tail quickly stalled and spun around and crashed onto the ice in the distance, while the aircraft that was directly penetrated through the cabin seemed to be fine.
Like, dragging the black smoke and trying to return.
After climbing, the only undamaged aircraft began to dive and drop bombs towards the anti-aircraft artillery on another island that also started to counterattack.
At the same time, Zionya also commanded the anti-aircraft artillery to start supplementary fire again, towards the Stuka that was pulling black smoke!
Amidst the intensive artillery fire, the Stuka, which was pulling black smoke, luckily escaped the range of the artillery fire.
"Attention! Another bomber is back! Southeast! Southeast!"
Wei Ran shouted at the top of his lungs, and watched helplessly as the dive bomber, which had become more agile after completing the bomb drop, once again began to use its aircraft machine gun to fire at the rotating anti-aircraft artillery!
"Get out of the way!"
Wei Ran yelled at the top of his lungs. He had already realized that everyone at the artillery position had no time to turn the muzzle of the gun and aimed at the aircraft and opened fire!
He was sure that Zonya and others had heard his reminder, but no one escaped. Finally, the dense bullets enveloped the artillery position. Yuri, who also realized that it was too late, only had time to get up and throw himself down.
Jonia next to her was then completely enveloped along with the rest of the people by the dense barrage of aviation machine guns!
"grass!"
Wei Ran grabbed the rope and slid down, desperately running towards the artillery position.
But soon, he swooped into the old artillery position and curled up against the edge of the bunker.
At the same time, the Stuka that had just dived and strafed Joniya and others also completed its circle, and started the second round of strafing right after!
Under the wanton fire from the aircraft machine guns again and again, even the guard tower where the Weiran had just been standing guard was turned into wooden boards on the ground, and the area around the artillery was given special care.
Finally, the Stuka, which had run out of ammunition, swaggered into the sky again and flew in the direction it came from.
At the same time, Wei Ran also jumped out of the bunker and stumbled towards the artillery piece.
Far away, he heard Jonia's hoarse wails and heard her desperately shouting one name after another.
Finally, he ran to the edge of the position and saw Igor, who was almost beaten in half, Sasha, whose chest was almost broken, and Jonia, who was leaning on the bunker and sobbing.
Yuri, who was held in her arms and had stopped breathing, had his waist and hips almost broken.
Looking at the young girl with a face full of despair, Wei Ran, expressionless, raised his camera and stood on top of the broken ice and snow bunker, recording all the blood in this place, the desperate girl, and the anti-aircraft artillery.
On silver salt negative.
He never thought that in a photo he took, there would be only one living person.
"I love him"
Jonia raised her head and looked at Wei Ran standing on the bunker pleadingly, "I love Yuri, and I wanted to agree from the first time he told me. Victor, please, help."
He, I haven’t..."
Before she finished speaking, Zonya burst into tears again and just hugged Yuri tightly in her arms.
"He's dead..."
Wei Ran said hard-heartedly, "I can't save him, and no one can save him."
Kissing Yuri's already cold lips again, the tearful Zonya tried in vain to wipe away the tears on her face, but instead smeared Yuri's blood on her face, and stood up with difficulty.
He stood up and said while inspecting the anti-aircraft artillery, "Then... then help me carry them all away. I need new gunners, second gunners, and ammunition hands."
While she was saying this, Olga, who seemed to have just cried, came over, as did old Ivan and Ruslan.
"Let me do Yuri's work." As Ruslan spoke, he had already picked up Sasha's broken body.
"Lisa and I learned how to be a ammunition hand. I have been waiting for this day." Olga also wiped away tears and said.
"The kitchen where Vlada worked was hit by machine gun fire. The poor woman didn't survive and we didn't even have time to bury her."
Old Ivan explained, took off the blanket he was wearing, put Igor's broken body on it, carefully wrapped it and hugged it horizontally, and said as he walked, "Let me do Igor's work.
, my eyes can’t see clearly, but my foot can still press the fire pedal.”
"Is Vasily still alive?" Wei Ran asked almost cautiously.
"alive"
Old Ivan replied, "He is hiding in your shack."
"Bury them as soon as possible"
Zonia, who had a hoarse voice, refused Olga's help and insisted on carrying Yuri's body alone with difficulty. She staggered towards their cemetery and said, "Please help me put the ammunition box and tool box."
Bring it here, our artillery steering gear is jammed, I have to find a way to fix it before the German planes come."
"I'll bring you everything you need."
Wei Ran agreed to Zonia's request and watched as they walked step by step toward the desperate cemetery, carrying or holding their companions and lovers. But all he could do was press the button.
Press the shutter and record their backs.
Putting away the camera, he dragged a small sledge to the door of the shack that served as the operating room, took out boxes of ammunition from under the operating bed, and carried a tool box filled with the small sledge at the door.
As if he was escaping from something, he brought these things back to the position, and Wei Ran inspected the artillery.
The machine gun fire from the plane just now caused damage to it, the most serious of which was the destruction of the direction gear of the anti-aircraft artillery.
Fortunately, its steering gear was still usable. I tried to push the anti-aircraft gun to rotate, but it did not get stuck due to damage to the steering gear.
But looking at the damage again, Wei Ran shook his head feebly and turned towards the direction of the sentry tower.
Normally, such an artillery requires six people to serve it. Four people are already the limit for operating this artillery.
Now he only hoped that Vasily would not be involved in the work of the artillery crew no matter what.
Worryingly, he climbed up the branches to the top of the tree. The small wooden platform here had been tattered by aviation machine guns. The only thing he could stand on were the branches at the top of the tree and the few remaining pieces that were no bigger than his shoes.
Two wooden boards of more than ten centimeters.
Tying his belt to the tree trunk with a rope, Wei Ran raised the telescope hanging around his neck and once again looked toward the northwest, which was dyed red by the remaining sunset.
Fortunately, there were no planes coming from this direction yet, but he knew clearly that they would definitely come again.
Turning her body to look in the direction of the forest cemetery, Olga was burying her mother Vlada alone.
He also saw that Ruslan put Vasily on his neck, stood up under the forked birch tree, and allowed him to stuff the letters that were supposed to be put in only once a week into the box with his own hands.
In the mailbox crafted from the ammo box.
so...
Was even Vasily prepared to die here?
While muttering to himself, Wei Ran let the telescope lens escape from the cemetery in the forest and re-aimed it toward the northwest.