The White Olive Tree

Chapter 20

The nights in the war zone were restless.

At eight o'clock in the evening, with the sun yet to set, Song Ran could already hear the distant sounds of artillery and continuous gunfire. Some shots seemed to be very close to the hotel, at times on the adjacent street. However, the other occupants of the building seemed oblivious, as if they had long grown accustomed.

As soon as Song Ran arrived at her accommodation, she gathered with other foreign journalists on the same floor. Upon learning that she was the photographer behind the news photo CARRY, everyone looked at her with newfound respect.

A French journalist sighed, "When will I be able to capture a successful news photo like CARRY? Then, I can return to my country with peace of mind!"

Song Ran felt something off about the statement but didn't dwell on it, shifting the conversation to another topic.

After a simple dinner, a few of them decided to visit the border together. They hopped into a car driven by an Italian journalist and left their lodgings. When they reached a street, gunfire erupted ahead.

Song Ran was still a bit nervous, but the journalists in the car were accustomed to such situations. The Italian journalist parked the car on the side of the road and patiently waited.

The Italian journalist even lit up a cigarette.

After hesitating for a while, Song Ran asked, "Is it okay for us to stop here?"

"Don't worry, my dear lady," the Italian journalist turned to her and raised an eyebrow, "That's the government army and anti-government forces. It won't benefit us to be harmed by either side." He pointed to the Italian flag, the American flag, and the Canadian flag stuck in the corner of the windshield.

Song Ran asked, "What if there's a terrorist organization?"

The Italian journalist exaggeratedly made a frightened expression, "In that case, it's best to run as fast as possible. They've been short on money lately, and they won't refuse a hostage delivered to them."

"It's not that scary," reassured a Japanese journalist, "They sometimes pick countries. There are historical grievances between Europe and America with this land, but we in East Asia don't have that."

Song Ran nodded in understanding.

While they were chatting, the gunfire ahead ceased.

"OK!" the Italian journalist tossed away his cigarette butt and drove the car across the street where the conflict had just occurred.

Song Ran tightened her helmet, unconsciously crouched down a bit, but her camera lens was aimed out the window. Behind the pockmarked walls of the buildings, she saw a few concealed soldiers.

The car that was adorned with flags quietly crossed the street and had not gone far when gunfire erupted again.

Outside the car window, pedestrians were still moving on the street. They seemed oblivious to the distant gunfire, treating it as background noise.

Hapo was a major town in the western part Dongguo, with a large population and a developed economy. Despite being deeply embroiled in the mud of war, many people couldn't leave due to livelihood constraints or perhaps more so, due to the burden of belief—they believed that the government would win soon, and the war would end quickly. That's what they thought at the beginning of the war.

After walking for a while, the front became noisy, with the street congested with vehicles and crowds trying to exit the area. They couldn't proceed any further. Several journalists got out of the car with their equipment. Surrounded by people, collective action was impossible. They agreed on a rendezvous time and dispersed on the spot.