White Olive Tree

24 • Vulture

Song Lisa  didn’t know the consequences of the explosion until a long time later.

At the moment of the explosion, she was hit by the shock wave head-on, her spleen ruptured, her cornea was partially damaged, and her body was lacerated in many places.

She was rushed to Hospitals Without Borders, then transferred to the capital, Gama, and soon returned home.

During this journey, Song Lisa  was unconscious for most of the time. Sometimes she seemed to be conscious, but the severe pain made her unable to move. The world was dark, and her ears were filled with a language she could not understand.

She vaguely remembered being carried onto a stretcher, the huge wind and waves created by the helicopter propellers, the doctors’ arguments, and hearing familiar Chinese words on the plane at some point.

But in those vague fragments of memory, there was no Li Jungkook . He never came to her side again.

More often than not, she slept in an endless nightmare. In the dream, extremists dressed in black and holding guns swept the streets expressionlessly, bullets pierced women’s chests, and bayonets chopped off children’s heads.

At the end of the nightmare, she heard someone shouting “A Jungkook ”, and Li Jungkook  pounced behind her and passed by her.

She had no time to react and watched the bomb explode.

…

When Song Lisa  woke up, he was lying in the ward of Liangcheng Hospital with thick gauze wrapped around his eyes and could not feel any light.

A low-pitched argument was heard outside the ward. It was Song Zhicheng and Ran Yuwei:

“I didn’t agree with her going to the East Country at the beginning, but you kept supporting her. You pretend to be a good person in front of your daughter, and I always have to be the bad guy! Now that she has become like this, what do you think we should do?”

“Don’t get excited yet. The doctor said it’s not serious and it will be fine after an operation. No one wants an accident to happen. Don’t I feel bad for her? But this is the job she chose herself, and you’ve seen her success…”

“I finally see through you. You are vain! You are hypocritical! You have accomplished nothing, yet you expect your child to sacrifice his life for your fame!”

“You’re getting more and more outrageous!”

“You have many daughters, but I only have this one. If there’s something wrong with her eyes, I’ll never forgive you!”

Song Lisa  panicked a little. She e reached out in the dark but only grabbed the bed sheet.

“Sister, are you awake?” Song Rosé grabbed her hand.

“sister!”

“slowly?”

“Lisa is awake!”

For a moment, the ward was filled with voices: Yang Huilun, Song Rosé, Ran Chi, uncle and aunt…

Soon Ran Yuwei came in: “Lisa ? Are you feeling unwell?”

Song Lisa  felt uncomfortable and painful everywhere, as if there were countless torn wounds in her body. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t. She opened her mouth with difficulty and said in a hoarse voice: “What’s wrong with my eyes?”

“It’s okay.” Ran Yuwei touched her face and said, “It’s just a minor injury. It will be fine after a small operation in a few days.”

Ran Chi also came over: “Sister, don’t be afraid. It’s okay.”

Song Lisa  didn’t react at all, as if she didn’t even feel sad or afraid.

She was silent for a while, then suddenly said, “I smell a fragrance, is it a flower?”

My aunt said, “A lot of people came to see you. The ward is filled with flowers. You will be able to see again after your eyes are better in a few days. A lot of flowers have been moved out.”

She stayed for a while longer and asked, “Who came to see me?”

“Your TV station leaders and colleagues.”

“…Oh.” She said no more.

It seemed like someone else in the ward was talking to her, but she didn’t listen, her thoughts drifting away like smoke.

A few days later, Song Lisa  underwent corneal repair surgery, which was successful. During the days she was hospitalized, Xiaoqiu and her friends came to see her a few times, but no one else came.

That person was in the faraway East Country and it was impossible for him to come to see her.

On the day the bandage was removed, all the family members were there, except Yang Huilun. Ran Yuwei couldn’t stand being in the same room with her.

The doctor examined Song Lisa ’s eyes and found no major problems. He will be discharged after a few days of observation and can resume normal life. However, she should be careful to avoid strenuous exercise and head impact.

Song Lisa  squinted her eyes to adjust to the light, and looked out the window. It was early October, and Liangcheng had entered autumn. The window was slightly open, and the wind blowing in was a little cold.

That evening, Xiaoqiu came to see her and was very happy to learn that she would be able to go back to work soon. She said, “I was so worried that something might happen to you and you wouldn’t be able to go to work. Fortunately, it’s okay. God bless you!”

Xiaochun also said proudly: “lisa, you are now the living signboard of our TV station.”

Song Lisa  didn’t understand: “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Xia was about to say something, but then realized that her excited expression was not good, so she calmed down a little and sighed, “You know, the massacre outside of Hapo City killed 187 civilians, 68 of whom were… children. In addition, 13 soldiers were injured.”

When Song Lisa  heard the word “child”, her mind buzzed and she couldn’t hear anything after that. She had been trying hard to stop herself from thinking about it these days. But at this moment, the corpses and blood all over the street appeared clearly in front of her again.

Xiao Qiu didn’t notice Song Lisa ’s pale face and said, “The video and photos you took have become the only physical evidence. The international community is in an uproar. Because of this massacre, Western media strongly condemned terrorism. I saw on the news today that several countries have promised to send troops to aid the Dongguo government. The war may have changed fundamentally. Lisa, this is all thanks to you.”

Xiaodong also said: “When I was studying journalism, our teacher always said that good journalists have the power to change the world. I thought it was exaggerated at the time. But Lisa, this time you may be able to help turn the situation around in the East Country. You are amazing. The media all over the world are praising you."

Song Lisa  had no reaction, remembering what Sasin  said: This land is a huge tree full of tragedy. Everyone who comes from afar can reach out and grab a handful and pick a few fruits.

She didn’t know how Sasin  was doing now, or whether he was still alive.

She was dizzy and thought for a long time before asking, “…I’m back, and my work on the front line is now…”

“Are you asking about Shen Jennie ?” Xiao Qiu snorted, “She has returned to her country.”

“Why?”

“I guess she was timid and scared, so she ran back right after being sent out. It’s embarrassing, so she was transferred to the 16th floor now.” The 16th floor of the Liangcheng Satellite TV building is the Variety Entertainment Department. It is not only Liangcheng Satellite TV but also the leading entertainment brand in the country. “Even with such a bad situation, she can still go to the most popular entertainment department. It’s different if you have a strong background.”

Others were more reserved and just smiled without saying anything.

Xiao Qiu said, “But it’s useless for her to stay. She can’t defeat you this time.”

Xiaodong tried to smooth things over: “Xiaoqiu, you are really outspoken. We are all colleagues, don’t be like this.”

Xiao Qiu rolled her eyes: “Why, are you going to pass on the message?”

“The more you talk about it, the more biased it becomes. Who would spread it? Just talk about it in private.”

Song Lisa  didn’t ask any more questions and was discharged from the hospital smoothly a few days later.

Ran Yuwei took care of her for a week or two, during which time she expressed her dissatisfaction with Song Zhicheng many times. Song Lisa  pretended not to hear her. In late October, Ran Yuwei returned to the Imperial City, and Song Lisa  went back to work.

Perhaps it was because she had stayed in bed for too long that her body functions began to deteriorate. Song Lisa  found that her physical fitness was not as good as before, and even his daily commute to and from get off work was very tiring. Although she tried not to think about some things, she was still worried and often suffered from insomnia at night.

She also made a few small mistakes at work due to lack of concentration, but fortunately her colleagues were understanding and caring.

That day, Xiaochun asked her: “Lisa, do you want to ask your boss for a few more days of rest?”

“What’s wrong?”

“There are typos in the manuscript you wrote. Also, I see that you seem to be in a bad mood recently.”

She opened the document to check for typos and said, “The weather has been a bit cold lately, so I haven’t slept well.”

“That’s right.” Xiaodong interrupted, “I’m freezing. The damp and cold weather in the south is really unbearable. I just can’t think straight and come here to work in a place without heating.”

Xiao Qiu said, “By the way, Lisa, I was helping you process your information while you were away. Can I send it to you now?”

“OK.”

“You really missed a lot while you were in the hospital bed.” Xiao Xia said enviously, “You didn’t even see how much of a stir the videos and photos you took a while ago caused in the world media circle. The influence was even greater than the last time you carried someone.”

As soon as Song Lisa  opened the compressed file sent by Xiaoqiu, a photo popped up. It was the photo she had taken on the day of the explosion. The suicide attacker was smiling, holding a bag of candy. Sixty or seventy children were surrounding him, tilting their heads and waiting eagerly for the candy. Smoke was coming out of the man’s clothes. It was just before the bomb exploded.

The whole photo looks warm and gentle, but there is a chilling coldness behind it.

It was like a smiling angel wearing a mask, with the sneering god of death standing behind him with his scythe raised.

“The most amazing thing is the blue smoke coming out of the burning fuse. It was a godsend to take a photo like this,” Xiaochun commented.

“This photo could be in contention for this year’s Netherlands International Press Award, or even the Pulitzer Prize.”

Song Lisa  closed the photo with his mouse in one second.

There were still many photos and videos in the folder, but she didn’t dare to open it and just crossed them out.

Xiao Xia said: “The photo taken by Shen Jennie  has very good material, but it was probably taken in a hurry and the composition is poor.”

It was a picture of dozens of children’s bodies lined up in a row, with an officer sitting nearby, crying and holding his head.

Xiaochun said: “Don’t mention it, because the tragic scenes of the children were not blurred, and she almost got scolded to death after posting that photo…”

Xiaoqiu gave Xiaochun a look and the latter immediately shut up.

However, Song Lisa  sensed something was wrong. She calmly searched the internet for the photos she had taken and discovered that the official Weibo account had been flooded with comments full of compliments.

In the afternoon, Song Lisa  climbed over the firewall and went to Twitter to contact Sasin  and some foreign journalist friends. But she found that the message box was overwhelmed. She received countless @ comments and reposts.

She scrolled through it casually and saw many compliments. She didn’t want to read them, but she unexpectedly saw an English @: “vulture!”

Song Lisa ’s heart tightened.

Then, she saw more similar comments, in Chinese, traditional Chinese, Cantonese, and English…

“Don’t go back to China! Your mother is dead!”

“I heard that this disgusting person returned home injured.”

“Which hospital? I’ll go and send a wreath.”

“Other people’s disasters and deaths have brought you success and fame. You make me want to vomit!”

“You live on blood and human flesh. You are a vulture! A vulture that circles in the sky, waiting for the death of its prey!”

There are also Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, German, Arabic, and various other languages…

She didn’t know whether it was out of self-torture or something else, but she actually opened Google and translated the sentences one by one.

“Oh my god, that man is obviously a terrorist. Why didn’t the reporter who took the photo warn the children?”

“The moment she saw the children running to ask for candy, the reporter must have been eagerly waiting for the bomb to explode! Devil! I curse her to hell!”

“When I think of the moment of the explosion, the reporter excitedly and expectantly pressed the shutter, I really hope she will be killed in the explosion too!”

“She was the one who took the photo of the dead kid last time!”

Song Lisa  sat in front of the computer, mechanically flipping through the comments, copying and pasting the translations, and countless comments flowed into her eyes like water.

There were also many people who spoke up for her and argued for her, but she seemed to see none of it and just flipped through the comments one by one like a robot.

She even forced herself to recall, almost hallucinating –

When she looked out the window from inside the house, did she see that the man was a demon? Why didn’t she warn the kids and tell them to run away?! Why didn’t she see that the man was a demon?!

Why?!

“Lisa !” Xiaoqiu’s voice woke her up from the nightmare instantly. She turned her head and looked with fear in her eyes.

Xiao Qiu held her hand and smiled: “It’s time to get off work. Let’s go home.”

Song Lisa  then realized that she he was shaking all over, her  hands and feet were trembling uncontrollably, as if she was sitting in the snow in just a T-shirt.

She curled her lips and said, “Is the temperature dropping? I feel a little cold.”

“I have an extra scarf here, you can wear it first. Go home quickly, it will be colder any later.” Xiaoqiu took the mouse from her hand and turned off the computer.

At six o’clock in the afternoon, it began to get dark.

Song Lisa  wrapped herself in Xiaoqiu’s scarf and stood in the chilly autumn wind waiting for the bus. Her eyes had been a little sore these days, and driving would make her tired.

It was mid-to-late October, and autumn was already deep in the air. Song Lisa  wore a thin sweater and a woolen coat, but no long johns, and felt a little cold on his feet.

People waiting for the bus huddled in the cold wind, expressionless.

She stood there for a long time, not knowing what she was thinking. When she came to her senses, she found that the street lights were on. The bus sign flashed red in the dark night. It seemed to be the bus she wanted to take. She took a few steps forward and stopped, realizing that her eyes were blurry and she saw 5 as 6.

She stood back on the steps, glanced at the car window, and was suddenly stunned.

She suddenly saw Li Jungkook , who was sitting by the window, looking straight ahead, as if in a trance.

The light was dim, and she could not see clearly. She unconsciously reached out and called out, “A-Jungkook !”

In late autumn, the bus windows were tightly shut, and he did not look back. The bus had already started.

She was stunned for two seconds, then hurried over and said, “Officer Li!”

But he still didn’t look back and drove away.

Song Lisa  stood in the cold wind, looking at the car going away, and his heart felt like a piece was being torn out.

He must not have heard her shout.

She got on the bus in a daze, and when she sat down, she heard people talking outside. It turned out that through the glass, you can hear the outside voices.

So, she must have seen it wrong.

He must still be in the East Country and hasn’t come back yet.

When Song Lisa  returned home, she was in a state of disarray and exhausted. She had done nothing, but she was so tired that she couldn’t even stand up straight. She forced herself to eat and made a bowl of instant noodles.

Outside the house, the autumn wind was howling, making the trees in the yard sway with their leaves. She stuffed instant noodles into her mouth, and before she knew it, tears were falling one by one.

She remembered the doctor saying her eyes were recovering and she couldn’t cry, so she quickly raised her head and wiped away her tears.