Detective mystery novel "Vampire Bat"

War years

Under the blue dome, the breeze blows the endless green vineyards, like beautiful waves rolling and jumping. The mesmerizing green waves seem to compete with the blue sky. Surrounded by the luscious aroma of grapes. In the quiet and remote early autumn of France, all this is full of poetry-like elegance.

A tarmac road crawls like a snake through the wide vineyards. Far away, at the other end of the road, came two small black shadows, which turned out to be two oncoming bicycles, a middle-aged man and a young boy riding one each. Both were carrying backpacks on their shoulders.

The steam of water constantly bubbles up from the turquoise vineyards and the gray asphalt roads, and the air gently shakes like silver waves. Even the two bicycles looked as if they were rocking in the waves, and the glittering wheels were like silver beads rolling forward.

The shiny asphalt road stretched all the way up the green hill opposite, so the two bicycles also followed the hill and then stopped.

They stopped under a towering tree, and flocks of birds chirped in the woods. Over the woods, you can see the peaks of the cloud cage fog cover, turning from green to empty. A cool breeze is refreshing and refreshing.

"Paul, take a break here!"

Baron Di Rhodes put his bicycle down on the grass, took out a generous handkerchief, and wiped the beads of sweat from his face as he spoke.

"Okay, Dad."

Paul lowered his feet on the pedals and stood on the turquoise grass, looking out over the sparkling river beneath the green hills.

He was a handsome boy with blond hair and blue eyes, about 10 years old. His father's brother Baron Rhodes was about 50 years old and a tall, majestic middle-aged man.

Father and son are dependent on each other and live an unusually lonely life. When Paul was very young, his mother died with hatred. He was lonely and lonely without any impression of his mother, and he longed to snuggle up to her, to shop with her, and to enjoy great and warm affection.

However, the fierce, straightforward and courageous Paul was able to restrain his inner loneliness and longing for his mother. He poured all his energy into his homework and became a student with good character and good character.

Because of his honesty and kindness, his classmates enjoyed getting along with him. However, after all, sometimes he can't hold back his loneliness, and he is often depressed and lost.

Baron Rhodes loved Paul very much for the loss of his mother's love since childhood. In order to make him forget his inner loneliness, the Baron decided to travel to Alsace and Lorraine on a bicycle during the summer vacation. This day was the last day of their trip.

"This land originally belonged to us in France..." said Baron Rhodes, the brother who was walking behind Paul, in a hoarse and deep voice.

"Turn your head and look at Daddy..."

His father kept looking down at Paul, and paul was amazed that crystal tears flashed in his eyes.

"About 30 years ago, between 1870 and 1871, there was a war between our homeland and our neighbors, and we were finally defeated. Thus, Alsace and Lorraine were plundered by the Germans. Baron Di Roz's lips trembled.

"Germany was called Prussia at the time, and that war was historically known as the Franco-Prussian War. Paul, you know what? Those goddesses that stand on the Piazza de Paris represent the counties and cities of France. You've seen it! ”

"Yes, you took me to see it." Paul raised his innocent little face and answered the Baron.

"Of those goddesses, two black cloths are wrapped around the goddesses of the two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine."

"The citizens of Paris and the people of France, in order to mourn the loss of their land, put on a black robe for the statue of the goddess, and decided to wait until the day when the lost land was recovered before taking off the clothes for the statue.

"At that time, the whole French people swore to cooperate sincerely, to strengthen themselves, to make the motherland stronger and more prosperous, and then to defeat Germany and recover the land, they all longed to look up at the sacred goddess statue symbolizing equality and freedom in the warm and peaceful sun.

"When the war broke out, my father was only 17 years old, but how could he be indifferent when he saw that the army of his motherland was about to be defeated? So I joined the young soldiers, intending to shed blood for the motherland. After the war, Dad and I received the Medal of Honor. ”

"It was when Dad was 18 years old, and it's been 30 years now."

"But, to this day, Alsace and Lorraine are occupied by the Germans, and the goddess is still wearing black mourning clothes. However, no matter what, we must recover the lost land and remove the mourning clothes of the goddess, which is also the long-cherished wish of our French people. Paul, I sincerely hope that the young people of France will inherit the wishes of our older generation and realize this wish, you are still young, but you must remember your father's words, love your homeland, protect the security of the country, recover the two provinces, and shame the country.

"This is the sacred mission entrusted to the young people by the French compatriots, and once the country is in trouble, you must stand up and be loyal to the country, so that your young ** will shed the last drop of beautiful blood for the country." That's Daddy's wish, you know? ”

Baron D'Oroz clasped Paul's hands and said solemnly.

Paul saw the light of patriotic fortitude flashing in his father's eyes, and he said with deep feeling:

"Yes, Dad, I will be patriotic, I will be able to recover Alsace and Lorraine for all the French."

Paul's cheeks flushed, and patriotic blood filled his heart.

Paul, who had always regarded his father as a hero, looked up at his father, who was proud of him.

"I must be a brave patriotic warrior like my father..." Paul made a grand ambition in his young heart.

Baron D-Lodz was impressed by the resolute expression on his son's face, he understood his determination, he was proud of his son's bravery, and showed a kind smile.

"This bike tour is to let you know the beautiful and rich Alsace and Lorraine, but also to tell you why France lost these two lands. From this hilly area, there is the land of France. In the border village of Volkon, where Dad's good friend Count Dandoby lived, you would be more patriotic if you talked to him.

"Wait a minute, and we'll visit his castle." I haven't seen him since the end of the war. We suddenly appeared in his castle, and he must have been overjoyed. ”

Baron Di Rhodes lifted the bicycle upside down on the ground and spoke excitedly, but when he looked up at the sky, he frowned.

It turned out that a dark cloud drifted over the sky above them, becoming denser and denser, like a drop of thick ink falling on a damp white paper. Gradually spreading around, in an instant, the blue sky above his head was densely clouded, and a snow-white lightning sword cut through the thick dark clouds.

One after another, the shining raindrops hit the father and son's face, and in an instant, the heavy rain poured down, which caught people off guard.

"No, we must go to the castle at once..." said Baron Diroz.

Father and son pedaled desperately on the bicycle, and the figures of the two mixed with the vast white fog and the raging rain, and finally turned into two black shadows and disappeared at the end of the rain.

To reach the French border, you only have to cross the green woods, but it will take an hour to reach the castle in the village of Wrkang. The two men walked through the rain, lifelessly pedaling the bicycle. ］

Between the dark heavens and the earth, jagged lightning bolts appeared from time to time, spewing out fiery fire from the dark forest, and at the same time, splitting the tall trees in the forest.

"It's so dangerous, let's avoid it for a while..."

The father and son hunched their backs and continued to pedal hard.

"Daddy, church, there!" Paul's hand pointed straight ahead.

From this side of the forest, you can already see an ancient church not far away. The roof had decayed, and the pointed crosses above had been corroded to black. The tall bell tower stood next to the church, and the bell was no longer visible, and it might have been stolen by thieves.

"This church may not have a priest or caretaker, but it's okay to take shelter from the rain for a while."

The father and son ran up the stone steps of the doorway to push the huge wooden door.

The door didn't move, as if it had been locked from the inside. Reluctantly, the father and son had to crouch by the stone pillar at the door, trying to wait for the rain to stop before leaving.

Paul was so drenched that he had water in his shoes, and he was so cold that his teeth couldn't help but squeak and bump, and he only snorted.

"Don't get cold, eat this!" Baron D-Lodz took a piece of aspirin from the medicine box in his backpack.

Paul had just put the medicine in his mouth when there was a "bang" and the wooden door behind him rang. Brother Rhodes picked up the medicine kit and stood up.

The sound of "thumping" continued, as if someone was slamming the door hard from the inside. Paul clenched the back of his father's hand, and the intense fear made him tremble even more.

At this moment, the doorknob turned, as if someone was opening the door.

The door was finally opened. A man came out of the door, his black coat draped over his body, his eyes shining sharply. It was a majestic gentleman, about 40 years old, with a beard with two ends cocked, and he looked very personal.

"Ah..."

Baron Lodz cried out in a low voice, and the medicine box slipped from his hand, his whole body stiff and his breathing urgent.

The gentleman looked at the baron with a cold and stiff gaze, but his upturned beard at both ends trembled incessantly, and his heart was flooded with waves.

The pale-faced Brother Baron Rhodes was so shocked that he stared blankly at the gentleman.

Instead, a young and beautiful woman appeared behind the gentleman. She wears a noble black silk robe and a large card ornament worn on her chest.

This unique camelot is very eye-catching, surrounded by a golden snake, and two emeralds shine on the snake's eyes.

Paul couldn't help but be mesmerized by this sparkling ornament, and he thought to himself, "It's terrible! ”

Baron Groz remained silent at this point, and both he and the Man in Black stared at each other with shocked eyes. Soon after, the gentleman shrugged his shoulders and walked down the stone steps, and the cold woman followed him down.

Then a man in a straight suit came out of the doorway. He was also surprised to see the father and son, and he stayed for a moment before chasing the gentleman and the girl in black into the forest.

The rain was finally getting lighter.

"Ah, that scared me!" Baron Brother Rhodes said with a big breath.

"Who are they?" Paul asked curiously.

"What do you say? Paul, that gentleman was the Emperor of Germany..."

"Huh? It's true? Paul's eyes widened.

"Absolutely! Originally, Dad did not believe that the German Emperor would come here, but he was not wrong. I've seen pictures of him in the newspapers, that distinctive beard, that snake-like sharp eye, and that gritty, proud chin... It was so impressive that he was really Kaiser Wilhelm II. ”

"Is it really him? ...... But why did he come here? ”

"Dad doesn't know either... However, perhaps he had come to inspect the security situation on the mainland border.

"Now, relations between France and Germany are tense, and Germany has the momentum to invade us again, because the German emperor is belligerent and an ambitious man."

Baron Di Rhodes was filled with displeasure, and a grudge, resentment towards the German Emperor, appeared on his face.

"The Kaiser was a great ambitionist for fame and profit, and he wanted to defeat France like his father, Wilhelm I, and invade the mainland and expand Germany by preempting Alsace and Lorraine, so he has been planning for the war of aggression.

"This time, he came to scout the mainland's armaments. Of course, Joe had to change his makeup to hide his identity, but the two-stroke beard could not be hidden, so he was very surprised to see us. ”

At this point, the Baron couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

"Then why did he come to this old church?" Paul asked.

"That's because from the clock tower with a telescope, you can see the border terrain of France, the location of the French fortress. Once war breaks out, just attack these places. ”

"So, who is that girl in black?" Paul suddenly remembered the woman wearing the horrible charm.

"Dad doesn't know who she is... Maybe it's to hide their identities and pretend to be a couple who travel with the Kaiser. The man in the suit, from his majestic figure and sharp eyes, can be seen as a German official, and his mission is to protect the safety of the emperor. In addition, in this wood, there must also be German gendarmes watching and reconnaissance.

"We are too dangerous here, and the German emperor will be uneasy when he is recognized by his father." We must leave the place immediately, or we will be sent to Berlin to be shot or imprisoned for life if we are caught. ”

The father and son hurriedly stepped onto the bicycle and tried to leave the church.

Suddenly, a strange voice sounded behind it...

"Wait a minute..."

It was a fluent French mixed with German Chinese tones.

Baron Lodz and Paul were taken aback, and both looked back in unison to see the mysterious girl in black standing behind. The serpentine ornaments made of gold are drenched in rain and emit a cold glow.

"I have some questions I'd like to ask you..." said the woman in black quietly.

"What?" Baron Di Rhodes was very calm.

"Please come with me..."

The woman in black took the baron to a large tree on the edge of the forest, and the two faced each other, and they did not know what to do, as if it were complicated.

In the face of the girl's questioning, the brother Baron Lodz either shook his head or bowed his head, as if the woman did not believe it, and she repeatedly pressed the question.

The Baron's heart grew trembling. suddenly! Just as he was looking up at the sky, the girl in black drew a sharp dagger and stabbed it into the baron's strong chest.

The baron screamed in horror, and he covered his bloodied chest with his hands and fell to the woman's side.

The woman in black watched triumphantly as the baron's servant fell to the ground before putting the dagger in its sheath.

"Daddy..." Paul shouted hoarsely, rushing down the stone steps of the church, suddenly taking a question stick in the back of his head.

Paul did not realize that the man in the suit had quietly followed him and knocked him unconscious with a wooden stick.

Poor Paul fainted. The long rain kept hitting him.

The forest became mysterious and hollow because of the rain, making the originally uninhabited bushes more peaceful and lonely.

The girl in black and the man in the suit disappeared, as if swallowed up by the forest. After a while, there was a crisp horseshoe sound in the forest, and gradually left the forest.

The pouring rain poured on the father and son, the lightning and thunder around them, and a storm seemed to never stop.

After a few hours, the unconscious Paul was found by the villagers. He suffered only a few skin wounds to his head, but the heroic and courageous brother Baron Rhodes died on the spot, and the dagger of the Woman in Black was piercing into his heart.

The murder in the storm caused a sensation throughout the village, and every villager was shocked. Paul was taken to a nearby police station for questioning and investigation.

He explained the ins and outs of the matter, but no one believed him.

"Stop talking nonsense! How could the German emperor be on the border? What nonsense! The older police chief shook his head.

"Poor boy, he has a head injury, so he talks nonsense and thinks weirdly." A police officer looked at Paul with pity in his eyes and said.

"The assassination of his father was too devastating for this child, which is why he was so mentally confused." Although his eyes were open, his spirit was still in a state of nightmare. This is an initial sign of psychosis, and the child must be treated in a hospital. ”

The village doctor diagnosed Paul, but in any case, since the murder had occurred, the investigation was imperative, and the culprit must be found.

So the police began to investigate the scene, and they did not find any clues, and certainly did not find any trace of the German emperor on the border.

Apart from the brother Baron Roz father and son, there was no third person who had ever seen the true face of the German emperor.

The teenager said that the German emperor Qiao was dressed up, but his eight-character beard could not be hidden, which was purely his subjective assumption. This case may just be a good thing done by the robbers in the forest. ”

After speculating, the commissioner of police ordered his men to conduct a large-scale forest search. He mobilized all the police and villagers and searched for three days, but found nothing.

In the end, the murder had to be handed over to the Lorraine District Police Department for investigation, but after a thorough search, they still could not see any trace of the real murderer.

The final outcome is that this murder case is as confusing as the sea and becomes a suspense case.

Paul, who had lost his father, was diagnosed with a mental disorder by doctors, and all the people did not believe his testimony and only regarded his words as nonsense.

Young Paul was indignant about this.

"That's right! The mysterious woman in black is a retinue of the German emperor, and she kills her father, because his father knows the true face of the German emperor, so she kills people. I must find the woman to avenge my father, and I must find the German emperor. ”

"The German Emperor was a despicable and shameless villain, and he not only killed his father, he also stole Alsace and Lorraine!"

"Germany now wants to take advantage of the fire and looting to attack France in order to seize a larger and wider land. The German Emperor is the enemy of all France, and I want to seek revenge on him, which is also My Father's greatest wish. ”

Paul remembered the words that his father had repeatedly told him before he was murdered, and not only remembered them, but also kept them in mind, and never forgot them.

Paul had the desire to avenge his father, but he did not know the true face of the Girl in Black. Of course, since she was the emperor's retinue, she should also live in the Berlin district.

The young man could not go to Berlin alone, but fortunately his aunt agreed to act as his guardian, managing his father's legacy and taking care of Paul's living and educational instructions.

Under the careful teaching of his aunt, Paul successfully completed the courses of middle school and college, but after studying hard, he could not help but be resentful of avenging his father, and his hatred for the girl in black was also increasing.

Paul tried to investigate the woman in black in various ways, but to no avail. During this period, Paul received a degree in electrical engineering with excellent grades and immediately went to Germany to study. On the one hand, Germany's developed machinery industry can enable him to obtain abundant professional knowledge and practical experience; on the other hand, Paul also wants to take the opportunity to understand the German defense forces and the reflection of the people on France. However, the most important purpose is to search for the woman in black and find her traces.

Disappointingly, he still can't get accurate information. After Paul returned from Germany, he continued to search in secret, and also commissioned lawyers to collect information, but all efforts were in vain.

The woman whose actions were mysterious was still an unsolvable mystery.

Although the investigation did not improve, the strong-willed Paul was not discouraged by this.

One day, when he looked up at the portrait of his father, the nightmare-like scene flashed through his mind.

"My father was killed by the woman on September 19, 1898, 16 years ago, so it's no wonder it's so difficult to investigate the woman's whereabouts."

Paul thought so, but the flame of vengeance in his heart was still burning, and he suddenly remembered what his father had said at that time:

"Daddy's friend Count Dandobi lives in this nearby castle, so let's visit him!"

"Yes!" Paul muttered to himself.

"I should have asked Count Dandoby for help. The count's castle was not far from the place where his father had been killed, and he must have heard of the case, and perhaps he could know the whereabouts of the Kaiser or the woman in black. ”

Paul told his aunt about the plan and prepared to leave the same day, take the train to Lorraine, and then get off at a small stop on the border called Wolcon.

Once upon a time, the border was the domain of the Count of Volkon, and the castle belonged to him, but later the Count of Dandoby bought it.

Unfortunately the Count did not live in the castle, said giromon, the old man who guarded the castle:

"The Countess has been in bad health for a long time, so it was almost 20 years ago, right?" The family moved to the Nice Riviera in the south of France, where madame died. Later, the count put his two children in The house of Charmaine's sister and traveled alone to Italy, Switzerland and other places to dilute the sorrow of his wife.

The Count returned from a trip, and his sister bought a house for him in Charmaine and lived with his children. Since then, the count has not returned. The castle has always been taken care of by my wife and I. ”

Paul then took a train to the Chamand area, arriving a few hours later.

"Oh! It turned out to be the son of Baron Rhodes, well, looking like your father. ”

Count Dandobi held Paul's hands excitedly, and his large, warm palms reminded Paul of his father's loving hands, and a wave of pity came from the bottom of his heart.

Although Count Dandobi was over 70 years old, he was tough, with crane hair and a straight back, like a soldier, and he was a burly, strong, cheerful gentleman.

"When I read in the newspaper that your father had been killed, I was deeply saddened... Has the killer been caught now? ”

"Not yet..."

"Oh, I heard that it has become an unsolvable case, and sure enough..."

The count looked at Paul with pity eyes, eyes filled with tears beneath his thick pale eyebrows. Paul told the earl about the girl in black, and at the same time told the count the fact that the woman was the murderer.

"The first time I heard about it, it wasn't mentioned in the newspapers." The count's eyes widened in horror.

Paul told the count that he was looking for the woman and asked the count if he knew her.

The count shook his head, then furrowed his thick white eyebrows, pondering alone. What a complex and incomprehensible expression that is! Does he know that the Girl in Black does not tell the truth, or is he sentimental about the tragedy of an old friend? Or is it full of hatred for the murderer? This made Paul scratch the edge, just staring at the old man who was in deep thought.

After a period of silence, suddenly both of them heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in!" The Count awoke from his contemplation.

A beautiful blonde girl walked in. She has a slender figure, eyes like autumn water, short hair and beautiful hair, which has attracted the attention of countless people. When the girl saw the personable Paul, her blue eyes radiated with surprise, and she still smiled and nodded to Paul, and the polite Paul hurriedly stood up and saluted.

"This is my daughter Eliza."

The count introduced the maiden to Paul, and then the two young men sat down and began to greet and talk. Although it was the first time they met, their words were speculative, as if they hated each other late.

The Count, sitting in an armchair, listened to Eliza and Paul's conversation with a smile and fell back into contemplation.

From that day on, Paul visited the old count every day. Although the identity of the woman in black has not yet been solved, she has the opportunity to meet and communicate with the charming Eliza, and Paul knows that he has fallen deeply in love with the gentle and beautiful Eliza.

Eliza also has a crush on the young and handsome Paul, and the two soon fall in love. At sunset, they walk hand in hand on the lawn, admiring the afterglow of the sunset, or sitting shoulder to shoulder on a bench and whispering. An innocent love was born.

Count Dandoby stood at the living room window looking at the inseparable couple, and a kind and relieved smile could not help but appear on his face, and he deeply blessed the lovers.

After some time, Paul finally summoned up the courage to propose to the Count, who gladly agreed and said to Paul:

"In the past, our family had been living in the castle in the village of Volkon, and my wife, Amena, was weak. The doctor thought that the humid climate there was not good for her health, so we moved our family to the Nice Seafront until now.

At that time, Eliza was only four years old, and her brother Bernard was not yet two years old.

"After moving here, my wife's health quickly recovered, but she died the following year. Maybe that's what's called fate?

"Because Emena loved Volcan Castle so much, I bought it for her. Emena was so pleased that she personally directed the servants to decorate the Castle of Volcan, and also moved the furniture and artworks from the old Paris houses to be arranged and decorated, and everything here was carefully designed and performed by her.

"Amena's heart has always been pulled by the castle, and the sweet memories of her life have been produced there. Whenever I return to the castle, I can't help but think of Emena, where every grass and tree is her gentle and feminine shadow, and seeing all that will make grief occupy my lonely heart. In order to avoid seeing the scene sad, I will never go back.

"I had planned to give Urcon Castle as a wedding gift to Elizabeth when she got married, and I want you to make it your new home and take good care of it." The count could not help but wipe away the spilled tears with a handkerchief.

Paul was deeply moved to hear the Count mention this sad past, and he believed that the Count and his wife must be a loving couple.

After the wedding, Count Dandoby handed an old key to Eliza and said gently:

"This is the key to the innermost room of the castle, which is your mother's bedroom, and the rest is in the care of Old Man Giromón."

"In the past, I had locked your mother's bedroom and not allowed anyone to enter. Because that's where her heart work is, and it's the place that I will never forget. I don't want anyone to change. Destroy its old appearance... However, from tomorrow onwards, use it as your bedroom! ”

"Daddy, you're so nice, thank you!"

With tears of gratitude, Eliza carefully took the old key. After a long time, Eliza has forgotten her mother's appearance, but she misses her gentle and delicate mother all the time.

At the age of five, her mother left the world, leaving her and her brother Bernard alone. Every time she thought about it, Eliza's heart ached like a knife. To this day, she still misses the warm feeling of being held tightly in her mother's arms.

For Eliza, who has lost her mother's love since childhood, her greatest wish is to look at her mother's portrait, touch the female red she made by herself, and slightly understand the feelings of motherhood in her heart.

"Ah, from tomorrow I will be able to live in my mother's bedroom..."

Elisa was excited, clutching the old key with both hands.

The next morning, Eliza and her husband Paul bid farewell to their father, Count Dandoby, and her brother Bernard (who had returned from his sister's wedding while studying in Paris) and reluctantly took the train and left their home on the shores of the Sea of Nice.

In the evening, the train arrived at Volcon, and the administrator Giromon sent a carriage to take them into town.

Wilcom Castle is an ornate building built in the 16th century, with a towering roof with pin-like pointed towers, spacious courtyards full of lush vegetation, flowers and birds, and turquoise and flat grass as soft as a blanket. At the end of the courtyard, there is a long, narrow balcony that can be used to overlook the deep valley.

Eliza stood alone on the balcony, looking around, the past coming to her mind like a dream. She also vividly remembers the joys of her and her brother Bernard playing on the grass or in the thick shade of the trees as a child. The past has made Eliza feel a thousand emotions in her heart, and crystal tears have poured into her eyes.

Worried, Eliza returned to the living room, rested for a while, and wanted to go to her mother's room to have a look. So, led by Giromon's wife, Rosalyn, she and her husband went to their mother's bedroom.

As she stepped up the stairs on the second floor, Eliza suddenly pressed her hand to her chest, pale, breathing urgently, and shaking.

"Eliza, how are you?" Paul asked worriedly.

"Nothing... Nothing, probably too excited. ”

Eliza barely squeezed out a gentle smile, snuggled up to Paul, and went up to the second floor. The room across the hallway was locked.

"This is the Countess's room."

Rosalyn whispered. Suddenly, Eliza involuntarily walked to the door, pressed the doorknob with her hand, and turned it slightly, but she couldn't open it.

"Due to the count's strict regulations, the door of this room has not been opened for more than ten years, so that the furnishings inside are exactly the same as when Madame was alive, not even the chair has been moved, and the portrait of Madame is still hanging on the wall." Rosa explains.

"Ah, I can finally see the portrait of my mother..." Eliza couldn't help but cheer loudly.

"Yes, it was specially painted by the Count for madame by the most prestigious painter in Paris, and it was very realistic!"

"Really? Exactly like my mother? ...... Paul, open the door for me! Eliza shook her hand and handed the key to Paul.

As Paul inserted the key into the keyhole, Eliza took a breath and shivered slightly.

"Ah finally can see my mother, I haven't seen her in ten years, I can't remember my mother's appearance, but I know she must be beautiful and gentle... Ah, hurry up, I really want to see my mother soon..."

Eliza kept shouting, and the excitement caused her to shout worriedly in a childlike tone:

"Mom... Mom..."

Under Paul's turn, the rusty key made a faint creaking sound, and the door finally opened. Eliza staggered into her mother's bedroom.

The room faces southwest, and the soft sunset shines in through the window, emitting a faint glow. The noble furniture of the Louis XIV era (a period of great prosperity in literature, art, and craftsmanship, such as the Palace of Versailles is a very typical building) was covered with exquisite and elegant sleeves, covered with a thin layer of dust. Bohemian classical art lamps hang from the ceiling, shining brightly under the golden sunset.

Between the two windows facing the courtyard hung a large oil painting of a young lady with a piercing gaze straight ahead, as if she wanted to see into people's hearts.

Eliza swooped forward and fell on a small prayer shelf beneath the portrait, where the count had knelt morning and evening to pray to the gods to bless his beloved dead wife.

Eliza straightened up, folded her hands, and looked up at the portrait of her mother.

A faint sunset shot in from the opposite window, creating a backlight that prevented Eliza from seeing her mother's face clearly. She stared at the mother in the painting with Qi Chu's eyes, and tears of missing her birth mother flowed from her white cheeks.

Paul walked gently behind his wife and looked up at the picture of the countess.

Paul was stunned, his face as pale as paper, his whole body trembling involuntarily.

The countess on the portrait is the mysterious and unusual woman in black, and even her costume and dress are exactly the same as when her brother Count Rhodes was assassinated. In addition, she also wears a gold snake-shaped charm ornament on her chest.

Confused, Paul couldn't help but take a step forward, but stumbled to Eliza's feet, and he almost fell to the ground.

Eliza was taken aback and looked back to see her husband standing by her side. Having not seen her mother's face for 16 years, she was now facing the undead, sad and tearful, and she did not notice the panicked expression on Paul's face.

"She was the girl in black, the mysterious woman who had assassinated her father. Her face, her clothes, and that serpentine ornament... Ordinary women would never wear such a mysterious and terrifying ornament, is that a talisman? Or is it a code and identifier that delivers the message?

"Yes, that's right! The woman in black was the female spy who accompanied the German emperor, and the ornament was undoubtedly a sign used to communicate information with her accomplices..."

As Paul thought about it, the hatred in his heart deepened a little.

"Eliza's mother was a female killer sent by the German Emperor, and she was the culprit in her father's murder, which is terrible!"

A series of unexpected blows made Paul unable to hold on, and he felt that his body was as light as a gossamer, as if standing in the clouds, fluttering and wavering. He stumbled on the luxurious Table of Louis XIV, holding the corner of his forehead with his hand, his face colorless and his eyes scattered, like a soldier who had been knocked down.

Eliza was completely immersed in the portrait of her mother, not noticing Paul's strange behavior at all, and she stared at the portrait alone and could not help but burst into tears.

Paul looked at his beloved wife and thought to himself:

"I didn't think that Eliza's mother was the Woman in Black, and my beloved wife was the daughter of the enemy who killed my father." What a coincidence! Is the beautiful lady in the painting really the woman in black? Am I reading this wrong? ”

To convince himself, Paul looked up at the portrait again, but no matter how much he changed position or distance, the result was the same, she was the woman in black! Paul's eyes suddenly went black, and he fell into the quagmire of despair.

Paul was a young man, but he was very calm and sensible. After a moment, he calmed down and thought to himself:

"Eliza knows nothing, it's not her fault, I can't hate her and blame her..."

He gently took Eliza's hand and silently led her downstairs.

Then, the couple had dinner together and spent a romantic and quiet night.

Before Giromon and Rosalyn could clean up their bedrooms, Paul and Eliza sat in the living room chatting. The content of their conversation is related to Eliza's mother, whose memory of her mother is very weak, but she has a gentle temperament and has always been very respectful and nostalgic for her mother.

When Paul saw his beloved wife in tears, he felt a wave of pity in his heart, and while wiping away the tears for her, he secretly decided not to mention the woman in black to his wife again.

That night, Paul lost sleep.

"I can't believe there could be such a thing. If Eliza's mother was the same person as the Woman in Black, then why did the Count give Eliza the key? Since the Count knew that the room was hung with a portrait of Madame, he would surely have hidden it before we came here. Maybe the lady in the painting is not the woman in black at all..."

Thinking of this, a little calm rose in Paul's heart.

"No, wait a minute... When I first spoke to the Count about the woman in black, he frowned and mused, a very complex and unforgettable expression.

"I didn't pay attention to these things at the time, but now that I think about it, it's really strange. Did he know that his wife was the one who killed my father? That would be even stranger, he should put away the portrait so that I wouldn't find it! Perhaps, he had no idea that his wife was a German spy... But what is the explanation for the complexity of his expression?

"Did he listen to my account and discover that his wife was the murderer?" Then he found out that I was in love with Eliza, so he asked me to marry his daughter to atone for his wife's sins.

"The count kept the portrait hanging in that bedroom and did not put it away, only to show that he knew of his wife's crime, and begged me to forgive her... No! This guess is also incorrect.

"Alas, things are really messy, and the woman in black is getting more and more mysterious. Count Dandoby is my most respected elder, he is also a good friend who has fought side by side with his father, they are patriotic veterans, and the Count is the father of his wife Eliza.

His wife, Emina, was different, though. If she were a loving and gentle mother, as Eliza said, I would love her too. But if she were a woman in black, I would hate her for the rest of my life, and I would have stabbed her in the chest like the woman in black had stabbed my father..."

Paul tossed and turned in bed all night, his hands holding his head, and excessive worry and thought caused him a headache.

Early the next morning, Paul went for a walk in the courtyard with his hand rubbing his faintly sore temples.

As he wandered down a path behind the castle, the shirtless old man Giromon was cutting down a tree with a large axe.

"Good morning, Uncle!"

Giromon raised his axe and greeted Paul on the other.

"Good morning! Did you get up to work so early? Paul walked slowly to the old man.

"Yes, I'm getting firewood for the winter..."

Old Man Giromon wiped the sweat from his forehead with his strong arm and said with a slight smile. He was a strong old man who didn't look at all like an old man in his 70s.

"In the winter, the weather here is extremely cold, and I heard that this winter will come early."

"I am very worried about whether you and the young lady are accustomed to the climate here, so I have decided to discuss with my wife Rosalyn and decide to prepare firewood for the winter from now on, so as not to freeze you."

"When the Countess used to live here, she was so sick that it was too cold, but she was very weak..."

"So Madame rarely goes out?" Paul asked forcefully and calmly.

"That is so, though, that the Count bought a castle for the Lady. When she first moved from Paris, Madame was very happy, because the air was fresh and the environment was elegant, and Madame often took her two children to play on the grass, or went for a walk in the countryside with the Count... At that time, Madame's spirit was very energetic and her body was healthy.

Soon after autumn, the weather became colder, and Madame often had a fever, cough, and high fever at night. The count was worried, and the doctor said that germs had infected the lady's lungs, and that the condition would have worsened if he had spent the winter in the castle. So Madame persuaded the Count to buy a house on the sea in Nice in the south, and before long the whole family moved in..."

"Really? When was that? Do you remember? Of course, you may have forgotten, too long..."

"No, absolutely not, not even if you want to." Because the second year after the Count's family moved, the lady died. I also said to my wife that the day the Count moved was the day we and Madame said goodbye. Every year on that day, we would pick flowers and plants from the forest to sacrifice to the undead of the lady for 16 years, and my wife and I have been doing this...

"The family moved to their new home on October 28, 1898."

"October 28th? My father was killed on September 19, when Madame was supposed to still be living in the castle, so Madame Emena was more likely to be a woman in black, and her suspicions were even heavier..."

Paul thought so, and he believed even more in his heart that the woman in black and the countess were one and the same person. He was puzzled and dragged his heavy and tired steps back to the castle.

Entering the living room, she found a pale-faced Eliza sitting in a chair waiting for him to return, anxious and nervous, with a newspaper spread out on her knees.

Paul on the battlefield

"Paul, it's bad, it's bad!"

Eliza quickly got up from the couch and cried out in panic.

"What happened, what happened?"

"You see..."

Paul took the newspaper, and it had the following headline:

The Germans are attacking the French, and the situation in France is precarious!

The heroic young French resist resolutely and fight for the fate of the motherland!

A few days ago, all provinces and cities across the country were gathering volunteers.

Brave young people, sacrifice your life for the motherland!

The people of the whole country have taken up arms and defended the land!

"The hateful Germans dare to be so rampant!"

Paul couldn't help but scream.

He angrily read the news reported in the newspaper several times, only to feel that his whole body was tense, his face was dignified, and even his blood was boiling with patriotism.

Germany had strong ambitions for world domination, but it also knew that the French, who had taken away the Alsace and Lorraine regions, had been waiting for an opportunity to avenge their hatred.

Therefore, the German emperor planned to use troops against France again, so that it would be defeated and completely destroyed.

At the same time, Germany, which wanted a powerful navy and vast colonies, also wanted to take the opportunity to compete with Britain, which had become the world's trade giant.

Germany intended to conquer Soviet Russia, which had a powerful and powerful navy.

As a result, Germany and Russia declared war in August 1914 over interests in the Balkans.

At this time, because of the alliance between France and Soviet Russia, Germany declared war on France, and then issued a letter of war with Britain, and since then, the First World War has fully broken out.

The German Emperor intended to mobilize his army, attack France with lightning speed before France was fully prepared, and then immediately move his army east to sneak into Russia, which was the blitzkrieg plan.

The German Emperor was prepared to sneak up on the enemy country while he was unprepared, so Germany planned to send a large force to Belgium and then invade France.

Helmeted with steel helmets and well-equipped German troops, Tarzan rushed to the border like a crusher and broke through the Belgian border.

International treaties stipulate that Belgium is a neutral country, and the army of any country cannot invade its borders at will, and the German emperor ignores the international treaties and insists on invading Belgium.

The Germans were invincible, quickly attacked the lax Belgian army, and are now rapidly attacking France.

These are the contents of the news published in the newspaper. Paul slowly put down the newspaper and calmly said to his wife:

"Eliza, I'm going to join the army!"

Paul's calm attitude and firm tone left Eliza speechless, gentle and strong, she could only look at her husband with a pulse of affection.

It was the couple's second day of marriage. Although joining the army meant sacrificing her life to serve the country and never returning, Eliza knew that Paul had made up her mind and that she herself was not a patriotic young woman.

"Paul, may God bless you..."

"Eliza, thank you. God will bless you too... I should go to the city hall to report..."

"Okay, there you go!"

Eliza twisted her face, not wanting Paul to see her tearful face and mournful expression. The attentive Paul immediately stepped forward to embrace his beloved wife, gently stroked her smooth soft hair, kissed her tender face, lips...

Under Paul's embrace and kisses, Eliza still could not restrain the sadness in her heart, and the tears slipped like pearls, and an inseparable parting feeling enveloped the two of them.

Paul was awarded the rank of Captain of the Army for his college degree.

By this time, the Germans had broken through the French lines and were attacking south. yin

At first, when France and Russia declared war on Germany, they did not expect that the German emperor would dangerously violate the international conventions and enter France through Belgium, so France and Russia immediately gathered a strong military force and rushed to Belgium.

However, it was all too late. The Germans had already defeated the Belgian army like a bamboo, and took the opportunity to repel the French and Russian forces, and finally approached the suburbs about 40 kilometers north of Paris.

So the French government had to move the government to Bordeaux in the south of France, and the German team took advantage of the situation and occupied several provinces and cities.

Paul's company was stationed near the province of Lorraine. One day, a young soldier was assigned to Paul's company.

"Captain Wu, First Class Soldier Dandobi came to this squadron today to report."

"What? Dandobi..." Paul cried out in surprise.

"Yes, I'm Bernard Dandoby." The young soldier said solemnly, and then couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that he was the son of Count Dandoby and the younger brother of Eliza. The two immediately hugged each other excitedly, patting each other on the back of the shoulder.

"Bernard, you joined the army too?"

"Of course, the only people who do not want to fight for the motherland are the old, weak, sick and disabled French, and all the countrymen have taken up arms, rushed to the battlefield, and sacrificed blood for the country..." Bernard's blue eyes glowed strangely.

"When I reported to the company, I said that I was the son of Count Dandoby, and the company commander said, 'It turns out that the brother-in-law OfRods is your brother-in-law!'" I will send you to his squad, so that you can cooperate with him and serve the country together! That's why he asked me to come here."

"I was so happy to hear the news, so I wanted you to have a surprise, so I didn't inform you."

"Well, I'm so overjoyed, I'm so happy that you came to me." The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Daddy's body is okay?" Eliza..."

"Good, great. Dad and sister have always been worried about the safety of their brother-in-law. Also, my sister asked me to bring you a letter, saying that I might have a chance to meet you when I enlisted in the army, so she asked me to bring it. ”

Bernard said as he took the letter from his pocket.

"That's it."

Paul took it and saw that the front of the letter read: Dear Paul, and on the back: Your beloved Eliza.

Paul's heart ached with the handwriting of his wife, who couldn't help but bow his head and kiss Eliza's name.

Dear Paul,

I don't know when this letter will be seen by you, no! Maybe you'll never get a chance to see this letter. But I still have to write to you. My brother Bernard had come to say goodbye to me, and was talking to my father in the living room, and I hurried to write the letter.

As I was about to write the letter, deep thoughts and sorrows kept chewing on my heart, and a string of tears couldn't help but slip down on the letter, wetting the handwriting.

If I could, I'd love to fly up to you and tell you everything about my love for you and all the oddities in the castle. Otherwise, one day I will be doomed...

Everything in the castle is related to that portrait... Paul, you have to calm down and read this letter patiently, okay? The woman in the portrait was not my mother, nor my father's beloved wife, Amena.

"What?" Paul exclaimed and buried his head in reading the letter again.

A week ago, Father came to The Castle of Volkon. In the past many years, he never dared to come back, because he was afraid of seeing what his mother had left behind, and the loss of his beloved wife made him much older. I said to him, you have been called into the army, and my father is worried that I am lonely and desolate, so he came back to live with me and accompany me. He said:

"It's exactly the same as it was ten years ago, and it's not changed at all."

He inspected the inside and outside of the castle and was very pleased. He also said to the castle's caretakers, Gilromon and Rosalynne:

"Thank you so much! The castle is clean and neatly protected by you..."

As he walked into the yard, my father touched the thick old trunk sentimentally, then turned back to me and said:

"Since you have seen all the grass and trees in the yard, if you don't go to see your mother's bedroom, you really don't want to go..." My father smiled softly and walked up to the second floor.

I felt that the long ten years had faded from my father's grief at the loss of his wife, and that perhaps he could calm down a little, so I gleefully went downstairs to the kitchen to make coffee for him.

But after a while, the father rushed down from the upper floor, his face was miserable, and he cried out breathlessly:

"Eliza, that portrait is not your mother's, it is fake..." the father's voice shuddered.

"It wasn't painted by a painter I brought in from Paris... She's not your mother, she's not Emena..."

Father had no face and shook his back against the armchair.

"That's a strange woman, she's definitely not my wife, who is she?" Why was that portrait hanging in your mother's bedroom? The father clasped his head in both hands and spoke to himself.

I was so stunned that I poured my father a glass of water, and he took a sip of it, and then he said:

"Eliza, that's weird! What a mystery... The woman wore a snake-like ornament on her chest, and your mother didn't have that kind of horror, but that charm was worn by the woman who killed Paul's father.

"Eliza, think about the look on Paul's face when he saw this portrait, what did he say?"

My father looked at me as he spoke. The truth is that I didn't care about your expression at the time, because I was so excited to see the portrait of my mother for the first time, and I don't know what you said at that time. I told my father the truth of the matter, and my father sighed and said:

"Alas, Paul must have thought that your mother, Emena, was his father's enemy, and that was a terrible misunderstanding!" Now that he had seen the portrait, no amount of explanation would be superfluous. ”

After my father finished speaking, I remembered how excited you looked that day.

Paul, you never mentioned to me about the portrait of the woman, and your words and deeds were the same as usual, but I know that your manners and actions are no longer as calm and calm as they used to be.

It turns out that since that day, your heart has been occupied by pain, and you have always regarded me as the daughter of a father-killer. However, your gentle and kind nature has kept you suppressing your inner torment and not wanting to hurt me. The real reason why you went out into the army was probably to avoid, afraid that I would be heartbroken, is that right?

Paul, you have loved me deeply to this day. But your soul must always remind you not to love the daughter of your enemy deeply. When you think of staying with the daughter of your partner until you are old, you feel ashamed of your father, and you must have a deep sense of guilt. That's why you decided to go to war and serve your country. Now I understand your feelings, and when I think of your situation so difficult and difficult, my heart is like a knife, and I can't help but wash my face with tears.

Paul, this is a deep misunderstanding. You should understand that someone has deliberately framed and set this vicious trap. At present, I don't know the true motives of this trap, but in any case, I will definitely investigate to the end.

My father had sent someone outside the castle to investigate, but there was not even a trace of it. In order to carry out a large-scale investigation, my father yesterday went to his home in the Charmaine area to commission a detective to investigate, and I believe that the answer to this mystery is in the castle, and I intend to conduct a thorough investigation.

In the past few days, the German army has gathered in the French border, the sound of gunfire can be heard day and night, the bombing near the castle is continuous, there are constant casualties in the village, and most of the houses of the residents of the village have been destroyed.

The Germans' firing was indeed accurate and fierce, very clever, as if reconnoitering with telescopes erected at a high place, and then directing the artillery fire to attack.

Sooner or later, the castle will also be destroyed. From the castle you can see the church hidden deep in the forest, this building is so eye-catching that the German shells will fall here overnight...

But I would never leave here, I would investigate everything strange in the castle and find valuable clues about the mystery, otherwise I would not have left.

To you my warmest and most sincere kiss...

Dear Paul, don't misunderstand me again. For the sake of our country, you work hard! I beg you to come back triumphantly and come back to me, okay? Don't forget my eager anticipation.

Always love your Eliza

Paul took a deep breath and looked up, but Bernard was gone.

"Alas, my misunderstanding of the Count is too great! It turned out that his complicated and deep expression was grieving for the death of my father!

"The mysterious woman in black is not the countess, and I am relieved at this moment..."

When Paul thought about it, a restless, long-suffering heart let go a little.

"But who stole that painting?" What was his purpose? Why replace the portrait of Madame Emena with a portrait of a woman dressed in black wearing a serpentine ornament?

In her letter, Eliza said that she herself would stay behind to uncover the true face of the woman in black and solve the mystery of the portrait. In case german artillery fire broke into the castle, that Eliza she... Paul's heart grew uneasy.

A few days later, german intelligence on the eastern border of France was reported to the company headquarters.

"Then The Castle of Volcan has been captured?"

Worried about the safety of his beloved wife, the uneasiness on Paul's face grew stronger.

At that time, along the Eastern Front in France, there were many incredible assassinations.

Young officers who patrolled, searched, or walked out of their tents at night would become stiff bodies the next morning, and the victims were heroic and warlike officers.

Even a distinguished officer who had made a distinguished military exploit and was ready to be awarded the Medal of Honor the next morning was brutally murdered that night.

It is deeply astonishing that none of the old or mediocre officers, even the lower ranks, were killed, while senior officers, such as company commanders or commanders, were safe because of their tight guard. However, the staff officers involved in the operational planning could not escape death despite the strict barriers.

It can be seen that the murderer must have been a conspirator who knew the internal secrets of the French army in detail, and perhaps sent spies to inquire into the intelligence.

The French army had a general understanding of the murderer's methods and appearance, although it was not yet possible to clearly understand the true face of the murderer.

Several soldiers who witnessed the killer at the scene of the assassination described the murderer as having roughly the same method of killing.

According to them, the murderer was a man dressed in a black cloak who haunted in the middle of the night, armed with a dagger, suddenly stabbed into the heart of the young officer, and for an instant disappeared into the darkness. When the murderer left, the wide black cloak fluttered with the wind, like a huge bat, so the murderer was called a "black blood-eating bat". She is athletic and agile, and she exudes a unique smell around her. She was exactly a woman.

The murderer used an accurate method when he carried out the assassination, stabbing the other party's heart with a knife, causing him to die on the spot, and the victim fell to the ground and died, often unable to make a sound.

People who hear about this are often shocked and blue in the face, and their whole bodies tremble. For the French people, sacrificing one's body to go to the country and die in battle is an infinitely glorious thing, but dying at the hands of a mysterious and strange female killer is inevitably a shame.

However, as soon as they heard the name of the "black blood-eating bat", the young officers were silent one by one, careful and wary.

Word reached Paul's squadron, which had not yet seen a similar assassination, but Paul was taken aback.

"The black blood-eating bat, the dagger, stabbed into the heart with unmistakable accuracy,...... Isn't this the same as the woman who killed her father?

"But that was sixteen or seventeen years ago. Are these two people the same woman? Is there any other woman who is as agile as she is, piercing someone else's chest with a knife? Paul's heart was filled with doubts.

One night he and Bernard went for a walk in the forest, and the two walked side by side while talking about Eliza's letter.

The wind was blowing, the dark clouds were drifting in the night sky, and from the gap between the dark clouds, the bright moon was faintly visible, and the light in the forest was suddenly bright and dim, and the surrounding area was extremely gloomy and frightening.

"Bernard, you know what?" Paul asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Who stole the portrait of your mother, don't you know?"

"I don't know anything... I've never seen my mother, I've never seen her portrait, and I heard that when I was two years old, my dad took me and my sister to move to a new home. ”

"I also learned about the change of my mother's portrait, because my father and sister never mentioned anything about my mother in front of me." A feeling of discontent rose faintly over Bernard's heart.

"Maybe your father and sister thought that you were going to participate in the Great Patriotic War, and they were afraid that you would be worried about it, so they hid something from you."

As the two were walking and talking, a dark shadow suddenly and quietly appeared in the dark woods. The dark shadow had long since hidden in the shadows of the trees beside the forest path, waiting like a bat for both of them.

As Paul and Bernard walked down the path, a muffled voice came from the shadows:

"Wait a minute!"

That mix of German French!

Invariably, Paul and Bernard turned back.

Suddenly, the dark shadow rushed forward, the cloak trembling, and drew a sparkling dagger straight into Paul's chest.

Fortunately, Paul dodged in time, and Bernard, who was quick to react quickly, was also busy hitting his opponent from the side, which was a very ferocious impact. One

Black Shadow's body shook and she almost fell to the ground, she tried her best to support herself and immediately ran forward.

The big black cloak fluttered in the air, like a huge blood-eating bat. This woman was not only sharp in her hands and feet, but also as light as a swallow, and like a gust of wind, she hurriedly escaped. ”。

Bernard quickly caught up, and he, who was a strong player in the olive team in college, jumped up high and threw the murderer to the ground.

Berner hugged each other's legs tightly, but she was as agile as an eel, slipping away from Bernard's hand in a puff of smoke. When Bernard stood up, he found that the other party had gone into the forest opposite the reclusive person, and the black cloak was like the wings of a bat, suddenly fanning through the lush woods.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, the forest was pitch black, and the wide black cloak finally disappeared into the night.

"Alas, let her slip away... Brother-in-law, are you all right? Berner said to Paul, who was catching up.

"It's okay, nothing... Thankfully you were there to help me, otherwise my life would have been in danger! Paul couldn't hide the look of horror on his face.

"She's a blood-eating bat?" It's horrible!

"But, brother-in-law, I heard that she killed only young, brave and warlike officers, and that you were the target of her assassination, as if you had received a certificate of outstanding military merit."

"Brother-in-law, although you are only a captain now, since that blood-eating bat wants to kill you, it proves that you have a remarkable record and are heroic and courageous." I believe that soon you will be promoted to officer, perhaps higher than the rank of an officer, and may also receive a medal of honor?! ”

Bernard laughed.

Paul had to laugh bitterly, but he kept guessing where the woman in the cloak came from.

Early the next morning, Paul was alone in his tent reminiscing about what had happened the night before, when Bernard hurried in from outside.

"Brother-in-law, I picked up a strange thing..."

"What?" Paul, frowning and thinking, woke up like a dream.

"You see, it's this thing..."

It was a rectangular bag wrapped in a handkerchief, which Paul opened and found to be a dagger. Because the sheath of the knife is removed, it looks particularly shiny and eye-catching. The body of the knife is a narrow and long triangle, which is very different from the ordinary dagger, and it is a unique sharp weapon.

"This is ,......," Paul asked doubtfully with a dagger in hand.

"Brother-in-law, last night, this dagger almost killed you, did you forget?"

Paul's hands stiffened, and his eyes stared blankly at the murder weapon in his hand.

"This morning I went around the forest to see if there were any clues, and I found the dagger in the grass near the crime scene last night. Maybe the woman accidentally dropped the dagger in the grass after I threw herself to the ground, and it was dewy, and it was wet..."

"Ah, that's the way it is... This is the dagger from last night..."

"Yes, it is exactly what it is... Last night, the murderer almost pierced your heart with this dagger, but unfortunately, it was wet with morning dew..."

Bernard said sarcastically, carefully studying the pattern of the dagger.

This dagger is well-made and extremely sharp, and it can stab into the chest of the opponent at once. Ordinary soldiers would never have access to such a special weapon, and perhaps only nobles could have such a delicate and rare thing.

The handle of the dagger was also distinctive, it was made of brown horns, but Paul did not know whether it was a sheep's horn, a cow's horn, or the horns of unknown beasts in India, Africa, and other places.

Paul looked at the hilt of the sword with awe, and suddenly found four tiny inscribed words on it. Perhaps, it was the text of the past, and the four words had been worn out due to the erosion of the long years, and the meaning of the text could not be clearly recognized.

Through the beam of light coming in from the entrance to the tent, Paul barely recognized the words": "h-e-r-m", and the circle under the words was carved with delicate patterns, but had been mixed into a blurry black.

"Ah, this is really the family symbol of the German nobility."

Paul, who studied in Germany, knew several of these aristocratic symbols (among them animals and plants, the moon, stars, and other motifs). But he had never seen a sign like that.

Paul squinted his eyes and studied it carefully for half a day, and suddenly said to Bernard:

"Hey, Bernard, how can you pronounce this line?"

"This is the abbreviated form of hermint ... brother-in-law. It was a good time before Bernard said.

"Yes, it can be pronounced AsAmena, your mother's name."

The two were dazed and relatively speechless.

"Bernard, is your mother's name in this abbreviated form?" Paul paused for a moment and asked reluctantly.

"Yes! Letters and documents in my mother's relics bear the signature of h-e-r-m.

"So this dagger belongs to your mother?" But she had already died more than ten years ago, so who did she give this dagger to? Or did someone steal it? ”

Paul muttered to himself, and suddenly a terrible thought flashed through his mind like a flint, and his whole body was shaken.

"The Countess is not dead! She's alive! She was also a female spy in Germany and active in politics. So, Count Dandobi's words were false, and in order to cover up his wife's sins, he had to lie that the portrait of the lady had been replaced, and did he even deceive his own daughter, Eliza? A cloud of doubt arose in Paul's heart.

"Impossible! Can the Countess be alive? ”

"If she hadn't died, she would have been quite old." I was only ten years old when my father was killed, and I couldn't accurately identify a woman's age. Still, I remember she was very young. ”

"If the woman in black had been very young, would she still be as athletic and flexible as she was when she was young in seventeen or eighteen years?" Could she still slip away from Bernard's hands like an eel? Can she still escape in a hurry like a bat?

"No, no! The Countess Amena may be a long-lived heroine...

"More than a decade ago, that cold girl in black stabbed her father's chest cleanly and sharply, and recently, the blood-eating bat of the young officer with the blade of the hand also killed the other party with a knife, and even I was almost plotted."

"As far as I know, not many people use this cruel and accurate method of killing, ah! That blood-eating bat turned out to be my father's killer, and she was Lady Emena! ”

Man, a special and magical animal, when he has doubts, will think of many things from here and there.

Although Paul could not accept the fact that Madame Emena was the murderer, her suspicions were the greatest. Although he knew that this suspicion was very inappropriate and should not be, it would not be easy to let the doubts in his heart disappear, which was perhaps the most fragile point in human nature.

Paul believed from the bottom of his heart the facts stated in Eliza and her letter, and Count Dandoby's words seemed impeccable, he did not hide his sins for his wife, and the portrait had indeed been manipulated.

However, the old concerns remain, and many of the things of the past seem less credible. Thus, all of this seemed to Paul to be disappointed and frustrated, his spirit on the verge of collapse, and a feeling of dazed loss gripped him.

"Bernard, how old were you when your mother died?"

Paul asked suddenly and alertly.

"I was two years old. I don't know what the situation was, but then my father told me that my mother was only 23 years old when she died..."

"Oh? That's right. Seventeen or eighteen years from now, she should be in her 40s..."

Paul bowed his head and said to himself, his mind wandering around his heart, and he couldn't figure it out.

Paul's squadron was stationed around the eastern french border, where fierce artillery clashes were often caused by the Germans as the French border had been breached.

The 75th Artillery Regiment fought alongside Paul's squadron and was equipped with ten novel machine guns. These machine guns are carried by vehicles, can be quickly transferred, and are flexible.

The Germans were a headache for these free-moving machine guns, and as soon as they changed the march and garrison, the 10th Artillery Corps would immediately follow and launch a powerful attack. Immediately after the Germans occupied a village in France, they were bombarded by the 75th Artillery Unit. As a last resort, the Germans had to throw away their armor and flee into the wilderness.

Later, when the 75th Artillery Corps moved to another camp, it was attacked by German artillery fire, and as a result, the 75th Artillery Unit lost two machine guns. The artillery moved their positions again to the back of the hilly ground, but german shells flew like meteors, and the machine guns were dumbfounded twice.

The 75th Artillery Regiment moved for the third time, but it still could not escape the German attack, and the haunted German shells, as if they had eyes, once again destroyed the artillery positions, and the French suffered heavy losses.

The captain of the artillery said to the captain:

"The Germans may have spies, and the dynamics of our army have been detected by him, so the 75th Artillery Corps will be repeatedly attacked."

At that time, Paul's squadron had just defeated the Germans in the small village for a short time.

"If there were spies, what method would he use to convey our intelligence to the Germans?" Telephones and telecommunications have been controlled by us..." The captain was puzzled.

At that time, there were few troops using means of communication such as radio or aircraft delivery tubes, and if the correspondent was used to communicate on foot or on horseback, intelligence could not be quickly sent to the enemy.

"On the day the artillery moved their positions, the new positions began to be attacked by the Germans, was it that the Germans had used the new contact methods?"

When the captain thought of this, he sent a few reconnaissance teams out to search for clues. Paul was also sent out, and he set out immediately with the team, including his brother-in-law Bernard.

They approached the newly captured villages of the Germans. The village is located on the hilly land of the vast plains of eastern France, and large vineyards extend from the village.

An old church towered high above the hills, small in size but on a higher ground, from which one could see far away. The bell tower of the church stood straight, and the pointed top of the tower was like a sharp sword piercing into the clear blue sky, flashing a cold, solemn light.

Since the village was occupied by the Germans, the villagers who had taken refuge had not yet returned, and the whole village was empty and lonely. Paul and the soldiers did not dare to slacken off, clutching their guns with both hands, fingers clasped to the trigger, hunched over and searching carefully, slowly moving forward toward the village.

"Brother-in-law..."

Bernard let out a soft cry from behind, and Paul, who was walking in front, immediately turned his head.

Bernard, who was holding a gun, motioned with his chin for Paul to pay attention to the old church at the top of the hill.

The minaret of the church bell tower stands, and a chicken-shaped wind gauge (there are ten horizontal iron arrows on the vertical iron rod, when the wind blows, the iron arrows turn, and because of the different wind directions, the iron arrows will point in the east, south, west, and north directions, and the iron arrows have roosters on them, facing the direction of the indicated wind direction) mounted on it.

An old clock tower hangs a clock, and the hands on it can be seen from all around.

"What's wrong, what's the matter?"

Looking in the direction Bernard pointed out, Paul didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"You see, that wind needle is a little weird."

"Really? I can't see it..."

"The arrow and the rooster of the wind needle are pointing between the west and the north, but now that the wind is south, it should be pointing to the south!"

Bernard was a well-thought-out, watertight soldier.

"Oh, it should be..."

Paul said after careful observation.

"Hey, Bernard, you see that the two are also strange..."

"What are you referring to?"

At this moment, Bernard was staring intently at the distant hills.

"That's the big clock!" Its long needle is eight, and its short needle is ten, but it is now nine o'clock in the morning! ”

"The clock may have stopped. Since the Germans occupied the village, the priests and caretakers here have fled, and the clock has never been clockworked again. ”

"No... Just now the long needle of the clock moved, and someone was turning it..."

Paul and Bernard looked at each other in confusion.

Paul told his men about the strange things on the bell tower, reminding them that they were on high guard and should not be taken lightly.

Suddenly, the German artillery positions in the distance were bombarded with gunfire, and the shells rained down on their heads, whizzing towards the positions of the French 75th Artillery Corps.

"Quick, go up and have a look..."

Paul commanded loudly. Five warriors immediately rushed up the hill.

The church gates are closed. Five soldiers slammed their bodies hard, but to no avail.

"Enter from behind..."

Paul shouted.

The back door of the church is quiet, the two doors are hidden, and there is a cold and deep atmosphere around it.

Paul ordered his men to search immediately, but there was no figure inside.

On the altar of the façade of the church hangs a portrait of Christ crucified, next to Joseph (Jesus' adoptive father) and the Virgin Mary.

The church was damp and gloomy, and the sunlight from the high windows shone brightly. There was silence around, and there was no one there.

Paul had his men search the interior of the church, and he took Berner up the bell tower, up the spiral steps, to the top floor of the bell tower. From here, you can see the vast vineyards, and occasionally the glittering bayonets of the French team come into view.

Now it can be known that the French 75th Artillery Corps is hiding in the dark forest.

After investigating the inside of the bell tower, Paul and Bernard found no suspicious traces, nor any suspicious figures, and the two climbed from the wooden ladder in the corner to the top of the minaret.

A simple and rough room was presented to the two of them, and in the center of the small room was a small wooden table, with no other decorations.

Paul and Bernard looked at the round table, and the two were stunned, and there was a large map on the table.

"This is the map of this place."

Paul approached the small round table, his mind racing.

On this map, all the ground is circled with small red circles, including a very large red double circle, which is marked in the forest area five or six hundred meters northeast of the church.

This double circle and the other small circles are connected by people with red lines, and the red lines are marked with small numbers.

"I see!"

Paul suddenly shouted out, and he explained to Berner:

"We've found useful clues. These numbers indicate the length of the straight-line distance from the double circle to the red circle, and it can be seen that this five point three indicates five point three kilometers, and four point eight is four point eight kilometers. ”

"Ah, that's the way it is... Is this red circle indicating the position of the French artillery unit? ”

"Yes, this red double circle must have marked the position of the German troops.

It turned out that on this clock tower, German spies used sophisticated telescopes and rangefinders to calculate the distance between the German and French 75th artillery positions, and then commanded the German artillery units to attack the French.

"How did the spies pass this information on to the Germans?"

Berner was puzzled.

"There's that big clock!" He used a needle to indicate the distance, just now the long needle pointed to eight, and the short needle pointed to ten, which means that the distance is eight points and one kilometer.

"Because this huge clock can be seen from all sides, the Germans can clearly see the numbers on the clock with telescopes in their positions."

"That's right! However, if you only know the distance and do not know the direction, how can you ensure that you hit the target accurately? ”

"It's very simple, just use that wind needle. Just now, didn't the arrow on the wind direction needle point to the actual wind direction not match? At that time, because the German spy had turned the wind direction needle, he used the arrow to indicate the direction of the 75th artillery position.

"Didn't the arrow of the wind needle just now point between the west and the north?" Well, the 75th Artillery Corps was now located northwest of the German position.

"I heard that recently, Germany invented a long-range cannon with excellent performance, which is said to have been used in practice. I think there must be many such cannons in the German positions ready to be fired. ”

"Oh, that's right. That's where the German spy delivered the message? ”

"That's right! Just now he was still here, and when he saw us go up to the bell tower, he fled in a hurry. You think, the back door of the church is open, and the map on the table is too late to collect, is this not a sign that he fled in a hurry? ”

Paul's meticulous analysis of every detail, his meticulous thinking, and keen observation, this year Bernard could not help but secretly admire the five bodies.

"Brother-in-law, you're awesome... There may be other clues here! ”

"Okay, let's search it!"

As soon as the two men came down from the stairs, a soldier ran over breathlessly.

"Captain Wu, we found this thing..."

When the soldier finished speaking, he handed up a dagger.

It was exactly the same as the dagger that the Black Blood Eater Bat had accidentally slipped off in an attempt to assassinate Paul, and even the pattern on it was exactly the same.

Paul immediately looked at the hilt of the dagger, which was impressively inscribed h-e-r-m.

"Ah! Same! Bernard and Paul cried out in unison.

"Where did you pick up this dagger?" Paul asked.

"The priest's bedroom. It was as if someone had just eaten there. There was a suitcase with the dagger hidden in it, and all that was left was some spare clothes and household items..." The soldier replied one

"There's no such thing as a letter or a notepad?"

"Didn't find it."

"It can be seen how careful that spy was, and that he might have destroyed all the important things..."

Paul looked at the dagger in his hand as he spoke, and it was the same as the dagger used by the woman in black, regardless of the pattern or shape.

"What the hell is going on here?" Could it be that the sinister blood-eating bat had been hiding nearby, or was there someone else?

"Are the four letters h-e-r-m on the dagger a common code for German spies?"

"If it's the password that German spies used to convey information, does that mean it's not a shorthand for Madame Emena's name, but represents another meaning?"

Assuming that Eliza's mother, Emena, had nothing to do with H-E-R-M, she had nothing to do with the German spies. But it is also possible that she is a member of the German spy, the murderer of her father... It's a puzzling puzzle. The woman in black was so mysterious and terrifying, she was a terrible blood-eating witch..."

The more Paul thought about it, the more confused he became, and strange things made him almost faint.

He arranged for his subordinates to blockade the old church on the hill, and then returned to the brigade and reported to the captain the search of the church.

The captain soon sent soldiers to defend the church, strictly forbidding anyone to enter or leave the area.

German shells finally stopped their frenzied attacks on French artillery positions. Despite the ongoing fighting, the accurate hitting of the target was never again seen, and the 75th Artillery Unit was never again injured.

Due to his outstanding reconnaissance duties, Paul was promoted to cobia, and his brother-in-law Bernard was promoted to captain.

One night, the night was silently hanging low, and everything was quiet. Paul was sitting alone in his tent, looking at the map by the flickering candlelight, when Bernard came in.

Bernard looked at Paul, wanting to say something and stopping, hesitating.

"What's the matter?" Bernard, the night is so deep, why not rest? ”

"Brother-in-law, I just encountered a strange thing..."

Bernard was fascinated, and for a moment he didn't know how to start from the beginning.

"What? You say come and listen..."

Berner's face seemed to be covered with a layer of ash, and the sweat on his forehead was raining down, and Paul quickly poured him a glass of water.

The confused Bernard calmed down a little and said slowly:

"I had just gone to the forest to stand guard, and suddenly someone whispered in the darkness, 'Mr. Sentry, Mr. Sentinel...' It was a hoarse and gloomy female voice, as if it were afraid that others would hear it.

I clenched my gun, turned my head cautiously in the direction where the sound was coming from, and shouted:

"'Who?' Who are you? ’

"'I'm not a badass, I want to ask you a question...'

The other person approached me and whispered to me. So I pointed the flashlight at the woman, and all of a sudden I saw a strange woman standing by the tree, wearing a black shawl with a hood, her face hidden in the night. I swept the lower part of her body again with a flashlight and saw a pair of wooden shoes exposed under the black skirt.

"From her dress, I identified her as a nearby peasant woman.

So I asked her:

"'Hey! What are you going to ask me? ’

The peasant woman hung her head and whispered:

"'I live in a nearby village and my son is enlisted in the army...'

"'Oh? In which brigade? ’

"'I don't know about this. When he first joined the army, he wrote back and he could receive letters from home. But two months ago, the letter sent was returned home, saying that his son was no longer in the brigade. A few days ago, the brigade had reorganized its soldiers.

"'My son may have been transferred to another brigade...'

"'Do you know the name of that brigade?'"

"'I don't know. My son never wrote a letter home again, maybe he was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment; maybe he was no longer alive... alas! Who knows what happened to him? Worry about the dead..."

The peasant woman said as she wiped her tears with the corners of her clothes.

"'Don't be too sad, one day, your son will come back.'"

"'Thank you!'

"'My son is filial and obedient.' He said that for the sake of great France, he must kill all his enemies and defend the land... I would like to ask, has my son been sacrificed? Or in another brigade? ...... By the way, is he on your team? ’

"'Oh? I don't know...... Your son's name is...'

"'Paul-Di rhodes.'"

"What? I? ”

Paul jumped out of his chair and shouted.

"Yes, I was shocked too. brother-in-law...... So I told her:

"'Paul is from our brigade, and recently he has made meritorious deeds and been promoted to cobia.'"

The woman was overjoyed and could not help but shed tears:

"'Is this true?' It's true? Is my son stationed here? ’

"'Yes, it will be here for the time being. However, it may also be necessary to move to other positions... Auntie, would you like to meet your son before the troops leave? It's time for me to change the guard, and I'll take you to him, okay? ’

The peasant woman immediately flashed a look of trepidation.

"'No rush, no rush!' It's late at night now, and I'll come back early tomorrow morning. ’

With that, she turned to leave. That's when I realized that this woman was very strange. I remembered that you said that you were the son of Baron Rhodes, and when you were very young, your mother was gone, so how could there be another mother?

So I hit her face with the light of the flashlight, trying to identify it carefully, but suddenly she knocked out the flashlight, and she quickly ran away.

The woman was athletic, like the previous "blood-eating bats," running as fast as she could, and in a few moments she was gone. ”

"Oh? So, didn't you see her face at all? ”

Paul was eager to know the woman's face.

"When she turned off my flashlight, she turned her face to me, and I saw that her face was rosy and delicate, dignified and beautiful, and her eyes were shining, as if she could pierce people's hearts... Also, her eyelashes are black, her hair is very dark, and she doesn't look like a peasant woman at all..."

Bernard thought as he spoke.

"How old does she look?"

"About 40 years old... By the way, there is one more thing to tell you, the woman had a small mole on the side of her lips, although it was not large, because her skin was white and looked particularly clear. ”

"If you meet her again on the road, will you recognize her?"

"Of course, I can't forget it."

Hearing this strange thing, Paul really felt dizzy.

"Who is that peasant woman?" Maybe she is the same person as the black blood-eating bat, so to speak, she is the one who killed her father's enemy!

"Around 40 years old, the age difference is not much, the appearance is not comparable, as for the color of the hair, the black mole on the lips... I didn't pay attention to this...

"When my father was assassinated, I was so captivated by the snake-shaped bust that I didn't notice whether there was a disease on the lips of the woman in black..."

Paul couldn't remember if the woman had a mole.

"If the peasant woman and the woman in black are indeed one, then why did she harm me?" And also killed my father? Why is that?

"Does she have a grudge against my family and wants to take revenge?"

"Is this mysterious woman in black Eliza's mother?" What was written in Eliza's letter was credible, and the portrait was indeed reversed. ”

A shadow filled Paul's heart.

Eliza's Crisis

One day the captain called Paul to the brigade headquarters and said:

"Brother Cobia Rhodes, I heard that Volcon Castle belongs to you?"

This happened three months after the "odd wind direction needle and big clock incident," when Paul had just ascended to cobia.

"No, the castle belonged to my wife's father, Count Dandoby. When we were married, the count gave it to the insiders as a dowry, so to be precise, the insiders were the masters of the castle. ”

"So, your wife is still in the castle waiting for your safe return?"

"Yes. When the war first broke out, I urged the insiders to stay away from that dangerous area and move back to their home on the Nice Seashore, but she refused to leave for more than 4 reasons. ”

At the thought of Eliza, the thought of Eliza, whose affection was deep, wrapped around Paul's heart tightly.

"What is the reason? ...... Oh, sorry, I'm involved in the personal ****, I'm sorry, but..."

The captain looked at Paul, his eyes flashing with a look of desire to return the favor. Paul immediately understood that something great was bound to happen.

"Is it related to Eliza?" Paul's eyes were filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

"Sergeant, ten minutes ago, the team received news from the headquarters that The Castle of Volcan had been occupied by the Germans."

The captain groaned for a moment before he spoke in a low tone.

The news was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, Paul's face turned pale, his heart beat faster, and the whole person fell into a deep despair.

"This is still an unsure piece of information, but it is said that the Germans have made the castle headquarters ...

"Is this information true?" Or fake? Or is it a false rumor? It's unclear. The division headquarters ordered us to investigate. I think you know More about Volcan Castle, so I'm going to send you to see it.

"Alternatively, you can take the opportunity to visit your beloved wife, Eliza, to see if she's safe. You're willing to go! ”

"Yes! I'll take my subordinates with me right away. ”

Paul answered without thinking and cheerfully.

"You must be careful not to let the Germans find out, not to have too many entourage, and it is better to dress up in disguise..."

The captain again told Paul what to look out for during his travels.

"Yes, I will take my brother-in-law Bernard with me..."

"Is he the warrior who has recently been rewarded for his meritorious service and promoted to corporal?" You go with him, and there's nothing better than that! ”

"Yes, we can pretend to be farmers in the village and sneak in at Volcan Castle..."

Paul answered confidently.

After returning to his party, Paul told Bernard the ins and outs of the matter, and the two men turned into honest farmers and set out for the castle.

Even if the army marched in a hurry, it would take three days to reach the castle of Wolcon, and if it was followed and arrested by the German advance troops or scouts halfway through, all the plans would be destroyed. So Paul and Bernard used the simple tone of a farmer, talking about the harvest of crops and raising livestock as they walked, and they strolled leisurely along the mountain paths.

"Hey! How are the grapes growing this year? ”

"Yes. However, the war continues, causing our people to be displaced, and even the crops cannot be planted, which is simply disgusting..."

"The Germans won't come here, will they?"

"I don't know... But, no matter what, I think war is extremely annoying..."

"Yes, yes, even if it is useless to resist resolutely, we will certainly be defeated by the Germans, and there may be many places ceded to germany."

"Yes, like the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, which were previously occupied by the Germans!"

"That's it! The Germans were able to fight well, be brave and tenacious, and the French were not their opponents at all. ”

"Yes! I heard that French soldiers would only make love and flirt with beautiful chicks on the street, and I heard that they couldn't even hold their guns steadily, and they couldn't take them, which was really disgusting! ”

"Moreover, the French soldiers not only wore stiff suits, but also wore dashing and beautiful military hats, and they also had to smear powder and grease on their faces and spray perfume!"

"It's too much! Can a soldier of this type win a battle? Maybe when you hear the gunshots, you will have to hold your head and run away! Ha...... Ha..."

"'What else to say?' Ha...... Ha..."

Paul and Bernard deliberately slandered the French soldiers, criticizing their frivolity and stupidity, lest the German soldiers lurking around them wonder, their exaggerated, playful tones and mocking, dismissive laughter soon drifted into the green vineyards and then into the silent forest opposite.

As the two men walked through the path in the forest, Paul said wearily:

"Let's have lunch here, shall we?"

"Well, I'm very hungry."

So the two sat under the tree, chewing on the dry and hard black bread, and drinking the wine in the bottle one by one, and discussing the future plan of action in a soft voice.

They stood up and were ready to move on, when Paul suddenly lowered his voice and said:

"Shhh! Don't talk..."

Berner looked up, not finding anything, and looked at Paul with puzzled eyes.

"You listen carefully, as if someone is talking..."

The two listened carefully.

On the path deep in the forest, someone was talking in German, and the voice was low and hoarse, and the content of the conversation could not be heard. Barely, though, one person could be heard asking for directions while another was answering him.

The man who asked for directions spoke fluent and brisk German, while the answering party spoke German with a strong French accent, and both were middle-aged, about forty years old.

Paul listened for a moment and thought to himself:

"Since the German occupation of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, the inhabitants there have been banned from using French and replaced by German.

"It's been forty years since then. There are young men and women who are not much different from the Germans, they all speak fluent German, but people over forty or fifty years old must still retain a little French accent...

Now, the French tone of the German spoken by the man who pointed the way is simply too obvious. However, another passerby spoke German so fluently and purely, he may be a German...

"Sure enough, there are German soldiers here!" Be careful! ”

"What is he doing around here?" In this way, The Castle of Volcan was right to become the headquarters of the German army, not a figment! ”

"Alas! Eliza doesn't know what it looks like now? ”

Paul's heart was full of knots, and there was nowhere to dispel his sorrow and depression.

The two of them crawled quietly through the grass, and through the gaps in the sparse wildflowers, they saw two middle-aged men standing by the forest path, talking face to face, looking like they were both in their 40s.

One of them was a farmer in a straw hat whose German had a pronounced French accent.

Another middle-aged man in a military uniform spoke pure and fluent German.

"Ah! Sure enough, the Germans had already encroached on the village of Volcan..."

Paul bit his lip, indignant, but in the unbearable uneasiness and anxiety, there was a vague doubt.

For the soldier was not dressed in German uniforms, but in French uniforms. Inference from the collar badge he wore, it can be known that his profession is a military doctor, and he wears a delicate Red Cross on his chest and the epaulettes of the rank of lieutenant colonel.

"Why does this forensic doctor have to walk alone in the forest?" There are no wounded soldiers here! ”

"Since he is a military doctor, he should also wear a pistol when walking around the enemy army!" However, the doctor not only did not carry a pistol, but also did not carry a sword with him, and he did not look unguarded.

"Besides, as a lieutenant colonel, he should also bring his entourage of soldiers!" But he was single and alone..."

Many questions arose in Paul's mind.

The lieutenant colonel was handsome and tall, dressed in a decent military uniform, shiny red boots and nose-clamped glasses, and his majestic, majestic manhood was evident.

"Who is this man?"

While Paul was confused, Bernard, who had quietly followed, also stared at the medic in confusion.

The strange military doctor patted the farmer's shoulder familiarly and whispered:

"Thank you!"

The medic turned and left.

After Paul and Bernard looked at the figure of the military doctor gradually disappearing from the bottom of their eyes, Paul suddenly shouted:

"Brother-in-law, what's the matter?"

Bernard asked with concern.

The skeptical Paul did not immediately answer Bernard because he found one thing unusually mysterious.

"He wouldn't be a moral officer pretending to be a forensic doctor, would he?" Was he lurking in France to investigate the vital secrets of our army? Now that the mission is complete, is it time to return to Germany? No wonder he is so fluent in German..."

A series of conjectures swirled and lingered in Paul's mind.

The two men immediately searched the trail, but found no trace of the mysterious doctor, and even the farmer who was guiding the way disappeared like a cloud of smoke.

Three days later, when Paul and Bernard arrived at the village of Volcan, it was crowded with German vehicles and horses.

German soldiers galloped along dry roads in large military trucks and armored convertibles, their engines deafening.

A thick blanket of sand and car exhaust blanketed the wide road, surrounded by dust and noise.

The soldiers' faces covered with steel helmets were covered with sweat, and the beads of sweat were stained with gray dust because of the blowing of the wind and sand.

Villagers flocked to the hills outside the village to watch the German brigade's every move, while Paul and Berner huddled in the crowd.

German trucks and cars left the village of Volkon intermittently and headed southeast. Huge military suitcases, wooden boxes, gasoline barrels, and machine guns were piled up on trucks, and a large number of weapons and soldiers also traveled away.

The German officer sat in an open-roofed car or locomotive, and the strong wind blew off the hats of several officers.

"Hey, the Germans are retreating..."

"Maybe, otherwise why would they do it?"

Paul and Berner snuggled up to each other, whispering, afraid that the villagers around them would hear.

In fact, the germans captured Volcan Castle and set it up as a combat command were accurate.

But suddenly, why did they withdraw? In practice, it may be that time does not permit, so trucks and cars are driving like a tornado, and the same car returns to the Village of Vorcon an hour later. The new camp relocated by the Germans should not be far from The Castle of Volcan.

In addition, some other farmers were also helping the Germans to load goods, were they forced by the Arrogance of the Germans, or to provide their own labor for the sake of profit? That's not clear.

Since the beginning of the fighting, severe food shortages have been common in various countries. So maybe this is also the case at Volcon Castle.

"Let's go!" Paul, disguised as a farmer, whispered to Bernard.

"Okay!"

The two exchanged views with their eyes, and without attracting the attention of others, quietly descended the hill. Entering the village of Volkon, they blended into the flow of people carrying plums and goods. Everyone was busy, and no one cared about the two strange farmers; on the other hand, the German team that had suddenly been ordered to withdraw was in a hurry, and they did not have time to take care of the addition of new personnel to the team.

Paul and Bernard made eye contact as they reached the other side of the village of Volkon. From here, they saw the long-lost Volcan Castle hidden in the forest. Although it is caught in the hands of the enemy, it is still majestic and solemn.

"Does Eliza still live in the castle?" ...... No! Maybe she's already fled to another country... If she is still alive, then she will not be able to escape the clutches of the German army..."

Paul couldn't help but feel deeply worried about Eliza, and looked at Volcon Castle in a daze.

"The Speed of the German Army is so fast that even a neutral country like Belgium dares to occupy it with impunity. They capture Volkon Castle, and if they also use a drastic blitzkrieg, will Eliza have time to escape?

"Ah, will Eliza be safe?" ......”

Paul stared into the distance. From here, the window of the castle comes into view. He eagerly awaited Elisha's tender white face at the window. However, the windows were locked, the curtains were not moving, and the whole castle seemed to be lonely, desolate and lonely, except for an open-top military vehicle parked in front of the stone gate.

"Brother-in-law, who took that car?" Or is someone leaving here? ”

The drawbridge door of the castle was opened and a man stepped out of it.

"Ah... Is it Eliza? ”

A distraught Paul hid behind a tree, craned his neck and tiptoed out to look.

That man was not his beloved wife, Eliza, but a man in his forties. Dressed in a military uniform, carrying a long sword cross-body, and the boots on his legs shining red, he was truly a majestic general.

The officer walked down the porch with a snapping stride, the spurs on his red boots flashing silver-white as he moved.

"It's a lieutenant colonel..."

Paul looked at the officer's badge on his shoulder and muttered to himself.

As soon as the German lieutenant colonel came down from the entrance, he put his hat on his head. The officer was tall, majestic, and fair-skinned, not at all like a general who was born and died. At the same time, there is no serious beard on his lips, and on the bridge of his high nose, there is a pair of glasses that can hold his nose.

The lieutenant colonel put on his white leather gloves on his hands as he walked toward the gate, where the gravel rustled on the ground.

Behind the lieutenant colonel, he was followed by a young German lieutenant.

Paul and Berner, disguised as farmers, hid in the bushes, holding their breath, and the atmosphere did not dare to grow a mouthful, nor did they speak, but occasionally reached out to watch the german movements. Because they knew that if they were caught by the Germans, they would be punished.

The lieutenant colonel and the lieutenant took the distinctively solid steps of the German army and walked quickly through the bush where Paul and Bernard were hiding, the small pebbles rustling under their feet.

"Ah! ......”

Bernard almost screamed out loud.

Paul was startled. When the German lieutenant colonel had boarded the convertible, he turned back to look at Bernard.

"What's going on? Wouldn't it be bad for them to hear it? ”

Paul said in a low voice.

"But... Brother-in-law, that man..."

"What?"

"The lieutenant colonel had a mole on his lip... He's the same woman I met a few days ago pretending to be a peasant woman..."

A panicked Bernard gasped.

"What?

Paul stood up involuntarily.

Just then the lieutenant started the car and disappeared from the doorway in a puff of smoke.

"Is this German lieutenant colonel the serene peasant woman of a few days ago?" He dressed up as a woman, just to secretly kill me? However, he failed, and in order to assassinate me again, he asked Bernard if I was still serving in the original squadron.

"But why would he want to kill me by any means?"

"If my father-killer is indeed the same as the suspicious peasant woman, is she having a vendetta against the Brother Rhodes family?" What is this hatred?

"The woman in black is so mysterious that people can't figure out the truth." If she was this lieutenant colonel dressed as a woman, then things would be even more unpredictable. Alas, what a maze that can't be touched and can't be solved! ”

Paul's heart was like a dark cloud, and it gradually spread, almost covering his whole body. He closed his eyes tightly and kept silently searching for the answer to the mystery.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said to Bernard:

"Bernard! ......”

"What's the matter?" brother-in-law! ”

"You think that German lieutenant colonel is the woman in black the other day, but there are a few details that are incredible, do you feel it?"

"What exactly are you referring to?" brother-in-law. ”

"How similar he looks to the medic lieutenant colonel we met in the forest!"

"Yes, that's true! Tall, fair-faced, with no beard, and wearing nose-piercing glasses... Then, according to this, the mysterious and abnormal military doctor is the army lieutenant colonel of the German **** team! ”

"I can't be sure of that. However, the two of them really looked too similar. ”

Paul thought for a moment and said.

"Yes, I think so too, because if he wasn't German, he wouldn't have spoken German as fluently and accurately, but the problem is... Does that medic have a mole in his mouth? Brother-in-law, have you noticed? ”

Bernard raises the crux of the matter.

"Hmmm... It seems that there is not... Maybe there is... Time was too short for me to see very realistically. ”

"Well, we can't conclude that the two of them are one person?"

"That being said, I think the odds are great. Not only is the mysterious medic the same person as the lieutenant colonel, but the suspicious peasant woman, the blood-eating bat, and the lieutenant colonel are all the same person.

"The woman in black who killed my father, maybe it was he who dressed as a woman..."

Bernard and Paul looked at each other, confused by the strangeness of everything, and they were confused.

The villagers of Volcan returned to their homes intermittently as the German army retreated.

Waiting, Paul and Bernard agreed that Eliza and Giromon had gone into hiding outside the village and returned to the castle as soon as they saw the Germans withdraw. So they waited patiently, but until dusk, Eliza and Gilmond did not return.

"Let's go into the castle!"

Paul said wearily to Bernard.

"All right!"

The two men walked toward the gate and then ascended the stone steps of the entrance. The main entrance was hidden, and Paul and Bernard hesitated for a moment before entering.

The living room was unusually chaotic, and it could be seen that the German troops in the castle were retreating in a hurry. On the crimson carpet, scattered footprints remained, and a large number of documents and books were thrown haphazardly on the floor and on the table.

The large map nailed to the wall may have been a tool used by the German commanders to direct the battle, and the Fact that the Germans had even left such an important map here showed that the German retreat was too chaotic and panicked.

The drawers of the table were all open, and there were some things scattered inside, nothing more than documents. Paul read it carefully, and it was not difficult for him to read through these documents when he had studied in Germany.

"These are not important documents, and confidential documents about the military situation in the German army may have been taken away, leaving behind some innocuous letters."

As soon as they read it, they dropped these useless things and quickly ran to the second floor, because Eliza's life and death were the most heart-wrenching thing for them.

Eliza's bedroom door was open, and Paul and Berner rushed in without hesitation, but there was no sign of Eliza in the room.

"Oh my God! Was Eliza captured by the Germans? However, the room was orderly, unruly, and neat and clean, and perhaps the German soldiers did not enter Eliza's room..."

Paul wondered to himself.

A large clock made of gold fell down next to the fireplace, and the hour hand on it pointed to 3:15, and had stopped turning for a long time, but the problem was that no one knew what day it was at 3:15.

Eliza's clothes were neatly stacked in the cupboard, and even the pants and scarves underneath were as they had been, showing no signs of clutter.

"Nothing out of the ordinary!" It's just that Eliza isn't there..."

Paul looked around the room and talked to himself.

Paul suddenly cried out.

"What? Brother-in-law..."

Bernard was hunched over to check his suitcase under the bench when he heard a cry and straightened up.

"Portrait ... The portrait is gone..."

Paul said slowly.

The portrait of the woman in black who had been hanging high on the wall suddenly disappeared.

"Who stole it?" Did he have any intentions? Alas, I can't figure it out! ”

Paul and Bernard searched the castle for all clues, but neither the portrait nor the shadows of Eliza, Giromon, and Rosalynne were found.

"Perhaps the three of them have quietly left here and fled to the house of the Count of Charmaine, and if so, I should be relieved..."

Paul comforted himself in his heart.

But just in case, the two men returned to the courtyard and searched carefully.

The spacious yard is lush with greenery and the scenery is as good as ever. The classical and exquisite Chinese pavilions standing on the turquoise, soft lawns are still the same.

After Paul and Eliza were married, they often sat in the pavilion to watch the afterglow of the setting sun, or snuggled on a bench and counted the cold stars on the summer night. hitherto. Paul also remembered Eliza's radiant, overjoyed face, and a tidal wave of eagerness poured into his heart.

He sat on the blue ceramic chair in the gazebo, his hands touching the ceramic table, his eyes touching the old scene, and he couldn't help but feel sad. Then he set his gaze on the tan bricks behind the trees, on the walls.

"Huh? ......”

Paul was taken aback and got up from his chair.

Two dead bodies leaning on the brick wall and half-lying on the ground appeared in front of Paul's eyes.

This was the body of the castle's caretaker Giromont and his wife Rosalyn. An iron chain tied tightly to their chests, and the two ends of the chain were tied to an iron wheel. The hands of the two men were hanging at their sides, and their heads were hanging low on their bleeding chests.

"They were shot... It was so cruel that they even wanted to kill a young and infirm old couple..."

When Paul thought of this, his whole body trembled with anger.

The long chains that bound the Giromons were piled up on the ground, and the other end was attached to a third iron wheel. There must have been another man here who was also chained, but Paul and Berner did not find the body.

Paul posted a corner and searched carefully. They suddenly found three bullet marks on the brick wall, two of which were on the wall above the heads of the elderly Gilromunds, perhaps marks of the German soldiers who had carried out the shooting without aiming at the target and had missed their hands.

Another bullet mark was on the edge of the third wheel and did not appear to be aimed.

After examining the bullet marks on the wall, Bernard suddenly shouted:

"Brother-in-law"

Paul ran over from there.

"Brother-in-law, you see..."

A long strand of hair was stained with bullet marks, revealing that the deflected bullet had broken its hair as it skimmed over the top of the third man's head, and had gone into the brick wall.

Bernard gently pulled his hair up, and the tip of it slowly parted from the bullet marks and landed in his hands. He looked at the long hair in the light of the setting sun, which was a long blond hair, and Eliza's full hair was as beautiful as gold.

Paul's face was "brushed" white, he was top-heavy, and he was almost unable to stand. Bernard hurriedly put his hands on the shaky Paul.

After a while, the two men took shovels from the warehouse, dug out two cemeteries in the forest, and buried Gilromon and Rosalyn.

They also made two crosses out of dead branches and erected them on the cemetery, and some chrysanthemums were collected from the garden and respectfully inserted on the ground in front of the grave.

The two silently prayed for the old couple for a while and came to Eliza's bedroom again. Frustrated, Paul picked up the big clock from the ground and placed it on the fireplace.

The position of the hour hand on the clock remained unchanged, which Paul thought would be better, and perhaps this would be a strong evidence in the future.

"Maybe at that moment, the Germans just smelled this bedroom and dragged Eliza out. It may be that Eliza desperately resisted, and the big bell on the wall fell to the ground and stopped turning.

"Alas, even knowing these circumstances is useless. Eliza had already been shot, and although the first bullet broke her smooth blond hair, the second bullet was bound to pierce her heart. ”

Thinking of this, Paul couldn't help but burst into tears and staggered out.

However, Paul searched inside and outside the castle and found Eliza's body. Distraught, Paul wrapped the two or three strands of blonde hair in paper, kissed them passionately a few times, and put them in the pocket of his coat on his chest.

Grief-stricken, Paul and Bernard walked silently along the forest path they had walked three days earlier.

"As we walked down the trail to Volkon Castle, we were worried about Eliza's life and death. Our hearts kept praying for her to bless her, hoping that Eliza would be protected by God and be safe and sound.

Although this hope is very slim, it is also indispensable to have a small hope to suppress anxious emotions, and it can also give people some comfort.

"Now, on this path, the light of hope has been extinguished, and darkness and despair have taken their place. Dear Eliza is dead, she was shot dead by German soldiers..."

"My heart has died with Eliza, and the road in front of me is still so dangerous, dark and sinister..."

Paul thought about this as he dragged his heavy steps, his eyes confused and faceless, like a defeated warrior. Bernard followed in frustration. The afternoon sun rays spread through the lush, lush foliage, shining bright golden spots. At this moment, however, Paul and Bernard's hearts were dark and difficult.

They had reached the middle of the forest. Suddenly, behind the two of them came the sound of the locomotive's engine, but the gray-hearted Paul and Bernard did not notice. It wasn't until the sound was so close that the two men suddenly woke up, and they quickly jumped to the side of the trail.

The two tried to get the locomotive through the path, but the locomotive stopped beside them. The man driving the car lowered his feet and turned back to Paul and Bernard, who were hiding in the bushes, and said:

"Hey! We're meeting again... But I'm going back..."

The two heard the voice of a stranger and had to stand up. It turned out that the person driving the locomotive was the forensic lieutenant colonel whom he had met a few days earlier.

Paul peeked out behind the bushes before he noticed the French lieutenant colonel's medic.

"He shouldn't know me, and he speaks fluent German when he talks to the farmer." But now, greeting us, speaking French just as well..."

Paul was guessing whether the lieutenant colonel's medic was German or French, and the other party had already spoken kindly:

"You're surprised, aren't you?" But I saw you hiding behind a tree a few days ago eavesdropping on me, well, not behind that tree!

"When I asked the farmer for directions, you happened to be resting under a tree, right?" ...... There are two of you, oh, he's the other one! ”

The military surgeon pushed his glasses with his thumb and forefinger, then used his chin to point at Bernard, who was standing to the side.

Bernard had just stared at the lieutenant colonel's face, and his heart was surging with waves:

"Well, it's too much like... It's so much like... It's exactly the same! ”

He mentally compared the appearance of the German lieutenant colonel in the castle with the military doctor, and it turned out that the two were really exactly the same, with a straight body, red riding boots, nose-clipping glasses... They are indeed one.

As Bernard stared at the medic, he pointed his chin at him. At this moment, the medic just turned his face to face him.

But there was no mole on his lips.

"So they're not alone?" But this body, this face... I can't believe it..."

Bernard's mental activity, unknown to the military doctor, got out of the locomotive and turned back to look at the man sitting in the seat at the back of the locomotive.

It was a German soldier with his hands tied behind his back and his waist tied to the seat behind him.

"He's my captive."

The military doctor looked at the soldier with disdain, and a look of pride appeared on his face. As he untied the rope from the German soldiers, he smiled and said to Paul and Bernard:

"I already knew that the two of you were French soldiers, and I knew why you were disguised as farmers. You just came out of the castle, didn't you? You may not know what was going on in the castle, and you don't understand why the Germans withdrew, so I caught him..."

The military doctor pointed his chin at the German soldier and said:

"Then I'll come to you, and I'll let him tell you all the things you don't know..."

The medic turned his face to the soldier and said in German:

"Franz, you say everything you know, as you told me, and if there is any concealment or lie, I will know at once.

"You have to be frank, say everything you see plainly, and you must not lie, understand?"

"Yes, I can swear that everything I say will be true."

The German soldier named Franz held his heart and had a serious expression to show his sincerity.

The German soldier was about 30 years old, and on the surface he was a man of simplicity and honesty like a farmer, as if he could not lie at all.

The German he spoke had a strong dialect of the southern mountain region, so even the German student Paul could not fully grasp the gist of his statement.

But he listened intently and explained and translated to Bernard, who did not speak German.

"When the Germans shot the prisoners at Wolcon Castle, I was one of five gunmen."

The truth that Franz said surprised Paul and Berner.

"That... Are you the gunman who shot the two old men and the young lady? ”

Berner asked.

"Not necessarily... I don't know about that. ”

"Don't know? Didn't you shoot those three people? ”

Paul couldn't resist interjecting and asking.

"Although I pointed the gun at them, I don't know if I killed them..."

Paul was very confused, but the lieutenant colonel of the military doctor raised a mysterious smile from the corner of his mouth, and dismissively told the German soldier:

"Hey, Franz, be clear!"

"Okay. Although the gunmen who were ordered to carry out the execution were five people, two of the guns inside were loaded with bullets, and the rest were empty guns without bullets. The bullets were loaded by the commanders on the backs of us gunmen in a covert situation, and none of the five of us knew whether the guns in our hands had been loaded or not.

"For us, it makes sense to fight the enemy after going to war, and if you don't kill others, others will kill you." And when life is at stake, you can not only shoot the enemy without caring, but also feel the thrill of excitement and excitement.

"But it is a terrible thing for me to kill people who are tied up and incapacitated. In order to relieve the gunman's cowardice and conscience uneasiness, the commander privately loaded the bullets, and let us take the unknown gun to kill people.

"There's no way I know if the gun I'm using has bullets, so..."

A cramped expression of anxiety arose on Franz's face.

"Got it! Go ahead and go on! ”

The military doctor urged impatiently.

"However, of the five of us, the first soldier to shoot had a gun in his hand that was loaded with bullets. When the commander ordered "fire," he aimed at the target and pulled the trigger, but that would never have hit. ”

"Why is that?"

Paul asked.

"Because the soldier just aimed at the position above the captive's head."

It was then that Paul and Bernard understood why Eliza's blond hair was glued to the brick wall.

"Why is he doing this?"

Bernard asked.

"The commander said that in order to make them feel the fear of death at the moment of death..."

"Why are those Germans so cruel? They are simply murderous demons who do not blink, they are simply executioners with black hearts. It was these people who gave the order that the bullet went into Eliza's chest..."

Paul couldn't help but think hatefully.

Bullets flew over the heads of the old couple, their faces pale and their heads hanging low, and they either fainted in fear of dying or were frightened by the bullets.

Next, the commander gave a second order, letting the four gunmen aim at the man's heart, pulling the trigger, and the old man's head immediately hung down, and blood flowed from his chest.

"It's time for the old woman next, but in two shots, there was only one bullet, and we don't know whose gun it was in, so I don't know if the old couple was killed by me, or if I only killed one of them, maybe I didn't kill any of them..."

The thought of the innocent old man being shot made Franz's face fill with horror.

"That's right! So, are you still not sure if you killed Eliza? ”

Paul asked eagerly.

"Eliza? The young and beautiful lady? Ah, she didn't die. ”

"Ah, you say she's not dead?"

Paul and Bernard cried out in unison.

This is indeed an important confession, but it is also an unexpected testimony.

"Quick, speak quickly!"

Paul pulled on Franz's collar very nervously and shook it vigorously.

"Well... Good...... I said, I can't catch my breath, please let go of me okay? ”

Franz's blood rushed to his face, and he couldn't say a word.

The uncontrollable Paul let go of him, and Franz wiped the tears with the back of his hand and twisted his neck before saying in a hoarse, whimpering voice:

"The young lady was not shot, but..."

"But how... You say Ya Guang

Paul urged him to speak quickly.

"I don't know where she was taken..."

"She was taken away? Where was it taken? Hey, hurry up..."

Paul was so excited that he roared, and the lieutenant colonel gently hugged Paul's shoulders, and he said in a calm tone:

"Please calm down and let him talk carefully."

Then he said to a panicked Franz.

"Hey, you put the day's situation and the time before and after, to make it clearer..."

"Well, I'll start from scratch! Last month our brigade occupied the village of Volcon and set up the headquarters in the castle.

"In the headquarters, in addition to the supreme power of the captain and the adjutant of the brigade, there is a young officer stationed here who also has supreme power. He was accompanied by a mysterious aide-de-camp, and even his bedroom, unlike other officers, was an unusually graceful and luxurious room.

The captain and the other officers had special respect for this officer, and always took the initiative to salute him when they met, with a humble and humble attitude, as if they were to be blamed by him.

"I asked my comrade for the details of the young officer, but he taunted me loudly and said:

"'Don't you know who he is?'" He is the famous Prince Quinrat! ’

"I asked my comrades-in-arms if he was the crown prince?" He said that although he was not the crown prince, he was a son of the German emperor. ”

"What? Even the emperor's son has come here? ”

Paul was astonished.

"Yes. Four days earlier, however, he had left the village of Volkon in an open-top car. Right! It was the afternoon of the day the old couple was killed.

"When the two of them were preparing to escape from the castle with the young lady, they were captured by the fighters of our brigade and then shot.

"It is said that they were about to report to the French brigade the news of our occupation of The Castle of Volcan, so the aide-de-camp of the brigade commander ordered the soldiers to shoot and kill all three of them. Four days ago they were dragged into the courtyard of the castle, and were chained by the soldiers and attached to iron wheels..."

"Please tell these two men what the name of the adjutant of the brigade is!"

The medic suddenly said to Franz.

"His name is Lieutenant Colonel Homan."

Paul was taken aback and wondered to himself:

"Lieutenant Colonel Homan... herman...... Isn't this the text engraved on the hilt of the dagger?

"So, the German officer who left in the open-top car that day must have been Lieutenant Colonel He Man?" Did he really disguise himself as the woman in black? ”

"No wonder he and the woman have the same black mole on their lips, it seems that he is really the woman in black?" Or that Army lieutenant colonel... Is this really the case? Is this true? ”

Things came unprepared, and Paul became suspicious of the faith.

"That Lieutenant Colonel Homan is a gentleman, a talent, he wears nose-clipping glasses, but he is very good at doing things... Look, like me..."

The military doctor said jokingly, and then pointed to the glasses on his nose, mockingly.

"He has a black mole on his lips."

Paul went straight to the point.

"Oh? Do you know a lot? ”

The medic's eyes glanced at Paul, revealing a mysterious and strange glow.

"When the execution was carried out, Lieutenant Colonel Homan ordered the old couple to be shot, and it was the turn of the young lady that Prince Quinrat suddenly arrived.

Seeing Prince Quinrat coming, Lieutenant Colonel Homan immediately ordered Himan to shoot. He ordered several of us to shoot together, but we mistakenly thought that the shooting was the same as shooting the two old men, so only one gunman aimed at the young woman's hair and fired a shot.

At this time, Prince Quinrat's face changed and he cried out with great intensity:

"'Stop!'

Lieutenant Colonel He Man snapped his tongue, he did not dare to disobey the prince's will, but he did not want to end it like this, so he frowned and did not move.

Prince Quinrat, who had hurriedly arrived, said to the Lieutenant Colonel with great displeasure:

"'Don't shoot that lady!'

But Lieutenant Colonel Homan said emphatically:

"'We can't disobey the orders of the military!'

"'Then I ask you, what was the reason for shooting this young lady?'

The prince asked.

"'These three are suspected of leaking important military intelligence from our army.'"

"'Are you sure that's the case?' Lieutenant Colonel Homan. ’

"'Yes, that's right, Prince Quinrat.'"

"'But I don't think that's the case, Lieutenant Colonel Homan.'"

The two of them stood in the courtyard arguing for half a day, and the prince ordered the chains on the young lady to be unchained, and then he took the lady straight into his room.

"Although Lieutenant Colonel He Man was an aide-de-camp of the brigade commander, he did not dare to disobey the prince's orders."

Franz whispered.

"Yes. When Kunrat came to the brigade on the first day, the captain of the brigade said solemnly in front of all the officers and men:

"This is Prince Quinrat, and you must treat him as if he were a German emperor, obey his orders absolutely, and obey whatever he says.

Therefore, even Lieutenant Colonel Heman did not dare to disobey the prince.

"After Prince Quinrat took the young lady to his bedroom, he never allowed her to go out of the room for half a step, until the day the brigade withdrew from Wolcon, and he left the castle with the young lady in an open-top car."

"Do you know where they went?"

Paul asked with a melancholy look on his face and trembling.

Franz shook his head and was silent. Paul was disappointed, and the meager hope in his heart was disillusioned.

"Although Eliza escaped death and was rescued by Prince Quinrat, she is still unknown, and why did Prince Quinrat save her? Where did he take Eliza? ”

The thought of Eliza escaping from death gave Paul a little solace in his heart. "But is Eliza really safe now?" What was Prince Quinrat going to do with her? ”

Paul's heart was filled with resentment, and anxiety and concern burned him.

"What is the character of Prince Quinrat on weekdays?"

Bernard asked.

Franz hung his head in silence, seeming reluctant to answer, and guilt made him lower his head, afraid to look into Berner's eyes.

When the medic heard this, he opened his mouth and said for him:

"Well, I'll say it! Prince Quinrat was the least learned of the German emperor's sons. He not only has bad character, but also has a penchant for alcohol, and when he sees a woman with a slight posture, he immediately reveals his inferior behavior, and he is extremely capable of seducing and abducting, and he is worthy of the contemporary Don Juan. ”

Hearing this, Paul was blue in the face and trembling.

Don Juan was an aristocratic figure in ancient Spain who was mercurial and lustful, and was eventually sentenced to death for luring a lady of a famous nobleman away from home and killing her.

Eliza was taken away by the mercurial, lustful Prince Quinrat, and it was not known what sinister things would happen to her, and Paul's heart grew indignant.

But he believed that Eliza was a fierce woman, and she would never be easily seduced by the prince, nor could she be seduced by him.

"Once the situation is critical, Eliza will definitely use death to maintain her innocence, or she will stab Prince Quinrat to death."

"However, if Eliza kills Prince Quinrat, she will be executed by the Prince's entourage immediately." Alas, no matter what, I will never see her again..."

Paul's eyes were pitch black. A strong hatred welled up in his heart, and he gritted his teeth and vowed to hand blade Prince Quinrat and wash the snow for his beloved wife Eliza.

Paul gritted his teeth, clenched his hands, and stared straight into the sky with indignant eyes. Bernard deeply felt the state of mind of his brother-in-law, and he looked down at the ground with deep pain in his heart, and when he thought of his sister Eliza's misfortune, he couldn't help but burst into tears and sob.

The German soldier Franz hung his head from beginning to end, staring at the ground with guilt on his face.

In order to break through the embarrassment and comfort the emotions of the three people, the military doctor deliberately said in a bright voice:

"Oh, Franz, you've told us everything, that's great, I agree to forgive you, you go."

He took five or six German bills out of his pockets and handed them to Franz.

Franz looked at the lieutenant colonel in amazement, deeply flattered.

"Go back, Franz."

The lieutenant colonel patted him on the shoulder, saluted him, turned around and ran quickly into the forest.

The medic smiled and watched Franz leave, then shook Paul's shoulder with both hands and comforted him:

"Don't worry, your wife, Lady Eliza, will return safely." Before I came here, I had asked my friends in the village of Wolcon to inquire about the whereabouts of your wife and Prince Quinrat.

"I think that in three or two days, there will be good news for you, so you should go back to your team first!"

"Who are you?" The medic..."

Bernard was curious about his identity.

"Oh, I'm a French medic!" Because my work had been partially successful, I went deep into the German army to conduct reconnaissance.

"But no one ordered me to do these things, and I asked the team for a week's leave, and then went to the village of Wolcon to investigate the movements of the Germans, like a spy.

"When you saw me the other day, the farmer who showed me the way was disguised by my old friend. After learning about the castle from him, I went to my friend's house in the village, stripped off the doctor's attire, transformed into a farmer, and went to scout the enemy around the castle.

"I received a lot of important military intelligence from several German officers and soldiers, who said that the sudden withdrawal of the German army was to meet the requirements of the strategic war.

That is, the German army invaded Belgium, and then passed through the French border, entered the French interior, and approached Paris directly.

"The French government has moved its capital to Bordeaux in the south, you may know more, and later the French Grand Marshal led a large army to attack the Germans.

Thus, the Franco-German army waged a fierce battle on the long western front. In order to increase their strength, the Germans prepared to relocate part of the army in the eastern region to the western region.

Thus, the Germans stationed at The Castle of Volkon were immediately ordered to move their forces to the west.

"I have confirmed the accuracy of this information, and I have also investigated the number of German troops and the number of guns that have been transported to the west, so I must immediately go back to my headquarters and report this information to my superiors.

"I know that you, disguised as farmers, infiltrated Volkon Castle in order to investigate the situation in the castle, and also wanted to inquire about the young lady.

"You're weird, aren't you?" Oh, I can't stay here any longer, but anyway, I already know the purpose of your trip.

"When you entered the castle and found that Lieutenant Colonel Homan was dressed and looked the same as I did, you were surprised, weren't you?" No wonder Captain Bernard has been staring at my face, but I don't have that mole in my mouth, and you are even more unable to touch it. Haha, I'm not wrong with what I said, right? ”，

The medic smiled triumphantly, revealing a bit of disdain and mockery.

"Moreover, you are preparing to return to the army today, and I know this, do you feel surprised?" My old friend happened to be on the hill with the people of the village to observe the new movements of the German army in the village. He saw both of you and guessed that you would be going back soon, so he rushed to inform me. My friends are unusually sensitive to these things.

"In order to tell you the information I have investigated, I have captured a German soldier and stolen a German motorcycle, and have rushed here at once, asking Franz to tell you the inside story.

"Now you know everything, as for the young Lady Elisa. She would be safe, but perhaps under the control of Prince Quinrat. ”

"You don't have to worry, I promise to get her out." Now you can go with confidence. ”

"Oh! By the way, there was one thing I almost forgot, and I deliberately brought this thing to you. ”

After saying that, from his pocket, the lieutenant colonel took out a thick little book and handed it to Paul.

"Huh? What is it? ”

Paul was stunned.

"Your wife's diary."

"But,...... Why do you... There's this thing..."

Paul's sorrows and joys intersect.

"Your wife put it in the drawer of the closet."

"Wardrobe drawer? However, we have searched all the drawers and found nothing! ”

Paul was suspicious.

"That's because I got there first."

With that, the medic was already sitting on the seat of the locomotive. “

"I searched the castle before you, and now I'm leaving before you, I'm sorry!"

With that, the medic put his foot on the pedal of the motorcycle and started the engine.

"Well, we'll see you later!"

He waved goodbye to Paul and Bernard, who were stunned, with one hand, and then squeezed their eyes slyly, and flew forward in the locomotive.

The dark blue locomotive smoke dissipated into the air, and Paul and Bernard could faintly see the gray military uniforms on the back of the medic fluttering in the wind, and in a short while they disappeared at the end of the forest.