red moscow

Chapter 3095 Revealing Identity
"Comrade Brigade Commander!" With a series of steady, powerful footsteps, Major Nazorov strode into the brigade headquarters with standard military steps. He saw Brigade Commander Sokov sitting at the table drinking tea, immediately raised his hand in a standard military salute, and then reported with utmost respect, "I have brought the owner of the watch you asked me to bring!"

"Oh? The owner of the watch has been found?" Upon hearing Nazorov's report, Sokov immediately stood up from his seat, his face showing a mixture of surprise and anticipation. He asked with obvious excitement, "Where is he now?"

Nazorov turned to face the door and raised his voice, saying, "Bring him in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy wooden door of the command post was pushed open from the outside, and a prisoner dressed in a German uniform was escorted in by two heavily armed soldiers. The prisoner's face was filled with fear and unease, and his eyes darted around as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Comrade Brigade Commander!” Nazorov turned to Sokov and formally introduced, “This German soldier is the owner of the watch.” After saying that, he took a step forward, closer to Sokov, and added in a low voice, “It is worth mentioning that he speaks Russian quite fluently and with very standard pronunciation. I suspect that he may have been to our country before, and may even have lived here for a period of time.”

Sokov nodded slightly, his sharp gaze scrutinizing the prisoner before him, and then asked in German, "What's your name?"

“I…I am Braun.” The prisoner timidly said his name, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered his courage to say, “Lieutenant Colonel, I actually know Russian. We can communicate in Russian.”

“No need,” Sokov thought to himself. Apart from himself, no one else in the command post understood German. Speaking to the prisoners of war in German would actually avoid some unnecessary trouble, so he insisted, “Let’s continue communicating in German.”

Although Braun didn't understand why the Soviet officer insisted on speaking in German, as a prisoner of war, he knew he had no right to object, so he could only obediently nod and respectfully reply in German, "Yes, sir, lieutenant colonel."

Sokov took the exquisite Rolex Submariner green watch from Nazorov's hand, held it up in front of Braun, and stared intently at him: "Braun, take a closer look, this is your watch, isn't it?"

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.” Although Braun already knew it was his watch, he still examined it carefully and answered with certainty, “This is indeed my watch. I recognize every detail on the dial.”

Seeing the other party so readily admit to owning the watch, Sokov's face showed a faint smile. He turned the watch over, carefully examining the serial number engraved on the back of the case, and then said in a seemingly casual tone, "According to the serial number on the back of the case, this watch was manufactured more than seventy years ago. Braun, can you explain to me what's going on here?"

Upon hearing Sokov's words, Braun's face turned deathly pale, as if all the blood in his body had frozen instantly. His lips trembled uncontrollably, and his throat felt as if it were being choked by something. He opened his mouth several times, but could not utter a single complete syllable, leaving only rapid and suppressed gasps.

Sokov keenly sensed his extreme panic and immediately softened his tone, gently reassuring him: "Don't be afraid, Braun. I called you here not to reprimand you, but simply to ask about this watch. To be honest, it reminds me of an old friend—this watch is so similar to his, both in style and texture."

“Impossible…this is absolutely impossible!” Braun seemed to have been struck by those words, suddenly losing control and shouting, his voice hoarse yet filled with intense emotion, drawing wary glances from those around him. The two soldiers escorting him, thinking he was about to harm Sokov, quickly rushed forward, twisted his arms behind his back, and pinned him to the spot. Captain Nazorov, without hesitation, drew his pistol, the cold muzzle pressed against Braun's temple, his finger tightened on the trigger, his eyes sharply watching Braun's every move.

"Stop! Stop right now!" Sokov shouted urgently, holding up Nazorov's gun. "Put the gun away! It's too dangerous. What if it goes off accidentally?"

Although Nazorov did as he was told to move his gun away, he still kept a wary eye on Braun and asked in a serious tone, "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you sure he won't hurt you? He's very emotionally unstable."

“I’m sure he’s just a little agitated,” Sokov waved his hand firmly. “We’re just talking, it’s nothing serious. Captain, take your men out first, I’ll handle things here.”

Nazorov hesitated for a moment, then finally holstered his pistol, saluted Sokov, and left the room with two soldiers. At that moment, Belkin and Karsokov approached, asking with suspicion, "Comrade Brigade Commander, what did you say to him just now? Why was he suddenly so agitated?"

Sokov had deliberately spoken to Braun in German to avoid revealing the content of their conversation, so he casually replied, "It's nothing, just a private matter. You all go ahead and do your work; I need to talk to him a bit more."

After the two resumed their work, Sokov gestured for Braun to sit down across from him at the wooden table, and personally poured him a steaming cup of black tea. He gently pushed the teacup towards him, his voice even more gentle than before: "You see, I was just casually mentioning that your watch looked like the style of one of my friends' watches, why did you suddenly lose your temper? Relax, nobody here can understand our conversation, you can speak freely."

Braun took the teacup with trembling hands, his fingertips white, but he never brought it to his lips. He suddenly slammed the teacup back onto the table, stood up abruptly, and said in a resolute tone, "Lieutenant Colonel, you must be mistaken. The friend you speak of... could never, and should never, own such a watch."

Sokov was already eighty or ninety percent certain—the flustered man before him was indeed the German friend he and Kharkov had been searching for, and the key figure who could take them through time. But he maintained a cautious demeanor and continued his unhurried questioning: "You've never met my friend, so how can you be so certain he wouldn't have such a watch?"

Braun was speechless for a moment; his lips parted slightly but no sound came out, as if something was choking him.

A long silence stretched between the two of them, until finally he seemed to have exhausted all his strength and murmured, "No matter what... I don't believe there is anyone else in this world who can own this style of watch."

“Braun,” Sokov leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on him, “what I’m about to say, however bizarre or absurd it may sound, please remain calm. Otherwise, if you attract attention again, I may not be able to protect you a second time.”

He asked in a serious tone, enunciating each word clearly, "Did you understand what I said?"

Braun didn't say anything, but nodded forcefully, almost stiffly.

Seeing that the other person's emotions had calmed down somewhat, Sokov continued, "You're right—it's impossible for someone from this era to own a watch that wasn't invented until more than seventy years later. But what if that person... was from Hoflin Hospital?"

“Hoflin Hospital?!” Braun’s pupils contracted sharply, his voice rising in shock: “You… how do you know about Hoflin Hospital?!”

But then, as if startled by his own reaction, he shook his head frantically in denial: "No, that's impossible... There's no such thing as Hoflin Hospital in this era! Where did you hear that name from?"

Sokov slowly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile: "Braun, why are you so sure I only 'heard' about it? Haven't you ever considered that I might also come from Hoflin Hospital, just like you?"

Braun's facial muscles twitched violently as he shook his head frantically, saying in disbelief, "Impossible, absolutely impossible, how could you possibly come from Hoflin Hospital?"

“If I told you…” Sokov paused intentionally, knowing that no one in the room could hear his conversation with Braun, but if Braun continued to lose control, someone might interrupt them. He glanced around; Belkin and Karsokov were some distance away, so he wasn't worried about disturbing them, and continued, “I have a friend named Bakharov. He and a group of friends went exploring underground at the Hoflin Hospital, but they got trapped in a collapse. When I led a search party to look for him and a German friend named Braun, an accident happened, and when I regained consciousness, I found myself inexplicably transported to this era.”

(End of this chapter)