Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 100 Killing Putin 1
Late at night, at 64 Gorochovaya Street.

Compared to the sumptuous feasts spread across the tables inside Yusupov Palace, the food here is much simpler, but it brings a unique kind of joy.

Amidst the rising steam, tonight's main course is officially served—beef stew with potatoes.

Qin Hao had reservations about most of Khrushchev's views on the future, but he did think that his advocacy for beef stew with potatoes did have some merit.

This is indeed a dish that brings joy, especially when dining in a group.

"Mr. Mikhail, this is truly a feast! I never imagined your wife had such culinary skills!" The priest in the black robe praised with a smile as he looked at the stew before him.

"Father Pugin, please don't say that!"

The man standing nearby hurriedly stood up, waving his hands and saying, "You saved my wife and daughter, and took in our whole family! This is truly an immense kindness! No matter how much we do, we can never repay you."

The man then sighed with some shame, "Unfortunately, this is all we can do for you."

The cook was Yelena, Little Liuda's mother.

The mother who gave birth in the snow and her husband were originally taken in to do odd jobs in the house. After the black-robed priest began to dismiss a large number of the servants sent by the Winter Palace, the couple took over the cooking and other chores.

"It looks good. Everyone, please take a seat and eat with us." The priest in black robes smelled the aroma of the food and waved to the people around him in a friendly manner.

“Father Putin, how could we…”

"Isn't it normal to have a meal together with familiar friends in Kyiv? Or do you really think of me as some kind of priest?" the black-robed priest said, spreading his hands as if to feign anger.

The couple exchanged a glance and each chose to sit on one side, while the housekeeper sat on the other side.

The group divided the stewed beef into plates and ate it with bread dipped in the broth. The priest in black even prepared some wine for everyone.

When sharing food, people always find it easy to start a conversation.

"Mr. Mikhail, how's the city doing these days?" Qin Hao asked, swallowing the bread in his mouth.

“This is terrible, Father Putin. Prices on the market are twice as high as they were in the spring. Beef is 4 rubles a pound, and it’s practically impossible to buy it outside the black market.”

“Now each person is only rationed half a pound of black bread per day, and the queues are very long. I have personally seen people sit on the roadside and cry because they can’t buy bread.”

"The weather turned cold very early this year. Autumn is almost over, but there is still no coal available for sale on the market. I don't know how everyone will get through the snow."

Mikhail finished speaking, sighed, and slammed his cup heavily on the table. "War today, war tomorrow, so many people have died, and the common people are living in such misery. What kind of Tsar is this..."

“Darling, you’ve had a bit too much to drink.” His wife quickly interrupted him, then glanced nervously at the priest beside her.

"Don't be nervous, Yelena." The priest in black robes pressed his hand down, signaling her to relax.

“I’m not the Tsar’s spy, I’m not responsible for collecting opinions, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what you said, sir.”

The housekeeper standing nearby secretly rolled her eyes—she was a genuine Tsarist spy.

It was only then that Qin Hao remembered that Mikhail was a village tractor driver who had suffered greatly from oppression. His wife, on the other hand, was a primary school teacher, educated, and had been exposed to Bolshevik ideology at a young age; she would later join the Red Army.

This current stage should be the period when his rebellious thoughts have just awakened.

Sure enough, seeing that the male homeowner wasn't angry, the farm worker tried saying, "Father Pugin, you're a good man, we all respect you. Why don't you take us with you in this world…"

Quack! Quack! Quack!
A piercing caw of a crow interrupted the man's speech, and the priest, who had been listening attentively with his head bowed, suddenly turned cold and menacing.

"Everyone get down!"

Boom! ! ! !

A gunshot shattered the long night, and the study window was smashed, with small shards of glass scattered all over the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more gunshots rang out, one of which hit a plate on the table, sending shards flying, soup splashing onto the wall, and potatoes and beef flying everywhere.

"There are gunmen outside, don't move!" the black-robed priest shouted, pulling the housekeeper beside him to lie face down on the ground, while Lyudmila instinctively shielded him with her body. Qin Hao reached out and extinguished the kerosene lamp on the table, plunging the entire room into darkness.

The housekeeper drew a pistol from her waist and chambered a bullet with a click.

The priest in black took something out of his hand, and a flash of light appeared in the darkness.

"Is anyone injured?" Qin Hao asked in a low voice.

"No, Father."

"I don't have it either, I'm fine."

The couple's voices came from the corner, indicating that the people inside the house were lucky enough to be unharmed.

Noisy footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Is anyone inside?! We're workers from the neighborhood. We heard the gunshots and came to check. Is Father Putin alright?" someone shouted from outside the door. It seemed there was more than one person.

Yelena seemed to want to stand up and reply, but the housekeeper pressed her mouth down.

"Don't make a sound, there might be enemies outside!"

“Little Liuda is outside, and my child is still outside,” Yelena said, her voice trembling with tears.

"Hold on, as long as we haven't been exposed, they won't harm the child!" The housekeeper said this, but her heart still tightened when she thought of the baby girl she had delivered.

The mournful cawing of crows echoed through the darkness, along with the cries of a baby.

Qin Hao approached the doorway, winked at the housekeeper, and gestured with his hand as if preparing to shoot.

"The child is outside," Lyudmila mouthed the message.

Caw! Caw! Caw! The crows rang out from a distance. The priest in black robes nodded firmly, indicating that he knew what he was doing, and instructed the housekeeper to fire.

The next moment, the door was flung open!

Before the people at the door could react, a cold gun barrel was pointed at him.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang! ! ! ! !

The housekeeper emptied the bullets from her pistol in an instant, and blood seemed to bloom in the darkness.

Just as the remaining people were about to dodge, a dark shadow moved in front of them like a ghost.

"This guy runs really fast." That was the last thought in the intruder's mind.

The next second, a sharp dagger was pressed directly into his throat, rendering him unable to make a sound.

Just as the remaining accomplices were about to use the baby in their arms as a hostage, an unknown dark shadow loomed over the sky, and sharp claws pierced the skin on his face.

what! ! ! !

A scream rang out, but only for a brief moment, before the dagger in the shadows pierced the victim's vitals once more.

puff! ! ! ! !
A sound like a balloon being popped rang out, and then the room returned to silence, broken only by the intermittent cries of a baby.

Flutter, flutter~~ A black bird flew out of the window and leaped onto a branch, the smell of blood spreading out.

The man stood up by the window, blood splattering on his black robe. He bent down at the sound, scooped up the still-crying child with one arm, and the baby girl seemed to smell a familiar scent, stopped crying, and reached out to grab the man's collar.

Moonlight streamed down as the man cradled the baby in one arm and held a cross that had transformed into a sharp blade in the other.

Blood dripped from the blade.

(End of this chapter)