Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 29 in Poland

"Hand over the money! Now!" Two men in their early twenties, who looked like thugs, burst into the room, each holding a pistol and shouting.

Qin Hao frowned. The security situation here has been getting worse lately, but perhaps because he had experienced enough in 1914, he didn't feel any sense of crisis now.

Surprisingly, Stella remained remarkably calm, glancing at the robber while fiddling with her newly purchased high heels.

"Hurry up, hand over all the money in your pockets! And your watch, take it off!" One of the two thieves forced the clerk to open the cash register, while the other began rummaging through the customer's pockets.

When they reached Qin Hao's table, the robbers' eyes visibly lit up.

"Hey buddy! This chick's nice, just a bit too skinny!"

"Never mind that! Just take the money!"

A sudden change occurred!

Just as the two were arguing, an inconspicuous Asian man suddenly reached out and grabbed the robber's wrist holding the gun! He then pressed all his strength against the robber.

*Click!* The sound of joints shifting rang out, and the pistol was snatched away.

The other robber turned around in shock, only to be met with two small black dots that rapidly magnified in his field of vision.

A shopping bag being swung around! And a high heel!

boom! !

All right in the face!!!

The man's eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness from the violent impact!

………………

As dusk fell, the two emerged from the police station together. The tall Stella tilted her head, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she curiously gazed at the dark-haired man beside her, as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"I never realized you could be so ruthless. When you twisted his arm, I thought you were going to kill him." The woman's face was full of excitement, without a trace of fear.

Qin Hao instinctively retorted, "I just wanted to kill him, but someone's high heel stuck in that unlucky guy's head, and it seems like they even called an ambulance."

"Oh? Are you complimenting me? Thank you!" The girl winked playfully.

The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly. This chance encounter had brought them much closer.

"Hey, where's your all-purpose military knife?" Stella nudged Qin Hao with her elbow.

"It's already like this." Qin Hao took out his shopping bag, inside which the Swiss Army knife, which was supposed to last for thirty years, was completely broken.

The woman happily took out the remains and played with them in her hand. "Looks like we're even now. But for the sake of the new clothes, I'll take this."

"You know how to use this thing?!"

"Qin, please remember!" Stella poked Qin Hao with her finger. "Your family has only been trading clothes in Russia for about 30 years, while my family has been running a machine workshop here for nearly 200 years."

A week later, Stella tossed Qin Hao a handbag.

"Here, the item is finished, and it's made according to your specifications."

Qin Hao reached into the bag and touched something cold and hard. When he took it out, he found it was a metal cross.

“The main structure is made of titanium alloy, and I’ve added carbon fiber inserts to the handle. Try pressing here, but be careful.” The woman pointed to a spot on the cross.

*Snap!* With a slight exertion of force, Qin Hao caused the two sides of the cross to close together, and a sharp blade popped out from the center.

"The blade is made of HRC62 high-carbon steel, and I referenced the design of a butterfly knife."

"The ceramic axle and the lanyard are actually made of Kevlar fiber, so you can fish with it, or even strangle someone if you want."

"There's a magnesium alloy fire starter in the bottom compartment, and water purification tablets and common medications on both sides of the support. I've also put your hemophilia medication in there; remember, it's blue..."

Stella explained for about five minutes before stopping. "Did you make all of this? How much did it cost? I'll pay you." Qin Hao held the cross with obvious delight; it truly exceeded his expectations.

"Forget it, I've had a great time these past few days, and besides, aren't you leaving for a while? Consider it a farewell gift," the woman said magnanimously, then paused slightly and asked...
Where do you plan to go next?

"Yes, I plan to go to Poland first."
-
A few days later, in Gyřicko, Poland.

Located east of Kaliningrad and north of Lithuania, it is only a four-hour drive from Warsaw. Adjacent to the Masurian Lakes region, it boasts a dense network of waterways, lush vegetation, and abundant natural resources.

Because of its strategic location, this area became a major battleground for several neighboring European countries. Over the past century, the region has been occupied by Germany, Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union, and Poland, leaving behind a wealth of cultural relics.

The combination of these two resources has made it a famous tourist area in Europe, attracting tourists all year round.

A middle-aged man who looked like a driver was holding up a pieced-together cardboard sign in front of the train station.

In the crowd, an Asian man wearing sunglasses and carrying a simple travel bag stepped off the car. Interestingly, instead of a watch, he wore an exquisite cross pendant on his right wrist.

"Mr. Wojciech?" The man walked over, took off his glasses, and greeted him in Polish.

"Mr. Qin, welcome. We've received your payment. I'll be your tour guide for the next few days." The man reached out to take the other man's luggage, but was refused.

"I can just do it myself."

It seems that a love of chatting is a common trait among drivers all over the world. After the car started, Mr. Wojciech began to chatter on and on.

"You have a good sense of timing. The peak tourist season here has just passed, but the weather is still very cool, which is perfect for exploring."

"Where would you like to go? A lake cruise? A forest hike? Or perhaps to see the castle in Rötzny?"

"Of course, you might find it a bit boring to be alone. I also offer escort services. The girls here are very enthusiastic, some are still in college..." The experienced driver gave a knowing look at the end.

"I want to visit the site of the Battle of Tannenberg," the Asian man said succinctly, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding scenery, lost in thought.

"Tannerborg?" The experienced driver thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean the battle between the Germans and Russians in 1914? To be honest, there's not much left now, just some old, dilapidated buildings, and part of it was flooded."

"Wait, what did you say?!"

"Well, I was saying they're all outdated buildings, but if you really want to see them..."

"The second half of the sentence."

"Oh, part of that area is flooded," the experienced driver said, scratching his head.

"When did this happen?"

"Um, it was probably sometime in the 194s, right? The Germans wanted to build a reservoir here, so they blew up an old dam to divert the river."

"Could we go and see where the dam used to be?" the passenger asked earnestly.

"That's possible, but there's really nothing interesting there." The experienced Polish driver was somewhat puzzled by this strange request.

"I'm a hydrology student and I'd like to learn some historical hydrological data about this area," the person said, waving a small booklet in their hand.

The text above reads "A Century of Hydrological and Meteorological Changes in the Masurian Lake District".

"I see~" The driver hesitated for a moment, "Then we'll go there tomorrow morning."

"No, I want to go tonight! Please do me the trouble." The man said, stuffing a large US dollar bill into the other person's hand. "I'll pay extra!"

What followed was a scene that Mr. Wojciech would never forget: his passengers walked slowly down the ruins of the destroyed dam, and as the full moon rose, a white mist rose all around them.

The person seemed to melt away, disappearing into the thick fog.

I'll see if I can finish writing two chapters tonight; the next update might be tomorrow morning.

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(End of this chapter)