Bismarck

Although the main leaders of the Nazi Party did not understand basic scientific research, they were undoubtedly very concerned about these great men, as well as the protection of their scientific research conditions and scientific research materials. Although the Institute of Physics and Chemistry is only a four-story building, the air-raid shelter underneath is 20 meters deep - even an atomic bomb, as long as it does not hit directly, can do nothing at this depth.

"Speaking of which, is Dad okay?" After a long silence, Lily finally spoke softly. And the cat's eyes when looking at the ring on her hand were full of complaints.

"It's okay. Zeppelin is there to take care of him. Except for drinking a little too much at the celebration party, everything is fine now."

Speaking of the captain's drunken state, Bismarck was also a little depressed.

Our captain is so drunk, it’s all because of those voluptuous Begos!

A certain enchanting boat saw the goods and thought about it, gnashing her teeth.

However, Lily over there started asking questions again, but she moved to the corner before speaking, for fear of being heard by the people next to her. She looked at the people around her. Those "desperate" people were still calculating even under the bombardment... In fact, even if she didn't go to the corner, no one would notice her.

"Your escape was reported in the news. It was not easy along the way. It must have been very hard, right?"

"Yes, we were chased and blocked by the British, and we were running around everywhere. When our oil tanker was attacked in the Atlantic Ocean, we almost couldn't come back because we had no fuel. But fortunately, we finally used the last bit of oil to destroy the oil depot of the Bermuda Fortress... Hey, Lily, you don't know that the British were furious later. I heard that they even posted a pirate wanted poster~"

Speaking of this, Bismarck was so proud. You know, the Troublemaker Niu Niu started his career as a pirate, and being called a pirate by a group of pirates was an honor.

"Wanted?" Lily was confused when she heard that her father was on the wanted list.

"Yes, it's true. We heard it from a rescued British pilot, and it said 'a reward of one billion pounds for the bandit Lu, dead or alive'."

"Pfft, if my father is a pirate, then I'm probably worth a lot if I'm not a pirate's daughter."

Lily couldn't help laughing when she heard that her father was wanted by the British (symbolically) because of his great military exploits. But looking at the air-raid shelter that was still shaking under the bombing, everyone looked at her with puzzled eyes, and Lily couldn't help but stick out her tongue and shrink her neck. Then she heard Bismarck in the ring on her finger also laughing unscrupulously, and Lily, embarrassed and angry, couldn't help but press the clover shield emblem on the ring on her index finger.

The bombing outside was still going on. As Lily was pinching the Bismarck ring, she couldn't help but think of more.

I can still hide in the air-raid shelter and have common topics to talk with this "non-human being" in front of me, who I don't know if it should be a sister or some other "non-human existence". But what about my father, Lütjens, in the basement now? Although, there is also a Zeppelin who I have met there...

As an ordinary researcher, Liliana could only worry and wish the Ringwraith wrapped around her finger and its master, her father...

"Bismarck, I'm fine here. You should go back and take care of dad. I don't know if it's safe where he is. Also, tell him that I'm safe and everything is fine, and ask him to take care of himself... and you should take care of yourself too, Bismarck."

"Well, okay, I'll be leaving first. You should be careful too." Thinking of the captain's safety, the Bismarck in the ring responded, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that the captain is in charge of scientific research after he came back. He just received an appointment from the head of state today. If anything happens, or if someone bullies you, remember to tell him or me - just tell the ring if you have anything to say. I can come over anytime!"

The words reached Lily's ears, and the delicate and warm feeling wrapped around her fingertips disappeared. Lily knew that the battleship girl beside her father had returned to her captain's side.

However, Bismarck's last words still stirred waves in her heart.

Instead of being happy, my first reaction was worry.

Dad is in charge of scientific research? This may be good news for ordinary people, but Liliana has been here for so long that she has already learned a lot about the inside story of the scientific community. Although her father is a hero on the battlefield, can he really play a role in the scientific community?

With such a group of experienced scientists around, who can a soldier like him control? If the results are not good, will the head of state...

Liliana stroked the ring on her hand and looked at the faint light flickering on the ceiling, and thought of a lot of things.

Unconsciously, Lily felt the sensation coming from the stool, and the bombing seemed to have temporarily weakened. However, Lily, who had already had several experiences of dodging, also knew that this was only the beginning of the bombing, and it was far from the end.

-

At this moment, in the war-torn city of Berlin, which had been reduced to ruins, a raging fire was burning, illuminating the night sky red. The rising air currents of the raging flames even blew the British heavy bombers that were about to leave and return home, which had destroyed the earth's surface, up to nine feet high.

The bombers in the night sky had finished the first wave of bombing, but that did not mean the end of disaster and death. Under the light of the city fire and the searchlights in the distance, the reflection of a new wave of iron wings in the northern sky was like a "galaxy", carrying bombs and death, rushing towards the sky of Berlin.

The bodies of the refugees who were too late to take shelter on the streets had been baked to the point of carbonization. Even though there was no need to worry about suffocation from smoke in the basement for the time being, the fire that had begun to spread in all directions made the oxygen density in the basement even thinner.

"Captain, Lily is fine."

Bismarck, who had just returned, immediately reported to the captain who had begun to catch his breath. Lütjens nodded and said nothing. However, the suffocating feeling caused by the drop in oxygen content still made him gasp for breath while holding his handkerchief.

"captain?"

"Bismarck, this won't work. There are fires all around here. The drop in oxygen content will cause suffocation... We are not afraid of suffocation, but the commander can't stand it..."

"Now what?"

"This building can't withstand the bombing, and the fire above has already burned down... We have to move now! I can see that now is a break in the bombing, and they will not fall down for at least two or three minutes!"

"Two or three minutes? I remember the Potsdamer Platz subway station is not far from us. If we sprint at full speed, we can probably reach the subway station before the bomb drops!"

Bismarck nodded, then looked at the raging fire above his head that was burning lower and lower, and then he and Zeppelin looked at the captain, whose face looked a little unhappy. He didn't know if it was because of the phobia caused by the severe shaking when he was carried into the basement by him, but after seeing the look in his eyes, the captain's face instantly became two or three points paler than before.

Thinking of how she ran away with the captain on her shoulders, Biszi's face turned red because she was not ladylike enough and she had to adjust her hat awkwardly.

But there is no time to waste now...

"Captain, hold on tight!"

He wet the handkerchief with the last bit of water remaining in the basement pipe, handed it to his captain, and then carried Lütjens on his back.

In fact, Lütjens was already able to walk, but Bismarck thought the captain walked too slowly and it was impossible for him to reach the subway station before the next wave of bombs arrived, so he carried him on his back again despite someone's objection.

Together with Zeppelin, he ran at full parkour speed and, taking advantage of the gap in the bombing, climbed out from the floor-to-ceiling window on the top of the basement wall like a nimble cat.

Without caring about the ruins and broken limbs around them, the two ship girls, Persian Cat and Zeppelin, looked around and turned around. Following the navigation within their perception range, they rushed at full speed towards the Potsdamer Platz subway station a few hundred meters away.

There was a wet handkerchief on the captain's face. As long as he persisted a little, it would not take much time to reach the entrance of the subway station, on this street that had been "cleaned" empty by the bombing and had no other obstacles except fire and ruins, at the speed of the ship girl running at full speed.

He kicked away a piece of cement slab that was blocking his way, bypassed the subway station entrance that was half collapsed but still accessible, and felt the wind that kept pouring out of the dark subway, which had a cold smell but relatively sufficient oxygen. Lütjens's suffocated face also looked better. And seeing the bomb about to fall, Bismarck and Zeppelin did not hesitate and ran and jumped directly into the subway entrance.

Just a few seconds later, the sky outside continued to collapse and the ground continued to shake. However, for the three people who had entered the subway air-raid shelter at this moment, the threat of bombing had completely gone away.

In the dark and shaking basement, Lütjens, who had initially settled down, now had to consider how to integrate and solve problems such as the Berlin air defense in his position as director of scientific research.

There are still many things that need to be dealt with...

Chapter 742: Disobedient Scientists

The sky finally brightened, and the dawn sunlight penetrated the remaining streaks of smoke and caressed the half-dead city.

The four-engine Fire Demon Legion that spread fire and death had gone away with the night, just like the vampires who were afraid of the sun, but the havoc they caused remained here.

Fire trucks and ambulances running around Berlin had been blaring their shrill sirens since last night and were still busy until dawn. They cleaned up the broken walls and limbs between the fire and the ruins with tired and numb eyes and cursed. The refugees who walked out of the air-raid shelters in the streets and alleys were numb to tears as they looked at the city that had turned into ruins - their homes, their property and savings, and even their relatives and friends, were all destroyed in this unexpected disaster.

A mother holding her child was sitting in the corner of the ruins, looking at a hand dug out from under the collapsed house with empty eyes.

I don't know who the person lying inside is.

Bismarck only heard the child in her arms gently pulling at her sleeves, saying in a baby voice, "Mom, I'm hungry." However, at this moment, this mother, who had nothing left, could do nothing except mechanically stroking the child's hair...

When Lütjens, Bismarck and Zeppelin came out of the air-raid shelter and saw this scene, they all felt their hearts choked.

Numb crowd, smoking ruins, they are all in military uniforms.

Bismarck searched her pockets silently, but found that there was nothing left in her pocket except the house key. Helplessly, she looked up, but found that Zeppelin and the captain opposite her also had their hands in their pockets, looking at her with the same eyes...

Apart from the medal hanging on Lütjens' collar, they now have nothing...

I am afraid that such tragedies will be far from over in the days to come.

The three of them walked through the crowds of people in twos and threes, covered in dust. Seeing the looks in the eyes of the refugees, they lowered their heads in shame, especially Zeppelin. As an air force officer, she felt guilty when she saw the people being hurt by the enemy's air force, and she clenched her fists.

She wanted revenge! There was a voice in Zeppelin's heart shouting that these British people must pay the price!

If possible, she even wanted to take off when the fleet arrived.

While innocent civilians in Berlin were being “retaliated” by Britain, the hypocritical gentlemen of the free world, and the trumpeters who helped them, cheered and cheered for them, were celebrating and even gloating over their misfortune…

"Just last night, our bombers bombed Berlin. Admiral Harris's thousands of heavy bombers dropped 3,000 tons of bombs, turning this 'city of sin' into ruins! The German people should understand our bombing and repent for what they have done, because this is the end of any country and any person who dares to defy the 'free (Z) (produced) world (class)'!"

Accompanied by the British's smug tone on the radio, the mustache man in the meeting room of the Chancellery's underground bunker turned pale. The German Air Force officers, led by Reich Marshal Meyer, lowered their heads and said nothing, unable to say anything in the Führer's roar.

After all, the bombing of Berlin was indeed the responsibility of the Air Force - no matter what the excuses were.

There is no excuse left. If I make excuses now, everyone will look down on me.

Goering, who was scolded bitterly, gritted his teeth, his fat hands were clenched so hard that veins were bulging, and he secretly swore in his heart that he would teach these British air bandits a lesson.

---

For the entire morning and noon after the bombing, Lütjens and the two ship girls beside him did not bother to find a place to live, and they stumbled through the busy life of a new official.

After all, it was Raeder who recommended the research director. Although Marshal Raeder was also very unhappy, he did not go back on his words when it came to letting the captain go out to take the position of research director. And the head of the Naval Armament Bureau, who was nominally under Lütjens' direct command at the moment, also promised on the spot that he would cooperate with Lütjens to carry out the work and give priority to the repair and modification of the ship squadrons in the Kiel Naval Shipyard at the instruction of Raeder.

Anyway, he couldn't keep all the research results of Lütjens to himself, as they would all be shared in the end. Raeder didn't feel that he was at a loss at all. If those ship girls tinkered with them secretly, they would not be able to get the results.

Lütjens didn't think too much about it - as a soldier of the country, even if he has now transferred from a front-line commander to the field of scientific research management which he is not very familiar with, serving the country is a duty of a soldier. Since the country has appointed him as the director of scientific research of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, no matter how unfamiliar he is with science and technology, he has to do his job well first.

After all, the tragic scene caused by the bombing the night before was still fresh in his mind. To be fair, he also hoped to come up with something to deal with the British as soon as possible.

There is a saying that is very true: if you fall behind, you will be beaten! If you don’t want to be beaten, you must catch up in scientific research and technology!

The country has now entered a wartime state, and all work must prioritize efficiency. With no obstacles from Raeder's side, Lütjens, holding the letter of appointment signed by the mustache, announced his appointment in the meeting room of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society that afternoon, full of anger and enthusiasm.

However, as soon as he took office, Lütjens ran into trouble.

"General, the purpose of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society is academic autonomy and freedom of thought... We are willing to serve the empire with our science and knowledge, but for God's sake, please do not interfere with our academic freedom and do not make things too difficult for us..."

In front of the captain stood an old man who was at least eighty years old, and he looked like he would fall down if the wind blew. The old man trembled as he spoke his promise, but the alienation and indifference in his words were irritating no matter how he listened to them - and, more importantly, the old man's name was Max Planck.

The former president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the discoverer of quantum mechanics, the Nobel Prize winner, and a physics master as famous as Einstein! When Lütjens took office, this veteran master, at the age of 84, came in person as a representative of scientists.

However, it looked like Planck, who had come here in person, was not here to show his support...

Looking at the great god in front of them, whose face was almost written with non-violence and non-cooperation, Bismarck, the captain and Zeppelin looked at each other in confusion.

This is a very confusing statement... We don't seem to have offended you scientists, right?

If it was his own military deployment who dared to speak like this on his first day in office, even if Lütjens had a good temper, he would probably slap him in the face.

What a pity... He is a scientist, and one who looks like he will fall down if the wind blows. Bismarck was afraid that if he pushed him, he would have another father.

Even if he was unhappy, he had to hold it in. Lütjens was silent, then asked in a very patient manner.

"Mr. Planck, what are you doing..."

What do you mean, are you here to mess things up? Bismarck glared at him.

Although she respected scientists, she couldn't tolerate such an attitude towards the captain.

"General, free thoughts can only be generated in a free environment. We have followed this principle since the time of Emperor Wilhelm... Please try not to assign scientific research projects to us. To be honest, this will put a lot of pressure on us. We are all engaged in scientific research because we love science. If there is pressure, scientific research will be very troublesome... We don't really have any other requirements. The only thing we need is to be able to do research in peace and stability... But please forgive me for being frank. Before this, your political movements and foreign wars have already had a great impact on our academic atmosphere..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lütjens, Bismarck and Zeppelin looked at each other, and then each of them felt that in the eyes of the other two people opposite them, there seemed to be a feeling that they were [killing] the POI just like themselves.

Although I am one of them (not on both sides of the fence) and I don't like those thugs under the Nazi Party who always take things to extremes, but... you so-called academic gods, your true colors are actually just a bunch of big shots?

You think it wasn't you who were killed in the bombing the night before, so you can just pretend you didn't see it, right?

Lütjens held his breath. He had originally wanted to start research on how to counter the British bombers as soon as he took office, but he was told this?

Or maybe they knew what demands they were going to make and deliberately said them in advance.

If I remember correctly, Hitler also said "someone is eating from the inside out"...

Maybe it was because he was born under the red flag, Bismarck suddenly thought of ancient China, where those scholars could continue to live a carefree life as masters just by changing their family background when dynasties changed...

--

The meeting ended, as you can imagine, on bad terms.

Especially when Bismarck angrily rebuked a researcher and said, "Science has no borders."

"Science has no borders, but scientists do! What? You want to give science and technology to the British? Let them kill our people?" Bismarck finally couldn't help but speak. In her mind, science must serve the country, especially in this era of war.

In peacetime, it's ok to say such things, but in this life-and-death situation, how can you say such things? !

Lütjens and Zeppelin were also looking at him, with eyes that seemed as if they would shoot him immediately if he nodded yes.

Of course, the researchers were not so rebellious. Although the little mustache guys usually didn't dare to do anything to them, if they really said that, they would probably be taught a lesson by the Gestapo.

His face flushed.

"This is impossible!" He responded hatefully to Bismarck's words, then sat down angrily.

Soon someone came out to smooth things over, saying something like, they would not sell out the country, but the ruling class should not force research projects on them, as that would be inefficient, and so on.

Seeing that this group of "scientists" could not be relied upon, Bismarck shouted "Work hard to have enough food and clothing" as soon as he returned to the office. He grabbed a pencil and began to write and draw on the document paper viciously.

"So, you plan to learn from the principle of anti-ship missiles and create a 'FangKongDaoDan' yourself without relying on these academic cliques?"

"Yeah, these uncles are so abominable!"

The Persian cat on the table continued to doodle after answering the captain absentmindedly. Zeppelin, who was usually quite steady in his work, followed Bismarck and lay on the table beside the draft paper, gritting his teeth, looking like he wanted to be independent.

Lütjens could also guess the reason. After the bombing of Berlin, coupled with the "indifferent" attitude of these scientists, it was too much of a shock to Bismarck and Zeppelin...

In the war between the British and the Germans, no matter how fiercely the soldiers of both sides fought, they were at least serving their own masters. Bombing factory areas and industrial hubs and attacking merchant fleets as part of economic warfare were acceptable to the soldiers.

But now these guys are venting their anger on innocent civilians - don't look at them saying "you bombed London back then", after all, they participated in the Battle of Britain together during Zeppelin's first battle. Everyone knows that Goering bombed London by mistake, and even if he changed the bombing target, he had basically finished the bombing in less than a month and went back to prepare for the Soviet-German War. How can you British people abuse violence so endlessly? Even if the German army was really retaliated for attacking civilians, it would not be your turn!

And let’s not even mention the British bombers, these scientists are just a bunch of big shots…

I originally thought they were the conscience of society, but now...