Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 275 A God-given Opportunity
Zhou Yi took a deep breath and casually stubbed out his cigarette.

The two remained silent for a while.

The light outside was brighter.

The wind blew through the woods, bringing with it the short cries of unknown birds.

“So,” Morrison asked slowly, “what’s the next step?”

Just as Zhou Yi was about to say something, he heard a rapid knocking on the door.

Morrison instinctively summoned the Desert Eagle and looked to his right.

However, all he saw was Zhou Yi making a relaxed gesture, indicating that he should go and check.

Immediately afterwards, the rifle appeared out of thin air and was quickly loaded.

Zhou Yi took a few steps forward and silently disappeared into the shadows.

Four men were standing on the steps outside.

SS uniform, armed with a gun.

"Are you Mason Morrison?"

The leader, upon seeing him emerge, didn't exchange pleasantries but went straight to the point.

After receiving an affirmative reply, he continued:
"We are tasked with investigating the shooting at the Schwarzenwald Hotel last night."

Were you there at the time?

“Yes,” Morrison replied truthfully. “I received the invitation three days ago and attended as requested.”

"Who invited you?" the man immediately pressed.

"Hans. Hans von Braun".

As expected, the other person's expression changed visibly.

At this moment, the soldiers standing behind leaned over and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, the leading officer frowned even more deeply.

"What's your relationship with him?"

"Friends, personal relationship."

The officer didn't press further, keeping his eyes fixed on Morrison.

After a long pause, he suddenly spoke again:
"How did you escape?"

"I was near the gate at the time, and I ran away as soon as I heard the gunshot."

Morrison's face showed a mixture of relief and bewilderment.

Have you seen the gunman?

"No."

"The scene was too chaotic, and I couldn't pay attention to anything else."

The man in the lead narrowed his eyes.

"Can anyone corroborate your claim?"

“Hans can,” Morrison said, “and me and him—”

However, he was rudely interrupted halfway through his sentence.

“We’ll ask.” The officer put his right hand on his holster.

"But before that, you have to come with us."

“I’m happy to comply with your request, provided you provide a formal summons.”

Morrison spoke humbly, but his posture remained unyielding.

“As a U.S. diplomat stationed in the country, I have the right to contact the host country’s officials before being detained.”

"You have the right?" the officer scoffed. "No, no, no, you have no right whatsoever."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and gestured to the soldiers behind him, "Take him away."

Inside the room, Zhou Yi's finger rested on the trigger, he slightly adjusted his posture, and slowed his breathing.

The next second—

Good morning, everyone. What are you doing?

A voice came from not far away.

The officer's face darkened, and he turned to look behind him.

"What is your name?" he asked coldly.

"Hans."

The young man paused for a moment, seemingly still considering what to say.

"Hans Constantin von Braun".

"This is Mr. Hans, who was with me yesterday."

Morrison added as appropriate.

The officer turned to Braun and looked him up and down for a few seconds:

"Can you prove that he was with you the whole time, and that he left by car?"

".yes."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Braun nodded. "We left after the shooting."

The officer stared at him expressionlessly: "Do you know what you're saying?"

“Very clear,” Hans said.

"Then are you willing to take responsibility for every word you just said, Mr. von Braun?"

"I do."

The air suddenly seemed to sink. Seeing the young man's unwavering resolve, the officer's expression subtly changed.

After weighing the options for a moment, he ultimately chose to concede temporarily:

“In that case, I will report this matter to the department and to your father.”

He paused, then turned back to Morrison, and said with a forced smile:
"As for you, Mr. Morrison, I believe your superiors will also know about this."

"You are not allowed to leave the area until the investigation is completed."

"of course."

Braun stood in the doorway until they were far away before turning to look at Morrison:
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, puzzled.

"I haven't seen you at all since you went out for a smoke."

Morrison looked very pale.

“I’m sorry, I was really terrified,” he said.

"I heard gunshots outside, and before I could react, I saw a lot of people rushing out."

"They said something terrible happened inside."

I tried to find you in the crowd.

"But the lights were all off then, it was too chaotic, and I couldn't see anything at all."

Morrison's voice was hoarse, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

"But God bless you, and may you be safe and sound."

Upon hearing this, Braun's face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment.

"I was actually one of the first to escape."

"I rushed out as soon as I heard the gunshot, and my clothes were almost torn in the process."

"It was wrong of me not to wait for you."

"But you actually made it out alive. Good heavens."

"I guess it was lucky," Morrison sighed. "Thank goodness you were here today."

His gaze swept across the distant woods.

“Those people suddenly came knocking on the door, wanting to take me away, just because there were no eyewitnesses.”

"If you hadn't come, I might have... Hans, thank you, really."

Braun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his friend didn't seem to care about what happened last night.

“You’re welcome, Mason. You know I’ve never liked them.”

"He's never been to the front lines, yet he's always swaggering around with a warrant for arrest."

"To be honest, if they dared to come looking for my father, they probably wouldn't even be able to get into the courtyard."

"."

More than ten minutes later, Morrison finally managed to get the person away.

He gently closed the door.

The room was quiet.

The rifle in Zhou Yi's hand had disappeared.

"His name is Hans?"

"Correct."

"Hans von Braun?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"His father," Zhou Yi seemed thoughtful, "was it Wernher von Braun?"

“That rocket expert? Yes.” Morrison nodded.

“Rocket, nuclear propulsion, Project V,” Zhou Yi leaned against the wall and blinked.

He suddenly looked up at Morrison:

Have you ever heard of the name Friedrich Ernst Schmidt?

Morrison was a little confused at this moment and couldn't keep up with his train of thought at all.

"Who are you talking about?"

“Friedrich Schmidt,” Zhou Yi repeated, “a cryptanalyst.”

"Born in the 2010s, a Berliner."

Morrison listened to the familiar name, closed his eyes, and tried to recall it carefully.

Finally, after a dozen seconds, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Yes, I remember now!"

"He was mentioned in an intelligence advisory about three years ago."

"Unless there are other changes, he should still be in the National Defense Force, Signals Intelligence Division."

"But where did you learn all this?"

The next second, Zhou Yi laughed, much to Morrison's puzzled look.

The laughter gradually grew louder, filled with uncontrollable excitement.

His chest heaved, and his eyes grew increasingly clear, even excessively bright.

Zhou Yi could feel his blood rushing forward, and waves of shivers rose up his spine.

"This is a godsend."

“A real golden opportunity,” he said.

　Friedrich Ernst Schmidt was based on Herbert York/John Foster, but some dramatic changes were made for later plot developments.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)