Gravedigger of the Empire

"Then I'll come find you tonight! Believe me, a new world is opening up for you!" Fred was in high spirits, having achieved his goal.

He felt that if Kahn were to attend just one of Hitler's speeches, he would become a fanatic of that not-so-tall man.

"Okay! I'll be ready." Kahn nodded seriously.

The moment the door closed, the muscles on Kahn's face finally relaxed.

His expression turned icy, like a zombie crawling out of its grave.

With a bent arm, Kahn opened the holster at his waist and drew the exquisitely crafted Ruger P-08 pistol.

Kahn pulled out the tilted magazine and silently ejected the bullets one by one, neatly standing them upright on the table.

His movements were gentle and fluid, as if he were caressing a young girl's skin.

He pulled back the Luger pistol's unique swing-arm bolt, carefully inspected the pistol, and then skillfully began the reverse operation.

With just the right amount of gun oil and smooth operation of its parts, the Luger pistol was as precise as a work of art in the environment of downtown Berlin.

He loaded the bullets back into the magazine one by one, inserted the magazine into the grip of the pistol, and raised the pistol to make an aiming motion.

He imagined that the man with a small mustache was standing in front of him.

He squinted, his finger already on the trigger, as if he could change the world with the death of one person in the next second.

The next second, his hands began to tremble slightly, and Kahn's brows furrowed. He felt something was wrong with his body.

Zhou Zhuo's will seemed to be under some kind of interference, and his body seemed to be resisting his decision.

One by one, unfamiliar scenes began to flash before his eyes; it was a person who had witnessed the entire Second World War.

There was a soul that was unwilling to accept defeat and refused to give up the chance to start over.

"Kahn!" Kahn murmured the name softly, his own name, through gritted teeth.

The murderous intent in his heart gradually faded, and his trembling hands began to regain their composure. It was as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.

Kahn took a few deep breaths, walked to the mirror, and looked at himself carefully.

If something goes wrong while you're doing it, it'll become a joke.

An attempted assassination? A defense lieutenant was stopped from killing someone in public?

His life is definitely ruined. As for whether World War II will break out... he doesn't know.

It seems he can't do it on his own, but assassinating Hitler is something that must be done!

So he tucked the Luger pistol he was carrying back into his waistband, took off his military cap from the coat hanger, and turned to leave his office.

As he walked past the door, he reminded his driver, Sebastian, to fill up the gas tank, and then hurriedly walked out of the Bureau of Investigation's gate.

Kahn walked straight to his small restaurant and called Löw over.

"I have something to tell you," Kahn said solemnly.

"Please speak." This was the first time Love had seen Kahn with this expression, and he began to tense up.

"I'm going to a gathering tonight, and there's someone there..." Kahn hesitated for a moment as he said this.

"He must die tonight! Remember that! If I fail to fire... you must finish the job!" He then stared into Love's eyes and instructed him, word by word.

Love was taken aback, then his eyes changed slightly: "Sir, leave it to me, you don't need to do anything."

"No! This must be done, there can be no mistakes! So, we both have to do it! We can't fail!" Kahn patted Love on the shoulder: "This hotel is for your wife..."

"I understand!" Love nodded. "Whoever he is, he's dead tonight."

Walking back to the counter, Löw glanced at his wife in the kitchen, silently opened the locked drawer, and took out the Luger pistol.

He tucked the pistol into his inner pocket, and when he looked up, he met his wife's worried gaze.

"We don't have to do this for him..." After a few seconds of silence, the woman spoke with difficulty.

"Darling!" Löw interrupted his wife, his voice full of reluctance: "You know me, but I will never disobey his orders."

"Promise me, no matter what, you must come back." The wife reached out and placed her hand on her husband's chest.

"Okay!" Löw licked his lips and nodded heavily.

Kahn returned to his office, unable to calm down.

He was preparing to bury everything he knew and then embrace a future full of unknowns.

This required courage, far greater than he had imagined. The abandonment of everything known was like a gaping maw slowly opening before him.

Time passed second by second, and in the process, he had wavered countless times.

He was just an ordinary person, so ordinary that he couldn't be more ordinary, but the choice he's making now is anything but ordinary.

This may be the most important decision of the 20th century, bar none!

"Knock knock knock..." There was a knock on the door, and only then did Kahn realize that the agreed time had arrived.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound. He instinctively resisted, resisting the decision he had made.

"Click!" The door was pushed open, and Fred walked in.

As soon as he entered, he started complaining, "You're here? Why didn't you answer?"

Fred walked in and glanced at Kahn, who was sitting at his desk looking listless as if he had been tortured, his eyes full of doubt.

But he still spoke up, saying, "I have bad news for you! Mr. Hitler has cancelled tonight's speech and meeting..."

"Huh?" Kahn's eyes lit up, and he turned to Fred. "What did you say?"

"I said I was very sorry, but tonight's rally has been cancelled... Mr. Hitler has taken the train back to Munich." Fred looked utterly disappointed.

He pouted: "What a pity...you missed the chance to talk to him face to face."

"This...is really..." Kahn felt as if he had been brought back to life in that instant.

"I know you're looking forward to it, but he's already gone...we'll have to wait until next time." Fred didn't understand what Kahn meant at all.

"Alright! Since it's canceled..." Kahn stood up and walked towards the door.

Fred followed, asking, "What are you doing?"

"We still need to eat, right?" Kahn's face lit up, completely different from before.

After leaving the investigation bureau and crossing the street, Kahn glanced at Love, who was holding a newspaper and leaning against a street lamp waiting for him, and gestured with his chin to signal the other to follow.

"The operation is canceled!" Kahn said as he walked away.

"Why?" Löw asked, puzzled.

"..." Kahn didn't answer the question; his mind was in a mess.