Gravedigger of the Empire

Li Hu's lips were a little pale, and he looked somewhat weak.

As soon as he entered, he nodded to Kahn, speaking slowly with a slight accent, but his German was fairly standard: "Mr. Kahn, I've come to thank you for saving my life."

"Sit down." Kahn nodded to Wolf, who then left.

Liu Jingtang helped Li Hu sit down on the sofa, and Li Hu's bottom sank into the soft sofa, which startled him.

In the struggle, it seemed that he had aggravated his wound, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

But Kahn noticed that the man didn't utter a sound, or even frown.

"Liu Jingtang told me about what happened that day. I was injured, and the treatment must have cost you a lot of money. I should repay that money," Li Hu said seriously, adjusting his posture.

Kahn remained silent, waiting for Li Hu to finish speaking.

He actually had a good impression of this burly man, after all, not everyone who has just escaped death thinks of promising to repay the money immediately.

At least in his case, this aversion to debt is quite endearing.

"I know I can't come up with that much money, but I'll save it little by little..." Li Hu said with some difficulty, and his voice became much softer as he spoke.

In the end, he gave up on his own.

Under Kahn's gaze, he raised his head with a bitter expression: "We workers can't even afford bread anymore, let alone save money to pay you back. I can't lie to you, but... the money you spent on my medical treatment may be wasted."

"Mr. Kahn won't make things difficult for us, Brother Li," Liu Jingtang suddenly said, using Chinese that Kahn was very familiar with.

"Shut up!" Li Hu glared at Liu Jingtang and scolded him in a low voice.

After speaking, he looked at Kahn again: "Let me tell you the truth, from the beginning. After hearing all this, you might regret saving such a poor wretch like me."

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking: "I'm actually not a Communist."

Li Hu's words surprised Kahn greatly, and Liu Jingtang was also shocked, looking at his brother Li Hu.

Li Hu looked regretful and explained, "I wanted to join, but they didn't want me because I'm not German."

"But I was not reconciled. Those German Communists led us in marches, united us, and what they said was right. They told us to clench our fists and fight against those capitalists... So I lied and told Liu Jingtang that I was a Communist." He finished saying what he wanted to say in one breath, and then sighed.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Kahn again with an apologetic expression: "Even if you handed over half of my life to those policemen, it wouldn't be any credit."

"Mr. Kahn isn't that kind of person..." Liu Jingtang said to Li Hu in Chinese, somewhat flustered.

It's unclear whether he suddenly remembered his best language in his haste, or whether he was afraid that Kahn would understand what he was saying.

"So I might be indebted to you for the rest of my life, even until I die... I'm sorry." Li Hu ignored Liu Jingtang and stopped talking after he finished speaking, seemingly waiting for Kahn's final verdict.

After a brief silence, Kahn smiled, looked at Liu Jingtang, and picked up a well-worn copy of the "Chinese Dictionary" from the table.

"I've been learning Chinese recently," Kahn said in Chinese, and then, while the two Chinese people stared in disbelief, he added, "I have a great talent for languages."

Since the other party couldn't figure out his background anyway, Kahn could freely embellish his image.

Anyone can brag.

Since there are time travelers who can shamelessly recite ancient poems to make a name for themselves in history, it's not an exaggeration for them to learn Chinese in three days, right?

He then continued in Italian, "I speak Italian."

"He also speaks Russian..." Kahn switched languages ​​and continued in Russian.

After saying that, he continued in French, "Language is not difficult for me."

"Can you understand English?" After saying that, he put the dictionary back on the table, tapped it twice with his fingers, and continued in Chinese, "Chinese is not easy, but I am trying to learn it."

He tried to keep his speaking speed relatively slow to avoid speaking too fluently and arousing suspicion from the other party.

"I don't know much yet, so let's communicate in German." Afraid of giving himself away, Kahnche switched back to German, no longer needing to control his strange speaking speed.

If he continued to pretend like this, he was afraid that he would blurt out something like "There's an old Chinese saying" in a strange tone, which was completely off-key.

"I admire your spirit of resistance, and I know that this world is too unfair to people like you." Kahn shifted his gaze from Liu Jingtang back to Li Hu.

"But there's more than one way to resist. I'm also resisting this broken world in my own way."

"I give flour, potatoes, canned goods, and butter to those who work for me. I firmly believe that if I can take care of those who follow me, then I am also a communist."

Upon hearing Kahn utter that familiar word, Li Hu's pupils suddenly dilated.

In this world where the mere mention of communism evokes fear, in this capitalist country that views communists as heretics...

How could a defense officer so casually declare himself a communist?

"I am not a Communist because I am greedy, lustful, and afraid of death. If the Soviet Red Army comes here, I think I will be the first one hung on a street lamp... with a sign around my neck that is full of my crimes."

"Coincidentally, you're not one either," Kahn said with a smile to Li Hu. "So, are you, this fake communist, interested in joining me, this fake communist, in giving this decadent and corrupt world a slap in the face in our own way?"

"Let's use our own fists to defend the principles and justice in our hearts!"

"You...you really think so?" Li Hu's voice trembled slightly. The pain from his wounds didn't make him tremble, but Kahn's words moved him.

He didn't quite understand the profound principles those worker leaders were spouting, because he hadn't reached that level yet.

It was precisely because of his ignorance that he was more easily swayed by Kahn's lower-level rhetoric.

"I am neither a feudal aristocrat nor a supporter of capitalism, so I do not reject communism. Mr. Li, you can prove to me the superiority of your beliefs." Seeing the shocked look in the other man's eyes, Kahn decided to give this fellow countryman a little more drastic medicine.

"What do you mean?" Li Hu felt that people like Kahn were really too difficult to understand.

Kahn nodded: "To put it bluntly, if you want to repay me, you can do things for me. Anyway, our goals are the same."

"We all want to dig a grave for those guys who made this world a mess." Kahn waited for Li Hu's reply.

Silence is spreading relentlessly.

"Count me in!" Liu Jingtang's excited and abrupt voice startled Li Hu and Kahn.