April 13, 1945, rain
It's raining in Berlin.
The expressions on everyone's faces were gloomy, like the dark clouds lingering over Berlin.
Bad news came from afar. After several days of fierce street fighting, Vienna finally fell into the hands of the Soviet army. At the same time, Königsberg also fell. The group of polar bears finally completed their dream that had been elusive for centuries - taking over the capital of East Prussia.
There has been no good news from the Eastern Front for a long time, and the war situation on the Western Front is probably the same.
Anyone can see that this empire is on its last legs.
As a soldier, perhaps I shouldn't comment too much on the future of the empire, but from the perspective of a husband and a father, I hope that the Americans can get to Berlin first.
God, what on earth am I talking about.
-
April 14, fog
It's foggy, maybe it will clear up soon.
The good news was that there was no worse news from either the Eastern or Western Front.
There is no better news than no news, but everyone knows that this is just the calm before the storm.
In the morning, I received a job transfer order.
Should we say that this moment has finally come? Even as a civilian, I have reached a time when I have to pick up a rifle and shed the last drop of blood for this empire.
But things were far from what I imagined and you would never guess what I saw.
In the basement of the Chancellery in Berlin, I actually met the Führer!
I can't describe the excitement in my heart at this moment. It's been a long time since I heard his inspiring speech. Many people said that he had escaped with his mistress, but at this moment, all the rumors were self-defeating. He's still in Berlin! He still stands with us!
Although his face looked a little more haggard than the last time he appeared in public. But his voice is still so infectious.
He chatted with me for half an hour and asked me many questions. It’s unimaginable that a little person like me would be received by him. Sitting face to face with the great man, we chatted about the past in Berlin.
The topic comes to an end. He asked about my loyalty.
I said: "If you need me, I can pick up a gun and die for you right now, whether it's in the east or the west."
He said: "I have a more important task to give you than to die."
Unbelievably, the Führer himself awarded me the Iron Cross.
I was terrified. I had not made any military exploits and was not even a frontline soldier. How could I bear such a great honor
However, he dismissed my concerns.
"If you can complete the task I am about to give you. Your contribution to the Third Reich will be worthy of this medal."
I took a locked suitcase from his hands.
Then I was taken out of the basement.
I didn't even get to see my wife and daughter for the last time. I got on the me262b jet and flew to Norway.
To be honest, I don't want to see them for the last time. Because I already had a premonition that this might be a one-way ticket.
... ...
April 15, sunny.
Perhaps this will be the last time I record the weather in my diary, at least for a few months.
We start from the bottom of the sea. He and the friendly ship U-234 set sail one after another, heading on different courses towards the same destination - the Far East, Japan.
It wasn't until the moment I boarded the ship that I realized the seriousness of the matter.
Counting me, there are fourteen people in total, and every crew member is a big shot, and the lowest ranking one is also a lieutenant colonel. If it weren't for that Iron Cross, I don't know if they would even look at me, a little person. But the interesting thing is that no one paid attention to the medal on my chest. Instead, they were more interested in the suitcase in my hand.
Follow etiquette. Everyone introduced themselves. Air force commander, army colonel, shipboard anti-aircraft artillery technical expert... ...and I am a communications soldier at an intelligence station.
God, they are all the elites of the empire, why are they sitting here? Sitting with me, a little person. Take a U-boat on a "message delivery" mission
... ...
April 20th.
According to the captain, we are now sailing over the North Atlantic and heading towards the South Atlantic.
Because we had already reached the sea, someone finally stepped forward and introduced us to the details of the mission.
This submarine was equipped with the most cutting-edge military technology of the Third Reich. Such as V2 rocket parts and drawings, "Junkers" jet engines, Tiger tank drawings, and all parts and design drawings of the Me-262 jet fighter.
These military technology and weapons samples will be brought to Tokyo.
As for the ten barrels, the captain didn't know much about the specific situation. He just generally described them as raw materials for some kind of weapon.
The atmosphere inside the submarine was very silent. People communicated quietly, or simply spent time sleeping to reduce the time to wake up. The only person willing to talk to me was a nuclear physicist named Fabian. Although I don't understand what nuclear physics is, this does not hinder our friendship.
He said that in such an environment, mental health can only be maintained by maintaining communication between people. I agree with his point of view. After writing the diary, we will talk about other things.
... ...
April 22nd.
Today we talked about nuclear physics, although I have no idea what that is.
u-235. According to Fabian, this is an ominous set of letters and numbers. It belongs to the number of this U-shaped submarine and is also the abbreviation of uranium isotope No. 235.
I didn't understand what uranium-235 meant, but I just heard from him that it could be used to make a very powerful bomb. He mysteriously expressed to me that if we could bring these ten barrels of uranium oxide to Japan, we would change history.
I disdain this. Even though I have never been on the battlefield, I know that just a few bombs are not enough to change the outcome of a war. If we could, we would have done it long ago, and we dropped at least 10,000 bombs on London.
"These bombs are different from those that have come before."
"Really? Compared with v2 rocket?"
Fabian just smiled disdainfully.
"Compared to the combined number of V1 and V2 rockets launched towards London."
Well, I think he's starting to lose his mind.
... ...
May 4th.
Things are getting worse.
The Goliath signal station responsible for providing us with instructions suddenly went silent. Immediately afterwards, the main naval communication station located near Berlin Naun also lost contact.
With the intermittently received telegrams, the thing that worried us most happened.
Germany has announced its surrender. Imperial Navy Commander Dönitz ordered all U-boats to surface immediately, hoist black flags, and surrender to the Allied forces at the nearest location.
Face this telegram. Everyone was silent.
Some people have suggested that this may be a conspiracy by allied intelligence agencies. But others have pointed out that it may have been the case, after all, the moment they boarded the submarine. Berlin is already in danger.
The deputy captain suggested turning on radio silence and confirming the authenticity of the intelligence with nearby submarines. However, the captain did not accept his proposal and gave instructions to continue sailing.
U-235 is not part of the establishment and is directly subordinate to the head of state. No need to take orders from Dönitz. Target Tokyo and continue the mission.
Regardless, the submarine continued its voyage. But I can clearly feel that not everyone is satisfied with this order, including the captain himself.
... ...
May 10th.
We have just sailed past Argentina and entered the Pacific Ocean from the southernmost tip of South America.
At this point, we should be considered completely free from the Allied forces' pursuit and interception.
But no one was happy about the good news.
Germany has surrendered, and we are German soldiers. Do we still need to continue fighting
Maybe we should surrender to the nearby Allies, just be careful not to get caught by the British. Americans should let us go home. After all, we have not committed any crime. This U-shaped submarine has not even launched a torpedo since its departure.
... ...
May 11th.
Unfortunately, something bad happened again, but not from outside the submarine, but from inside the submarine.
Someone died.
The deceased was Lieutenant Colonel Bertram, who committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills.
... ...
May 14th.
While I was writing this in my diary, Fabian was going crazy, muttering like crazy.
I couldn't understand his gibberish. What "That's not physics at all, we got it wrong from the beginning." "It's not atoms, no, it's not matter at all." "It's not that it can't be observed with existing technology. It just doesn't exist at all."
He found me, confessed to me that he was the holder of the key, and begged me to take out the suitcase.
I refused him, and the task given to me by the Führer was to send it to Tokyo. Before that, no one could open the suitcase.
Seeing my firm attitude. He didn't insist anymore.
... ...
June 1st.
Originally we were supposed to arrive in Okinawa before the 10th, then enter a safe route and sail directly to Tokyo.
But something unexpected happened.
After arriving in the South Pacific, we turned on radio silence, but what greeted us was not the Japanese navy, but American ships.
The side of the submarine was hit, but luckily we escaped.
It seems that Japan was completely defeated by the Americans in the Pacific War. Looking at the pessimistic view, maybe Okinawa has changed hands.
... ...
June 2nd.
The captain found Fabian.
"If this kilogram of uranium is delivered to Tokyo, will it change the outcome of the war?"
Fabian did not answer directly.
"Even if the United States loses New York within a month, can it change the outcome of the war?"
The captain was silent. Everyone knows that when the war has progressed to this point, the outcome cannot be reversed by one city or one pool.
"Where's the suitcase?"
Fabian just shook his head.
"It's too late."
... ...
June 4th.
In order to avoid the search by anti-submarine reconnaissance planes, we had to change our route and turn back towards New Zealand.
Some people say that there are enough supplies on the submarine, and we should probably find a small island to spend the rest of our lives.
However, some people have refuted this view. After all, not everyone has committed war crimes. Many people still have family members who are eager to know their safety.
In the end, the Allies made the choice for us.
At Little Barrier Island we were surrounded by ships approaching from three directions.
Surrender or fight to the end
Surprisingly, the captain actually consulted my opinion, obviously after boarding the ship. He never spoke to me again.
Honestly, I have a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter. I didn't want to die. Although I was ashamed of the iron cross on my chest, I chose to surrender.
Hear my thoughts. The captain breathed a sigh of relief.
As if a heavy burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders, he actually said thank you to me.
... ...
June 5th.
Sudden rebellion.
The captain was dead, shot to death.
Fabian died, but it was suicide.
There are now seven people left, and except for me, they are all war criminals. Someone proposed that I should be put to death. Because I betrayed the will of the Führer. However, some people said that I don’t need to be executed, I just need to be locked up.
Those who refused to surrender proposed taking the submarine into the Hauraki Gulf and evading capture by doing the opposite.
Luckily we found a trench near Port Jackson. As long as we hide inside, no one can find us.
We have enough supplies to hide until the end of this year. When the news passes, we will land in Australia and spend the rest of our lives in anonymity.
... ...
The diary ends here.
The coat of arms of the Iron Cross is traced in pencil on the last page, and the signed notes are very elegant. The artistic fonts used at that time should be used. With the help of a translator, Jiang Chen read the last line of the diary.
[To my lost motherland—Elias]
The submarine, named "U235" after the Third Reich's last hope, eventually sank in the trench forever. The diary did not record the specific reasons for the submarine's sinking. But what Jiang Chen was sure of was that the man named Elias must have opened the suitcase.
Otherwise this diary would not be in the suitcase.
Based on the contents of the diary, Jiang Chen could deduce that, perhaps knowing that he was running out of energy, Hitler pinned all his hopes on his disobedient ally in the Far East. Black technology is packed into this submarine, and there is even a suitcase that can "talk to aliens".
However, this U-235 obviously failed to turn the wheel of history.
Two months later. The United States ended the war with two atomic bombs.
"Do you know what this ball is?" Lin Ling let out a long breath and ended her analysis of the ball in the suitcase.
"What is it?" Jiang Chen vaguely felt that this thing might be related to the black technology developed by Germany during World War II.
And the phrase "hep" is probably a signal for help sent to "future people".
"A Crane particle transmitter." Lin Ling pointed to the line of small words engraved on the spherical shell. "Although the workmanship is rough, it is indeed stimulating Crane particle waves, although it is doing useless work of broadcasting across time and space."
"Is there anything else special about it?"
"Remember what I told you? Every conscious carbon-based life has a very small amount of Crane particles in its body, and they are usually stored in the hindbrain."
"So?" Jiang Chen vaguely realized something, and a chill spread all over his body.
Lin Ling took a deep breath and spoke quickly.
"A whole iron ball of brain extract. This is a piece of artificial subcrystal... using the brains of more than 10,000 people."
Ten thousand people...
Just to convey that "hep" that can never be heard.
"It's crazy."
After swallowing, Jiang Chen spoke with difficulty.
"But what shocks me most is not the 10,000 lives." Lin Ling paused and then said, "The destination coordinates of the signal transmission came from the void."
"What the hell is void?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask.
"In short, it is behind the wormhole, where all physical concepts such as space and time are chaos."
"so what?"
"Remember the story of the six interstellar colony ships I told you? Three of them sailed towards the wormhole." (.)