"Officer, sir, you've got to help us! We need to get to Newport Harbor as soon as possible, but our car broke down. Carrying all this luggage, even if we travel for two days and nights, we won't make it! Officer, please, have mercy on us. We must get to Newport! You see, our whole family has been through a lot. If something bad happens, what will we do?"
The long-winded plea from the woman who just got off the truck left Logan with a headache. He had always disliked his mom's nagging back home, and now, even after traveling abroad and becoming a hero in the Third Reich, he couldn't escape the clutches of overzealous European ladies. Moreover, this woman bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Aunt Susan.
"Sorry, ma'am. While I'd like to help, we've been ordered to head to Bournemouth Harbor. If we were to take you to Newport, we'd be in trouble for disobeying orders and could end up in military court!"
Logan gestured with reluctance. He had no desire to involve civilians in the brutality of war and preferred not to waste even a minute in such a place. Under the truck's headlights, he noticed that the car parked on the roadside had canvas canopy and narrow tires, likely an old model produced before the 1930s. Despite not being in this time period for long, he had visited major German cities like Rhineland, where modern cars were becoming more common.
But "Aunt Susan" paid no heed to these details and continued to plead with Logan, her voice growing louder. Irritated, Logan had no choice but to ask Lunsin Fritz, the driver of the truck, to check it out, urging him to hurry.
Moments later, "Aunt Susan" resumed her chatter, "We're so grateful, officer! You don't know, we were terrified by the distant gunfire earlier! I've always said the Germans wouldn't give up; they'll avenge that war-madman with polio! They'll come to attack us; it's terrifying! Do you remember the bombardment of Yarmouth in 1914? They'll surely do it again!"
"Um... Are you sure you heard gunfire?" Logan scratched his head, realizing why this woman and her family were here at this time: she must suffer from Germanophobia, still haunted by events from 26 years ago, fearing the Germans might show up at her doorstep any day. Upon hearing gunfire, she hastily evacuated her family.
"Don't worry, ma'am. That was just our exercise. Oh, by the way, what time did you hear the gunfire?"
"At 2:52 a.m. the first time, it was gunfire; at 3:09 a.m. the second time, it was artillery fire!" "Aunt Susan" rattled off precise and irritatingly accurate timestamps. Then she continued, "I thought the Germans were attacking. It was terrifying! I've heard about them on the radio; they're demons, destroying everything in their path. They even... they even..."
"Eat human flesh?" Logan interjected, exasperated. At his wit's end, he was close to showing her his German military uniform under his coat! But he remembered the attack on Kalfort Point was around 2:50, lasting less than ten minutes, with no grenades or artillery. So what was the artillery sound ten minutes later?
Suspicious, very suspicious!
"Aunt Susan" whispered nervously, "No, they rape women! From age 10 to 60, no one is spared!"
Logan broke into a cold sweat.
"But with you here, I feel relieved. You're sure it was just the sound of an exercise, right? Hey, girls, come out, it's all right!"
At the commanding call, three girls emerged from the bushes, wearing sun hats and carrying delicate suitcases. They looked like they were going on a trip—nothing like refugees.
Even if Miss Universe stood before him naked, Logan probably wouldn't be in the mood. He just hoped Lunsin would fix the damn car quickly, so they could shake off this stubborn British lady. If things continued like this, he might be forced to shoot someone!
"Ugh! There are so many mosquitoes in the woods! Look at all the bites on my body! Mother, can we take a bath when we get to Newport Harbor?"
Hearing the whiny voice, Logan recalled the saying, "Like mother, like daughter."
"Yeah, and look at my new shoes, covered in mud!" The girl talking not only had a sweet voice but also lifted her skirt to reveal a slender leg.
The voice from earlier chimed in, "Hehe, it's okay! Your feet are beautiful, so no matter what shoes you wear, they all look good!"
Suppressing the urge to draw his gun, Logan pushed open the car door and stepped out. He looked over to where Rensin was, who was still inspecting under the hood with a flashlight. Tom, responsible for driving the armored vehicle, also went over with a wrench to assist. Considering the critical points of the operation, Logan's team was equipped with ten soldiers experienced in driving. Before the operation started, they even tested their hands on British military cars captured from the Western Front to ensure they wouldn't falter at a crucial moment.
"Ladies, we have to thank this officer here. He has promised to help us fix the car! Otherwise, we wouldn't know what to do!" The hefty "Aunt Susan" suddenly transformed into a powerful matchmaker, pulling the first girl who spoke towards Logan.
"Let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Donna, who is 20 years old this year!"
Glancing at her, Logan saw a slightly wide forehead, a slightly round chin, and a somewhat plump face. Although her eyes weren't big and her nose wasn't small, her features were still fairly neat. Despite lacking prominent collarbones, her large chest was quite distinct. Unfortunately, her thin lips and mole at the corner of her mouth suggested she might be just as nagging as her mother.
"Pleasure to meet you."
He uttered the words purely out of courtesy, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and sighed. He couldn't help but feel that Britain was indeed a strange place where all sorts of oddities existed!
"Auntie..." A mosquito-like voice came. Logan saw the second girl who spoke gently tugging at "Aunt Susan's" clothes. Probably realizing that this young and handsome military police officer had no interest in her daughter, she proudly presented her niece.
"This is my sister's daughter, Daisy, who is only 18 years old this year!"
"Pleasure to meet you."
With a small face, a pointed chin, and thin eyebrows, her voice alone was enough to make one want to gnaw on a vegetable root. Logan didn't even bother to look directly at her. He glanced hopefully at Rensin, who was still buried under the hood.
"Aunt Susan" tirelessly continued her introductions, "And this is my other sister's daughter, Doreen, who is 19 years old this year!"
Logan glanced at his watch. In just a few moments, three precious minutes had slipped away. He thought to himself, "Five minutes. If I can't sort this out in five minutes, I'll have to make a swift exit!"
"Hello, respected officer!"
Like many clichéd love stories, the most beautiful Cinderellas are always hidden away by heartless aunties. This melodious voice finally sparked a bit of interest in Logan. He turned his head and saw a slightly powdered face.
Is it her?
Logan almost dropped his cigarette, even though he was wearing a hat and still looked youthful. But he recognized the shadow of Faye Dunaway!
Who is Faye Dunaway?
She's the common leading actress in a series of well-known old movies like "Gone with the Wind", "Casablanca", "The Godfather", "Gone with the Wind", and "Casablanca". The role of Mary in "Gone with the Wind" is especially praised by Logan as the most beautiful foreign woman (if you haven't seen it, you can look it up on Baidu, Auntie)!
However, the young girl in front of him was named Doreen, and in English, the word "Doreen" means "God's gift."