Berlin is said to be big because it has a population of 5.2 million and an urban area of over 800 square kilometers. Its prosperity is among the best in Europe and top-notch in the world!
Berlin is said to be small because the news of Logan voluntarily breaking off the engagement spread to almost everyone's ears in a short time! Emulating the Führer's lifelong bachelorhood, such an action is not to be criticized. However, with so many rumors circulating about the young Air Force Operations Chief's romantic escapades, people inevitably delve into deeper reasons, leading to various versions widely circulated in military and civilian circles. Eventually, people gave this "Imperial Hero" a new nickname: the Iron-hearted person!
The previous "Iron-hearted person," namely Hermann Gruen, had already perished in the winter 1940 plane crash, and Logan happened to be one of the only three survivors of that disaster. In Germany, a large number of military and political officials were investigated due to their involvement in this matter. Only these three survivors became examples of "surviving a great disaster leading to future blessings."
Facing the understanding, incomprehension, astonishment, or concern of his colleagues, Logan continued to struggle for a while. It wasn't until after a high-level meeting ended that the mustachioed Führer patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you can think this way!" Hearing these words, Logan finally calmed down. Perhaps apart from the vastly different exterior styles, he and Adolf Hitler were fundamentally of the same ilk.
In the bleak dusk, he bought a large bunch of lilies at the street flower shop and drove personally to the new residence of the Susman family. Since the unpleasant lunch, Logan hadn't been here for several days. To be honest, he was afraid to see Mr. Susman's stern gaze, Mrs. Susman's tearful sadness, and more afraid to see Lucy's deeply disappointed face.
Although he had instructed August to take care of this group's daily needs, according to the deputy's report when he returned, the Susman family was extremely unwelcoming to any officer from the Air Force.
As soon as he entered the yard, he immediately felt the hostile glances from every corner.
"Hans, you bastard!"
Lucy's brother, the young man with beautiful blond hair, quickly dropped the shovel in his hand and pounced on him like an angry lion.
Logan didn't have a gun, nor did he intend to fight back. Although he was skilled in fighting in his past life, this time he didn't dodge at all. So, he took a solid punch to his left cheek, but his body remained unmoved, and the bunch of lilies wrapped in colored paper also remained intact in his hand.
"Monte! Stop it!" A slightly hoarse female voice came from the balcony upstairs. The golden-haired young man, with a fierce look, glanced at Logan viciously and stepped back.
Logan tilted his head up, and Lucy, wearing a pure white nightgown, looked down at him from above. In the sunlight, her scattered red hair was like a flame. At this angle, she looked like a humble mortal looking up at a high angel.
The two silently stared at each other for a few seconds. Lucy turned away and slowly walked back to her room.
"Monte, how could you do this to Hans?" Mrs. Susman hurried over, scolding her youngest son while pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe the blood from Logan's mouth with a motherly affection.
"Who told him to abandon my sister!" The golden-haired youth still spoke with an uncontrollable tone of anger.
"Adult matters, what do you understand? Go back to your room!" Mr. Susman also appeared at the door.
"Humph!" The golden-haired youth walked away unwillingly.
"Madam, this bouquet... Can I personally take it up?" Logan carefully protected the bunch of lilies in his hand.
Mrs. Susman sighed and stepped aside.
If there were ifs, Logan would rather not have provoked so much trouble before. But he was not that "Hans Logan," and he would not live in the footsteps of his predecessor!
Today's Logan had to live his own life!
As Logan passed by Mr. Susman, he hesitated for a moment, lowered his head slightly, and said, "Sorry."
Mr. Susman remained silent, his face, creased with wrinkles, still as impassive as ever.
Upon reaching the upstairs landing, Logan lightly knocked on the door.
"Lucy, it's me. Can I come in?"
There was a rustling sound from inside, and after a moment, the door opened. Lucy simply pinned up her hair and draped a white coat over herself. The room was filled with the fragrance of plants, and upon entering, Logan immediately noticed the vase of pale purple rhododendrons.
"I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked..."
Logan's unintentional words were met with a profound surprise in Lucy's eyes—how could two long-time intimate companions not know each other's preferences?
"Hans, are you really Hans?" the tall woman asked with a lost tone.
"I..." Logan sighed heavily, pain evident in his voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm not your Hans anymore."
"I see..." Lucy sat back down on the edge of the bed, under her white nightgown revealing a slender and fair leg.
Reluctant to disturb the fresh rhododendrons, Logan gently placed the bouquet of lilies he had brought on the table and said, "It's unfortunate! In this cruel era of war, we have no choice!"
"Yes, war! A convenient excuse," Lucy murmured, her gaze fixed on her pale toes beneath her white nightgown. "Hans, will you really never marry?"
"Why do you ask that?" Logan stood in place, maintaining a distance of two meters, his desire to remain at the racetrack and lead a peaceful life forever lingering in the fading memories of that summer.
"Can a life without love be happy?" Lucy questioned.
Logan hesitated for a moment. "Lack of marriage doesn't mean lack of love! Marriage is just one form of love, as the Fuhrer once said: Some men, who have determined to achieve greatness on their chosen path, become indecisive due to family reasons and ultimately achieve nothing!"
The lofty excuses sometimes surprised even Logan himself: in that era, did the ups and downs between men and women really require so many reasons?
"So, would you raise your own children?" Lucy asked softly. If this question were directed at Adolf Hitler, the dictator would surely answer, "All of Germany's children are my children," but Logan couldn't answer that way.
After a moment of thought, Logan replied, "To be honest, I haven't seriously considered that question yet! Given the current situation, I feel I don't have the ability or energy to raise children!"
Lucy lifted her head, looking out the window, and suddenly asked, "What if I dedicate my life to God? How would you feel?"
Logan was surprised by this. "A nun? No, Lucy! You have no need to do that! Your life should be fulfilling and happy, you should live a normal life, not because of me..."
"Not just for you!" Lucy interrupted him, a situation that had never occurred at the racetrack.
"Monte received his conscription notice! I pray to God, for both of you! If he can bless you both to return safely, I am willing to dedicate my life!"
Ordinary words, as beautiful as poetry from heaven, but as sharp as a dagger, leaving a mark in Logan's heart that was difficult to heal for a long time.
The conscription law of the Third Reich came into effect in 1935, requiring normal males who reached the age of 18 to serve in the military for one to two years. Due to Germany's current state of war, after eight to twelve weeks of basic training, these soldiers, who had no combat experience, could also be sent to the front lines!
"Um? Monte... I can try to exempt him from service or have him take up a civilian position in Berlin!" Logan suggested.
Lucy said calmly, "He doesn't want to be a coward, and before this... he has always seen you as his goal! He sees the military as a place to realize his dreams!"
"Well... maybe I can help him directly enter a military academy!" Logan continued to offer gentle suggestions from his own perspective, having witnessed too many young lives vanish insignificantly in battles.
"Let it go, Hans. I don't think Monte wants your pity now. Let's talk about this... another time! I'm tired," Lucy said, gently wrapping her coat tighter. Berlin in February was still cold.
"Well, take care of yourself!"
Before leaving, Logan hesitated for a moment, promising, "You don't have to worry too much about Monte's situation. Even if we... I will do my best to protect you and your family! I promise!"
"You take care too!" Lucy turned her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Logan.
Suppressing the turmoil and heaviness in his heart, Logan quickly left the Susman household. Although he and Lucy didn't have a solid emotional foundation, during their time at the racetrack, he had even felt himself assimilating into the emotions left by his predecessor, and he had always had a strange thought: if he married Lucy, she would surely be a good wife and mother, and he would become a model husband and father, gradually growing into a general, a good commander, like famous and successful generals such as Speer, Richtofen, and Studdert, fulfilling his duties diligently and conscientiously like a "national hero." But could a good general change Germany's wartime fate? Thinking of the frozen miles of Russia, the mighty American industry, and the complex war situation, Logan was extremely unwilling for his early efforts to end in vain. If Germany lost this war, his small family might end up fragmented in the flames of war.
"The man with an iron heart," Logan increasingly felt that this nickname was a guide for himself: whether ordinary or great, perhaps it lay in this seemingly cold determination. In an instant, the vast world!