Initially, Lin didn't expect to spend three peaceful and heartwarming days with White Goat Beard and his family in Königsberg. Despite the city being without water, electricity, heating, or even a fireplace during the harsh winter, the four of them squeezed into a small room on the top floor of the inn. Lin would go out every day to inquire about the queue situation and bring back drinking water with a kettle. Despite the lack of computers, internet, and electrical appliances, Lin found unprecedented joy in their daily secret meetings. As long as they had food and shelter, he was even willing to live like this for months.
Unfortunately, the deteriorating situation did not allow Lin to indulge in love and affection any longer. Refugees and wounded soldiers flooded into Königsberg every day, bringing increasingly dire news: the two main defense strongholds on the outskirts of the city—Inst Fortress and Mazury Lake Defensive Line—had been successively breached by the Soviet forces. After days of fierce fighting, the riverside defenses upstream of the Pregolya River had also been broken through, and the remaining German forces had retreated to the Oliver Line for reorganization. Some heavily damaged units had even directly withdrawn to the Königsberg defensive line. In short, the Soviet army was advancing towards Königsberg like an unstoppable tide.
No one knew how long this final refuge would hold.
Upon hearing this news, Lin worried not only about Butcher's situation but also about the comfort and safety of himself and White Goat Beard's family. Although the port channel was still open, German ships entering during the daytime resembled thieves, often leaving the port in haste before being fully loaded due to constant Soviet air raids. Nevertheless, four ships sank during the attacks, and four damaged ships managed to sail out of the port. Witnessing the destruction of ships, civilians and wounded soldiers still eagerly waited at the docks for boarding, but the numbers on the access badges displayed at the cordon increased daily, much slower than Lin had anticipated.
At dusk, Lin finally heard the military officer on the other side of the cordon shouting, "Let in group 222." If everything went smoothly, this group, labeled "228," could board the next evening.
With hope in his heart, Lin returned to the inn, but suddenly, the air raid siren wailed. People in the streets shouted, "Get to the air raid shelter!" Without hesitation, Lin rushed back to the inn and climbed to the fifth floor.
Pushing open the door, he saw Little Carley, nestled in her mother's arms, looking like she had seen an angel. She called out "Daddy" in panic and buried herself in Lin's embrace.
Holding the innocent and fragile child, Lin felt helpless.
The hand-cranked air raid siren continued its unbearable wail, while outside, there was chaos—people were running and shouting.
At this moment, the three adults in the room didn't panic or flee. In the three days they had been in Königsberg, the Soviet air raids had occurred eleven times, averaging more than three times a day. Although frequent, most of the bombings targeted the port area, with only a few bombs falling on the city. Based on Lin's observations, more people were injured due to panic and crowding on the way to the air raid shelters than directly killed by Soviet bombs. Therefore, starting from the second day, Lin no longer took this family to the shelters but cleared sharp debris like broken glass from the room. Upon hearing the air raid alarm, he blocked the balcony door with a wooden table and chairs, then huddled the four of them under blankets next to the bed. This way, they managed to survive unscathed until now.
This time, as always, Lin followed the routine. The sound of roaring cannons soon filled the air, indicating that the anti-aircraft artillery stationed along the way was desperately fighting off the Soviet planes. However, Lin hadn't seen any German fighters flying over the city port for two days. He wondered whether the defenders were deliberately conserving their strength or if they had truly been wiped out.
The artillery fire from the anti-aircraft units continued relentlessly, sounding like a majestic symphony. After about five minutes, the thunderous explosions grew louder and more intense. This time, Lin's heart sank: it wasn't just a minor raid; a large-scale bomber formation was approaching!
Following past experience, Lin knew the enemy planes were already close to Königsberg and rushing to the air raid shelters was futile. Thinking of the massive Soviet air force formations he had seen, Lin couldn't help but blame himself for being too careless during wartime.
Regret was useless now; fate had slipped from his grasp back into the hands of God. Lin turned to the woman beside him. "Alice!"
Although she wore a shawl, her beautiful eyes were not hidden.
"Thank God I met you, Carley, and you, Mr. Rolfsen!"
White Goat Beard nodded slightly. He might not fully understand their situation, but his expression remained calm.
"If
we can survive this war, I'd gladly become a family with you and take care of you both to the best of my ability," Lin said slowly but firmly, his words interspersed with English but not hindering the most important person from understanding.
The woman closed her eyes calmly and whispered, "May God bless us."
White Goat Beard silently made the sign of the cross on his forehead and chest.
In an instant, earth-shattering explosions rocked the ground, causing even the sturdy buildings to tremble. At this moment, everyone understood why every window was shattered and many large buildings in the city were flattened.
The explosions grew closer and more frequent. In the face of such irresistible force, people were like leaves in the wind, waiting for their fate in trembling.
Lin knelt down, bending to kiss Carley's head lightly.
The child's tender hands gripped Lin's clothes tightly, and she sobbed softly.
With emotions reaching their peak, Lin shouted without reservation, "Carley, I love you! Alice, I love you!"
The deafening explosions drowned out Lin's voice, and a strong gust of wind rushed into the room, pushing everything movable aside. Lin's collar was also lifted, and they could barely maintain their current position.
The pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with dust filled the air, choking everyone into uncontrollable coughs—this family was not the only one staying in the room, leaving their fate to chance.
The Soviet bombings resembled a colossal steamroller, rolling over Königsberg from south to north with unstoppable momentum, finally reaching the harbor. How many planes were shot down by German fighters and anti-aircraft guns during this time, Lin did not know and had no time to consider. At this moment, he could only hope that his streak of luck would become a lifeline for the mother and daughter.
In this cruel world, he had seen too many lives perish.