When the frequency of wiping his nose increased from once every half an hour to once every two minutes, Zhang Hainuo knew he was probably catching a cold. Since returning to duty after recovering from his injuries, he had been exercising every day and felt his physical condition improving day by day, but he still hadn't fully recovered to his previous peak state.
According to the doctor, even for young people, it would take a long time for the body to fully recover after sustaining multiple injuries and losing a lot of blood, especially with the amount of antibiotics he had taken.
By the moonlight, Zhang Hainuo looked at his watch.
"Three hours and fifteen minutes!"
Was Captain Hesen, the madman, really just a technically skilled ace submarine captain?
Thinking of this, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. Perhaps his choice this time was indeed a mistake—if Hesen was not a man of honor, then even if he was a skilled submarine commander and could become a hero of Germany with his achievements, Zhang Hainuo would not be willing to learn from him!
What Zhang Hainuo truly respected were naval knights like von Tirpitz, Raeder, and von Loewenstern, who were both upright and capable.
The cold sea breeze seemed to never stop, and Zhang Hainuo felt colder and colder, but he didn't even find a sheltered place. Instead, he continued to pace vigilantly on the dry dock with his rifle. He remembered his mother saying that whether others kept their promises was their business, but he had to do what he thought was right and worth doing!
In the following time, Zhang Hainuo didn't look at his watch again. Instead, he repeated the same actions over and over: mechanically pacing, turning around, continuing forward, turning around...
Meanwhile, in the Austro-Hungarian Navy gendarmerie headquarters located in the Pola district, Hesen was still anxiously waiting. The reason for this was not complicated—two sailors from U21 had gotten into a fight with several Austrian officers at a bar in the Pola district while on leave. Both sides were caught on the spot by the gendarmerie and brought here. As the direct superior of these two sailors happened to be in the city, Hesen rushed over at the first opportunity, and the other sailors accompanying him and the truck were waiting outside the gendarmerie headquarters.
It was commonplace for sailors to fight after drinking in Pola Port, and the usual outcome was a reprimand. However, as Hesen's sailors belonged to the German Navy, they could only be released after negotiations between the German military attaché stationed in Pola Port and the relevant authorities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Pola Port. Finally, the parties involved had to sign a guarantee that they would abide by the rules and regulations in Pola Port and not cause trouble again in the future.
Hesen kept checking his watch, but there was nothing he could do. The German military attaché stationed in Pola Port had gone to attend a dinner party, and without him, the Austrian gendarmerie chief wouldn't release the sailors. After waiting for a long time, the German colonel finally arrived, looking tired. He glanced at Hesen expressionlessly before entering the office with the Austrian counterpart.
Considering the close relationship between Germany and Austria-Hungary at the moment, such negotiations were usually just formalities. However, formalities were formalities, and officials from both sides often exchanged pleasantries and talked a lot of nonsense before they could get down to business. If interested, they could also chat about personal matters.
Finally, Hesen managed to get the door reopened. The two senior officers walked out of the office, chatting and laughing. The German colonel made a gesture to Hesen, indicating that he could go and collect the sailors. However, Hesen's face didn't show any relief because it was already midnight, and it had been five and a half hours since he left the dry dock area. With the time it would take to return, he wouldn't be back at the dry dock until at least 1 a.m.!
On the way back, Hesen wished he could drive the truck like an airplane, but this made the sailors in the truck suffer.
From a distance, Zhang Hainuo saw the bouncing truck that looked like it had been drunk. It seemed that Hesen and his guys had a great time tonight, which ignited a fire in his chest. He would rather Hesen had made it clear from the beginning that he would be away for 5 or 6 hours or even the whole night. Then Zhang Hainuo would have stood guard here without complaint. But he couldn't tolerate being ridiculed with such a low-level lie!
The truck finally stopped near the dry dock, and a tall figure jumped out of the driver's seat and quickly walked towards Zhang Hainuo. Zhang Hainuo wiped his nose one last time, put away the almost useless handkerchief, and then shouted without reservation:
"Who goes there?"
This angry shout, followed by the sound of the bolt being pulled back, was clear in the silent night.
"It's me! Roderick... Captain Hesen!" The voice showed no sign of drunkenness.
Zhang Hainuo still held the rifle but didn't aim it at Hesen this time.
Hesen had walked too fast, so when he arrived at the dry dock, he had to stop to catch his breath before he could speak smoothly.
"Lieutenant, you're still here, huh? Didn't I tell you to stand guard for three... hours?"
"Mr. Lieutenant, you and your men can continue eating and drinking after the agreed time, but if I leave, who will be responsible for the watch? U21 is an important asset of the Imperial Navy. I can't irresponsibly leave!" With both nostrils blocked, Zhang Hainuo's voice had noticeably changed, and Hesen noticed that he wasn't wearing a coat.
"But... Lieutenant Finkenshtain, where's your coat?"
Enough acting, thought Zhang Hainuo.
"My coat is in the dormitory! Captain!"
"You didn't go back..." Hesen glanced at the nearby dormitory.
"Does that mean your soldiers can leave their posts when on duty?" Zhang Hainuo asked him bluntly.
Hesen was taken aback for a moment before saying gently, "We... we encountered a bit of trouble in Pola Harbor!"
Zhang Hainuo wasn't appreciative. Instead, he coldly replied, "Captain, you don't need to explain these things to me! Now, do I still need to continue standing guard here?"
Hesen's tone was somewhat melancholic, "Oh, no need! Lieutenant, you can hand over the gun to me and go back!"
"Thank you!" Zhang Hainuo handed him the gun, saluted, and then went back to the dormitory without acknowledging any of the crew members, including Pror and Otis.
After returning to the dormitory, he didn't even drink a sip of water before collapsing into bed and falling asleep...
***********************
Zhang Hainuo was in a daze and didn't know how long he had slept until he woke up feeling extremely thirsty, pulling himself out of a restless dream.
"Lieutenant, you're finally awake!"
In front of Zhang Hainuo was Otis, the short corporal from yesterday, looking delighted as he turned his head. "Captain, Lieutenant Hainuo is awake!"
Zhang Hainuo realized he was not only parched but also feeling dizzy. There was a cool towel on his forehead. As for his whole body, there was a different kind of soreness and fatigue compared to being injured.
"What's happening..." Zhang Hainuo was about to ask Otis when he saw Hesen's handsome face, quickly recalling the events from last night.
"Lieutenant, you're awake!" Hesen's words were as light as Otis's, trying to mix a rare softness and concern, but unfortunately, the balance seemed a bit off.
"Oh, it's Captain Hesen! How long have I slept?" Zhang Hainuo raised his left hand, but he noticed the watch was missing and he was only wearing a shirt.
"Here it is!" Otis picked up a watch from his bedside table and handed it to him. "It's already afternoon! Lieutenant, you've slept for 16 hours!"
"You had a fever last night, probably from the sea breeze!" Hesen said, with no hint of disdain in his tone or eyes.
"Oh? That long... then I should get up!" Zhang Hainuo struggled to sit up, feeling like he could handle even a fever, let alone the last serious injury.
"Rest a little longer, have some water! I had them cook fish porridge; it's good for you!" Hesen's tone was different from yesterday.
"Thank you!" Zhang Hainuo wasn't stingy with his gratitude.
"Actually, last night..." Hesen was about to explain something when Zhang Hainuo coldly retorted:
"Captain, there's no need for you to explain anything. Catching a cold and having a fever is because of my own poor health, not anyone else's fault!"
"Lieutenant!" Otis handed Zhang Hainuo a glass of water, earnestly saying, "We really didn't mean to make fun of you last night. In fact, we went into town to buy things for a welcome banquet for you. We each bought some gifts! Look, it's indeed a tradition of our U21!"
Zhang Hainuo's hand, reaching for the glass, stopped halfway. He looked at Otis, then at the little coffee cup in his other hand, and then at Hesen. Both of them nodded in unison.
"Look, we haven't touched any of the food yet! And there are gifts for everyone!" Hesen turned to the table by the door, where there were roast chicken, bread, fruits, and many small and large packages, even a big cake.
"I... I really don't know what to say." Zhang Hainuo was genuinely at a loss for words. It seemed that he had misunderstood Hesen.
"Last night, it was all because of Mayer and Fink, these two guys got drunk and started trouble at the bar, even fighting with a few Austrian officers. When we heard about it, we were ready to come back, but, Lieutenant, we couldn't leave our comrades in the Austrian military police station, so..."
Hesen explained the reason for last night's incident, and Zhang Hainuo felt that if it were him, he would have done the same to help his subordinates. After realizing this, he got out of bed, standing in front of Hesen in just a shirt and trousers, then extended his right hand.
"I'm sorry, Captain Hesen, I think I misunderstood you yesterday!"
Without hesitation, Hesen shook Zhang Hainuo's hand and smiled, "It's okay, as long as there's no more misunderstanding! Actually, at first, I didn't give you a good look because I was worried that you might take advantage of your military rank and noble status to bully these boys, but now I think you're not that kind of person, right?"
It was the first time Zhang Hainuo saw Hesen smile, and he had to admit, this handsome "crazy" captain was so charming. There must be many girls in Germany who would fall for him!