Chapter 3: Blood Fire Deity of Germany

  "Hey now... hey now..."

  In a daze, Zhang Hainuo suddenly heard someone calling his name, but when his consciousness became slightly clearer, the first thing that entered his mind was a kind of pain from all over his body!

  Forehead, left and right hands, abdomen, large and small legs...

  Good heavens, he found almost every part of his body aching!

  But somehow I couldn't control my own body, and I couldn't even open my eyes!

  What's wrong with me?

  Zhang Hainuo's heart was both shocked and urgent, he hastily searched his brain for his last memory before he fainted:

  My name is Zhang Hainuo, I am an overseas student, I am on vacation, this is a trip around Europe, I arrived in Greece, I arrived in Crete, I joined a sea diving tour group...

  Suddenly, Zhang Haino remembered the strange object that emitted a faint blue light. Was it an electric eel in a state of dormancy? No, it was impossible, it was not a fish! But what exactly was it? Was it some kind of special instrument left behind on the seabed, and he just happened to be knocked unconscious by it, so now his whole body hurt, and that's why he was being treated in the hospital?

  Zhang Hainuo quickly accepted his own speculation, yes, it must be so! Since consciousness exists and can feel the pain on one's body, at least it means that oneself has not kicked the bucket yet!

  "Hey now... hey now..."

  That sound came again, and Zhang Hainuo heard it even more clearly this time. It was a male voice, which sounded like a young guy, was he a companion in his own diving tour group or a hospital staff?

  Zhang Hainuo tried hard to recall, but he always felt that this voice was very strange.

  After shouting twice, the voice did not sound again. The environment here seems to be very quiet, but a strange machine humming noise can be heard faintly. As he thought about it, a wave of fatigue came over him, and Zhang Haino lost consciousness once again.

  Or more accurately, he fell into a coma this time.

  In his dream, Zhang Hainuo saw a man wearing a strange military uniform. He was tall and slender, with neatly trimmed short hair that was slightly brown in color. His face was lean, with a clean-shaven beard, and his features belonged to the type of Central European aristocrat with a classical noble air. His bright eyes seemed to hold a hint of melancholy; he wore a blue-black military uniform with double-breasted buttons, with a hem that fell below the knee - in his impression, only some European military bands would wear such attire. His trousers were gray in color, and his leather shoes shone brightly after being polished. Under his arm was tucked a short-brimmed military cap with a blue-black base color and a golden eagle emblem on the front.

  Zhang Hainuo wanted to ask who he was, but couldn't utter a single syllable. The man's mouth opened and closed as if saying something to himself, but Zhang couldn't hear any sound. The more he tried to listen clearly, the more anxious he became, and in his anxiety, he suddenly opened his eyes.

  At this moment, Zhang Hainuo's consciousness was completely awake, and the pain he had felt before could now be felt clearly.

  Why is everything in front of me still pitch black when I clearly have my eyes open?

  "Uh... is anyone there?"

  Zhang Hainuo strained to utter these few syllables, which didn't sound like his usual voice at all, but he had no time to think about that now.

  "Hainuo, you finally woke up! Oh, great!"

  The voice from beside him was not loud but sounded very excited. Before long, a bright light appeared in front of Zhang Hainuo's eyes. He turned his head with difficulty and saw that it was a match. Behind the faint light was a very unfamiliar face. It was a Westerner with blue eyes and a high nose, wearing a military cap on his head, a cap that seemed to have been seen somewhere before.

  "You... me... where is this place?"

  Zhang Hainuo's mind was a bit messy and he suddenly didn't know which question to ask first.

  "You're in your own room, the military doctor has already treated your wound, he said that apart from the one on your forehead, the other injuries are not serious! Do you know? I was worried that you would be unconscious all the time, now it's okay!"

  The Western youth spoke a long string of words, almost filling Zhang Haino's brain, which had just barely recovered, to the brim. He had to spend much more time than usual to understand these words. It was only then that he noticed the Western youth in front of him had been speaking German all along, and that he himself had also spoken German after waking up.

  However, he still didn't understand what the other person meant by "this is your own room", wasn't he traveling in Greece? And a military doctor, had he been sent to some kind of military hospital?

  "Uh... is everyone else okay?!"

  Zhang Hainuo originally meant to ask the other dozen or so tourists on the cruise ship, but the other party's response gave him a good shock:

  "Alas... it's terrible! Three killed and six wounded in the torpedo room, and I hear other stations are also heavily casualties! The Seydlitz is now basically out of action, the only good news being that we can still keep up with the High Seas Fleet! Those damned British!"

  Torpedo room... heavy casualties... Seydlitz... High Seas Fleet... British...

  The match went out, and the surroundings fell into darkness again. Zhang Hainuo's head was about to explode as he desperately repeated these few words. He had lived in Germany for more than three years and would never misunderstand these few words.

  Seydlitz... High Seas Fleet... British...

  If it were someone else, they might not know what "Seydlitz" means, but as a long-term part-time employee of Hansen's second-hand store and the object of Mr. Hansen's frequent mutterings, Zhang Hainuo is all too familiar with this word. The original owner of Mr. Hansen's most treasured conductor's knife was Strantz von Graff, the captain of the "Seydlitz", and it was precisely because of this relationship that Mr. Hansen knew the situation of the "Seydlitz" like the back of his hand. Under the influence of his surroundings, Zhang Hainuo, who originally loved military affairs, could even draw a basic outline of this warship!

  Ship name: Seydlitz

  Ship type: Battlecruiser

  Affiliation: German Empire High Seas Fleet Reconnaissance Division

  Years: Laid down in February 1911, launched in March 1912, and commissioned in November 1913.

  Tonnage: standard 25,000 tons, full load 28,500 tons

  Characteristics: Fast navigation speed, strong adaptability, excellent defense

  War experience: Battle of Dogger Bank and Jutland in World War I

  Final fate: Scuttled in Operation Rainbow in 1919

  Thinking of this, Zhang Haino was greatly shocked. Judging from the current situation, he was on this famous battlecruiser, and this warship had just gone through a naval battle. If everything was as he understood it to be, then this battle must have been the famous Battle of Jutland - the only naval battle in World War I where the German High Seas Fleet was involved!

  Dizzy! A wave of dizziness!

  "Haino! Haino! What's wrong with you?"

  The young Westerner next to him struck another match.

  "I'm fine, just a bit muddled in the head..."

  Zhang Hainuo suddenly didn't know what to say, he used his left hand to touch the bandage on his forehead with great effort, and indeed there was a thick bandage wrapped around it. His head also hurt badly, but fortunately, that kind of pain was clearly from external skin injuries. Now, he began to suspect whether his injury was caused by the blue-glowing object at the bottom of the sea or this intense naval battle.

  "Oh, you rest well then! I still have to relieve Lancelot later, so I'll take off first! The water cup is on your bedside table, I'll come see you again after my shift!"

  Zhang Hainuo felt a thick hand gently pat his left hand, followed by the sound of a chair moving and footsteps. When the door opened, it was accompanied by an unfamiliar metallic rubbing sound. It seemed like there was some light outside, but after the door closed, darkness returned before his eyes.

  Lancelot?

  Zhang Hainuo thought hard and was certain he had never heard of this name. He could have learned something from the guy who seemed to care about him, but now it looked like he would have to wait until he came back on shift.

  Seydlitz... High Seas Fleet... British... Torpedo Room... Heavy Casualties...

  Thinking of this string of words, Zhang Hainuo's mind was filled with more and more things, but the more he thought, the more his head hurt, and on top of that, the pain from all over his body made him fall asleep again.

  This time, he saw a massive and majestic warship in his dream. It had five huge turrets, each with two thick and long gun barrels. On the high bridge, a black cross flag was fluttering in the wind. People dressed in blue-black and white uniforms were lined up neatly on both sides of the ship. The scene made one's blood boil with excitement.

  Right next to it, inside a very large military port, dozens of warships were neatly arranged in the bay. On the white grandstand in the distance, a man wearing a pointed helmet and sporting two big mustaches was loudly saying something to the people around him, every face filled with confidence and pride.

  Then, Zhang Hainuo saw another scene: under the night sky, one by one majestic warships sailed out of the harbor in an orderly manner. The soldiers around him were silent, with a serious expression on their faces. At this moment, Zhang Hainuo felt a strong desire for battle in his heart. Born in peacetime, he had never experienced war, but this strange feeling was so real and intense.

  Suddenly, several massive warships appeared on the surface of the sea, their masts flying a flag that Zhang Haino was very familiar with - the British naval flag. For some reason, Zhang Haino suddenly felt an intense dislike for this white background with a red cross and a blue corner with a rice character. The sea surface was shrouded in the smoke of cannons. Those several British warships kept firing at their side, the shells falling into the water and sending up pillars of water several stories high, while their side was filled with thick smoke, fierce flames, and people covered in blood...

  Zhang Hainuo woke up again, this time to the sound of a low rumble, which sounded like thunder before a rainstorm. It seemed distant at first, but upon closer listening, it became clear that this rumbling noise was distinctly different from the natural sounds of thunder - no region would experience forty claps of thunder in one minute, nor would they come in such an irregular pattern, sometimes dense and sometimes sparse.

  Isn't that the legendary fleet gun battle?

  Zhang Hainuo's heart suddenly had a strong urge: this sea battle has not ended yet!

  He had always been fond of watching scenes related to naval battles in documentaries, but unfortunately those fragments were too few and far between, and it was difficult to restore the scene at that time with only monotonous pictures and rough recordings. Later war blockbusters, although better and better in terms of visual and audio effects, always made people feel a little less real.

  Now, an opportunity to watch a sea battle up close has fallen from the sky, and Zhang Hainuo can't help but feel excited. To know that this is the Battle of Jutland, a sea battle that has made countless historians and military enthusiasts infatuated and obsessed, it is the most intense and last major collision between giant warships in human history, also known as "the final farewell battle of the battleship fleet". Since then, there have been no more large-scale fleet artillery battles, and the history of human sea warfare has entered another era.

  Thinking of this, Zhang Haino supported his body and sat up with difficulty. Regardless of whether he came here unexpectedly or inevitably, and regardless of the final result being as recorded in history, he shouldn't be staying in this dark room and miss the most brilliant battle in human history.

  It didn't matter that he sat up, Zhang Hainuo happened to find a round porthole on his left side. Through this porthole, he saw the flickering lights on the distant sea surface. It seemed that he was indeed at the edge of the battlefield!

  However, according to the young man's words earlier, "Seydlitz" has basically lost its combat effectiveness. With his understanding of the Battle of Jutland, the German High Seas Fleet is now trying to retreat to Kiel Port - that is to say, the British fleet has already gained an absolute advantage!

  Thinking of this, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but feel a little downhearted. He had missed the most exciting part of the Battle of Jutland and could only follow this warship back to its home port of Kiel in disarray. But some protagonists in the crossing often played a crucial role in turning the tide, while he could only stand by and watch helplessly? Was it really impossible to change the course of history now that it had already been set in stone?

  At this time, Zhang Haino fell into another thought, how he came to this era was no longer important, what was important was that since he had come, he should choose a path for himself: whether to be a bystander of history, taking it one step at a time, as long as he was alive, or to use his "precognitive ability" to change the course of history and become a strong force in shaping its outcome.

  As for personal feelings, Zhang Hainuo is not an admirer of William II or the Nazi war machine. As a knowledgeable young man in the 20th century, he clearly knows that militarism and Nazism will eventually be replaced by more advanced ideas, but this is not something that can be changed by his own power alone; at the same time, he dislikes the British who only know how to bully the weak and the Americans who have become rich overnight and think they are superior. In the past, he had thought many times that if he were to go back to those war years and choose a camp to fight in, he would definitely choose the side that is at a disadvantage but full of fighting passion and fantasy colors, just like most military enthusiasts.

  After thinking through all this, Zhang Hainuo's confusion in his heart suddenly cleared up. At this moment, he couldn't wait to go up to the deck and participate in a real sea battle, striving to change the fate of this battle with his own talent.

  Driven by this idea, he decided to take immediate action, for time waits for no man.

  But before that, Zhang Hainuo still had to figure out one thing, which was how severe those damn injuries on his body were and whether he even had the most basic ability to act on those great ideas.

  Head - wrapped in gauze, very painful, according to what the young man said is the place where he was injured the most, wasn't it directly hit by shrapnel? Dizzy, that's simply too unlucky.

  His right hand was throbbing in pain, clearly fixed to his chest with a splint and bandage, apparently a fracture, hopefully without any sequelae, Zhang Hainuo absolutely did not want to suffer from Parkinson's disease at such a young age.

  Left hand - wrapped with a thinner gauze, painful but still able to move within a certain range, should only be a minor skin injury, fortunately, at least can use it to brush teeth, wash face, eat and go to the bathroom.

  Abdomen - saw a ghost, just sat up and it hurt extremely, wrapped in thick gauze outside, don't know if there are any bullet fragments left inside, even more don't know if this will leave serious aftereffects, hopefully the medical technology of this era is better.

  Left leg - sore, fortunately the pain point is on the thigh rather than the knee or sole of the foot, should not hinder my own walking.

  Right foot - should be the best of the four limbs, with some pain on the outside of the calf, feeling like a shallow abrasion wound.

  After finishing the self-examination, Zhang Hainuo can confirm that he still has at least some ability to act now, but he still wants to figure out how he got hurt and why he was injured all over his body but could live safely.

  Before the question was answered, Zhang Hainuo began to feel around his surroundings with his still mobile left hand. Underneath him was a bed that could only fit one person, soft and hard just right, probably because of the high temperature, he was only covered with a very thin blanket, on his left was the cold cabin wall, on his right was a small bedside table, on which was placed the water cup mentioned by the young man. It wasn't until then that he realized he was thirsty, so he picked up the water cup and took a sip, there was no strange taste, but after swallowing the water, the pain in his abdomen slightly intensified, could it be that his stomach had already started to leak?

  In the darkness, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but bitterly smile to himself. This was indeed a terrible transmigration, and not an auspicious beginning at all!

  After putting down the water cup, he continued to grope around the cabinet for a while and found a possible rotary switch that might control the wall lamp. However, turning this knob did not bring any light to the room, which made him feel somewhat disappointed.

  Has the power system of this warship been completely destroyed?

  This was Zhang Hainuo's first reaction, but he soon thought of another situation, that is, during wartime, some ships would take light control measures as needed during navigation to prevent those who were not aware or had ulterior motives from exposing their own ships. Some captains would order the shutdown of ordinary electrical circuits on the ship and only retain necessary power supplies, and the lights in the crew quarters obviously belonged to the former.