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But she didn't know that the child's father was standing in front of a clothing store window in Chicago, waiting for the news that he had been allowed to join the company. The sidewalk he had been anxiously pacing past had been stained with the blood of a local tyrant four months earlier.
On January 24, 1925, Johnny Torrio, the leader of the Italian Mafia, was targeted by two Irish gang members seeking revenge and shot five times at close range. Although Torrio survived, he lost all interest in managing his affairs in Chicago.
The king abdicated, the prince ascended the throne, and the criminal empire was handed over to his student, the infamous Al Capone. To avoid repeating his mentor's mistakes, he naturally needed more capable individuals to join him.
Today, a young man joined us. He looked like a down-on-his-luck worker who had fled here in search of food. He was unlikely to be a key member, but he stayed—at least he was smart enough to replace those who could have gone to higher positions but were forced to stay because of talent shortages.
Gradually, a bar lost a new waiter and gained a man in black who monitored the Chicago police. No one remembered what he looked like, and few remembered his name. Only the nickname "Snow Fox Ears" circulated in this criminal network.
This young man's life had been relatively smooth until late 27 when he committed his first murder, and he didn't get involved with many others. His quiet demeanor and shrewdness became his shield. On the rare occasions when he wasn't needed, you could always see a man on the streets of Chicago, accompanied by his wife and young son, going in and out of the library.
Walking on the edge of a knife might lead to a better life, but the risks are self-evident.
On February 14, 1929, the Valentine's Day massacre that shocked the entire United States drew all the attention of the outside world like a deep-sea whirlpool, including that of the newly elected president, Herbert Hoover. The Mafia was immediately exposed to the scrutiny of the police and IRS agents, which made Snow Fox Ear very uneasy.
He wanted to leave, but he still needed to persevere because of the economic crisis and the Great Depression. Even if the status of the Italian Mafia was wavering after the arrest and imprisonment of the Great Emperor Al Capone, and even if he himself was arrested or executed countless times in his nightmares, he still had to grit his teeth and provide breakfast for his wife and children.
Gradually, his status was slightly elevated, and soon he was joined by the newly appointed President Roosevelt and his New Deal.
Perhaps this is a case of "when one door closes, another opens." Snow Fox Ears later handed over his responsibilities to his successor, citing illness and the need for long-term treatment. He shed all his secrets, leaving his last message to other acquaintances: for his own safety, he had to go to Milwaukee, north of Chicago, for hospitalization, and that they should not visit him unless it was absolutely necessary.
In reality, after sending out this message, the carriage he was traveling in headed to Cleveland, 500 kilometers to the east, with his family's luggage and his wife and children. In the new place, he became a low-level member of a jazz club.
His name was changed to the very ordinary "Clark". As for his son, not many people have seen him, so despite the change of surname, the first name "Allen" remains on his head.
……
The family's life began to improve, much like the recovering United States. The father, using the alias Sam, started a small factory in Cleveland, and Alan grew up, becoming a shining little star in the eyes of the neighbors.
But when he was 14, his father severely reprimanded him and slapped him. The reason was that he learned that Allen had gathered a group of his peers to fight, and that someone had even stolen a hunting rifle from his parents during the conflict.
Young and headstrong Allen was unwilling to accept defeat and ran away from home that very day. But he had to go somewhere. After thinking about it, the only person he had kept in touch with over the years was his uncle, who also lived in Cleveland.
His uncle rarely visited his father, and each time he did, he kept a very low profile. Allen only found out where his uncle lived by picking up an envelope that his uncle had left on a stool—being able to remember it shows that he inherited his father's cleverness.
“I don’t understand. My friend was bullied, so of course I should get my friends together to teach those ungrateful bastards a lesson, even if it’s just a small loss.” Allen complained to his uncle.
"In the future, do you plan to solve all problems by forming cliques? Hmm? I don't disagree with your approach, kid, but have you considered that you're facing a group of underage bastards who dare to steal from their parents?"
"I need to know where Dad's gun is... Besides, when I grow up and have the right to own a gun, they won't be as arrogant as they are now. When my buddies and I all have guns, who won't be afraid of us? I..."
“You should grow up now, child.” With that, the uncle got up and went into a room behind him.
"Growing up? If I'm bullied every day, can I still call myself grown up? If I can't even protect my own brothers, what kind of grown-up am I? I can..."
The uncle took out a photo album, an album that stunned Allen from the very first page.
"What?" Throughout his childhood, his father had always presented him with the image of a hardworking and busy factory foreman. The time he spent taking his father out to play was mostly spent in quiet, secluded libraries with few visitors. All of this only began to change when his father started a factory in the suburbs of Cleveland when he was 10 years old.
But why is Dad in the photo playing pool in a noisy casino? Why is he doing almost the same thing as he does now, when he has such a completely different, reserved and composed image?
This mystery lingered with him. After being sent home by his uncle, Allen did not let his father's scolding go unpunished, nor did he pursue his father's past. In his spare time, he was supposed to continue to "make a name for himself," but instead he went to his uncle's house and gradually learned about his father's true background from his uncle's words.
"Your father used to be a bastard who would casually pull out a gun and shoot another gun-wielding bastard." The uncle was actually the coachman who drove his father's carriage on the day he escaped from Chicago; both of them were former members of the Mafia.
“You must understand that your father chose to go to that hellish place for your and your mother’s sake. He also needed to plan for a stable and peaceful life and hide his sinful past. Otherwise, what’s buried six feet underground is not only the truth of today, but also your father’s coffin and even your originally bright future.”
……
"A year before enlisting, I finally sorted out my relationship with my father, but all the stories my uncle told me, and the years of bloodshed my father endured, were etched into my mind. I didn't know how I would live my life afterward, but at least enlisting in 43 to beat up the Nazi pigs was a choice I would never have made wrong until the day I died."
After hearing Clark's story, Sheldon felt a mix of emotions.
"I know what you're trying to say... If you were to die in this world, there probably wouldn't be anyone left to share this story with, right?"
It's almost time to collect the lunchboxes, so the two of them need to end their conversation quickly.
"There's something else I can tell you about the Black Knights," Clark said, remembering something. "Tonight they're taking a submarine to escape the Tokyo concession."
"Hmm, not bad, but aren't you afraid of it being leaked?"
"Don't worry, this news has already been leaked..."
Chapter 279, Section 361: The Bubble of a Million Miracle (Part 1)
"This is the Holy Britannian Imperial Navy. Your ship is currently on a course that deviates from its declared course. Please stop immediately. Within ten minutes, all crew members must disarm and line up on the deck for our boarding inspection. Otherwise, you will be subjected to saturation fire."
Near Kozushima Island in southern Tokyo Bay, three Britannian missile destroyers lay side by side, facing a large cargo ship that was gradually coming to a stop in the distance, scattered in the eerie darkness.
Suzaku Kururugi, a Knight of the Round Table, was on the bridge of the central flagship, in charge of the on-site command of this interception. The deployment of large naval surface ships was no small matter, but as someone who was helping Nunnally fulfill Euphemia's last wish, he hadn't told her.
The establishment of the Japanese special zone is progressing smoothly, and posters promoting the Nunnally policy are plastered all over every station in the Tokyo concession. Everything in the 11th district is getting better, except for the Black Knights, who remain a thorn in everyone's side.
"The main members of the Black Knights will leave the waters near Honshu Island today by hiding their submarine under the large cargo ship Hoshibōjima in Tateyama Port. Their destination may be Okinawa or the vicinity of the Ogasawara Islands."
This was the final confirmation information Suzaku received before boarding the ship. Ironically, part of the credit for this intelligence belonged to the Aryan Special Forces, but now Suzaku has sidelined them. Those who know them understand that they committed a crime, but outsiders might think they've been discarded after being used.
On the other hand, perhaps people are wondering why he could only summon three ships when he was also a Knight of the Round Table, a position similar to that of an imperial envoy.
……
This story begins the day before, when Suzaku had just spoken with the heads of various naval ports and shipyards on Honshu Island.
"Why are there only so many usable ones?"
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency Suzaku,” a shipyard manager explained in a video call, with an aircraft carrier battleship in the dry dock behind him. “We have received orders from Her Highness Elizabeth from District 45 to upgrade the armaments of the warships near District 11 that are preparing for an expedition. They will be unable to engage in combat during this period.”
"What kind of refit?" Suzaku was very confused. "It's one thing for District 45 to not need so many KMFs, but now the warships are going to have their entire armaments replaced?"
"According to the combat feedback from the expeditionary force, our surface-to-air firepower is currently basically unusable, especially in the navy." At this moment, the factory director took out a design drawing. "This is the modification plan that the engineers of District 45 gave to our factory. They said that it is completely unnecessary for us to arrange so many KMF and attack helicopter take-off and landing platforms on both sides of the destroyer. They need to replace them all with rapid-fire gun turrets."
"So, does that mean the destroyer only has a helipad at the stern?"
“Although I know that Your Excellency is a Knight of the Round Table and dares not disobey orders,” the factory manager sighed and smiled, “you should understand that a knight who is currently bandaged and wearing armor cannot go into battle. If you force your way out to sea and cause a power failure that prevents you from returning, it’s a small matter if Her Highness Elizabeth is angry, but the passage of ships in the harbor will be a much bigger problem.”
Suzaku cut off the communication, and the shipyard director breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had accomplished some task.
That's right. Actually, the aircraft carrier behind him, as part of the fleet preparing to head to Sector 45, didn't require much modification and was already ready to return to the open sea. However, Elizabeth had already informed them during their visit to Sector 45 that no one was allowed to use these fleets without her orders, using the excuse that "the modifications are not yet complete and they cannot go to sea."
It wasn't just naval ships; even several skyships that were temporarily left in Area 11 in preparation for an expedition were affected. Even though they really didn't need any modifications, the expeditionary force's engineers still produced a set of fake blueprints—they certainly wouldn't fool the technical workers, but they could fool Suzaku.
And so, with a sense of grievance, the remaining fleet was cobbled together and then distributed to various sea areas for patrol and guard duty. Only three ships remained at the position of Suzaku.
……
The Tokyo concession was empty and quiet at night. Without the Nazis causing trouble, Davis and his friends could finally easily invite Clark out for a drink as a way of returning the favor.
They looked out the window and seemed to see several German civilians carrying large rolls of posters and leaflets, painting and posting them in the streets and alleys.
"Is this a done deal for the Japanese special zone? Ha." Garcia wanted to laugh. "Those brats from Area 11 had such a bad falling out with the Germans, and now the latter have to help the former build a new home? Damn it, I don't know how competent Governor Nunnally is, her interpersonal skills are absolutely terrible."
“What can we do?” Clark was quite understanding. “At least the Germans are thinking that if they can earn a living by working for an hour or two, it’s not bad to be able to buy a box of cakes for a late-night snack. It’s much better than the days when there was absolutely no work to be done in Chicago during the Great Depression.”
"Then I'm more curious, how are the Black Knights doing these days?" Philip asked, showing interest in this.
“If you ask me…” Clark paused, “the Special Zone and the Germans have a lot of disagreements. On the one hand, they are preparing to organize civilians to join the Special Zone, and on the other hand, they are considering leaving Area 11.”
“The two things must have been done by different people,” Davis’s intuition was spot on.
“To be honest, ZERO is currently missing, though not arrested.” Clark silently lit a cigarette. “But I heard from Yamashita the other day that he was waiting for the train on the subway platform. The entertainment program on TV was playing fine, but suddenly it switched to a recording of Nunnally’s inaugural speech. Then I vaguely saw a tall, thin young man bump into an old man who was putting up flyers, and then he hurriedly ran away from the exit.”
"escape?"
"Yes, it's like seeing Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck dressed up as Japanese girls eating spaghetti on the screen. It's like they're really scared of what Nunnally said to them. What's even stranger is that the subway was crowded at the time, but he was the only one in the car he came out of."
“It’s him, no doubt about it.” Philip said with a comical expression. “Have you found out if there’s some misunderstanding between Lelouch and his sister?”
"To be honest, before Nunnally came to Area 11, she seemed to have spoken to her brother on the phone, but he said she had mistaken him for someone else? I don't understand what's going on between these two siblings. Oh, and that day was the day I bumped into Lelouch himself at Ashford Academy."
As they were chatting, suddenly everyone in the bar started looking out the window—it was the direction of Ashford College, and fireworks were rising into the sky, bursting with mesmerizing colors.
"Is there a school festival today?" Garcia asked curiously. "Or are they just setting off too many fireworks for fun?"
Everyone was gazing at the beautiful, colorful sky, but only Philip noticed a tall, thin figure flash past the shop window. A small origami crane fell from his fluttering pocket and landed on the dirty, wet ground, turning into trash.
……
Fireworks soar into the sky like fireflies, trying to illuminate the dark night and awaken the silent world. But the start is too late, and even the starting point has been chosen wrong. Even if they burn themselves out, what will they leave behind, what will they gain...?
The group looked at Philip with surprise—why had this usually optimistic Christian suddenly become so melancholic and philosophical?
"Was it Lelouch who set off the fireworks? Or was someone setting them off for him? If he's truly so desperate that he can only return to keep company with fireworks, then his Black Knights are doomed..."
"Also, I haven't seen Taylor lately..."
……
"The time has come, Lord Suzaku."
"Begin the bombardment."
The waves in front of Shenjin Island rose and fell with the roar of the ship's cannons, and the cargo ship was soon blown into a pile of fragments at sea.
"They must have deliberately detonated the cargo ship's jamming sonar to hide the sound of the submarine's propellers in order to dive." After giving this order, Zhuque walked towards the hangar at the back. "Anti-submarine rockets launched. The entire Portman squadron will begin to dive and deploy the encirclement to force the submarine out."
Not long after he changed into his pilot's uniform, the crew in charge of sonar detected the sound of the submarine launching a torpedo.
"Continue to tighten the encirclement. If it surfaces, I will capture it myself."
As Suzaku's Lancelot was slowly lifted off the takeoff and landing platform, before unfolding his wings, he glanced with mixed feelings at the sachet hanging in his cockpit—the gift that General Upson had given to Nunnally. Exhausted, he now hung the words "Yukikaze" in front of him.
“Nunnally, Euphemia… I need to work harder for your wishes… and you, Lelouch.”
"What do you plan to do, Suzaku?" At the same time, Gino and Anya, who were preparing for battle on a nearby combustible ice mining platform, also arrived.
"You all head in the direction the cargo ship came from, and form an inverted triangle with me around the submarine in the air, ready to intercept it."
"No problem... Wait a minute, why are there so many white things underwater?"
"Wha, what?"
What Suzaku was completely unaware of was that the order to launch the submarine torpedoes was given by a young man standing on a sea cliff holding a nautical chart. These torpedoes, equipped with delayed fuses, were not aimed at the Britannian forces, but at the methane hydrate deposits directly below the fleet.
Soon, the air from the seabed leaped to the surface like ash clouds from a volcanic eruption, capsizing all three destroyers. As for the Portmans underwater, they collided one after another in the chaos, becoming either badly damaged or torn apart, disappearing as coordinates on the map.
"This..." Suzaku was stunned, and even forgot to call to confirm the survivors.
"Hey, Suzaku, look over there!"
The three Knights of the Round Table in the sky looked up at the sound and saw a golden Vincent flying towards them, holding in his hands the mask of ZERO that shone brightly in the moonlight of the night sky.
“I accept Governor Nunnally’s request. Yes, I mean the Japanese Special District!”
……
"I don't understand what ZERO is doing... Why did he suddenly order all members of the Black Knights to join the Japanese Special Zone? Was he secretly communicating with Princess Nunnally? Or was he forced into it?"
"Guna, if I asked you out today, can we not talk about the filthy stuff in the military?"
A few days after the fleet's defeat, the elusive Taylor was finally spotted by Clark from afar: he was holding a Coke bottle in one hand and with his arm around a female sergeant as they entered a hotel—yes, that's right, it seems to be the pilot Genia that Davis had mentioned before, the one he managed to seduce with the Japanese. Who knows how this foul-mouthed guy managed to win over that glamorous, curvaceous woman.
"What are you thinking about, baby? Is chocolate not as sweet as your lips or..." Taylor was about to push her down and give her a good kiss when she entered the room, but Jania pushed her away by pressing her chin with her hand.
"You idiot, don't push your luck! Go take a shower right now. You think a pig reeking of alcohol and sweat wants to share a bed with me?"
Taylor was about to go into the bathroom when he turned around and saw that Jania was slowly unbuttoning her clothes. She glanced back at him shyly and nervously before quickly turning her face away.
"Well, speaking of which..." Taylor was in the bathroom, and for some reason, "Jenia has such big breasts, but she doesn't dare to take them off in front of me. Is she just carrying around a balloon all the time... Damn it, don't do that, what if it bursts before we even start doing anything?"
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a loud bang outside, which startled Taylor so much that he slipped and fell flat on his face.
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap..." She hurriedly crawled out. At that moment, Genia was in the holster on her leg. She quickly lifted her skirt and grabbed the pistol. It seemed that the sound came from outside.
"Don't just stand there, you idiot." She crouched down in front of the door, gesturing for Taylor to carefully open it while pressed against the back of the door. She pointed her gun at the crack in the door, ready to pull the trigger.
It was a false alarm. It turned out the door to the room across the hall had been kicked open, and several men in plainclothes barged in. You could see the shadows of a fight reflected on the wall; they even threw the guest's suitcase out.
“Oh? Sorry to bother you two.” Taylor followed behind Genia, the two disheveled men staring at the strange guests who had broken into the hotel. He might not remember the other members of the Aryan Special Forces, but Karlstadt’s scar and Henrik’s monocle, as frequent guests in television interviews, instantly caught their attention.
"Nazi dogs, what are they doing here?!" The suitcase on the ground was smashed open, and inside, a black cloak almost identical to ZERO's outfit was placed in front of them.
Chapter 280, Section 362: The Bubble of a Million Miracle (Part 2)
As a Knight of the Round Table, and also in a position similar to a governor's adjutant, the casualties of the three destroyers and hundreds of crew members troubled him for a few days before fading away.
As the ceremony for the Japanese special zone drew closer, he finally noticed something unusual lingering on the streets of the Tokyo Concession. Specifically, he saw soldiers on street corners escorting people from Area 11, and he didn't know where they were being taken—this was something he learned from the police chief of Shizuoka City.
Shizuoka was the venue for the recently announced ceremony; the fact that these things are happening now... could it be that...?
“During this period, Marshal Auchini and General Gabriel, who had just returned from the 45th Ward, asked us to provide registration forms of people from the 11th Ward who had recently entered and exited Shizuoka City, including many hotel accommodation records,” the chief explained. “If I am not mistaken, the troops that went out to arrest people from the 11th Ward should be the 38th Army they just brought back.”