Chapter 79 Proof of the Past
Friedson brought Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo to a hotel that looked pretty good. Although the hotel was not big, it looked neat and tidy. The quaint European style made people feel warm and comfortable. The outer walls of the hotel were covered with green vines and dotted with a few unknown small flowers, giving people a feeling of tranquility.
Friedson booked three rooms for them in total. The rooms were elegantly decorated, with wooden furniture emitting a faint pine scent. From the windows, one could see the ancient buildings on both sides of the cobblestone road in the town.
All expenses for this trip will be borne by Kassel College, so they don't need to be too frugal. After all, it is not realistic to let Lu Mingfei bear the expenses of the trip on his own.
Lu Mingfei was penniless now. He had brought nothing with him before he set out. Even his spare clothes were bought in a hurry. It was obvious that he could not be expected to pay for the expenses of this journey.
However, if he is unable to continue the journey due to lack of money, Lu Mingfei might really drive Jun Yan to rob a bank. Now he is no longer a friendly citizen. It is fortunate that he still maintains his sanity and does not become a threat to society.
Nuonuo could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Today's series of shocks and fatigue made her feel that she had reached her limit. She fell heavily on the soft bed, looked at the ceiling and sighed.
Although she had been maintaining a strong appearance, her inner exhaustion and confusion had nearly brought her to the point of collapse. She hoped to have a good sleep and temporarily get rid of the troubles that were plaguing her.
But her mind was full of Lu Mingfei, who seemed to have suddenly changed into a different person. She tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just when she was finally feeling sleepy and had just entered a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, a sudden knock on the door broke her peace.
"Who is it! Can't you see it's only six in the morning!" After being woken up, Nuonuo immediately threw the pillow against the door angrily, her heart full of dissatisfaction and anger. She felt that she had just fallen asleep and her whole body had not yet recovered from fatigue, but she was rudely pulled back to reality.
"Ms. Chen Motong, we are about to leave. Do you want to stay in the hotel to rest or come with us?" Friedson's voice came from outside the door, with a hint of helplessness and politeness in his tone.
"Ah!" Nuonuo complained angrily. She really just wanted to lie on this warm bed and continue her sweet dream which had not yet begun. However, the principal's instructions to her before leaving rang in her mind again, and that cold tone was still echoing in her ears.
"The person changed after you hit him. You are responsible for finding out the reason for his change, otherwise you will fail all your subjects this semester."
When Nono thought of his GPA, he had to suppress his dissatisfaction. He gritted his teeth, changed his clothes, opened the door, and then glared at Friedson angrily, as if focusing all his resentment on him.
But Friedson just smiled politely. After all, he was an experienced guide. He was obviously used to dealing with such occasions and knew how to deal with these sudden emotional fluctuations. Especially when facing his important customers, he had to maintain a gentle attitude.
At this time, Lu Mingfei had been waiting at the door of the hotel. He had not originally planned to call Nuo Nuo. He just needed Friedson to lead the way. Everything else was unimportant.
But Friedson insisted on waking up Nono. After all, his job was to take care of two customers at the same time, not to leave one of them alone in the hotel.
"Let's go." Seeing Nuonuo and Friedson coming downstairs, Lu Mingfei said coldly, and then he took the lead and walked towards the place where he parked last night.
When everyone got in the car, Friedson started the car. The low roar of the engine echoed in the morning air. He looked at Lu Mingfei in the back seat through the rearview mirror and asked, "Mr. Lu Mingfei, where do you want to go? Or do you want me to show you around the city?"
Lu Mingfei was silent for a moment, his eyes deep, as if he was recalling something. He exhaled lightly and whispered, "Go to the battlefield where the Battle of Verdun broke out."
When Friedson heard this answer, he was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that this young man would choose to go to such a historical site. Although he had seen many tourists interested in war history, the coldness and solemnity of Lu Mingfei made him feel a little uneasy.
"The battlefield of Verdun?" Friedson started the car and slowly drove towards the destination, continuing to perform his duties as a guide as he drove.
"I didn't expect Mr. Lu to have such a strong interest in history. In the past, many tourists would visit that place, and even some elderly veterans would go there to see the place where they fought in the past, whether it was France or Prussia, they all had the same feeling, but as time passed, the veterans died one by one, and the battle gradually faded from people's memory, and fewer and fewer people went there to visit."
Friedson's voice carries a hint of sadness and nostalgia. The veterans he mentioned are not only witnesses of the war, but also guardians of this history. However, with their departure, this history has gradually been forgotten by the world and turned into cold exhibits in museums.
The car was speeding on the road leading to Verdun. The sky outside was covered with dark clouds, as if unwilling to let the sun shine down. Lu Mingfei looked at the gray sky through the car window and felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. It seemed that the sky of Verdun had been shrouded in this dark cloud since a hundred years ago, without the slightest change.
Although the sky was so familiar, the land beneath his feet was completely different from what Lu Mingfei remembered. There was no trace of the somewhat dilapidated town at all.
Whether in World War I or World War II, no direct fighting broke out in the small town of Verdun, so the city's appearance was not greatly damaged.
There are no obvious traces of the war here. Even the buildings that once witnessed history have been gently wiped out by the hand of time and transformed into more modern buildings. Therefore, Lu Mingfei's destination is not inside the city, but in the rural area not far away, where the battlefields once were.
Although Lu Mingfei and his men wanted to enter this city so much in that distant era, now all this has become meaningless.
Friedson drove the car into a country road. There were large tracts of green grass on both sides of the road, like a green ocean.
A breeze blew, creating waves on the grass, gently brushing the world outside the car window. However, when Lu Mingfei looked at the green grass, he felt something was unreal.
He remembered that when they ran on this land, there was only muddy ground and bomb craters everywhere, it was gray and lifeless, with only a few places with weeds.
After about half an hour, Friedson drove to a small town called Romani-sur-Montfocon. This country town was quiet and peaceful, with quaint and beautiful houses on both sides of the street, flowers blooming on the windowsills, and flocks of birds dancing in the air. Everything seemed like a scene in a painting.
Lu Mingfei's memories suddenly surged up. He had been here before and had even participated in the attack on this town. Back then, this place belonged to the left bank of Verdun, not far from the terrifying Hill of the Dead. It was a memory full of blood and pain, but now it was replaced by the tranquility and beauty before his eyes, as if the war had never happened here.
Friedson slowly parked the car next to an inconspicuous two-story building. After turning off the engine, he began to introduce the place to Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo.
“This place is called Romani sul Montfaucon, and it was almost completely destroyed during World War I, but was later rebuilt.”
"The building next door is a private museum. All the exhibits inside are relics from the First World War that the museum's owner, Freese, picked up in nearby fields and forests." Friedson said, pointing to the building.
Lu Mingfei's eyes fell on the museum's sign, on which were engraved the words "Romagne 14-18". Friedson pushed open the door of the museum and walked in with Lu Mingfei and Nono.
The lighting inside the museum is a little dim, and the air is filled with an old-fashioned atmosphere, as if every inch of space bears the traces of time.
"Freese is my friend. He may be outside picking up things now. You can visit at will." Friedson looked around and confirmed that there was no one else in the museum, then said to Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo.
Nuonuo stood at the door and frowned. She was obviously not very interested in this place. She looked around and saw only some rusty old objects. The air was filled with the smell of rusted metal, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. "What's so good about this?" She muttered softly, her tone full of dissatisfaction. She wanted to go back to the hotel and have another sleep rather than looking at these broken copper and iron.
But Lu Mingfei walked forward and looked carefully at the scraps of copper and iron that looked like garbage. His eyes fell on a table full of helmets. On the table were various rusty helmets, some of which belonged to French soldiers and some to Prussian soldiers.
Most of those helmets were badly damaged. Some were riddled with bullet holes and almost turned into sieves. Other helmets also had varying degrees of damage, showing that they had experienced a series of brutal battles.
Lu Mingfei carefully picked up a Prussian helmet, gently stroked its rough surface with his fingers, and a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.
He used to wear this kind of helmet. It was his "comrade-in-arms" who had spent countless days and nights on the battlefield. He felt an impulse in his heart and almost wanted to put the helmet in his hand on his head to feel the long-lost sense of oppression and security, but in the end he gave up. The war was over and he no longer needed to wear this helmet that symbolized battle and death.
He continued to walk around the museum, looking at each exhibit. Those rusty objects evoked countless memories for him - soldiers' lunch boxes, water bottles, guns, and even some medals of honor.
These items once belonged to those who fought on the battlefield like him, but now they are just a pile of abandoned waste, lying here quietly, waiting to be completely forgotten by history.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. The air in the museum became extremely heavy. Lu Mingfei's mood gradually settled down with the exhibition of these old objects. His originally indifferent expression was gradually replaced by a deep sense of loss.
His heart seemed to become old and dull along with these rusty objects. The passion and glory of the past seemed to have been eroded by time, leaving only endless emptiness and fatigue.
"Let's go." Lu Mingfei finally spoke, his voice low and tired, and he was obviously in a low mood. In the small museum, the rusty relics brought him back to the past. Here he saw his former shadow, as well as the ruthless erosion and cruel changes of time.
"So soon?" Friedson was a little surprised. He originally thought that Lu Mingfei would stay here for a while, quietly immersing himself in those fragments of history. He didn't expect him to end the visit so quickly.
Nuonuo looked at Lu Mingfei's heavy back and couldn't help asking, "Lu Mingfei, why are you suddenly interested in World War I? Weren't you the type who slept in history class or read novels and comics before?"
Hearing Nuonuo's words, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt an irrepressible rage in his heart. He clenched his fists and wanted to punch her hard for a moment, but he finally suppressed the anger in his heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging anger in his heart. This is a society ruled by law, not a battlefield.
He could no longer act and kill people at will as he had done in the past. Although he no longer feared any consequences and did not care about legal sanctions, he knew that he still had more unfinished business to do and he had to remain calm.
And he also knew that he still needed the financial support from the school called Cassel College to continue moving forward. If he really went to rob a bank now, it would cause endless troubles. Although he had the ability to deal with these troubles, doing so would undoubtedly disrupt all his plans.
He looked at Nuo Nuo coldly, then turned and left the museum as if nothing had happened just now.
Nuonuo stood there watching Lu Mingfei's departing back, feeling a little dazed. The boy who used to be timid and had no sense of existence had now become so strange and dangerous, making her feel uneasy and confused.
The sky outside was still covered with dark clouds, and the gloomy weather made everything seem particularly depressing. Nuo Nuo took a deep breath and quickly caught up with Lu Mingfei.
She suddenly wanted to know why Lu Mingfei had changed so much. If she had been following Lu Mingfei before because of the principal's order, now she really wanted to find out what was in Lu Mingfei's heart.
"Take us to visit this town." Lu Mingfei ignored Nuo Nuo who followed him and said calmly to Friedson.
"Okay." Friedson looked at Lu Mingfei, then at Nuo Nuo, and felt that there was something subtly wrong in the atmosphere between the two. But he was just a guide after all, and was not responsible for mediating conflicts between customers, so he decided to focus on his own duties and just be a good tool.
"Although the town has been rebuilt, you can still see traces of the war in some places. Look at the wall over there, there are still bomb craters left over from World War I." Friedson led the way and pointed to a building while introducing it.
Lu Mingfei looked in the direction where his finger pointed. It was a small, ordinary-looking building, and one could tell at a glance that it had been built in the last decade or so.
However, the stone wall of the courtyard was obviously quite old, and the wall was covered with mottled marks. Lu Mingfei looked carefully and clearly saw the remaining bullet holes.
He tried hard to search his memory, but found that he could no longer remember from which direction they had attacked here.
He only remembered that when he first entered the town, all he saw were ruins. Almost all the buildings had been destroyed by artillery fire and turned into ruins. Unexpectedly, some of the ruins could still be preserved and become a witness to today.
Friedson continued to lead them through the streets of the town. The town was not big, and they soon walked out of the town. Outside the town, they saw two areas surrounded by green plants and stone walls, which looked solemn and dignified.
"That's the cemetery for French soldiers over there," Friedson said, pointing to the area surrounded by a stone wall, with a hint of respect in his tone.
"This is the cemetery of Prussian soldiers." He pointed to another area surrounded by vegetation in a low voice.
Lu Mingfei looked towards the area surrounded by vegetation. His sight was filled with crosses. Those crosses stood in neat rows, quietly telling the stories of the dead who were buried there.
However, Lu Mingfei soon noticed that the colors of these crosses were different - some were black, some were white, and some were gray.
"The crosses of Prussian soldiers were originally black, but many of them have faded over time," Friedson explained, with a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Local councillors are now discussing replacing these crosses with new ones."
"How much budget did Kassel College give you?" Lu Mingfei suddenly asked in a calm tone, but his eyes were still fixed on the crosses, thinking about something.
Friedson was a little confused by Lu Mingfei's sudden question, but he quickly came to his senses and replied, "They didn't tell me the specific budget. They just told me that all my expenses during this period can be reimbursed by them."
"I understand. Take me to the flower shop here." Lu Mingfei nodded, motioned for Friedson to lead the way, and then continued.
Friedson took Lu Mingfei to the town's flower shop. Although he guessed that Lu Mingfei wanted to buy flowers to commemorate the dead soldiers, he didn't expect that Lu Mingfei actually booked the flowers of the entire flower shop.
"Is this really okay?" Friedson hesitated, but still handed his bank card to the smiling florist. The florist was obviously delighted as this was an unexpected windfall.
"Pay the bill, someone will reimburse you when the time comes." Lu Mingfei said calmly.
He felt that since Kassel College was willing to spend so much, it must have some plans for him. Whether it was the private jet or the unlimited travel expenses, these made him realize that he would eventually do something for this mysterious college.
Although he didn't know what kind of tasks he would face after going to that school, he thought that no matter what it was, he would be able to deal with it. The most difficult thing was just killing and robbing. He, Lu Mingfei, was not good at anything, but he still knew a thing or two about how to kill people.
In order to transport so many flowers, the owner of the flower shop personally drove to the cemetery to help them deliver the flowers. Lu Mingfei began to place the flowers one by one under the crosses. Each flower was his tribute to the deceased souls.
"Parks Seth, from Munich..."
"Igor Herr, from Berlin..."
Lu Mingfei looked at the names on the cross, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. These names might all be his former comrades-in-arms. They might have fought side by side with him, and even fought and died on the same battlefield.
Today their names are engraved on these small crosses, symbolizing their short lives.
Lu Mingfei not only placed flowers in front of the crosses of the Prussian soldiers, he also walked to the cemetery of the French soldiers nearby and placed bouquets in front of those crosses as well.
To him, although these French soldiers were former enemies, they were also opponents worthy of respect. The cruelty of war made them take different positions, but in the face of death, everyone is equal.
Friedson and Nono stood aside, watching Lu Mingfei arrange each flower meticulously. They originally wanted to step forward to help, but Lu Mingfei refused them. This was a mourning that belonged only to him.
The flowers lay quietly under the cross, and the wind blew gently, as if bringing echoes from the distant battlefield. Lu Mingfei stopped for a moment in front of each tombstone, silently reciting those names, as if saying goodbye to these deceased souls.
"Let's go to the Mountain of the Dead." When the last flower was placed, Lu Mingfei stood up and said softly.
Friedson nodded and drove Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo on the road again.
Dead Man's Hill was one of the most tragic battlefields in the Battle of Verdun. For Lu Mingfei, it was not only a geographical location but also a painful memory. He would never forget the artillery fire there and the countless times he charged into battle but was beaten back.
The car stopped at the foot of Dead Man's Hill. Fridson pointed to a hill in the distance and said, "This used to be the most desert-like place in Europe. Now the hill is full of fir trees. Although other plants were planted there before, none of them survived. Only the fir trees survived."
Lu Mingfei looked up at the mountain, his heart filled with waves. The Dead Man Mountain in front of him was much shorter than he remembered. Most of the top of the mountain had been cut off by artillery fire, leaving only the bare afterimage. He began to climb up slowly.
This time there was no hail of bullets or artillery fire covering the sky, there was only silence.
The mountain was dotted with holes and pits. These deep pits were the remains of fierce battles in the past. Now weeds were growing in them. As Lu Mingfei was climbing, he seemed to see countless soldiers charging into battle, artillery fire roaring, smoke and dust filling the air, his comrades falling in a pool of blood, and him stepping forward again and again to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
He stopped in front of a particularly deep pit. This pit seemed deeper than the others, and there was no plant life growing at the bottom, as if the life of the land had been completely plundered.
Lu Mingfei squatted down and gently stroked the soil in the deep pit with his fingers, feeling the rough texture with his fingertips. This pit meant a lot to him.
This deep pit was left behind when he fought against the half-breed who knew the Bronze Throne. At that time, the fire storm swept everything and burned all life here.
Now, standing in this deep pit, Lu Mingfei felt a strange tranquility. He finally found the proof of his existence on this land.
Thanks to the leader of the game "Women's Clothing Makes Me Strong" for the reward. I am really grateful. I will see if I can write more tomorrow. If I can't, I will add more after I leave my job.
(End of this chapter)
