Chapitre 76: Chapter 76 Order
The seemingly endless line of Konigsberg defenses appeared like a dividing line between two worlds. Outside, devastated by the ravages of war, was desolate and cold, while inside, residential areas, schools, shops, and greenery remained relatively untouched. As the capital of East Prussia, a traditional German territory for centuries, Konigsberg's prosperity was not just confined to the port and city center. Its clean, modern suburban areas, reminiscent of upscale residential neighborhoods from Lynn's era, boasted impressive European-style architecture. According to the so-called green space and volume ratios of his time, the environment before him could easily have developers advertising with huge signs: "Urban Countryside, Bustling Pastoral."
The scenery along the road was indeed beautiful, but Lynn was in no mood to appreciate it. Moreover, seeing the war refugees and wounded soldiers limping along with crutches in small groups around him, Lynn was once again enveloped in the heavy hues of Imperial doomsday. Occasionally passing factories with towering chimneys, the scorched earth and bomb craters left by Soviet bombings were still haunting, along with scattered airplane wreckage, all reminding this young man, who had just passed a night of spring breeze, how cruel reality could be!
After walking for a while and taking a brief rest, by mid-afternoon, the group finally entered the densely built-up area of the city, with streets crisscrossing each other. Here, people were no longer walking in one direction; there were empty cars returning from the port, hurried military personnel, and men wearing black hats, black trench coats, and a vigilant look — the situation was so urgent that Lynn was surprised to see the Gestapo in Konigsberg. Upon reflection, whether incited by others or naturally occurring, areas where refugees and wounded soldiers gathered were indeed prone to outbreaks of dissatisfaction and could lead to terrible consequences.
As imagined, the closer they got to the harbor, the more the smell of the sea permeated the air. The salty breeze blew in their faces, occasionally accompanied by the sound of ship horns, prompting the group to quicken their pace. However, after crossing a few street corners, the streets became increasingly crowded, until they could no longer proceed. Lynn tiptoed and stretched his neck to look ahead, only to see a wooden frame wire fence erected along the street blocking the path to the harbor. Through the gaps between distant buildings, Lynn vaguely saw that hint of deep blue.
"Daddy, Daddy, why aren't they leaving?" Little Karla, tugging at Lynn's coat, asked in her sweet, innocent voice, devoid of impatience or dissatisfaction.
Not knowing how to say "dock" in German and not wanting to waste extra time flipping through a dictionary, Lynn roughly explained, "It should be the place where they wait to board ships ahead. They're probably queuing to enter!"
There must have been thousands of people squeezed on this street, men, women, and children, wearing hats, scarves, or nothing at all, almost everyone wanting to know the situation ahead, their heads swaying slightly within a small area like blades of grass in the wind.
With the physique and strength of a young man, it was possible to force his way to the front, but Lynn thought it would be difficult for the White Goat Beard family of three to keep up. Moreover, if pushing through was effective, by now many people on the street would likely have been flattened. He thought for a moment, turned around, and saw a few groups of refugees still coming this way, but what caught his attention were those sitting at street corners and on balconies of buildings along the street. From their attire, they seemed to be civilians who had evacuated from various parts of East Prussia. Compared to others, they showed less impatience and more resignation.
So, Lynn turned to White Goat Beard and his wife. "Let's go, let's find a place to settle down first!"
There was neither opposition nor agreement, and as Lynn lifted little Karla into his arms, the two of them also picked up their luggage.
Walking in the direction away from the harbor, Lynn quickly chose a building that looked like a hotel. Pushing open the broken glass double doors, they entered a messy hall. Although things here were scattered, traces of human activity could still be seen. Climbing up the intact spiral staircase to the second floor, they found two old men leaning against the windowsills, looking out.
Lynn stopped in his tracks and asked the two old men in English through White Goat Beard.
"Excuse me, do you know what order people are waiting to board ships?" White Goat Beard spoke rapidly, not worrying at all about whether the other party could hear clearly.
The old man, with white hair and a wrinkled face, replied slowly, "The numbers you received when you entered the restricted area are the order for entering the dock area. Just wait! We've been waiting here for two days. At the current rate, it might be a few more days before we can board a ship!"
Lynn only understood half of what was said. When White Goat Beard translated it back into English, he remembered that the White Goat Beard family seemed to have received gray tags when they registered, but he did not. Hastily looking to White Goat Beard and his wife, he saw identical Arabic numerals "273" on their two tags.
"What's your number?" Lynn looked up at the old man across from him.
"We're all in the 2-3-1 batch!" The old man read out these numbers separately, rather than turning them into one large number, which was easier for Lynn to understand.
Although the two sets of numbers differed by only 42, it was easy to imagine that each number represented a batch of people, perhaps hundreds or even thousands.
Lynn asked again, "How many people are leaving by ship every day now?"
The old man replied, "I heard that when things were going smoothly before, they could evacuate twenty to thirty thousand people a day, but recently, the Soviet bombings have been intense, so only a few thousand people may be boarding ships each day! Hmm, those who received number 215 yesterday were allowed to enter the dock area to wait to board. Numbers 216 and 217 are still in line ahead, so it might be tomorrow or the day after when they reach around 220!"
Understanding the meaning of this, Lynn sighed inwardly: My goodness, how long will this go on?
"This is God punishing our sinful souls!" Suddenly, the old lady next to him uttered such a sigh, her dry fingers crossing her forehead and chest.
"Ah..." The old man sighed, "The navy seems to be working hard to clear the two sunken ships in the channel these days. If they can succeed, and the Russian air raids are not so frequent, the evacuation speed might increase in the future!"
Hearing this, Lynn didn't know what to say for a moment.
Hearing voices in the corridor, several rooms nearby opened, and out came elderly people and two curious children about five or six years old poking their heads out.
"Are there any spare rooms here?" White Goat Beard broke the silence.
The old man said, "There are none on this floor or the one above. The ground floor has none either. Try going to the fourth and fifth floors! Oh, by the way, the second corner to the south, turn right, there's a relatively large air raid shelter. Once you hear the air raid alarm, it's
best to get there as soon as possible!"
"Let's go!" White Goat Beard turned to Lynn, his old, weathered face still wearing that calm expression.
Although thinking about what the military officer said when entering the defensive line, to go to the Keel Hotel to inquire about the situation, Lynn decided to settle this family of three first.
The innkeeper was nowhere to be found, but the rooms here were full of guests. Unable to find a vacant spot on the fourth floor, the group climbed to the top floor of the inn, where they finally found a small room at the corner. In this era, of course, there were no TVs or air conditioners in the inn. A double bed, a small round wooden table, two wooden chairs, and a small dressing table were all that adorned the room. The broken windows let in a cold breeze, and the balcony door was also broken. Opening it, Lynn was greeted with a semi-circular balcony with limited space, holding a small coffee table and two sofa chairs. When the sun was plentiful, sitting on such a balcony, drinking tea and reading a book, would be a pleasant enjoyment.
Walking onto the balcony, Lynn found that from here, he could overlook a large area of the city and a corner of the harbor. Since Vienna first demolished its city walls, many cities in Europe had gradually stepped out of their traditional frameworks, but this did not mean abandoning tradition. The city of Konigsberg before him was a mix of old and new buildings, a blend of traditional atmosphere and modern vibe. The beautiful Pregel River merged into the sea from here, with various bridges connecting the urban area and the islands formed by sedimentation. Looking across the city towards the harbor, the water surface under the sunlight was not as deep blue as imagined. It shimmered with a yellow-green color similar to grass and carried ships of various sizes and purposes. At first glance, the scene seemed lively, but upon closer inspection, it was somewhat disappointing...
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone