Chapter 651: Lying Down and Standing

This was perhaps one of the few places where Akado’s arrival was not met with applause. He walked quietly along a wooded path flanked by lawns. Everyone composed themselves and followed behind the decisive Führer of the Empire.

One tombstone after another, one name after another. This was the Imperial Cemetery for Fallen Soldiers, a place where everyone longed to be laid to rest. If death could be ranked, then this place was undoubtedly the most prime real estate for a glorious grave in all of Germany.

Akado suddenly stopped in front of a stone cross. It was an exquisitely made tombstone. Every gravestone in this cemetery was a work of art, meticulously crafted by skilled old artisans. These tombstones carried not a history, but the souls of those who had given their all for the enduring strength of Germany.

Everyone behind Akado remained silent. They watched in awe as he reached out with his fair, slender fingers and traced the edges of the cross on the tombstone, like a pianist gracefully caressing his piano, his expression solemn and filled with deep emotion.

“Dutraby von Hoffmann. Every telegram you sent back to the fatherland, I touched with my own hands. I read them all personally. I have known you for a long time, but we only met once. At that time, we didn’t have the German salute yet. You boarded the train to Wilhelmshaven, and I shook your hand on the platform to say goodbye. It’s been over twenty years, and you never returned to Germany…” Akado shed tears without realizing it. He had personally sent these people lying in the cemetery to the battlefield. The reason they lay here was because they deeply loved this country.

Perhaps this name had never appeared in Germany’s official records. Perhaps no one would recognize this name if it were spoken aloud. But for this name to be lying here now was enough to prove its importance. The queue of famous people waiting to be buried in this cemetery since the moment it was built was as long as the hairs on an ox. If you looked carefully at those in line, you would know just how desirable this place was: Krupp, August, Jelinek, Merkel…

The man’s other name, or rather, his codename, was certainly a name that thundered in the ears of the German high command. Because on the tombstone Akado was caressing, there was a heartbreaking name: Greve.

Yes, this was the grave of “Poison.” There was no body inside, only letters of thanks from various departments of the German military and the medals they had awarded. Perhaps few people die with so many honors. Perhaps few people, even in death, can never return to their beloved homeland.

In the hometown of Dutraby von Hoffmann, or Greve, a park was named Hoffmann Park, built with the old man’s life savings. And in the grave, lying with the medals, was a letter of thanks written by Akado himself. These paper letters were all preserved in a bottle, the mouth sealed with wax and meticulously stamped with the plastic seal of the Third Reich.

Lying here with the old man was another grave without a body. The suffix of the name on this tombstone was also Hoffmann. He was the Honorary Rear Admiral of the German Navy who had died in the Battle of the English Channel, “Gray Wolf.”

One tombstone after another, row after row. Every person here had a story that could be written into a brilliant novel. That was why they were buried here, to be mourned and revered by all Germans. Countless people came here every day to pay their respects, and countless people came to clean. Young girls placed bright wreaths at the foot of the tombstones, which were covered by new flowers before the old ones had even withered.

Promotion and wealth? How many people here had given up even their lives for their country? To them, money was truly an external thing. They were behind enemy lines, and they had died heroically just to send one important piece of intelligence back home. Fame and success? How many people here had worked silently for their ideals until death, never once appearing in a newspaper, yet their life’s work was enough to shake the world and change the future development of humanity.

Akado caressed one tombstone after another, not saying a word. But his movements were so gentle, his steps so firm, that his actions moved everyone who had followed him here. They felt that their dream of revitalizing Germany, under the leadership of such a person, would eventually become a reality.

The Führer walked, and the people behind him followed, step by step, as if there were no end. Akado carefully examined each tombstone, as if he could see the vivid, smiling faces of their owners. Akado knew many of the people here. They had eaten together, walked together, and discussed science, military affairs, and engineering under the grape trellises or by the flowerbeds.

For example, the stone tablet he was looking at now belonged to a scientist from the German atomic energy project, from the heavy water program. This man had died in a British spy’s sabotage operation, killed by a bomb on his way to work. His contribution to German nuclear energy research could be said to be even greater than Einstein’s. Akado had even personally had dinner with him.

And another man was an engineer on the nuclear power project. This man had died of a heart attack at his post. Because he and his team had worked day and night, Germany was now only one step away from the application of nuclear energy. The problem of insufficient electricity that had plagued Germany was also expected to be fundamentally resolved.

But now, for various reasons, they were all lying here, accompanying the fatherland they loved, forever resting in this fervent land. Their names might not be known to anyone, and their contributions might be remembered by few, but because they were buried here, they were recognized as German heroes.

Germany’s journey in nuclear energy research had been exceptionally difficult. Although Akado had provided guidance on the highest-level theory, for various reasons, they had still not successfully developed a practical nuclear weapon to this day. It wasn’t that the German scientists were less skilled, but that one often cannot simply make a horizontal comparison of the development time of several nuclear powers.

The simplest truth is this: in 1937, if China were given five years, could it produce an atomic bomb? Everyone knows the answer is no. Some might even scoff, disdaining to answer. By the same token, why couldn’t the United States and Britain produce an atomic bomb in 1935?

In fact, any complex scientific research project is built upon a series of scientific advancements. The atomic bomb is no exception. The accumulation of technologies such as the container for the raw materials, the speed of the centrifuges, and the purification of materials all affect the application and development of nuclear energy. The German nuclear energy research team, feeling its way forward, was now at the forefront of the world. This was an absolutely remarkable achievement.

Thinking of nuclear weapons, thinking of Germany’s nuclear energy research, Akado thought of Dr. Einstein, whom he had not visited for a long time. He turned his head, beckoned to Gascoigne behind him, and when the latter had hurried to his side, he asked in a low voice, “How is Dr. Einstein’s recovery? He… is a friend of mine. He should not spend the rest of his life so miserably.”

“My Führer,” Gascoigne replied quickly upon hearing Akado’s question. “Dr. Einstein’s physical recovery is going quite well. It’s just that the bullet damaged a nerve. Although he has woken up, he still cannot walk normally.”

For any individual, spending the rest of one’s life in a wheelchair is definitely a major blow. So Dr. Einstein was now very depressed. Every day, a dedicated nurse would push him out to sunbathe for his recovery, but he still rarely spoke.

Akado knew this. He had just thought of this old friend and was asking about his recent situation. But for a scientist who could have benefited all of mankind to end up in such a state was truly regrettable.

“You must help him recover his health! Do everything possible to get him back on his feet, so he can move freely! This is the most basic respect for science and knowledge!” Akado said to Gascoigne, who was following behind him, as he continued to walk forward.

“Yes, my Führer!” Gascoigne quickly agreed. To be honest, he hadn’t paid much attention to Einstein for a long time, as he was no longer of any use.

Just as they were walking past a small tombstone, Akado stopped. He squatted down and arranged the messy flowers with his hand, revealing the name of the tombstone’s owner. The name was unremarkable; perhaps no one would remember this old Reichswehr-era office secretary, Grace. “I have someone send a bouquet of flowers every week… Promise me, on Dr. Einstein’s matter, don’t do such a stupid thing again, okay?”

Gascoigne was stunned, then nodded heavily. Only now did he realize how much grief his past arbitrary decision had caused Akado. Only now did he realize that von Seeckt’s secretary, who did not deserve to die, really should not have been secretly executed.

Perhaps if she had lived until now, she would have understood the Führer’s difficult position? Gascoigne thought with some regret. As Akado lifted his feet to continue walking, he remained frozen in place, swallowed up by the crowd following the Führer.

“My condolences,” August said, leaning on his cane, his other hand supported by a young officer. He walked to Akado’s side.

“It’s hard to be happy,” Akado said with a bitter smile. “Too many people I know are buried here. Every time I come here, I feel like a failure. I owe these people something I can probably never repay in this lifetime.”

“No, you are wrong, my Führer,” August said, shaking his head. He pointed to the endless forest of tombstones and said, “For them to be lying here is a kind of luck. Because we are still alive, and we can only carry the dreams they did not complete and continue to walk on!”

Published: 2025-09-15T05:53:49.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-02-08T18:52:55.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c651-lying-138920451

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