Death Notice

“Gerthard Heinrich… I’ve heard that name!” A glimpse of surprise flickered in blond Hans’s eyes. “So he’s the demon lieutenant Red Skull often talked about!”

“Well, Gerthard was just a lieutenant before the Casablanca battle. He even got thrown into a military prison for breaking rules, but Brigadier General Skorzeny recognized his talent and brought him into the operation plan.” Major Montana glanced at the blond youth. “Are you still in touch with those Hydra guys?”

“Cough, cough, it was just a chance meeting during an operation!” Captain Hans gave a few harsh coughs and smiled awkwardly.

After the fall of the Third Reich, most of the German army surrendered to the Allied Forces. Only the Aryan Ark Corps survived because they moved to a secret base in the Arctic ahead of time.

However, back then, because some commanders had different political views, this special force of the Third Reich, mainly made up of superhumans, special forces, intelligence agents, and scientists, split into three big groups.

The German unit led by Major Montana used to be the internal guard and scientists of the Aryan Ark Corps, later calling themselves the Millennium Bug Corps. The Hydra unit led by Red Skull came from the Third Reich’s intelligence agents.

There was also another German unit, the Oranienburg special forces, including a few superhumans. Near the end of the war, they often used night-vision goggles, glide flying suits, and stun guns to do night raids and sabotage in enemy-held areas.

Since the glide flying suits looked like bats in the night sky, and the stun guns left burn marks on bodies like vampire bites, this unit got called the Vampire Battalion.

After the war, though, most of the regular human members chose to become descendants of the Blood Clan under Commander Baron Wurdenbeller to revive Germany, so it became a real vampire battalion.

Because their fighting styles were different and their commanders’ ideas didn’t match, these three units had to go their separate ways, each fighting for their own dreams. But with the common enemy of the Allied Forces, the three groups met and divided their opponents through talks.

The Hydra unit under Red Skull was strongest in spying, so they targeted the most free country, the United States, and the Justice League it led. The Vampire Battalion under Baron Wurdenbeller had the most powerful fighters, so they went after the Soviet Union before it fell apart, and the Grimm Academy.

Major Montana’s Millennium Bug Corps was great at science but weakest in battle strength, so their target was Britain, the weakest Ally, and the Royal Order of Knights there.

“If we cooperate in the fight, that’s fine!” The fat major breathed out a heavy sigh. “Hydra and Millennium Bug are both Third Reich elites. Even though Red Skull and I think differently, I won’t blame you as long as it helps the empire’s revival!”

…

Qin Lun stood in front of a big floor mirror, checking his new look. The high-tech medical treatment on the Zeppelin Airship got him and Grant back to 100% health in two days.

He was wearing a Third Reich major’s uniform sent by Major Montana, not the gray one for field soldiers but the black one for tank units. He had a black wool coat draped behind him, a wide-brimmed hat on his head, and a broad black leather belt tied around, making him look heroic.

“Alright, stop showing off—we haven’t gotten the mission alerts yet!” Grant said lazily from the sofa, puffing on a cigar and blowing smoke. “Have you figured out how to chat with that chubby guy?”

Qin Lun showed a grin, picking up the broken Iron Cross and the freshly delivered Edelweiss from the table. A faint blood glow rose on his palm as he pressed the medal and flower above the pocket on the left breast of his uniform. The Iron Cross and Edelweiss melted like a hot iron into cheese, looking as if they’d grown right on the uniform.

“That Major Montana seems pretty sharp, he probably guessed my old plot identity already!” Qin Lun chuckled softly in the Team Channel, looking at the Edelweiss on his chest. “Shattered Starry Sky’s plan this time was clever—even though it’s just one Iron Cross First Class, it gave us both our plot identities.”

“That’s how it should be—with our mission performances, we deserve perks like this!” Grant waved the smoke away carelessly. “But with this German unit involved, our mission might not be too easy!”

“The mission? Ha—since we have a source of info right here, why not go ask Major Montana!” A glint flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes as he walked to the door, pressed a red button, and called out to the guard outside: “Soldier, come here! Tell Major Montana Captain Kluge has something to talk about!”

“Haha, seeing both of you fully recovered is really a joy!” The fat major quickly arrived at their room, and when he saw Qin Lun and Grant restored to youthful appearance, a thoughtful look crossed his eyes.

Fifty-four years had passed since WWII ended. Grant and Qin Lun had looked like old men before being brought to the airship. Recovering so soon proved to Major Montana that they were superhumans.

“So, sir, can you tell me your real identity now?” The fat major smiled, watching Qin Lun in his uniform.

“Major Montana, haven’t you guessed it already?” Qin Lun gave a small bow. “Gerthard Heinrich salutes you!”

“Yes, I believe who you are personally. But because it’s so important, I still have some questions. Only the real Captain Kluge and Major Gerthard could answer—you don’t mind, right?” The fat major opened a data notebook he carried.

“Of course! Your caution earns our respect!” Qin Lun and Grant exchanged a look, nodding and smiling in agreement.

After a while, the fat major closed his book with satisfaction. Most questions were about the Casablanca battle, and only German insiders knew the details. The Allies didn’t have this info, and he’d only seen it in top-secret Aryan Ark files.

If Qin Lun and Grant were Allied spies, they couldn’t have answered. Only the real ones, Commander Red Skull, or Blood Clan Baron Wurdenbeller could manage it.

“Welcome back, heroes of the empire, Captain Kluge, Major Gerthard!” A rare flash of emotion lit up Major Montana’s eyes as he stepped forward, giving Qin Lun and Grant each a warm hug.

“Major Montana, after 1946, I lived in hiding because the Allies hunted me. As for Captain Kluge…” Qin Lun glanced at Grant. “He stayed in the army but was closely watched by the Allies, so he couldn’t get much news. Can you explain more about those strange mythical creatures, sci-fi structures, and how the empire’s resistance stands? Does the Third Reich really have any hope of coming back?”

“As you wish! After the fall of Berlin in 1946…” The fat major’s face turned serious. He began with slow, heavy words, sharing his own experiences over the decades.

After the collapse of the Third Reich, Berlin got split by two big military groups: West Berlin went to the Anglo-American forces, East Berlin to the Soviet Union. Most empire leaders became war criminals. A few hid under fake names worldwide but faced long chases.

Since Germany lost many young men in the war and all its colonies plus some home territory, the Allies pushed immigrants into Germany, making many Poles and Slavs become Germans.

Also, after the war, the two big groups used brainwashing on Germans for years. That made today’s German government very different from pre-war times. They see the Third Reich elites as traitors for starting the war, blame it all, and bend to Anglo-American control.

The only Third Reich elites left were those from the Arctic secret base, the Aryan Ark Corps. But without top leaders, they broke apart within years, each going their own way.

The three highest ranks were all officers: Red Skull, Baron Wurdenbeller who was once a civilian, and Montana Max.

Red Skull leading Hydra felt that just them couldn’t bring back the Third Reich at the country level anymore. So, he aimed to plant spies among the Allies and fight ideas, to beat them like the endless Hydra.

Baron Wurdenbeller thought they could use the Soviet Union against the Anglo-Americans, start World War Three, and build a Fourth Reich from the ruins.

But Montana Max, who came from the inner guard and had sharp political skills, saw things differently. Major Montana was the most gloomy and realistic. He believed the post-war world had no room for Third Reich leftovers. They would all fade away with time.

So, Major Montana gave up hope of restoring the country. He decided to lead a holy war against Britain, one of the key enemies who crushed the empire, before the Millennium Bug Corps’ desire for revenge died. If Britain hadn’t held out in WWII, Germany might have won before America joined up.

The three German elites split over their ideas. Without surprises, Major Montana’s guess would have been right.

Red Skull’s Hydra did annoy the Allies, but their big plots kept being wrecked by the Justice League and later the Avengers Alliance.

Baron Wurdenbeller’s Vampire Battalion got stuck in the Soviet quagmire. Against Grimm Academy and Soviet superhumans, they took heavy losses and had to hide in Romania.

But Major Montana’s war against Britain and the Royal Order wasn’t much better—the Millennium Bug bled a lot but achieved little.

All these failures made the Third Reich’s last few fighters despair, even Major Montana, Red Skull, and Baron Wurdenbeller started losing faith. Their acts turned more like terrorism, clashing with the peaceful world.

Then in 1983, a mysterious cube fell on the pyramids in Egypt, which broke through the fog for the Third Reich elite. Next came the reunification of Germany and the Soviet collapse, giving them all new hope.

If the world plunged into chaos from mythical beasts and sci-fi structures toppling the postwar order, and superhumans took charge as guardians, then the Third Reich elites who had worked on superhumans just might bring about the Fourth Reich.

Thanks to this, the three secret groups seemed to be leaning towards teaming up again.

Hydra under Red Skull stopped terror attacks on America and began sneaking into today’s German government. The Vampire Battalion stepped out from its Central European hideout and secretly raised funds. The Millennium Bug rushed to develop superhumans and human weapons for big moves soon.

“So, you plan to use Captain Kluge and my identities to reach out to Hydra and the Vampire Battalion, get the three groups to drop old grudges and fight together?” As the fat major told his story, Qin Lun asked thoughtfully.

The three secret groups had been apart too long. A common goal united them some, but real teamwork needed time. Also, the units didn’t respect each other, which could cause problems in joint fights.

Only someone connected to all three and admired by them could pull this off. Qin Lun and Grant were perfect fits—they had ties with Baron Wurdenbeller and Red Skull.

Plus, as super war heroes, the Third Reich elites truly looked up to them, trusting them fully without doubt.

“Your identities are just one part—truth is, I have idead clashes with the other two leaders, but we all want the same end: to revive the empire, so personal hard feelings don’t matter!

Red Skull’s a super spy, so Hydra rocks at sneaking and hiding. The Vampire Battalion has the strongest superhuman fighters. Our Millennium Bug has the best bio-weapons and body modding tech. But all three groups share one big weakness.”

A touch of sadness showed on Major Montana’s chubby face as he opened his hands. “We have many brave fighters, but what we’re missing is commanders—ones who can decide how whole battles turn out.”

The fat major smiled toward Qin Lun. “Now that you’re here, we cover that hole. Major Gerthard, that’s your real worth!”

“No, I’m still not quite getting it.” Hearing Montana’s praise, Qin Lun didn’t feel proud—he just frowned a bit. “In the war, I was just a low-level scout troop commander. That praise seems over the top. If it’s about Casablanca, I’m sorry, but that was more a special ops job—not a big battle.”

“Hmm, Major Gerthard, you got this wrong!” Major Montana paused before going on. “To tell the truth, no one in the Millennium Bug—not even Captain Hans—knows I met with Red Skull and Baron Wurdenbeller not long ago…”

In that video meet-up of the three groups, the three leaders agreed that if the world went wild from mythical creatures, war would change for good. Huge armies of tens of thousands wouldn’t be a thing.

Regular troops couldn’t stand up to those creatures—more men just meant higher body piles, nothing else. The heart of a World War Three would be superhuman armies: dozens to thousands at most.

They could lead such forces, but not well. What Gerthard showed in Casablanca—sharp ability to decide and plan in battle—made him the perfect commander for a superhuman unit.

Major Montana sighed. “If everyone knew you were alive, all three groups would surely build a small, crack superhuman unit for you to lead. Major Gerthard, would you give everything again to bring the empire back?”

Facing Montana’s passionate stare, Qin Lun didn’t snap back an answer. Instead, he looked at Grant and dropped silence. The reason was simple; with all this info, they still had no mission alerts.

“Shattered Starry Sky told us the main plotline had started…” Grant whispered in the Team Channel, confused. “Normally, when the chubby guy offers that, we should get a prompt. Why not?”

“Maybe his ask hasn’t hit a tipping point. Montana may believe who we are, but I doubt he’d handover strong forces to an old war hero just like that…” Qin Lun said quietly back in the Team Channel.

After a quick chat with Grant, Qin Lun lifted his head and smiled at the fat major. “Major Montana, I’ve been away from war for decades—it seems like a far-off dream. Are you truly okay with putting Germany’s last elite fighters in my hands?”

“Not at all! There’ll be a little test!” Major Montana’s eyes behind his glasses held a sly flicker as he winked. “Honestly, after the empire fell, I thought reviving was impossible. I almost made destroying London and the Royal Order my life’s top aim…

But now, wild changes and rare hope act like a rebirth for me. Before teaming up with the others to fight for the empire, I want to finish one little wish as a gift to myself.

Major Gerthard, would you lead a Millennium Bug special unit to London and wreck the Royal Order’s headquarters for me?”

As soon as Major Montana spoke, the mission alert for the Main Plotline pinged in Qin Lun and Grant’s Apostle Soul Marks…