Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

Manhattan, fourth floor of Gold Coin Hotel.

Hotel manager Winston, at Austin Parker's request, found a military map around Yokosuka Port that had been used internally by the army five years ago.

Edward B. Tryon, who was a little drunk, stood up and walked to the table. Looking at the slightly yellowed map, a big exclamation point suddenly appeared in his heart.

Mr. Parker put his hands behind his back, carefully observed the expressions of Lawrence and Old Cui En, and smiled.

"This is just an old map that was used internally by the USS Midway aircraft carrier group of the Navy's Seventh Fleet before they stationed at the Yokosuka Port military base."

"The latest version of the military map of Yokosuka Port is a military secret..."

Old Cui En put his hands on the table, tilted his head and stared at Mr. Parker sideways, and said in a deep voice: "Don't forget, we are still in the Cold War!"

"This latest military port map has a secret level within the military that is second only to top secret!!"

"Oh~ I know."

"That's why I never thought about getting it out~"

"alley?"

"How are you going to do it?"

Mr. Parker smiled "humbly", stretched out his right hand and pressed it on the map, and asked Old Cui En.

"Are you asking knowingly?"

"..." Old Cui En stopped talking.

Lawrence looked down at the map for a while, frowned and whispered: "Most of the areas on this map were burned to rubble during the Tokyo bombing, right?"

"That's right!"

Old Cui En retracted his finger, drew a curved arc from the lower right corner of the map to the upper left corner, and said.

“At the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy achieved great victory in the Pacific, and the Army also quickly occupied the Marshall Islands, a strategic military base in the Western Pacific, as well as Guam and Saipan, which are very close to the island country’s homeland, fully seizing the military strategic initiative. .”

"But~"

"The senior leaders of the island nation's military in the late World War II did not choose to surrender because of the successive defeats in the Pacific Campaign."

"Instead, we made a very high-profile announcement: we will carry out the final desperate hand-to-hand combat on the mainland, and send all those who can pick up guns to the front line."

"General Marshall once said when he received intelligence from all parties and held a meeting to discuss it~"

"If our troops land on the mainland of the island country, it will be even more tragic than the battlefields of World War I in Europe... a quagmire of war!"

"We will have to pay at least one million casualties in order to make the island nation's army, which has gone completely crazy, surrender."

"So~ the air force, which was still under the jurisdiction of the Army Headquarters at that time, was ordered to start formulating a plan to bomb the main cities of the island country!"

"Our current Air Force four-star general, Curtis Emerson LeMay, is the commander who commanded the bombing of the island nation."

"He himself participated in many precision bombing operations against important military and industrial facilities in Germany in the UK."

"So, when Curtis learned that most of the buildings in the island country's cities were made of wooden structures, he immediately planned to use napalm bombs to conduct an exploratory carpet bombing of Yokohama, one of the most important industrial towns in the island country. plan of.."

Old Cui En moved his finger to the location of Yokosuka Military Port, and gradually landed on several landmark buildings to the north, and said.

"The B29 Superfortress bomber group sent by Le Mei will first bomb the Yokosuka Port + Yokohama City in southern Tokyo. The secondary targets will be factories, power plants and other facilities in the suburbs and urban areas of Tokyo."

"And most of the area on this map was between the industrial towns of Yokohama and Tokyo during World War II. It was an area where civilians lived, with a large number of connected wooden houses. After the island country announced its surrender, it was already It’s a scorched earth without people living in it..."

Old Cui En retracted his finger, stood up straight, stared at the map, and whispered.

"Tokyo Tower!"

"It was built in 1958 and is more than 8 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It is the tallest self-standing tower in the island country."

“But before the construction plan for this tower was proposed, someone had already used their position, embezzled public funds, and acted as an agent to secretly join forces to lower the price and quietly bought the land near Yokosuka Port, Yokohama City, and southern Tokyo City. Much of the post-war wasteland..."

"And the total value of these wastelands has increased dozens of times in the decades since the island country was rebuilt after the war."

"Oh~ Got it!"

Mr. Parker felt a little "unfinished" and smiled: "I guess this is one of the main factors why the Army Command took over and rebuilt the Army Criminal Investigation Service (cid) many times after World War II, right?"

"..Um!"

Old Cui En glanced at the map a few times, then looked up at the smiling Mr. Parker, turned back to his seat, sat down, and said.

"I visited Tokyo and Yokohama many times after the war."

"Several of my old comrades have mentioned these things to me more than once when they were drunk~"

"But I didn't even take it to heart..."

"However, it seems now that nearly half of those who once held power more than 20 years ago are dead~"

"The remaining people seem to be a little impatient and want to redistribute the benefits..."

"That's why cid actually sent people to approach and investigate the descendants of General William D. Leahy... a stupid move!"

"madness?"

"I don't think so!"

Mr. Parker pulled Lawrence back to his old seat, picked up the wine glass and smiled.

"The once-famous United States' first five-star general and Hammer General Leahy has passed away 20 years ago!"

"Only someone like you who participated in that tragic war can grit his teeth and endure it until today, right?"

"If there were a different group of people, they would definitely not let General Leahy's descendants continue to control..."

"..."

Mr. Parker didn't finish his words, but Old Cui En already understood~

He gave a self-deprecating smile and whispered, "I'm a little tired... Are you okay?"

"Have!"

Mr. Parker glanced at the silent Lawrence, put away his smile, thought seriously for a moment, and said.

"Are you...still on parole?"

"Ok!"

"You went back to Texas to visit family this time. What did you tell the New Jersey Parole Board?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Okay~"

Mr. Parker asked with a hint of temptation in his voice with a few glints in his eyes.

"Mr. Cui En, have you never wanted to go to the island country and catch up with your old comrades?"

"Huh?" Old Cui En raised his eyebrows suddenly, and immediately guessed what Mr. Parker had to say.

He slowly exhaled the breath of alcohol, thought for a moment, and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"No!"

"Don't get me wrong!"

"It's not what I want you to do, but you are willing to take the initiative to tell me this tonight... You must have a purpose in mind!"

"Right?"

"..." Old Cui En looked at Mr. Parker quietly for a while, then slowly sat up straight and shook his head.

"Ever since I buried my son's body last time... I have no intention of getting involved in anything anymore~"

"I'm just a veteran!"

"A veteran who paid the price for his impulsiveness."

"That's all!"

"The price..." Mr. Parker repeated softly, turned to look at Lawrence, and said.

"You go find Mag Ludwig."

"He must be waiting for you too."

"...Okay!" Lawrence didn't waste too much time, pulling Old Cui En to get up and leave.

Mr. Parker watched the two people walk to the door of the room and suddenly spoke again.

"Please help me tell Mag~"

"If that Ezra Claymore does something else..."

"I will let him understand what I understand by the word price!"

"...Hmm!" After hearing this, Lawrence suddenly subconsciously touched the holster under his arm and nodded lightly as he asked.

"You want...to kill him?"

"No~"

Mr. Parker showed a "devil" smile, spread his hands and said: "Rather than letting a person die happily, it is better to let him continue to live in pain."

"Man, this world of ours...is truly hell!"

"Hahahaha~"

Old Cui En turned his head to look at the laughing Mr. Parker, stretched out his hand to pull Lawrence, and the two walked out of the room door in silence.

. . .

After a few minutes.

The two of them stood in front of the hotel, breathing the fresh, cold air~

Old Cui En chuckled, turned to Lawrence and asked: "Are you sending me to the Wildfire Bar to find the Jackal?"

"Or should I go with you to find Mag Ludwig?"

"It will be all right!"

"You decide for yourself." Lawrence took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit it and replied.

"Um.."

Old Cui En also lit one for himself, raised his head and blew out a cloud of smoke towards the street lamp.

"This Otis Parker, you should see it a few times in the future..."

"..Haha~"

Lawrence couldn't help but smile and asked, "Were you scared by him too?"

"Yes~"

"A madman with a disease in his head...who wouldn't be afraid?"

"Hahahaha~"

Lawrence laughed and blew out a cloud of smoke, walked to the car, took out the car keys from his pocket, and said.

"If you just met him for the first time, you would think that he is a pervert with a mental problem..."

"Then you will be deceived by him..."

"Oh?"

Old Cui En thought for a moment in surprise, walked to the other side of the car, got into the passenger seat, and asked.

"You mean...?"

"Hmm~"

Lawrence started the car, took a long drag on his cigarette, and explained.

"He and Sam Rogers were both helpers introduced to David by old Mr. Morgan."

"It's been a few months now~ David is using Sam Rogers more and more, but he deliberately keeps some distance from Mr. Otis Parker..."

"What do you think David is thinking?"

"... Just tell me~ I don't want to guess." Old Cui En rolled down the window and threw out the half of the cigarette butt.

Lawrence glanced in the rearview mirror a few times, then put the gear into gear and said.

"To be honest, I don't know what David is thinking..."

"But you just heard that Mr. Parker seems to think that he is the one who knows David best."

"So as long as David doesn't do anything stupid... he should be the last person who wants to see David have an accident~"

"..Haha~"

"how about you?"

"What do you think?" Old Cui En asked with a very interested smile.

Lawrence slowly raised his foot on the accelerator, pursed his lips and whispered: "I suddenly had an urge to kill Otis Parker..."

"Hahahaha~" Old Cui En was amused by his "unanswered question" answer.

----

On the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii.

Evening~

398 Corudilla Avenue, Honolulu Island.

In the courtyard, there are several rectangular tables covered with beige tablecloths.

David raised his wine glass to everyone and said with a smile: "Let us welcome the two Mr. Zhang who came from Xiangjiang and Maggie, Toby and Kihara Nobunari who came from New York!"

"Cheers~"

"cheers!"

Lilith, Giles, Bloomer, and Tilda who were sitting next to David, as well as Giovanni, Jin Ji and his wife, Madonna and Mirala who were sitting a little further away, all raised their glasses to the people sitting there. Next to Cui Yingying, Zhang Maochang, Zhang Jiaan and his son, and Maggie smiled and raised their glasses.

John Rambo, who was sitting at the table farthest from David, also followed Mr. Gardener and Brotney Mecia beside him and raised his glass to the new guests tonight.

. . .

After a few minutes.

David glanced at Zhang Maochang and his son, who were acting a little reserved and unnatural, and Cui Yingying, who was sitting next to them. He turned to the butler Aclade beside him and whispered a few words in a low voice.

Aklade nodded slightly, walked steadily behind Cui Yingying, and whispered a few words in her ear.

Cui Yingying blinked in surprise and confusion, turned to look at David who was smiling, and after receiving confirmation, she bit her lips and nodded.

And Bloomer, who "sees" all this, smiled mischievously, winked at Lilith sitting opposite, and asked.

"You... just feel free to go to the big island for a few days and don't care about him??"

"Hehe~"

Lilith turned her head and glanced at Tilda beside her, then looked at David who was "eating fiercely" with his head down, and smiled.

"You men~"

"It's like a kite flying in the sky. The tighter I pull, the more you want to resist."

"Uh..." Blumer was speechless.

Giles, who was beside him, glanced at the "calm" Tilda in a strange way. He was very sensible and said nothing, and followed David's example and continued to "eat hard"~

Seeing that the two boys had given up, Lilith smiled, raised her wine glass, and asked David.

"I said...right?!"

"Yeah!" David, who was engrossed in "eating fiercely", after hearing Lilith's "deadly question", nodded with certainty and smiled with his mouth bulging.

"Of course! You're right about everything, honey!"

"...Hahahaha~" Blumer was the first to not hold back, covering his mouth and burst out laughing. .

"...Hahahaha~" Giles couldn't hold it back for a moment and laughed out loud~

Lilith's eyes showed "very satisfied". .

She took a sip of her drink, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tilda's face beside her becoming ugly, and the smile on her lips became even thicker~

While David was chewing the food in his mouth, he noticed the micro-expressions of Lilith and Tilda~

He picked up the juice cup and took a sip, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and said.

"The kite metaphor you mentioned is a very appropriate description of the delicate relationship between most lovers today."

"We might as well try to interpret it from more angles and add some specific circumstances!"

"For example: In this metaphor, there are people flying kites, there is wind, there are kite strings, there are kites flying in the wind, and... there are many unpredictable factors~"

"Then... before a kite flyer lets go of the kite, do he really want the kite to fly smoothly?"

"Or do you just want to hold on to the kite string in your hand and do an experiment on flying a kite?"

"...?" Lilith put down her wine glass in a daze, resting her chin on one hand without answering.

David tilted his head and looked at Tilda Swinton, whose expression slowly returned to her natural state, and continued with a smile.

"We all know that one of the important prerequisites for success in flying a kite is that there must be strong enough wind + find the right wind direction!"

"But intangible things like wind and direction... are probably the most unpredictable in the world, right?"

"How can people who want to fly a kite more accurately predict the strength and direction of the wind?"

"Look at the weather forecast?"

"Certainly not!"

David raised his hand and pulled out a hair from his head, held it up in front of several people and smiled.

"It's like the joke I once heard: If someone in this world lies almost every day, there will still be people who choose to believe him..."

"Then he must be a weatherman!"

"...Haha~" Bloomer bared his big white teeth, his eyes wandered around Lilith and Tilda a few times, and he smiled very interestingly.

David rolled his eyes at him sideways, raised the hair in his hand a little higher, and said.

"So ah~"

"When those who want to fly a kite take the kite to an open space to prepare, they will definitely first feel where the wind is coming from and how strong it is, and then they will choose the direction and method of flying the kite."

"But!"

"Almost everyone has never seriously thought about it. Even if you find the right wind direction and use the right method, will the kite be able to fly?"

"Not necessarily~"

"According to my experience of flying kites, most of the first flights were failures."

"Although the success rate will increase a lot during the second flight...but there will also be failures!"

"Only after many flying experiments, the kite will fly into the sky against the wind under the action of wind resistance!"

David slowly put the hair in his hand on the tablecloth, blew on it, and smiled.

“The relationship between the kite flyer and the kite depends on both the preparation before flying + the method or proficiency in the process.”

"At the same time, it also depends on whether the wind direction will suddenly change + whether the wind force will suddenly decrease, etc., unpredictable factors!"

"So ah~"

"When the kite really flies in the sky, the kite flyer must be prepared to face various sudden and unpredictable factors if he wants to rely on the string in his hand to control it and recover it."

David put his elbows on the dining table, crossed his fingers in front of his eyes, and asked Lilith and Tilda in a slightly weird low voice.

"Are you sure... you want to join this kite flying game?"

"Have you ever thought about whether the kite wants to fly on its own before it is flown?"

"Why does it have to be let go?"

"Have you... thought about it?"

"A kite that has never flown once is not called a kite?"

"But if it doesn't want to fly...will anyone care?"

"..."

The "kite philosophy" David mentioned made several people feel a little confused~

But David didn't seem to have any intention of "letting go" them, and asked questions one after another.

"When a kite that doesn't want to fly unexpectedly falls back to the ground from high in the sky, or hangs on a branch..."

"Will you decisively cut off the thread in your hands...give it up?"

"When you see it almost shattered to pieces...do you feel heartbroken?"

"When you only have kite string boards in your hands but no kite, will you regret it?"

"When you decided not to fly kites anymore, you unexpectedly received a brand new kite."

"Will you still choose to accept it and let it go?"

"When you fly a new kite again, will you remember the kite that has broken the string?"

"When another brand-new kite is shattered into pieces...will you decisively choose to give up on it?"

"When you and the people around you gradually see kite flying as a fun game..."

"Do you still have feelings of distress, regret, regret, etc. in your heart?"

"When you look up one day and see the kite still stubbornly hanging on the branch..."

"What will happen to your true feelings in your heart?"

"A kite with its string broken or a kite flying in the sky, which one do you want to see most?"

"Hehe~"

David opened his hands to a few people who were either bowing their heads in thought or frowning in thought, and asked the last question with a smile.

"If I just don't want to fly... I just want to be a kite hung on the wall~"

"Will you... force me to fly once?"

"No!" Tilda Swinton, who was a little surprised by David, was the first to give the answer simply.

Lilith, who was sitting next to her, raised the knife in her right hand to David with a smile on her lips and asked.

"Do you need me to disconnect you?"

"..." David rolled his eyes at her, causing Bloomer to laugh.

"Hahahaha~"