Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Two French youths venture into Steel City

When the news of Schulz's disappearance reached the city of France, Marcel's first reaction was: Is this a trick of war? Of course, thinking about it carefully, he thought, the consequences for Stalstad would be very serious, and logically speaking, this assumption was not valid.But, he thought instead, there was no reason to speak of hatred, and in a man like Mr. Schultz, at a certain moment, the fire of anger would make him fight, desperately.Besides, no matter what it is, you have to be careful anyway. At Marcel's request, the Committee of Defense immediately drew up a proclamation urging the inhabitants to be vigilant against the deceitful information the enemy was trying to lull them into.

The construction of fortifications and various trainings are going on more intensely than before. This is the most appropriate answer from the city of France to Mr. Schulz's unscrupulous intrigues.But San Francisco, Chicago, and New York and the newspapers' reports, and the financial and commercial consequences of the Stallstadt disaster, all of which have no solid evidence, seem to be in isolation. It's insignificant, but looking at it together, it can explain the problem very well, so no one can doubt it anymore. One morning, people in France City woke up and found that the danger had completely passed. It was like a person having a nightmare. When he woke up, he would be all right.Yes!The city of France was indeed out of danger without firing a shot.It was after Marcel was convinced that he used all the means at his disposal to tell the news to the whole city.

Then, all the people in the city were very happy, relaxed and happy, like a festival, with a big sigh of relief, everyone shook hands, congratulated each other, and invited each other to eat.The women were all dressed up, and the men took a break from drills, training, and work.One by one relaxed their hearts, exulted, and smiled.The whole city seemed to have recovered from a serious illness. However, the happiest one was undoubtedly Dr. Sarrazan.This venerable and lovely man considered himself responsible for the fate of all who came in faith to make their homes on his land and to come under his protection.For a month he had never had a moment's peace in worrying about what would happen to those whom he wanted to make happy.Now, at last, he was freed from such a terrified predicament, a stone fell to the ground at last.

A common danger, however, unites all the citizens more closely.People from all walks of life are getting closer, with the same feelings, similar interests, and brotherhood.Everyone felt that something new was rippling in their hearts.Henceforth, for the inhabitants of the City of France, the Fatherland was born.We used to fear and suffer for it, and we felt more deeply how much we loved it. Taking defensive measures has had very beneficial results for everyone.Everyone learns to recognize their own strength, no need to cram for help, and they are full of confidence in themselves.In the future, no matter what happens, everyone can be prepared.

The career of Dr. Sarrazan had never been brighter.Moreover, it is commendable that everyone has not forgotten Marcel's hard work.Although it is not because of him that everyone can escape safely, everyone is very grateful to him, because he is the organizer of the defense work. Because of his loyalty, even if Mr. Schultz's conspiracy is carried out, the city of France will not be destroyed. of. However, Marcel does not think that his responsibility has been fulfilled. There might still be a danger lurking in the mystery of Stahlstad, he wondered.Only after dispelling the fog that shrouds Steel City, will he feel at ease.

Therefore, he decided to go to Stalstadt again, and at all costs, he must find out the truth. Dr. Sarrazan said to him again and again: This is difficult to do, and it may be dangerous. He is going into hell. He may encounter a trap at every step. Mr. Schultz is just like Marcel to him. As described, it is definitely not a person who will disappear without harming others, and is definitely not a person who will give up until he achieves his goal. This kind of person can do anything, you must be careful, otherwise, you will definitely die! Dear doctor, it is precisely because I think that everything you think is possible, Marcel replied to Dr. Sarrazan, that I think it is my duty to go to Stalstadt again.It is a bomb, and I must remove its fuse before it explodes, and I even want to ask your permission to take Octave with me.

Octave!cried the honest doctor. Yes!He is now a decent lad to depend on, and I assure you that this trip to Stalstad will do him good! May God bless you both!The excited old man hugged Marcel and said. The next morning, after a carriage passed through deserted villages, Marcel and Octave were sent to the gate of Stahlstad.The two brought all the items and weapons, and they were determined not to return them until the truth came out. They walked side by side on the outer ring road around the castle, and Marcel now faced the truth of what he had been skeptical of before. It was clear that the factory was completely paralyzed.

The sky was pitch black, without a single star.If in the past, along the road he and Octave were walking, the lights of the gas lamps and the flashes of the sentinel's bayonets were signs of activity, they were no longer visible.In the past, the windows of each factory area were filled with bright light, like large pieces of brightly colored painted glass, but now, it is dark and silent.It seems that only the god of death is hovering over the city, and the tall chimneys piercing the sky are like skeletons.The sound of Marcel and his companions stomping on the ground echoed hollowly.The desolation and solitude were so indescribable that Octave could not help saying:

How strange, I have never seen such a quiet place!It was like entering a cemetery! It was seven o'clock when Marcel and Octave reached the ditch in front of the main entrance of Stalstadt.There was no one on the wall.In the past, the three-step sentry and the five-step sentry were poking there like telegraph poles, but now they are nowhere to be seen.The suspension bridge has been pulled up, and a deep ditch five or six meters wide is exposed in front of the city gate. It took more than an hour to hurl a rope over a door beam.It took Marcel a lot of effort to finally catch him.Octave hung on the rope and, using the strength of his wrists, finally climbed to the top of the city gate.Marcel hoisted up the weapons and equipment piece by piece through the rope, and then he went up to the city gate in the same way.

Now, just pull up the rope, put it inside the city wall, hang all the luggage down, and then slide down the rope. Now that the two youths had reached the ring road, Marcel remembered that he had taken this road on the first day in Stahlstad.There was desolation and silence everywhere.Before them stood a mass of dark, silent, and menacing buildings, whose thousands of glass windows seemed to stare at the two intruders, as if to say to them: go away!Why do you want to explore our secrets! Marcel consulted with Octave. Better to go through door O, which I know well, said Marcel. They walked westward, and soon came to the gate with the letter O carved on the lintel.The two oak doors with thick steel nails were tightly closed.Marcel stepped forward, picked up a big rock from the ground and smashed it several times.

Only an echo was heard, but the door remained motionless. Come!Do it!he called to Octave. Again they had to throw the rope, with feeble effort, over a ledge in the door, and hold it securely.This work is very laborious.However, Marcel and Octave finally managed to cross the wall and came to the central axis of the O-zone. cough!cried Octave, all this effort is in vain!We're going fast enough!However, just after turning over a city wall, there was another wall in front of him! don't shout!Marcel said, this is exactly the workshop I used to have.I'm glad to see it again, and it would be nice to get a few tools from there that we'll need, and a few packs of dynamite along the way. This is the large foundry where the young Alsatian first came to work.But now, the fire is out, the rails are rusted, the crane is full of dust, and the huge boom is stretched out in the air pitifully, like a gallows, a miserable and terrible sight!The sight was frightening to watch, and Marcel felt compelled to find something to say, to interrupt. There's a workshop there, you'll be more interested, he said to Octave, leading him to the mess hall. Octave nodded.He was very satisfied when he saw rows of red, yellow and green wine bottles neatly arranged on a small wooden table.In addition, there are some canned food, the brand on the tin plate indicates that it is a time-honored product.These things are enough for a good meal, and they are really hungry.So, the two put the tableware on the tin table, prepared a good meal, recovered their strength, and moved on. Marcel ate and wondered what to do next.It is simply impossible to climb over the high wall of the headquarters.The wall is so high that it is separated from all other surrounding buildings. Moreover, there is no protrusion where a rope can be caught. If you want to find the city gate, there may be only one gate, and you may have to go around all the work areas. , that is not an easy task.All that remained was the use of explosives, but it was all a matter of chance, for Mr. Schultz seemed unlikely to slip away without setting a trap on the ground he had abandoned, and he would not be unaware of those who would seize it. The Stalstad men used explosives, so he must have set up anti-explosive facilities.However, none of this scares Marcel. Seeing that Octave had eaten and rested enough, Marcel walked with him towards the end of the central axis of the district, to the foot of a high wall built of large stones. What do you think of burying a tube of dynamite under the base of the wall?he asked Octave. It's hard to do, but we're not incompetent after all!Octave replied that he was ready to risk it all. They got to work.The root of the wall must be dug out, a crowbar inserted into the gap between two stones, a stone is sled down, and finally, many small parallel holes are drilled with an electric drill.At ten o'clock, everything was ready, the sticks of dynamite were stuffed into the holes, and the wires were lit. Marcel knew that the medicine thread would burn for five minutes, and he had already noticed that the dining room was in the basement, forming a real vaulted cellar, so he and Octave hid in it. Suddenly the house and cellar shook as if in an earthquake.Immediately, a loud noise pierced the sky, like three or four fort cannons firing together.Two or three seconds later, gravel flew like an avalanche and hit the ground one after another. Then the windows shattered, and broken glass glistened, and the roof collapsed, beams snapped, and walls crumbled.The booming sound lasted for a while. At last the terrible noise died away.Octave and Marcel came out of hiding. Although Marcel was accustomed to the power of the explosion, he was shocked by what he saw.Half of the work area was blown up, and the walls of all the factories near the headquarters collapsed, like the ruins of a bombed city.The ground was littered with broken stones, broken glass, and broken wall coverings.The dense dust that was swept up into the sky by the explosion slowly fell down, covering the ruins like a layer of snow powder. Marcel and Octave ran towards the inner wall.A gap was also blasted into the inner wall, fifteen to twenty meters wide.Marcel, the former draftsman at the headquarters, vaguely saw that the inside of the gap was the courtyard he was very familiar with, where he had spent many tedious hours. Since the yard was no longer guarded, the iron fence could be passed through and the two of them entered the yard in no time. There was a dead silence everywhere. Marcel inspected various workshops. Before, he had drawn many drawings here, which were highly appreciated by his colleagues.In one corner, he found the half-drawn sketch of the steam engine still lying on the drawing board.He didn't finish it because he had orders from Mr. Schultz to go into the garden.In the reading room, he saw the newspapers and books he was familiar with again. Everything retains the look of a sudden stop, a sudden interruption. The two young men came to the edge of the inner circle of the headquarters, and immediately entered the foot of the wall.Marcel was thinking that there must be a garden behind this wall. Do you have to make these stones dance too?Octave asked Marcel. Maybe, but to get in, we can find out where the door is, and it only takes a small detonator to blow it up. So, the two walked around outside the garden along the wall.From time to time they would come across a buttress-like building, and they would have to make a wide bend or climb over a fence.But they never took their eyes off the wall, and their efforts were not in vain, and were soon compensated.A low, hidden door appeared in front of them on the wall. In two minutes Octave had drilled a hole in the oaken door.Marcel immediately brought his eyes closer to the hole, and saw with great pleasure that it was the tropical garden that was evergreen and warm as spring. Blow up this door and we're on our way!Marcel said to his companion. For such a small piece of wood, a detonator should be used, how flattering it is!Octave replied. As he spoke, he smashed down the small door vigorously with a pickaxe. He just shook the door, only to hear the sound of keys unlocking and pulling the deadbolt inside. The door was ajar because it was fastened with a thick iron chain. who?asked a hoarse voice.