Chapter 1

At noon, the vast sky was clear, with white clouds dancing in the blue. The Federal Republic of Germany basked in the brilliant sunshine, appearing tranquil and serene. The traffic was like a tide, and the crowds were dense, with towering modern buildings piercing the sky like countless sharp swords, shimmering with dazzling light under the sun.

Germany is located in central-northern Europe, bordering Austria and Switzerland to the south, the Netherlands and France to the west, and Poland to the east, facing the three Nordic countries across the sea. In the early 20th century, Germany was one of the most promising emerging countries alongside the United States. Although the two world wars inflicted severe damage on the country, it rose again from the ruins through the rigorous and resilient national character, rebuilding its glory. The machinery roared, molten steel poured, and the casting and forging were unparalleled in the world.

It was June, and the city of Berlin was covered in lush grass and green trees, with cedars, pines, and various flowers blooming everywhere. Along the Unter den Linden, the green belts on both sides were filled with pale purple and light red cornflowers that had quietly blossomed, swaying gently in the wind, emitting a fresh and elegant fragrance.

A young man, about 20 years old, held a camera and moved against the flow of the dense crowd, struggling to advance. It was rush hour, and the Unter den Linden was packed with people. The young man, carrying a large travel backpack, felt even more crowded in the throng. Whenever he bumped into someone, he would stop and apologize in fluent German. The warm sunlight slanted across his face. He was slightly overweight, with black hair and eyes, not particularly handsome, but exuding a natural charm that made people feel close to him.

After passing a crossroads, the crowd thinned, and the young man relaxed his slightly numb shoulders, finally breathing a sigh of relief. He took out a counterfeit smartphone that had accompanied him for two years, opened the satellite map, and, as if playing a first-person shooter game, viewed the entire Berlin from a God's-eye perspective.

"Today was a miscalculation, choosing to visit the city center at this time. Fortunately, the last stretch had fewer people, or I would have been crushed to death here." The young man, named Qing Ying, put the counterfeit phone back in his bag and spoke in fluent Chinese, "Having lived in Berlin for so long, I, Qing Ying, have never even visited the Brandenburg Gate. Since I'm returning to China tomorrow, I'll take a few photos for comfort."

Qing Ying adjusted the rented Skoda camera and continued walking along the Unter den Linden.

The Brandenburg Gate is located in the heart of Berlin, built in the 1790s to commemorate Prussia's victory in the Seven Years' War. The eastern side is the end of the Unter den Linden, and the western side is the beginning of the March 28th Square. As a major tourist attraction in Germany, the Brandenburg Gate is known as the symbol of Berlin, attracting a large number of visitors every year.

The asphalt road was straight and wide, stretching forward without a bend. Looking into the distance, the sky was clear and bright, and a majestic building came into view. It was entirely sandstone yellow, ancient and solemn, reflecting the grandeur and dignity of the Prussian Kingdom at its peak. Twelve 15-meter-high Doric columns, like mountains supporting the sky, supported a massive platform weighing thousands of tons. At the highest point of the gate, a 5-meter-tall statue of the goddess of victory, holding a scepter, rode a chariot, symbolizing the triumphant return of the imperial army.

The clouds drifted leisurely, the breeze blew gently, and the birds sang and insects chirped, cleansing the soul.

Despite it being nearly noon and not a weekend, there were still many tourists, some walking and some standing, gathered in front of the gate. Some were dressed casually, with only a small backpack, while others were dressed formally in suits. People of all ages and sizes, including two black men with dark skin, were taking photos from different angles.

Seeing this, Qing Ying smiled slightly, lifted his camera, and joined the crowd of visitors.

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"Grand architecture is a powerful remedy for the inferiority complex of our German nation. No one can lead a nation out of its inferiority with empty words alone. They must build something that makes the people feel proud, something tangible and visible. This is not about boasting but about giving a country confidence. A nation of 80 million people has the right to have such architecture, and both our enemies and friends must recognize that these buildings consolidate our regime."

Qing Ying had not fully understood the meaning of these words before, but now he did.

Standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate, a sense of grandeur and majesty enveloped him. The ancient carvings and golden sandstone told the stories of the past and the glory of the bygone era to everyone who stood before it. Standing under the Doric columns, feeling the grandeur and depth of the architecture, Qing Ying was moved to the core, feeling a surge of energy throughout his body, completely free from the fatigue of the journey. He lifted his head and carefully observed the 26-meter-high, 65-meter-wide monumental structure, then took off his camera and captured the scene in eternal data.

Stepping inside, a coolness enveloped him. On the inner walls, German craftsmen had carved intricate and exquisite images from Roman mythology, such as the mighty Hercules, the fierce Mars, and the elegant and noble Minerva, all depicted with meticulous detail and vividly brought to life.

Although these carvings could be found online, the clarity of the images was far from satisfactory. Qing Ying had come today to visit the symbol of Berlin before leaving, and he could not ignore these works of art. He observed them carefully, savoring the details, and occasionally took photos of significant scenes. After a while, a series of magnificent and beautiful images were recorded on the memory card. Just as he was about to move to the next wall, he noticed something unusual in the corner of his eye. Qing Ying felt puzzled and turned to see a palm-sized, strange pattern slowly appearing in an inconspicuous spot.

Qing Ying was startled. The carvings inside the Brandenburg Gate were over 200 years old; how could they change without reason? For some reason, this suddenly appearing symbol gave Qing Ying a sense of familiarity, making his eyes unable to look away.

"Touch it, touch it..." A distant, melancholic voice echoed in his ear. Qing Ying's mind buzzed as if bitten by countless ants, the pain intense. His facial features twisted, and his knees buckled, causing him to kneel on the ground, clutching his head and screaming.

"Boom!" Thunder roared, deafening.

Qing Ying was jolted awake by the thunder and noticed that the clear sky had turned dark and gloomy, with black clouds rolling in from the horizon. The tourists, who had been chatting and laughing, now looked alarmed, cursing the inaccurate weather forecast as they ran away quickly.

Qing Ying, enduring the mysterious pain in his head, struggled to stand up, intending to follow the other tourists to safety. Suddenly, the strap of the digital camera hanging around his neck loosened. He looked down to see the camera breaking free from the zipper and rolling on the ground. Seeing the camera still bouncing, Qing Ying was alarmed. This was the latest product from Skoda, and if it were damaged, he would have to pay two months' salary to the photography shop as compensation. With this thought, he forgot about everything else, even the intense headache. He lunged forward and grabbed the still bouncing camera, noticing that the screen was still on, but some buttons and ports were loose and worn. He estimated that a small repair would restore it to its original state.

"Phew..." Qing Ying wiped the sweat from his forehead, which had appeared due to the pain and fear, and said with a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness Skoda products are durable. Otherwise, I would have to spend a lot of money! Today is really unlucky. The camera almost broke, and the clear sky suddenly turned into a storm!" He angrily put the valuable item back into the special leather bag, feeling the mysterious pain in his head and deciding to visit a hospital before returning to China to check if he had any brain disease.

After zipping up the leather bag, Qing Ying still felt insecure and decided to put it inside the large travel backpack on his back. Looking around, he saw that the other pedestrians had retreated to avoid the impending storm, leaving the Brandenburg Gate with only Qing Ying as a visitor.

Sand and stones flew, and the wind blew fiercely. In a moment, a torrential rain poured down, enveloping Berlin in a gray mist. The rain, driven by the wind, swept through the area, and Qing Ying, hiding under the Brandenburg Gate, was still drenched by the horizontal rain. Looking up, he saw the clouds rolling like a sea, with two lightning bolts as thick as barrels intertwining and dancing across the sky, like two silver dragons soaring and diving.

A moment later, thunder roared, and a deafening explosion echoed.

"Touch it, touch it..."

The vast, melancholic voice echoed in his ear again, carrying a strange, soul-penetrating magic. Qing Ying, his mind captivated, placed his right hand on the strange symbol without thinking. Before he could react, the world spun, and a surge of neon light enveloped him. Qing Ying felt as if his body was being torn apart by a powerful force, as if he was falling into a rapidly spinning wormhole, and then he fainted from dizziness and pain...

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