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Chapter 125: Winsberg
🕑 Added 2024-12-31 17:09:10 +0000 UTCThe incident involving Hugh Jones took place near a small town called Winsberg, located in the mountains near the Rhine women's camp.
However, this town no longer exists on most modern maps. Not only was Winsberg extremely remote and far from any main roads, it was also completely abandoned in the 1830s after a devastating plague.
Previously, the military had conducted a thorough investigation of the entire Rhine base. Having confirmed that there were no widespread cases of anemia outside of the women's camp, and having found no significant evidence in a search of the camp, they had prepared to dismiss the so-called vampire incident as a baseless rumor.
But shortly before Hugh Jones' disappearance, five soldiers went hunting near this abandoned town and mysteriously disappeared.
In response, Colonel Ward, the officer in charge of the garrison, sent troops to search the area and the abandoned town. Except for one soldier who broke his leg after falling from a broken staircase in an abandoned building, they found nothing.
With no other options, Colonel Ward reported the incident.
Coincidentally, Colonel Ward's superior, Major General Fletcher, happened to be an ally of Hugh Jones.
Upon arriving in Germany, Hugh Jones had learned of the alleged vampire sightings through conversations with Major General Fletcher.
Hydra operatives, being ambitious by nature, were naturally intrigued by the legend of such a creature. Vampires, despite their many weaknesses in folklore, possessed one trait that captivated individuals like Hugh Jones, immortality.
Thus, Hugh Jones immediately instructed Major General Fletcher, who was in charge of the Rhine base, to inform him of any developments regarding vampires and to withhold reports from higher authorities.
As a result, Colonel Ward's report of the disappearance reached Hugh Jones through Major General Fletcher.
Sensing that this case of missing soldiers could be a potential breakthrough, Hugh Jones acted swiftly.
That same day, he requested a company of troops and an arsenal of heavy weapons from Major General Fletcher, and personally went to the town with his men.
None of them returned. This bold move was a clear demonstration of Hugh Jones's courage, but it left Colonel Ward in a state of panic. He immediately reported the situation to Major General Fletcher.
By the time Josh's C-69 aircraft landed at the local garrison airport, Major General Fletcher was preparing to mobilize an entire regiment to conduct a search and rescue operation in the area where Hugh Jones had disappeared.
"Mr. Kahn, losing Mr. Jones is bad enough. If anything happens to you, General Eisenhower will have my head!" Major General Fletcher snapped at Josh's arrival, clearly frustrated by the unfolding situation.
The so-called vampire case had originally been uncovered by Josh's people, and Fletcher seemed eager to vent his anger at him.
"General Fletcher, I'm even more concerned about Mr. Jones than you are. But rushing blindly into this situation won't help. If the culprit is indeed a creature of legend-a vampire-then may I ask, General, are you fully prepared to confront such a being?" Josh countered calmly, unaffected by Fletcher's annoyed attitude.
"Hmph. Whether this is the work of vampires or not, I refuse to believe that such a creature could withstand machine guns and artillery!" Major General Fletcher sneered coldly.
"Heh, and what if they took Mr. Jones hostage? Are you planning to blow him up with them?" Josh chuckled coldly, his words laced with mockery.
General Fletcher flinched at the remark, showing his anger, but didn't know how to respond.
Indeed, with the overwhelming firepower of the U.S. Army, Fletcher was confident that even if the culprits were the mythical vampires, there was nothing to fear.
But the real issue at hand wasn't simply defeating whatever monsters might be lurking—it was figuring out how to locate and rescue Hugh Jones.
"Since you brought it up, Mr. Kahn, I assume you have a plan?" Fletcher asked, his tone calmer as he studied Josh.
"I do have a method, but first I need to confirm something," Josh replied, placing both hands in front of him. He subtly displayed the ring on his left thumb—a symbol of the Council's leadership.
"Everyone, leave us," Fletcher ordered sharply, his initial confusion giving way to clarity as his eyes fell on the ring. He turned to the aides in the office and dismissed them without hesitation.
"All hail Hydra!" Fletcher stood at attention, his voice low but devout as the room cleared.
The standard salute, borrowed by the Red Skull from a certain notorious dictator, was conspicuously absent—other Hydra factions had no love for the gesture.
Josh's hunch was correct; Fletcher was one of them.
"Hail Hydra," Josh replied with a nod, his voice steady.
"My apologies, sir. I wasn't informed. Mr. Jones never mentioned it," Fletcher admitted, a hint of remorse in his tone. As one of Hugh Jones' direct subordinates within the military, he had assumed that Josh and Jones shared only a business relationship, unaware of Josh's deeper affiliation.
"No harm done. Ignorance is no crime," Josh replied nonchalantly. "Our priority now is to save Hugh. He's far too critical to the organization. But tell me, have you reported this incident to anyone?"
"Not yet. The situation is far too sensitive," Fletcher replied, shaking his head. He had planned to lead the search personally, hoping to recover Hugh Jones before word of his disappearance spread.
"You made the right decision. Keep it that way for now," Josh praised. "I plan to use some of the organization's confidential resources for this. Your task is simple; mobilize every troop at your disposal and seal off the entire area. No one gets in or out—not even a bird—without my authorization. Can you handle that?"
"Absolutely," Fletcher assured firmly, nodding with determination. All his hopes now rested with Josh.
Failure to recover Hugh Jones would not only damage Fletcher's standing within the military, but also bring down the wrath of the Council—a far more frightening possibility.
"Then let's leave immediately. Also, arrange for some discreet trucks. I have equipment on my plane that needs to be moved," Josh instructed firmly.
"Yes, sir!" Fletcher saluted and left to relay Josh's orders to his subordinates.
Half an hour later, under Fletcher's command, a brigade-sized force began its march toward the area surrounding the abandoned town of Winsberg and Josh, along with his own team, joined the convoy.
