Brian stood in front of the window, looking down on the beautiful back garden of Kleistburg. Manicured green lawns stretch out to the turquoise waters of Lake Kleist, the blue of the sky, and the majestic Alps between the sky and the lake. The sun was shining warmly on an early summer afternoon, and on the lawn, Ian and Cicelie were practicing flying with a few freshmen who had only arrived last year. A dark-skinned African boy staggered into the sky, and before he could stabilize his body, an upside-down onion fell rapidly. Ian caught him quickly and gracefully, his embarrassment causing the other freshmen sitting around the lawn to laugh and laugh. Brian stared with a smile, Bauer's words from eighteen years ago were still clear: "Build a wall, a castle, so that people like Ian, Corona, and Cecily can be protected." ”

Now Bauer is no longer the unlucky investment bank, he has become one of the world's richest people; Alston is no longer the same Sven civilian officer, and the maturity and perseverance cultivated over the years have made him a member of Congress and Secretary of Defense; Brian, on the other hand, owns the castle in front of him, as well as several scientific laboratories, space observation centers, and monitoring satellites, and they occupy half of the political, economic, and natural science worlds, realizing the original grand plan.

However, the frequent visits of Ball and Alston and the huge remittance receipts sent to Brian began to suffocate him.

In the morning, Bauer and Auston each took a helicopter to Kleistburg, and Brian prepared a sumptuous lunch for them in the castle's round white marble dining room. Of course, these specific things were arranged and arranged by a group of young people led by Reg and Coruna.

The castle was purchased from the local government at Bauer's expense seventeen years ago. The original location was not here, and it was only because of Brian's strong opposition that he abandoned the continental United States in favor of this land that is closer to the United States politically, culturally, and historically. Surrounded by mountains, it is a beautiful and pleasant place to stay in the Alps, where there is nothing to show for it except for a long-abandoned castle. After an avalanche sixteen years ago, the only small mountain road into the valley was also destroyed for some unknown reason. The locals, who are rich in resources and lazy by nature, have allowed this path, this valley, and this castle to be completely submerged in the wild grass and people's memories. In the early days of the castle's construction, Bauer also worked hard, he used helicopters to bring the best materials, furniture, accessories, and even the workers were the masons and plumbers he had specially found from the remote mountainous areas of China, and these poor workers were sent directly into the mountains when they came to Europe, and only then were they sent directly back to China until the end of the project, never knowing where the palace he had built with his own hands was located.

When Brian first set foot on the Kleistburg Marble Steps, he was completely conquered. Bauer, who greeted him, held a cigar in his left hand and stroked the gilt-embossed arched door of solid copper with his right hand, and his pride was palpable. Now, once again, Bauer is confronted with his meticulously crafted masterpieces, which can be described as mixed.

It's like a beautiful toy in the hands of a group of hapless kids, and the consequences can be imagined. The two gilded gates carved by European craftsmen in imitation of the "Gates of Heaven" of the Cathedral of Florence, Italy, are not only patina-stained, but also a large part of the corner of the left door has been cracked by Reger's "Dodge Tomahawk". In the main hall of the entrance, which survived under the protection of steel wire mesh, the "rose window" comparable to Notre Dame Cathedral, was covered with bird droppings and dust because of neglect of cleaning. The 5-meter-high, 4-ton, and 1,000-crystal pendant candle chandelier on top of the wide "double spiral staircase" was not so lucky, after several "air traffic accidents", its mutilated body lost its balance, and is now fixed under the gold-edged ceiling mural with various curtains and strips of curtains. Under the chandelier, the giant oil painting wall about five or six meters high and the baroque stone staircase railing on the "double spiral staircase" rest platform are again broken, mottled and peeled, and the cross-section of the jazz white railing that has been cut off by great force and the concave and convex marks left by different periods show the catastrophe that this castle has experienced. This once-lavish castle, like "Edward Scissorhands", is magical, lonely, and clumsy and scarred.

Bauer stepped into the castle's round white marble dining room, and it was a good thing: the crystal chandelier had finally been preserved, and it shone with its rightful sparkle under the brightly coloured, delicately brushed round ceiling frescoes. But, in this noble radiance! ——

Bauer's sights, smells, and taste buds are ready for shock: what could be better than live maggot cheese from Italy, ant eggs from Mexico, canned herring from Sweden, preserved eggs from China...... Is it more disgusting?!!!

Ball and Auston initially thought it was a deliberate prank by the children, but when they saw it: Reg, from South America, was biting off the head of a fried guinea pig; Corona cleaned the durian juice from her fingers; Ian swallowed ten pieces of Chinese stinky tofu in one go...... They understood: on the long oak table, they were nothing more than the head of the banquet, the companions. Bauer once privately reminded Brian "kindly": This kind of behavior is tantamount to using power for personal gain! As the future successor of Kleistburg, you must inherit the noble traditions of your ancestors, love the castle and the people, learn etiquette and etiquette, and always be ready to establish meritorious deeds and do great things!

But in front of you! Expensive silver plates are served with potato chips and hot dogs, delicate crystal cups filled with coke, and the middle of the table that should be lined with flowers is replaced by a whole suckling pig. Bauer knew that the cook Jacobina had long protested to come to this restaurant, she had been the head chef of a large family before she came to the castle, and she had taught Corenna as much as Bauer, and she had brought up almost single-handedly, hoping that she would become a slender lady of noble standards. But every time, Corona always said: taste one bite, take one bite, and then eat the last bite... In a hurry, she took out the momentum of a castle princess and said proudly: "In the world of superpowers, superman is in charge!" ”

Ball envied Brian for having such a domineering niece, he glanced at Cicelie across the table, and his smile froze for a second, and then returned to the conversation with Brian and Auston.

In just one second, Ciceli could read the message behind her, her eyes lowered, her pale fingers clenching the knife and fork, her deliberately painted bright red nails digging deep into her palms. If she could, she would rather swap with her brother who was far away in Manhattan, maybe James would be more motivated and take over the castle and help his father fulfill his grander wishes...

Ball kept his smile until the last minute of the luncheon. Walking out of the dining room, he slapped his almost stiff cheeks, brewing for the next fight. This old donkey, kept in captivity in the mountains, has become more and more stubborn in recent years, and it is completely useless to speak softly and turn around to him, and Auston is so easily unwilling to be a villain, forcing Bauer to often sing together with red and white faces.

After another glass of rye whiskey, Ball walked over to Brian's mahogany desk and handed over a suffocating white note, a remittance slip.

"Isn't this year's funding already allocated?" Brian refused.

"Because you're not safe, Klesterburg and the labs need to be more secure..."

"We are safe, and the new generation of young people is empowered quickly and is well equipped to deal with intruders of unknown origin." Brian interrupted Bauer warily.

"Are you convinced? In the event of war, even nuclear war, can you be sure that your children will be safe? Bauer said aggressively.

"Nuclear war? Are you saying that there is a possibility of nuclear war in the near future? Brian was a little touched, and he thought it was a little funny.

Ball walked up to Auston, took a thick stack of photographs and information from Auston, and turned to hand it to Brian.

"Is there any classified information about aliens?" Brian said in a mocking tone, put on his reading glasses, and picked up the photo to take a closer look. It was a stack of high-resolution satellite photographs that Brian could easily identify as some armored vehicles transporting materials at the base, which was heavily guarded and well-organized deep in a valley. Brian continued to look through the material, which contained various spectral and seismic analysis data. The data is thick, and Brian didn't finish reading it, he looked up at Auston and waited for Auston's explanation.

Auston clenched his hands into fists, and his gaze was calm and sharp under the furrowed sword eyebrows: "These data and photos show the latest trends in nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in country C, which has successfully developed the KN-08 missile and a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can be dropped by ballistic missiles after more than ten years of testing and six nuclear tests. The warhead should be 88 centimeters long and weigh less than 1 ton, reaching the level that can be loaded on a missile. ”

Brian sighed lightly, his tone still cold: "This is a matter between your countries, and it has nothing to do with Klesterburg. ”

"Country C is a dictatorial fascist totalitarian terrorist state, and their state leader: ** is a rogue dictator with no bottom line, according to our behavioral analysis experts: he is insecure, extremely unstable, and his behavior pattern is unpredictable. Such a country, such a dictator with small nuclear weapons, the world will face a great terrorist threat ...

"The United States has always been known as the world's policeman, and its ground-to-air and air-to-ground precision strike capabilities are unparalleled. Now that it has been established that the nuclear facilities of country C pose a threat to the people of the world, why not destroy it with precision strikes? Brian interrupted Auston.

"The U.S. has not yet been able to grasp the internal structure of the nuclear test tunnels in country C, which can be as deep as 70 to 80 meters underground," Alston continued. A precision strike may only destroy its ground, as well as facilities close to it. More importantly, if the United States really drops bombs on the nuclear facilities of country C, whether it succeeds or not, it will inevitably trigger a frenzied retaliatory action by country C, and the first to suffer is neighboring country H. In the event of retaliation by country C, artillery shells carrying chemical and biological weapons are likely to rain down on the northern outskirts of country H. It is estimated that country C can fire an average of 500,000 artillery shells per hour at country H, to which the United States can hardly respond, and may cause tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of casualties to country H within a few hours. This is unacceptable to you, to the United States, and to the people of the world. Is it? ”

Brian listened silently with a frown, he already knew the purpose of Ball and Auston's trip, and he took a deep breath, pressing his fingers against the eye sockets around his eyebrows.

Seeing that Brian didn't speak, Bauer took Auston's words and said, "We need to make the nuclear facilities of country C evaporate like a nuclear accident without the involvement of the U.S. military." And this is like those magical actions in the past, just like we easily killed **Deng for the people of the world, except for you, Doctor; No one in this world can do it but Christenburg. ”

What a beautiful word for "those miraculous actions", but behind it is bloody. Just like this castle, no matter how beautifully decorated, it can't hide its vicissitudes and heaviness. Bauer thought it was his gilded gates, rose windows, and crystal chandeliers that really moved Brian, but it was the spotless skies, the ethereal snow-capped peaks, and the limestone walls that guarded the castle for three hundred years...... In order to defend the sky, Brian personally led the original builders of the castle, spooping for information, protecting key personnel, and later even participating in assassination and sneak attacks. As a result, Alston grew in stature; Bauer's fortune grew, and the castle's original builders were now only Brian and Avery.

Brian looked at the white remittance slip coldly and said bluntly: "This kind of action is very dangerous, not to mention that the previous missions were only against terrorist organizations, and now they are facing a country, and I don't want my children to get involved in international disputes." ”

"International disputes? What is the difference between them printing counterfeit money, selling drugs, and indiscriminately trampling on human rights, and terrorist organizations? As for safety—" Bauer's thick lips were slightly open, his smile was gone, and he looked at Brian with a near-sighted gaze. "If war breaks out, then it will be a nuclear war, how can you stay out of it, doctor? How can we ensure the safety of these children in Klesterburg? Even if you superpowers can stand alone, aren't the lives of tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of ordinary people as important as the lives of my wife? ”

Bauer throws out the pawn of his long-lost 'former' wife, which is as much of a weakness as the safety of Trestesterberg. Bauer's accusation made Brian a little uneasy, and he walked to the window pensively, staring at Christenburg and at the world.

Behind him, Bauer sat down on the sofa in the study with a free look, and calmly and slowly lit a Davidoff cigar....