The next morning, Josh and his party arrived at the Army Aviation military airfield.
Along with six bodyguards and Linden, the "white glove" (fixer), there was now also a blonde woman in green attire.
Needless to say, this woman was naturally Ophelia.
However, unlike the poised and spirited figure she had been when they first met, Ophelia now appeared completely dejected and gloomy.
Anyone who didn't know better might have thought Josh had done something terribly cruel to her.
Well, strapping an electric shock collar with a built-in detonation device around someone's neck does qualify as pretty cruel.
After learning the function of the collar, Ophelia had been completely disheartened.
Josh hadn't even told her that a micro-bomb had also been implanted in the back of her head as a secondary safeguard.
Otherwise, she'd likely be even more depressed.
The aircraft for this trip was one Josh was very familiar with: the DC-3—more specifically, its military variant, the C-47.
The English Channel is just over 300 miles wide, a trivial distance for the DC-3 with its 1,600-mile range.
After WWII began, aside from a few civilian versions, most DC-3s were purchased by the military and used as transport aircraft. It became the most widely used model for airdrops and military logistics during the war.
The U.S. Army paratroopers also used it.
After roughly two hours of flight, the plane landed at a battlefield airfield on the outskirts of Caen, a city in northern France.
Upon disembarking, the sound of distant artillery fire could still be heard, and aircraft squadrons occasionally flew overhead.
Though it was already late July, and the D-Day landing had happened over a month—almost two months—earlier, Allied positions in France were still extremely dangerous.
France isn't a large country—only the size of a palm, so to speak—and Normandy is only about 200 kilometers from Paris.
In that narrow stretch of land, over four million Allied and German troops were crammed together, with their lines deeply interwoven.
The Allied front had yet to advance more than 100 kilometers deep into France. Even this city of Caen had taken the Allies 33 days of fierce fighting and heavy bombing to capture, reducing it nearly to rubble before the Germans finally withdrew.
The Allied forward command had only moved to the outskirts of Caen last week.
And just under 50 kilometers west of Caen, in the city of Saint-Lô, the famed General Patton had personally led his troops to capture the city only a few days earlier.
Overall, however, the German army was in full retreat. The liberation of France was only a matter of time.
"Mr. Kane?" Not long after Josh's group disembarked, three jeeps sped toward them from a distance and quickly stopped nearby. A lieutenant colonel jumped out and approached, asking,
They stood out clearly in the military airfield, being the only group dressed in suits.
"That's me. May I ask your name?" Josh extended his hand politely.
"I'm Mark, aide-de-camp to General McGinnis. He sent me to pick you up!" the lieutenant colonel said, shaking Josh's hand.
Following the mass military adoption of the Bright Lamp serum and its outstanding performance during the D-Day invasion, General McGinnis' previously forced retirement had naturally been brushed aside. Initially, there had been no vacancies, so he was placed in a ceremonial post at HQ.
But just a few days ago, something both tragic and absurd occurred.
On July 25th, during the first phase of the Allies' famous Operation Cobra, in a massive carpet bombing of German positions, one of WWII's most unfortunate generals—Lieutenant General Leslie James McNair, Deputy to General Eisenhower and Commander of the U.S. First Army—was directly hit by bombs from his own side and blown to pieces.
Ironically, the position McGinnis held before his dismissal had been Commander of the First Army, and McNair had been his replacement.
So, one could say fate was lending McGinnis a hand...under the circumstances, who better than the former commander to resume the role?
There really was no one else.
As for General Courtney Hodges, who historically took over that role, he had only been the First Army's second-in-command. In both experience and prestige, he couldn't compare with McGinnis.
So General McGinnis happily resumed his original post.
And for Josh, backing McGinnis had become his most successful investment since arriving in Europe.
With McGinnis reinstated, promotion to full General (four-star) was a sure thing.
As for five-star General? That was out of the question.
Take General Patton of the Third Army, for example.
Many people online in the past argued that Patton deserved a five-star rank.
But anyone familiar with the criteria knows that to be promoted to five-star General, one must have served as a Theater Commander during wartime...and clearly, Patton, who was only promoted to General near the war's end along with other army group commanders, did not meet that requirement.
So McGinnis certainly didn't qualify either.
But having a full General as an ally in the military was more than enough for Josh.
Since Caen was nearly in ruins and cities were prime bombing targets, the Allied forward command wasn't set up in town, but in a manor nestled in the woods over ten kilometers away.
Upon arriving at the command post and surrendering their weapons, Josh and his party, led by Lieutenant Colonel Mark, were escorted without delay straight into General McGinnis' office.
"Josh, welcome to France!" McGinnis stood up the moment Josh entered, giving him a warm hug.
"Congratulations on getting your position back. I came on short notice and didn't have time to prepare a gift, so please accept this box of cigars as a small token." After the hug, Josh casually took out a box of unmarked cigars from his pocket.
"Haha, Josh, you're too kind. There's no need for formalities between us!" McGinnis said as he cheerfully accepted the cigars.
Though unmarked and looking like anonymous products, McGinnis—who knew Josh well—was aware that the more unassuming something from Josh looked, the better it probably was, like his wine.
And indeed, this was true. These cigars had been specially crafted by the best artisans using the finest materials under Daenerys' direction. They were rare gifts that Josh himself only received in limited quantities and were never for sale.
"By the way, what brings you to the front lines all of a sudden? Even though the Germans are in retreat, it's still dangerous here—not the best place for business," McGinnis asked after their pleasantries.
"This is Ophelia Salkisten, from Austria. We're here on very important business—we need to see General Marshall," Josh said, introducing Ophelia before explaining the plan for a coup in Austria.
"Can she be trusted?" McGinnis' expression turned grave. Ignoring Ophelia, he pulled Josh aside to ask quietly.
"At least on this matter, she can be trusted. I've confirmed the authenticity of this plan through other channels," Josh nodded.
Hearing this, McGinnis didn't reply immediately. He began pacing back and forth in the office.
This was a huge matter. Even a small error could cause the Allies to suffer unnecessary losses.
If the plan failed, McGinnis, as the person who made the introduction, would bear most of the responsibility.
After several minutes of deep thought, McGinnis finally clapped his hands and decided to take the risk with Josh.
Josh had played a major part in getting him reinstated. Why not keep betting on him?
Even if they lost, what's the worst that could happen? Losing his position again?
For someone who'd already been dismissed once, that wasn't a big deal.
"Wait here. I'll go report to General Marshall," McGinnis instructed Josh before striding out of the office.
Then Josh and the others sat in McGinnis' office, drinking tea for nearly two hours before a colonel came in and summoned Josh and Ophelia.
Led by the colonel, the two walked for quite a while before entering a spacious conference room.
And wow—gathering of the stars.
At that moment, a thought popped into Josh's head: If someone tossed a powerful enough bomb into this room, what would happen to World War II?
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