Chapter 95 Turning Point

On such a sunny morning, after a refreshing morning jog, Lynn returned to the dormitory in good spirits, had breakfast, and changed into clean military uniform. However, he saw Di Gregorio hurriedly enter the room, closing the door behind him and tossing a large package onto the bed.

Hearing the sound of something heavy hitting the bed, Lynn guessed the contents and quickly opened the package. What else could a large gun case be used for except to carry a shotgun?

Opening the case, he pulled out two shiny Mauser military pistols. The sleek lines, polished surfaces, and sturdy magazine of the pistols were a world apart from his previous old and worn-out firearm. What pleased Lynn the most was the sight of two long magazines placed separately. At first glance, they resembled the straight magazines of an MP40, just smaller in size and length. Upon testing them, the crisp sound they produced was like music to his ears, and every part fit seamlessly together.

"m1932?" Lynn referred to the original German version with a capacity of "twenty shots" (which was modeled after the Spanish model produced in 1927).

"Hmm," Di Gregorio responded indifferently, quickly emptying his pockets and throwing sixty to seventy shiny round-nosed short bullets onto Lynn's bed.

"Oh... Although God has involved me in this cruel war, He has also given me a loyal and generous brother. Thank God! In the future, if there is anything I can help with, just say the word, and I will do my best!" Lynn said appreciatively, but his attention was fully focused on the two new shotguns. After training for a while, his close combat skills had improved, and with these two little killers in hand, he thought, "Hey, you Russkies, come at me! I'll make you run like scared rabbits!"

Lost in his own thoughts, Lynn headed to the shooting range whenever he had time. Although the shotgun was heavier than a regular pistol, his strong physique and balanced arm strength helped. With repeated practice, his accuracy with dual pistols quickly improved, leaving his fellow trainees stunned. The nickname "Dual Pistol Shooter" began to spread.

Returning from the shooting range one day, Lynn entered the command post, planning on asking Di Gregorio for more pistol bullets. However, he noticed the atmosphere was unusually heavy inside. Colonel Bach stood alone in the center of the circular hall, looking up at the huge eagle emblem on the white wall. Though his leather coat was immaculate and spotless, his posture exuded an extreme sense of helplessness and loneliness.

"What's going on?" Lynn whispered to the duty officer beside him.

The officer whispered back, "Colonel's father, General Lindt Bach, was killed in action on the Eastern Prussian front!"

"Ah?" Lynn was astonished. Why would it be the Eastern Prussian front? Wasn't his first encounter with Lawrence Bach in Königsberg, East Prussia? Ah! No wonder this commander of a special operations unit ran to an area surrounded by Soviet troops. It turns out he went to visit his father!

With the authority of Lawrence Bach, helping his father return to the homeland should have been as easy as pie. If that were the case, he wouldn't have died in the fierce battles on the Eastern Front!

Such thoughts were entirely reasonable, but Lynn also knew that it would be difficult for a German general, who considered honor as life, to abandon his soldiers and flee the front alone, even if it meant death. Lawrence Bach showed extremely commendable military character at a young age, presumably influenced by the family environment from childhood. In this light, General Bach's commanding ability might not have been top-notch, but he should have been an honest and brave traditional soldier.

Bach stood there like a cement sculpture, and people around spoke softly, even walking lightly, but war wouldn't yield for anyone's sorrow. The indicator lights on the telegraph machine never stopped flashing, and the communication officer on duty continuously translated codes from various sources. Under normal circumstances, staff officers would handle the telegrams according to their urgency, but at this moment, urgent messages were like hot potatoes, and no one wanted to hold onto them!

The unlucky one soon appeared, and Lynn, always eager to help his colleagues with special purposes, hesitated for a moment before nodding to indicate he would handle it himself.

Intentionally making footsteps that were easy to hear but not too loud, Lynn approached Bach, speaking softly, "Sir, in the current situation, perhaps death in battle is the best destination for every German soldier! One day, I also hope to fall gloriously under the Imperial flag, without regret!"

These two sentences were not without grammar and pronunciation errors, but Bach did not respond as Lynn hoped. Instead, he turned slightly and stretched out his left hand.

Lynn quickly placed the telegram paper in his hand and took a step back. If it were any other time, Bach would have read the telegram quickly, but this time he lowered his head and read it for a full two minutes.

"Luka!"

Hearing Bach's call, a young lieutenant standing by the telegraph machine ran over and stood at attention. "Sir!"

There was a silence of about ten seconds. Bach spoke in his usual calm tone, "Issue operational orders to the 3rd Assault Squad to fully cooperate with the 11th Armored Corps in battle! At the same time, instruct the armored company to dispatch a platoon of troops to Stargard to support the 3rd Assault Squad!"

"Yes, sir!" The young officer immediately turned around and hurried off to draft the operational plan—such an urgent and important task had all the staff officers following him out of the hall to the adjacent offices.

Lynn didn't leave but stood behind Bach. He had a faint feeling that this might be the opportunity he had been dreaming of.

"

Sir, Sergeant Eric is in the 3rd Assault Squad, right?"

Bach responded vaguely, "Yes."

"In order to fulfill the commitment to fight alongside Sergeant Eric and fulfill the promise of glorious death under the battle flag, Sir, I respectfully request permission to report to the 3rd Assault Squad immediately!" Lynn's voice was not loud but firm, and with the hall being so quiet, the communication and staff officers around could clearly hear him.

Bach responded with a vague "Oh" but seemed lost in thought.

Instead of answering loudly, Lynn lowered his voice, "Thank you, Sir! I'll prepare immediately and can go with Lieutenant Luca Frederick!"

Worried that Bach might revoke his command, Lynn paused before leaving, but Bach only turned his head slightly without saying anything more.

"Sir, take care!"

With this sincere reminder, Lynn walked out of the command post with determined steps.

Bach turned back to the wall, looking up at the huge eagle emblem, motionless for a long time...