Chapter 30 Retreat in the Face of Victory

In the midst of gunfire, explosions, and shouts on the battlefield, Lynn stood silently next to a large tree, his feet apart, his back straight, his head tilted to the right shoulder, firmly gripping the Mauser 98k with its brown wooden stock, the bottom edge of the sight level with the target's shoulders. As a feeling of suffocation began to build in his chest, his mind was clear, fully focused on this "outdated" bolt-action rifle, his right index finger almost instinctively squeezing the trigger.

Snap!

The crisp sound of the shot from the barrel made his right eardrum slightly ring, the recoil of the butt against his shoulder felt like playful punches between lovers, the muzzle naturally lifted slightly, but not enough to obstruct the shooter's view of his target.

All of this gradually led Lynn into a state of "unstoppable."

A hundred meters away, the Soviet tank soldier's submachine gun suddenly stopped roaring. Lynn couldn't see his facial expression clearly, but he vaguely saw him jerk back, clutching his chest, and then slump into the turret, his fate uncertain.

Before he could savor the sense of achievement from hunting down a special target, Lynn quickly flashed back to the tree. Almost in the blink of an eye, a barrage of bullets flew past, some grazing the trunk, sending bark splinters flying.

The enemy had finally spotted him this time. Lynn muttered to himself with an indifferent attitude, intentionally. He cycled the bolt, chambering the next round, preparing to find the next prey after the enemy's wave of fire passed. In the past two minutes, the explosions on the road had become noticeably sparse, and the continuous gunfire from submachine guns became the main theme of the battlefield. However, people could not judge which side had the upper hand based solely on the sound.

"Rückwärts! Rückwärts!" (German: Retreat! Retreat!)

The familiar voice immediately caught Lynn's attention. He turned slightly so he could look back. Lieutenant Haar stood nearby, pressed against a spruce tree to avoid Soviet machine gun bullets, shouting against the intense gunfire—though he was giving his all, his voice still sounded hoarse and deep, lacking ideal "penetration" in the chaos of the battlefield.

Although still feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable, Lynn exerted himself to help relay the retreat order.

In close combat situations, when German infantrymen heard combat orders, whether sergeants or ordinary soldiers, they would call out to their comrades around them. The orders were transmitted quickly and executed thoroughly. The first group of soldiers quickly withdrew from the road and returned to the woods, while the forward-moved German machine gun crew did not hesitate to suppress the enemy with continuous fire, covering their comrades.

In the past, Lynn would never have hesitated to take the opportunity to run ahead. But it seemed that influenced by "Butcher," this time he bravely stayed behind to continue shooting. After emptying the rifle's magazine, he crouched to reload another five rounds. Although shooting in this state was more rushed, Lynn felt that every shot could kill a target, quietly filling him with a calm yet sacred sense of pride.

"Rückwärts... Lynn! Rückwärts!"

Just as he pulled back the bolt, Lynn heard "Butcher" calling him. As he turned his head to the side, a shell landed nearby, and his ears immediately buzzed again. Snow and dirt kicked up by the explosion hit him, causing a stinging pain, but the unpredictable shrapnel did not find this lucky unfortunate soul. Lynn instinctively bent down and looked up, seeing "Butcher" a few meters away, and without hesitation, he dashed towards him!

When Lynn ran up to him amidst the gunfire, "Butcher" patted his arm and said no more. As the German infantry unit withdrew, the Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery in the distance roared like injured beasts, but the winter pine and fir trees were still lush, combined with the undulating hills, the natural environment effectively hindered the Soviet's view, causing their artillery precision and actual threat to decrease rapidly with the distance. When the Soviet tanks were no longer visible in the rear, and the whistling shells fell in the distance, many German soldiers involuntarily slowed down their pace, allowing their limited physical strength to support them over a greater distance.

"Eil! Eil!" (German: Hurry! Hurry!)

Noticing that the pace of the column had slowed, Lieutenant Haar turned around and loudly urged the soldiers on, as they were not yet completely out of danger. Against the backdrop of thunderous gunfire, the lieutenant's voice sounded even hoarser, but the soldiers around him noticeably quickened their pace. As he glanced back at the end of the column, the lieutenant and Lynn's eyes inadvertently met. Both had acquired quite a bit of dirt on their faces and were panting from the continuous running. Despite this, they both gave each other a nod of acknowledgment.

After marching at a rapid pace for over an hour, the mood of the scattered troops became lighter as they emerged from the woods. Lynn heard a soldier in front saying, "Horgen! Das ist Horgen Stadt!"

It seemed that the town ahead was called "Horgen," what a Germanic name it was. When the war ended, many villages and towns belonging to Germany would be redrawn from the country's map. They would either adopt new Russian or Polish names, or simply be abandoned by the new rulers, becoming gradually forgotten ruins.

"Eil! Eil!"

Lieutenant Haar once again loudly called on the soldiers to pick up the pace, as they were not completely out of danger yet. With thunderous artillery as the background, the lieutenant's voice sounded even hoarser, but the soldiers around him noticeably quickened their pace. As he glanced back at the end of the column, the lieutenant and Lynn's eyes inadvertently met. Both had acquired quite a bit of dirt on their faces and were panting from the continuous running. Despite this, they both gave each other a nod of acknowledgment.

After marching at a rapid pace for over an hour, the mood of the scattered troops became lighter as they emerged from the woods. Lynn heard a soldier in front saying, "Horgen! Das ist Horgen Stadt!"

It seemed that the town ahead was called "Horgen," what a Germanic name it was. When the war ended, many villages and towns belonging to Germany would be redrawn from the country's map. They would either adopt new Russian or Polish names, or simply be abandoned by the new rulers, becoming gradually forgotten ruins.

"Eil! Eil!"

Lieutenant Haar once again loudly called on the soldiers to pick up the pace, as they were not completely out of danger yet. With thunderous artillery as the background, the lieutenant's voice sounded even hoarser, but the soldiers around him noticeably quickened their pace. As he glanced back at the end of the column, the lieutenant and Lynn's eyes inadvertently met. Both had acquired quite a bit of dirt on their faces and were panting from the continuous running. Despite this, they both gave each other a nod of acknowledgment.

After marching at a rapid pace for over an hour, the mood of the scattered troops became lighter as they emerged from the woods. Lynn heard a soldier in front saying, "Horgen! Das ist Horgen Stadt!"

It appears that the town ahead is called "Horgen," what a distinctly Germanic name. When the war is over, many villages and towns that originally belonged to Germany will be redrawn from the map of this country. They may be given new names in Russian or Polish, or simply abandoned by the new rulers, becoming gradually deserted ruins of the past.

"Al! Al!"

Once again, Lieutenant Huzha shouted loudly, urging the soldiers to accelerate their pace. Fallen trees and destroyed tanks blocked the road, and it would probably take some time for the Soviet armored unit to clear the passage. However, the Soviets had a clear advantage in the air in this area, and the German infantrymen were at risk of being bombed as soon as they left the woods. Therefore, rushing to the town ahead, where the German flag still waved, was their best course of action for now.