Chapter 143: Defection from Darkness

Carrying his assault rifle diagonally across his body, Lynn walked past the junction. He didn't use his boots to move the remains of the Soviet soldiers, but carefully stepped over them. When they were alive, everyone fought bloodily for their beliefs, enduring hardships beyond the imagination of ordinary people, facing dangers civilians couldn't fathom. Death was the end, and after that, they deserved the most basic respect.

Witnessing the aftermath of this fierce battle, the Soviet colonel escorted by Bruck and Tichmeyer cursed angrily. Lynn didn't bother asking Wolfroom. After confirming there were no remaining enemy forces nearby, he walked back to the German soldier who was helping his injured comrade and asked, "How did you end up here? Do you know the way back to the city center?"

In a hoarse and deep voice, the soldier replied, "We belong to the 18th Armored Infantry Division. We were ordered to guard the sewers near the Grakastreet junction and were instructed that if we couldn't repel the Soviet attack, to detonate explosives to block the sewer junction. But whether it was a malfunction of the detonator or a failure of the primer, the explosives didn't detonate. Unable to hold the position, we had to retreat while fighting. Now, only the two of us are left out of nine!"

Knowing the pain of losing comrades, Lynn nodded helplessly, showing sympathy.

"Sorry, sir, we're not familiar with the sewers nearby..." The soldier paused, and suddenly, an extremely intense explosion echoed from the sewer. The tremendous shock made the walls tremble, and small pieces of cement and dirt fell from above, making it feel like a collapse could happen at any moment.

"Was it our explosives?" The soldier asked incredulously, "No, it shouldn't be. The Soviets wouldn't do that! So, was it another junction?"

Encountering such a situation for the first time, Lynn quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

In the darkness, unable to see the soldier's expression, but feeling the unease and disappointment in his tone, Lynn heard, "It would take at least 100 pounds of high-explosive to cause this effect, sir. It's enough to collapse an eight-way junction!"

In the "Vampire" commando training camp, Lynn's expertise in explosives was very limited, but he knew that the explosives used during his first mission with the night assault team against the Soviet camp were 2 kilograms of TNT per pack, enough to disable a T-34 tank when thrown into the hatch. 100 pounds roughly equated to 45 kilograms, which, when stacked together, would indeed have a considerable effect.

Without waiting for Lynn to speak, the soldier continued in a self-questioning tone, "Could it be Heideslink's forces? That's a crucial passage to the division headquarters!"

Upon hearing "division headquarters," Lynn couldn't help but think of the previous airborne assault division, and of Jonas and the other soldiers who were seriously injured and unconscious during the battle. But judging by the current situation in Berlin, field hospitals were likely severely lacking in personnel, equipment, and medicine.

After a moment, the dark world trembled again in a similarly intense explosion, with noticeably more debris falling from above this time. Lynn didn't want his nerves to be disturbed by mere tension and unease, but less than half a minute later, the third explosion caused even more violent shaking. Though the soldiers didn't scream in panic, anyone would feel fearful in such a situation.

"Did you set explosives at all the junctions leading to the city center?" Lynn was frustrated. If they returned to the surface now, considering the light generated by artillery fire, they would be at risk.

Hesitating, the soldier reluctantly admitted, "I think so! Sir! Most likely!"

"Damn it," gradually became Lynn's most common curse. Faced with an extremely unfavorable situation, he struggled to make a decision: "Guys, take us up from the nearest passage!"

Although Lynn had made up his mind, the soldier from the 18th Armored Infantry Division was not confident in the maze-like sewers. He reluctantly replied, "I'll try!"

With no other choice, Lynn had to let Bruck lead the way again and instructed the remaining soldiers to follow closely. Lynn himself, burdened with night combat gear, helped support the injured army soldier. In adversity, they walked forward in the dark. After passing two small junctions, they encountered a collapsed passage ahead. They had to return to the previous junction and take another narrow side passage that could only accommodate one person at a time. After walking forward for a few tens of meters, they were about to reach the next junction when they heard a lot of footsteps and voices ahead—definitely not in German.

Judging by the sound, there were many people, and Lynn and his team didn't need to take unnecessary risks. They promptly turned back. By the time they crossed the junction where the previous battle had taken place, they had spent almost an hour navigating the sewers. Changing directions to what seemed to be getting further from the city center, although they didn't encounter any blockages in the sewers, without stairs or ropes, they had to search desperately for vertical shafts to clear the blockages. Finding the first one, Bruck volunteered to climb up to scout the route. However, he returned with a disappointed look, reporting that it was a battlefield with bullets flying above.

Hearing the dense gunfire, Lynn guessed the situation. Though eager to find a way out, he tried to keep a rational mindset. Turning on his flashlight, he used a military compass to determine the direction and turned right at the next junction. As long as there was a way forward, they pressed on, crossing the battleground littered with corpses and the muddy and blocked sections. Their persistence finally paid off when they found another vertical shaft. Bruck went up and didn't come back down. Instead, he shouted excitedly, unable to contain his excitement, "Guys, it's our people! We're safe!"

Upon hearing this, Lynn breathed a sigh of relief. Considering the two injured soldiers who were difficult to climb alone and a Soviet colonel with both arms disabled, he calmly made arrangements: let Bruck and Tanzar go up first to find ropes, then one by one, they lifted the two wounded soldiers using the ropes, tied the Soviet colonel securely, and let the soldiers above pull him out together. When everyone was safely back on the surface, Lynn left the dark world that almost cost them their lives several times.

The vertical shaft was located on a small street, with tall buildings on both sides collapsed. However, the ruins still stood nearly two stories high. In addition to the 11th night commando unit and the two army soldiers they encountered, there were also several soldiers wearing pea battle suits with army badges on their "big ear" helmets. When Lynn stuck his head out of the shaft, a young sergeant with a comforting look stretched out his right hand wearing black gloves—pulled by his strong pull, Lynn, who had experienced a roller coaster-like night, smoothly returned to the ground.

Climbing the vertical shaft didn't consume much energy, but Lynn couldn't help but gasp for breath. Berlin had naturally stayed awake all night, with the sky devoid of its original color, still dim orange, allowing vision beyond the constraints of the night. But looking around, Lynn couldn't find the traces of the famous buildings from his memory amidst the ruins. After a silent moment, he sighed, "Thank goodness."

"Is this Soviet officer... a colonel?" The young army sergeant asked in astonishment. During the Battle of Berlin, the German forces were at a severe disadvantage compared to the Soviets in terms of troops and equipment. In the urban battles, there was only fierce resistance, and the idea of counterattacking was as futile as expecting the encircled army groups to launch a counteroffensive.

Upon hearing this question, Lynn finally snapped out of his daze and quickly realized his current top priority. He glanced at the insignia on the sergeant's uniform collar, identifying him as a corporal.

"Oh, yes, he's a colonel, captured on the Soviet front. Excuse me... Is this still part of the 8th Defense Zone?" Lynn inquired.

"The 8th Defense Zone?" The young army sergeant was still surprised, though not as much as when he saw the Soviet colonel. He shook his head and sighed, "The 8th Defense Zone is almost gone! Most of the remaining troops have withdrawn. This is the 6th Defense Zone!"

Hissing... Lynn couldn't help but take a sharp breath. In just a few hours, the 8th Defense Zone had been occupied by the Soviets? What about the previous defense zone headquarters and the 9th Paratrooper Jaeger Division and other units holding their ground there?

The corporal didn't show any confusion due to Lynn's reaction. He turned to point in the distance and said, "Our defense zone headquarters is just to the right of the street corner. It's less than two kilometers away. Do you need someone to guide you?"

"That would be best!" Lynn replied. "The wounded need medical treatment, and we also need to replenish ammunition and supplies."

"No problem!" The corporal snapped his fingers and called out to a nearby soldier, "Hank, take them to the defense zone headquarters, and hurry back!"

Returning to the surface, Lynn felt the care of his comrades-in-arms, which eased his low spirits somewhat. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, he suddenly heard a short and sharp "whoosh" sound, causing the hair on his back to stand on end.

The eerie whistle still ended with a "boom" explosion, sounding neither too near nor too far. Most of the soldiers, including Lynn, were accustomed to Soviet artillery fire, so they instinctively ducked their heads and bodies back and turned around. Then, they all paled with shock: the shell that landed on the top of the rubble had lifted countless fragments into the air. They flew high like rocks erupting from a volcano, scattering in all directions. Considering that these were all steel bars, cement blocks, and other debris from collapsed buildings, they either had considerable weight or sharp edges. Moreover, the exploding shell had imparted them with tremendous kinetic energy. If hit by one, even if one's life was spared, they might still end up seriously injured!

Faced with this unexpected situation, all Lynn could do was shout, "Run!" However, this time, the corporal beside him acted first. He shouted, "Get down and run!" and forcefully pushed Lynn aside. Lynn staggered forward a few steps, fearing that the Soviet colonel they had just captured might cause trouble at this moment. He quickly turned back to look and saw that the man was still bound by ropes, being pulled frantically by Bruck. Though stumbling, he was still moving forward. As for the other soldiers, driven by their survival instincts and the corporal's reminder, they all bent down and ran forward desperately.

Countless fragments flew down with a large scattering area, and despite everyone's agility, there was no way to avoid them. Lynn winced as a stone hit his shoulder, but fortunately, his helmet and the battery pack on his back blocked many of the fragments. However, he was worried that his night vision equipment might be damaged, feeling anxious as he almost stumbled due to the uneven ground. Then, his buttocks took a hard hit, and he finally couldn't hold on, stumbling and falling down. Fortunately, this hail-like impact came and went quickly. Lynn quickly turned around and shouted, "Is everyone okay?"

This time, the young army sergeant didn't try to speak first, but he was the first one to get up and dash away. At this moment, Lynn finally heard someone nearby shouting "tank." Following the corporal's running direction, Lynn looked over and saw a large anti-tank gun, concealed by gray camouflage netting, beside the rubble that had been hit. If he wasn't mistaken, that should be an 88mm heavy anti-tank gun, nicknamed the "Tank Opener"!