Chapter 106: I Am My Own God

Nine bullets, nine soldiers—such a score even an ace shooter wouldn't dare to guarantee, yet Lynn achieved it.

Not every bullet hit a different target, but within less than a hundred meters, a 7.92mm intermediate-power rifle bullet could take out two with a stroke of luck.

Witnessing the heavy casualties of their comrades, the surviving Soviet soldiers dared not continue advancing. Instead, they obediently lay flat on the ground, firing desperately with "PPSh" and "Degtyaryov" rifles. Bullets whizzed up the slope, kicking up countless grass and mud particles. Meanwhile, Lynn calmly replaced the empty magazine with a homemade "two-in-one kit," preparing to re-enter the hunting mode. Suddenly, amidst the silence, a muffled bang echoed, followed by a much larger explosion than a single grenade detonation, shaking the vicinity. Lynn's poor ears buzzed amidst the thunderous noise.

Damn it, these Soviets have mortars!

Throughout the entire Second World War, the organization and armament of Soviet forces underwent the most significant and complex changes. Lynn, once just a moderator of World War II forums, couldn't figure it out in the end. Judging from the current situation, the Soviet troops ambushed in this pine forest should exceed the size of a "platoon" but seem not to reach the full strength of a "company." Therefore, the presence of mortars as part of their arsenal isn't surprising. As dirt and debris kicked up by the explosion showered over him, Lynn swiftly grabbed his Mosin-Nagant rifle and scanned the battlefield through the T-shaped scope. Firearms discharge generated smoke, while the exploded motorcycles and the car that ultimately collided with a tree emitted smoke, too, almost obscuring the small battlefield with haze. Even the moonlight seemed insufficient to penetrate through.

Failing to find them, the Soviet soldiers halted midway up the slope, still firing vigorously. Even those still in the woods joined in the shooting. Lynn had become a magnet—bullets relentlessly sought him out. Therefore, when he heard another muffled bang, he promptly retreated into the trench, opened his mouth wide to absorb the shock from the subsequent explosion, and casually tossed the Mosin-Nagant aside. He grabbed the "two-in-one" kit loaded with full ammo from his belt and pocketed three grenades he found on the Soviet soldiers. Although the mortar shells fell nearby this time, roughly ten meters away from Lynn's hiding spot, he seized the moment when the enemy's gunfire weakened during the mortar explosion. He crawled out of the pit in the opposite direction like a giant lizard, using both hands and feet to swiftly maneuver. Instead of running straight down to the foot of the slope, he descended about twenty meters and maintained the same elevation, circumventing the hill clockwise to the right side of the attacking Soviet soldiers on the summit. With friendly machine guns and mortars providing suppressing fire and having fired several shots himself, seeing no activity from the enemies at the top, only a few finally got up to continue advancing.

A golden opportunity lay before him, yet Lynn didn't rush to eliminate these guys. Instead, he looked towards the pine forest. At this moment, another dozen or so Soviet soldiers emerged from the woods. They initially spread out, lowering their heads and bending their bodies to reduce their target size. Meanwhile, gunfire remained intense in the forest, with the addition of a louder tone. Lynn guessed it to be the most powerful "DShK" heavy machine gun among the active Soviet firearms. This 12.7mm caliber weapon with a classic shield and steel wheel was easy to carry, had good sustained firing capability, and could provide basic protection for the shooter. It probably hadn't shown its might before, likely mounted inside a vehicle for deployment to ambush positions before being unloaded for use.

Veterans often said that pure battles only existed on sand tables, and Lynn had a deep understanding of this. While thinking about how to deal with the Soviet soldiers in front of him, he heard the sound of engines revving from the forest. In a moment, two motorcycles appeared at the southeast corner of the woods. The one in front didn't have a sidecar and carried two riders, while the one behind had the common three-wheel configuration of the era, also with one rider on each side. After leaving the shade of the forest, they quickly headed southeast, as if planning to bypass the hills and rush to the village. However, Lynn suspected their true intention was to cut off the enemy's retreat from the hilltop.

The battlefield situation was ever-changing, but Lynn reassured himself. After all, he was a tough guy; no need to worry here. He pulled out a hand grenade shaped like a "melon" from his pocket—this wasn't American or Japanese equipment but an F1 defensive grenade developed and produced by the Soviets themselves. In the training course of the "Vampire" Assault Team, Lynn had seen various basic equipment used by the current Soviet army and roughly understood their combat performance. This type of F1 grenade had a slightly longer body, with a metal loop extending from the bottom and equipped with a convenient metal hook for carrying.

Lynn held the gun in his left hand and the grenade in his right. With his mouth, he pulled the pin, while his right knee knelt to the ground as a support point. Leaning slightly to the right, he extended his right arm as far as possible and then hurled the grenade towards the group of Soviet infantry behind him.

The F1 grenade's design was already convenient, and with the advantage of the terrain, it flew more than forty meters in one go, surprising even Lynn. At this distance, it landed in front of the Soviet soldiers and exploded immediately. Just before this, Lynn had thrown a second grenade in the same manner towards the group of Soviet soldiers in front of him. However, after the explosion of the first grenade, several agile Soviet soldiers immediately dropped to the ground, weakening the actual effect of the second grenade's explosion.

The disruption of the Soviet soldiers' line of sight had been achieved. Lynn crouched down and aimed the MP44 downwards to the side, firing in short bursts. After eight clean shots, there was no one left standing in his line of sight.

Among the Soviet soldiers who had launched the attack on the hilltop, only two or three remained uninjured. Despite taking a series of hits, they hadn't figured out the situation yet. They alternated between firing towards the hilltop and towards Lynn's direction. Lynn wasn't interested in a shootout with them and quickly retreated like a lizard, a move that a lizard couldn't actually execute. Call it awkward or clumsy, as long as it worked, nothing else mattered.

Returning to the back of the hill, Lynn glanced down towards the foot of the slope. The two motorcycles were gradually moving away along the dirt road in the field. Had he misunderstood their intentions? No, they just wanted to intercept beyond the effective range of sniper rifles. Hmph, when Eric and the others retreat along the road later, they'll be at the mercy of the "Night Warriors"!

At this moment, the Soviet mortarman on the other side of the forest was unaware of the changes on the hillside. Mortar shells continued to rain down one after another, hitting the few pine trees on the hilltop. The sturdy trunks silently endured the onslaught of shells and shrapnel, while the few remaining branches swayed wildly in the airflow. Despite this situation, Lynn stubbornly returned to the hilltop. He crawled into the rear trench, the place where he mercilessly slaughtered the Russian soldier earlier. Without time to apologize to this unfortunate comrade, he dropped the assault rifle, pulled out the "Twenty Shots," a weapon that had dominated the battlefield in the East for decades, from its holster, and switched off the safety, cocking the hammer. With his left hand, he retrieved a cloth-wrapped mirror shard from his backpack, pressed his body against the pit wall facing the forest, and waited. When the gunfire diminished, and the mortar shells stopped falling, he knew the Soviet soldiers should be coming up. He cautiously raised the mirror shard to observe the situation on all sides of the hilltop. After about a minute of waiting, his patience worn thin by the tense atmosphere, he finally caught sight of a helmeted head flickering in the mirror.

They're coming up!

He turned the mirror shard with extremely slight movements. Left front... one! Left rear... none! Right front... one! Right rear... none! Straight back... no need for the mirror, he could see there were none!

He pocketed the mirror shard, outlining the battle plan within his mind for this small area, and pulled out a second shotgun from its holster. Exhale, inhale. Had his glorious moment finally arrived?

Facing multiple opponents wasn't just a legend, but remaining unscathed amidst intense gunfire was the stuff of garbage movies. Even with a heart full of blood and fearless spirit, Lynn was prepared to take a bullet at any moment. Gripping the shotguns tightly, he mentally addressed them: "Brothers, I've heard of your reputation long ago. I sincerely invite you to come forth. Now that we're in danger, let us unleash our divine power!"

At the last moment, Lynn didn't forget to confirm with his finger that both shotguns were safely loaded. With a powerful thrust from his spine, he pushed against the pit wall, and his body leaped upward in a sudden reversal.

At that moment, he was his own god, invincible in every direction!