Chapter 371 The Winter War (23)

Due to the constant harassment by small Finnish troops, the morale of the Soviet army plummeted to unimaginable levels, with continuous losses of personnel, weapons, vehicles, and even essential hot meals in the harsh winter.

The favorite targets of the Finnish army were supply convoys and field kitchens. Not only were these easy targets to eliminate, but it also prevented a large number of Soviet soldiers from getting hot meals, greatly demoralizing them. How successful was this tactic? When the commander of the Soviet 44th Division retreated and was subsequently executed by Stalin, one of the charges against him was the loss of fifty-five field kitchens.

Although the Soviet army attempted to send out patrols, they had little effect. Often, these patrol units were ambushed by the Finnish army and disappeared without a trace. However, they couldn't simply ignore the situation; otherwise, the Finnish troops would become even more audacious. Therefore, the Soviet army had no choice but to continue sending out patrols, which became a typical "adding fuel to the fire" tactic, essentially offering themselves as targets.

One day, another squad of Soviet soldiers was sent out for a routine patrol. Although filled with complaints, they dared not offend their superiors, especially the political commissar.

Reluctantly, they left the camp. Aware of the danger of this mission, they moved slowly and cautiously, frequently stopping to scan their surroundings vigilantly for any signs of danger before continuing.

"Stop everyone." After walking for half a day, the Soviet squad leader signaled for the group to halt. The other soldiers immediately stopped and knelt down on one knee, alert to their surroundings.

The squad leader first looked cautiously left and right to ensure there was no danger, then took out a small compass and a map from his pocket to check their position. "Continue forward."

The squad leader picked up his Mosin-Nagant rifle and continued walking ahead.

After advancing for a while, there was suddenly a strange noise from behind the group. Several soldiers turned to look and saw Sergei, who was at the back, lying on the ground. "Sergei, are you okay?" Since they didn't hear any gunfire, they didn't enter combat mode, assuming Sergei had simply stumbled.

But after calling out to him several times with no response, and seeing no movement from Sergei, the Soviet squad leader frowned slightly, his finger resting on the trigger of his rifle, signaling for others to go check on Sergei.

The soldier closest to Sergei walked over to help him up, but as soon as he took a step forward, there was a thud, and he also collapsed, falling right beside Sergei.

"Enemy attack!" The squad leader shouted loudly, diving behind a nearby tree for cover. Others also scrambled to find cover, but in the blink of an eye, two more soldiers fell to the ground.

"Did the Finns do this? But why didn't we hear any gunfire?!" The squad leader tightly gripped his rifle, beads of nervous sweat forming on his forehead.

The reason they didn't hear gunfire was undoubtedly because of suppressors.

Actually, suppressors aren't some cutting-edge technology. As early as 1908, American manufacturer and inventor Hiram Percy Maxim (son of Hiram Stevens Maxim, who invented the machine gun) invented the world's first firearm suppressor.

Most firearm suppressors are similar to automotive mufflers, gradually slowing down the flow of gas through chambers to reduce the sound of gunfire. Suppressors can reduce the original 160-decibel gunshot to a safe hearing level, but they cannot completely silence it. After installing a suppressor, the original characteristics of the gunshot are eliminated, making it less noticeable in noisy environments or at longer distances.

However, installing a suppressor on a full-powered 7.62x51mm firearm, especially not the advanced suppressors of later years, doesn't work very well. It can only be used with reduced-charge ammunition, barely making do.

At this moment, the squad leader couldn't think about all this. All he could think about was how to escape from this ghostly place.

"Squad leader, what do we do?!" asked the soldier closest to him, his voice trembling.

How would I know what to do?! The squad leader felt like crying. "Let me think..." Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden chill in his neck, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.

Seeing the squad leader killed, the remaining Soviet soldiers panicked completely, running away without regard. Driven by fear, they forgot even the most basic tactical movements, running straight ahead.

Meanwhile, in the distance, two snowdrifts moved slightly. Two snipers wearing white cold-weather suits stood up, crouching halfway, aiming their SVD sniper rifles at the fleeing Soviet soldiers. One of them, however, didn't have a scope mounted on his rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four muffled gunshots rang out, and four Soviet soldiers fell one after another, leaving only one. But he was a bit clever, running in a zigzag pattern.

Simo's rifle followed the opponent's movements, gently squeezing the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet left the barrel, but the Soviet soldier seemed to sense something, abruptly pausing for a moment as the bullet grazed past his body. Simo squeezed the trigger again, but the bullet still didn't hit the target.

Puff! Nearby, Matthäus couldn't help but laugh, teasing, "What's wrong, Simo? Is your hand frozen and not listening to you?"

Matthäus Hetzenauer was the top sniper in the original timeline, with a record of 345 kills. As an instructor at the Sniper Academy, he volunteered to come to Finland this time. However, rather than helping Finland fight invaders, he just wanted to compete with Simo.

Simo rolled his eyes and made a gesture as if to say, "Why don't you try?"

"Watch me," Matthäus said, raising his gun, aiming, taking a deep breath, and pulling the trigger. The Soviet soldier, who had already run far away, seemed to have run out of luck as the bullet entered his back, piercing through his left lung. He fell down in a sorry state, his mouth filled with blood and foam. He struggled in the snow for a while, then finally crawled up and leaned against a pine tree, coughing heavily.

"Let's go." Seeing that the guy wouldn't survive, Matthäus had no intention of finishing him off.

However, Simo silently removed the suppressor from the muzzle of his gun, aimed at the distant Soviet soldier, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Accompanied by a deafening gunshot, a burst of blood mist erupted from the Soviet soldier's forehead in the distance.

Simo raised the broken suppressor in his hand. "It's broken."

Suppressors aren't without flaws. Due to the aerodynamic effects of the air when the bullet leaves the barrel, there is always some deviation. Although this deviation doesn't affect the accuracy of the firearm, it causes all the bullet impact points that were originally on target to move a certain distance in the same direction. This movement can be ignored in close-range shooting but makes a huge difference at long distances. Moreover, with the current technology, suppressors like those from the future, with a long lifespan, cannot be made. After firing about a hundred rounds, these suppressors are almost ready for retirement.