Chapter 174: The Final Fork in the Road

"Oh damn! Really damn!"

Lynn gasped for air, turning to look at Noah and Frederick, both wearing a stunned expression after narrowly escaping death.

The battlefield was ever-changing, just moments ago they were filled with joy of victory, but now they found themselves on the brink of life and death. What would happen next? Taking the assault rifle from Frederick's hand, Lynn retrieved a mirror from his bag, lowering it along the wall edge as usual. A barrel car overturned at the roadside was under the suppressive fire of Soviet heavy machine guns, occasional sparks flying as the thin body occasionally got hit. The battlefield further away was still filled with flames and smoke, making it difficult to make sense of anything at the moment. Before Lynn could observe further, a sudden flash of red light in the mirror caught his attention, as if a flame erupted from it. Without much thought, a deafening blast came from behind the wall, feeling as though someone had pushed him hard from behind, causing him to fall forward abruptly, instinctively closing his eyes, ears ringing... Could it be? Did he just meet his end, hanging on the edge of freedom?

After a moment, Lynn's consciousness cleared slightly, realizing his limbs were intact, feeling no severe pain in his body, just an uncomfortable sensation in his nose. Suddenly, a hand pulled him up, feeling a chill as he started coughing violently, feeling dust falling from his face. Wiping his eyes, he managed to open them, seeing Noah and Frederick, both looking like mud men, blinking rapidly. Unable to resist, Lynn burst into laughter.

Noah and Frederick exchanged looks and joined in the laughter.

This laughter swept away the gloom in the hearts of the three unlucky guys, but the battle wouldn't pause because of it. Bullets continued to hit nearby with a 'plup plup' sound. Having experienced battles, Lynn and his companions rolled back immediately—there was no shortage of debris for cover in this place. They quickly moved behind a large pile of rubble.

Once fully conscious, Lynn checked himself, finding his body unharmed, the gun still there, and the "lucky mirror" as well, albeit shattered, with only a small fragment left on the empty frame.

Was the good luck over here?

Lynn's heart tightened, but then he thought: even without this mirror, he had repeatedly escaped danger on the battlefield before, ultimately only sustaining minor injuries. Snatching a Soviet truck in a while, wouldn't he just detach and pair the mirror again? If they wanted wheels, they would detach six of them.

Inspired by his own optimistic mood, Lynn's mood brightened. Looking at Noah and Frederick, they looked like mud, except for blinking eyes. Unable to resist, Lynn laughed again.

Noah and Frederick looked at each other and laughed as well.

This laughter swept away the gloom in the hearts of the three unlucky guys, but the battle wouldn't pause because of it. Bullets continued to hit nearby with a 'plup plup' sound. Having experienced battles, Lynn and his companions rolled back immediately—there was no shortage of debris for cover in this place. They quickly moved behind a large pile of rubble.

After a tense interception battle, seemingly ending with heavy losses for the Soviets, Lynn's telescope still caught some shadows moving towards the edge of the road, intending to use the debris for cover, their cautious movements mostly avoiding the sight of the German tank crews and accompanying infantry. Although the advancing German tanks intentionally kept a distance from the rubble along the street, and the squad of German infantry bravely occupied the higher rubble piles on the side of the road and set up machine guns on them, they were not enough to stop the fearless attacks of the Soviet infantry. Suddenly, a soldier emerged from a water-filled ditch by the roadside—he pressed his body against the edge of the ditch, his position so well concealed that Lynn hadn't noticed him beforehand. Just before the German soldiers could fire at him, the soldier threw an anti-tank grenade towards the center of the road where the German tanks were, a kamikaze attack. The soldier was immediately mowed down by the German machine gun, but the grenade landed next to the "Black Panther" tank's track. At the moment of the explosion, Lynn saw two German infantrymen near it directly killed, and the tank's power system malfunctioned due to the explosion, quickly stopping by the road, forcing the tank crew who could have been safe under the armor to climb out for repairs.

The military barrel truck Lynn had driven before was not only overturned but also continuously shot by Soviet bullets, probably no longer usable. Lynn realized that the most ideal route for retreat now was to join the remaining members of this German armored column. Although they were well-equipped, after repeated battles, they were critically short of combat personnel, in need of experienced combat infantry to join them—despite the risk of being used as cannon fodder, considering that the Soviet forces to the south of Berlin were not as strong as those to the east and north, the most difficult battles during the breakout might have already ended.

"Look, it seems to be Brühl's group!"

Frederick pointed to the figures moving through the rubble on the right, Lynn turned his head to look through the telescope, in the dim light, the distinctive silhouette of German helmets was vaguely discernible, and their loose "pea" combat suits were also different from the Soviet uniforms, but it was difficult to tell whether they were all there at once. He hurriedly groped towards Noah and Frederick, after a necessary exploration and confirmation, the two groups finally met at a certain location.

"Gordon, Brühl, Marcus, Karl... You're all here, that's great!"

Lynn was joyful but couldn't hide his worry and sadness. Gordon and Brühl were both injured, supporting each other, Marcus's leg was not healed, relying on Tichmeier's support to complete this journey, and the youngest Tichmeier also had scratches on his face, but they were not visible in this light. Seeing everyone injured, it seemed impossible to break out with their own strength. So, as a commander, he made the final decision for this group of soldiers' fate.

With a 'shua', he pulled out his guns from the holster, Lynn said in a low and firm voice, "Brothers, hold on for the last stretch, let's clear out the remaining enemies lurking by the roadside!"