Chapter 6: Asphyxiation

The terrified screams spread through the trench at an astonishing speed, yet many soldiers, temporarily deafened by the bombardment, remained indifferent. If it had not been for a fellow soldier pushing him, Lynn might not have noticed that the Soviet aircraft had circled back, preparing to strafe along the trench. He saw them extend their wings, riding the air currents as they dove from hundreds of meters above, their graceful posture reminiscent of professional divers, and the feeble firepower rising from the ground was powerless to stop them! The wings of these black birds soon ignited with flickering flames, and a dense barrage of bullets rained down, resembling a grand thunderstorm. This time, Lynn felt that he was finally doomed, yet he instinctively shrank back against the trench wall. As countless bullets thudded into the earth or struck bodies, Lynn felt like a withered leaf trembling in the wind, yet miraculously, he survived unscathed!

God bless

The dark spots quickly approached the defense line, and the dull buzzing sound stirred an innate sense of unease. The recovery team had just carried away the body of the blonde-haired man, and Lynn didn't even know the name of this companion he had spent two days with. He stood dejectedly in the trench, suddenly looking up to see those dark Soviet planes swooping down from hundreds of meters above, resembling a flock of crows coming to scavenge the corpses.

Lynn was about to rise when he suddenly heard a whistling sound and the strange calls of *图*书 coming from outside the trench. Due to his slanted sitting position, his gaze naturally turned towards the sky. He caught sight of a large black bird spreading its wings as it swept over the trench, an indescribably magnificent scene. Within just a few seconds, several more large black birds roared past, flying at such a low altitude that not only could the red stars and wheels beneath their wings be discerned, but even the rivets on their fuselage were vaguely identifiable. Moreover, the bomb racks that had previously hung beneath their bellies and wings were now completely empty. The spectacle was beyond description, and in just a few seconds, more large black birds continued to roar past, flying at such a low altitude that not only could the red stars and wheels beneath their wings be discerned, but even the rivets on their fuselage were vaguely identifiable. Furthermore, the bomb racks that had previously hung beneath their bellies and wings were now completely empty.

Persisting tenaciously in this manner, as the tremors of the ground gradually diminished, Lynn found herself nearly deaf, hearing nothing but a continuous buzzing sound.

Lynn muttered to himself, and although he spoke in Chinese, he still hoped that the all-powerful Lord of legend could hear him and continue to bless him

Resisting the intense soreness that surged through his body, Lin En struggled to prop himself up on his knees. At that moment, a strong hand pulled him up, and when he looked up, the "Butcher" had already moved to another soldier, lifting him in the same manner, and then silently continued to walk forward

Looking up at the distant figure of the "Butcher," Lynn silently expressed her gratitude in her heart

Death is sometimes a form of liberation, yet the living must still struggle for survival. Under the officers' urgent prodding, Lynn and other fortunate survivors, like the large-eared steel and * map * helmet, picked up their guns with indifference. The leading Soviet tanks had already charged to the edge of the creek, their artillery creating an absolute suppression at close range, rendering the lone anti-tank gun on the defenders' position powerless. In the trench, the reserve soldiers had also come up, and a new face appeared beside Lynn. He merely glanced over, not even offering the other a comforting expression. The leading Soviet tanks had already charged to the edge of the creek, their artillery creating an absolute suppression at close range, rendering the lone anti-tank gun on the defenders' position powerless. In the trench, the reserve soldiers had also come up, and a new face appeared beside Lynn. He merely glanced over, not even offering the other a comforting expression.

Lynn murmured to himself, taking a full two minutes to shake off most of the mud from his body. The buzzing in his ears diminished somewhat, but his hearing remained impaired. When he saw someone stepping onto the platform, he followed suit. However, as he poked his helmeted head out of the trench, he was immediately stunned by the scene before him: the countless craters surrounding the position had transformed it into a lunar landscape. The winding trenches, fragmented by multiple collapses, suggested that some soldiers might be buried beneath, unaware of their fate. Yet, it seemed there was little time left for the defending soldiers to conduct any rescue or cleanup, for in the open area directly opposite the position, hundreds of tanks surged like a swarm of ants, and further away were thousands of Soviet soldiers. From a distance, this black tide came crashing in even more violently; could the battered riverbank still hold its ground?

Since I have crossed over to this war-torn era, I should at least be given more opportunities

Looking through the trench, the soldiers took quite a while to rise one by one, their heads and bodies covered in mud and water, as if they could be directly baked into European-style "Terracotta Warriors".

Nortel ... ... Voshitek!

Although the airstrike by the Soviet fighter jets was driven away by the defending forces' anti-aircraft fire, this was merely the beginning of the nightmare for the German soldiers. Shortly after those dark green fighter planes departed, a large group of black dots appeared in the northeastern sky, and the air raid alarms along the entire German front began to wail, rising and falling like a series of mournful melodies. This time, the horizon behind them showed no glimmer of hope; the German soldiers could rely only on the few anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, and their sincere prayers.

God did not respond, but the "Butcher" silently appeared beside Lynn. He nudged Lynn's hand and said something, but Lynn patted his ears to indicate that he could not hear. The "Butcher" nodded and stuffed a handful of bullets into Lynn's hand

Could this strange fellow be wearing Iron Man's invincible armor

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unlike the long and pointed bullets of the Mauser rifle, the round and short ones provided by the "Butcher" appeared to be handgun ammunition. Lynn suddenly realized: it seems that the "Butcher" knew he had received a Mauser pistol, so he brought some 9mm handgun bullets. With this thought, a wave of warmth surged in his heart. Lynn quickly took out the shotgun and, following the method he had explored, loaded the bullets into the chamber. Indeed, it had a capacity of six rounds, fitting perfectly in place.

Bang

The shell that landed nearby exploded with a powerful shockwave, and Lynn instinctively lowered his head slightly, unlike the newly arrived soldiers who shrank back to the bottom of the trench. Seeing the "Butcher" come up to give each of them a kick, shouting for them to hold their positions, Lynn did not find it amusing—on the brutal battlefield, the pride of having grown up felt insignificant. He resolutely raised his head to look ahead; the first Soviet tank had already crossed the stream, and the almost marshy bank only slightly slowed the T-34's advance.

Lynn felt completely empty inside

Woshitket! Woshitket!

The tsunami-like explosions lasted for four to five minutes, with dozens of Soviet aircraft swooping over the trenches. The anti-aircraft guns on the front line roared incessantly, yet this time there was no noticeable effect. No one could be seen moving in the trenches; in fact, Lynn kept his eyes tightly shut for most of the time, only raising his head with great difficulty to glance at the surroundings during the brief moments when the intensity of the explosions slightly diminished. In the visible area, some sections of the trench had already collapsed, and it would take several hours to repair them. The figures that could be seen were wearing large-eared steel helmets, either crouching, lying down, or curled up like hedgehogs.

The frail young man responsible for distributing ammunition finally appeared. Having spent most of his time in a relatively safe hideout, he still looked the same and did not utter a word, silently handing out bullets to each soldier in the trench. This time, only four rows of twenty rounds were placed beside Lynn. It was inherently illogical to distribute ammunition just before the battle began, and reducing the amount of ammunition further indicated a deterioration in supplies. Of course, in this trench, perhaps less than half of the current personnel would survive to fire all twenty rounds, and searching for ammunition on the bodies of fallen comrades had become the most helpless choice for the veterans.

The explosions of landslides and earth fractures continuously shook the ground, the tremors perhaps more intense than an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. People found it difficult not only to stand but even lying down felt as if they would be jolted off the ground. The sustained and violent impacts made Lynn feel as though her internal organs were about to rupture, her hands tightly covering her ears, yet her eardrums still throbbed painfully. The blue sky and white clouds remained unchanged, but her vision was obscured by the flying dust and mud, which soared into the sky. Under the influence of gravity, when they returned to the ground, they carried significant kinetic energy, crashing against helmets with a loud clang, and the pain of them directly hitting her body was easily imaginable. The blue sky and white clouds remained unchanged, but her vision was obscured by the flying dust and mud, which soared into the sky. Under the influence of gravity, when they returned to the ground, they carried significant kinetic energy, crashing against helmets with a loud clang, and the pain of them directly hitting her body was easily imaginable.

A deafening roar erupted, and before Lynn could react, someone forcefully pushed his shoulder, causing his weary body to helplessly fall to the ground. Lynn turned his head and saw the "Butcher" glaring at him with fury, striding past him while shouting for the other soldiers to take cover