Chapter 8: Killing with a sniper rifle
Qin Chuan wasn't sure if it was luck or something else that had saved him… The situation had been so dire that he hadn't had time to think much about it.
Seeing Trigger clutching his wounded right shoulder with a pained expression, Qin Chuan instinctively wanted to help him bandage it, but Trigger quickly stopped him.
"Forget about me!" Trigger said, nodding toward the rifle that had originally belonged to him, lying on the ground. "Try this instead!"
It had to be said that German soldiers possessed a different kind of morale and spirit compared to soldiers from other Western countries. Even now, Trigger believed that continuing the fight was more important than his injury.
Qin Chuan understood this mindset because a sniper could play a decisive role on the battlefield, and the few minutes spent bandaging could be crucial in saving more lives.
Without further thought, Qin Chuan set his own rifle aside and picked up Trigger's rifle. Though it was the same K98K model, Trigger's rifle was clearly a hand-picked weapon; the moment Qin Chuan held it, he felt a sense of reliability. More importantly, it was equipped with a .5x magnification scope.
The .5x scope didn't offer a huge advantage in observation, but for a sniper, it could mean the difference between seeing or not seeing the target, or even between life and death.
Trigger didn't rest. Despite his injury, he crawled over to Qin Chuan's side, poking his head out with the binoculars in his left hand… They had swapped roles—Trigger became the spotter, and Qin Chuan took on the role of the sniper.
"Ten o'clock direction!" Trigger said, "Two machine gunners!"
There was a Vickers heavy machine gun manned by two British soldiers, firing at a rate of 500 rounds per minute and spitting fire wildly toward the German forces. The soldiers were clearly well-trained, as their bullets were striking the gaps between the German tanks, mowing down the German infantry behind them.
Qin Chuan aimed through the scope, slowed his breathing, and pulled the trigger…
"Bang!" The heavy K98K rifle fired a round.
About a second later, the bullet found its mark.
Unlike before, this time Qin Chuan could clearly see through the scope as the bullet punched through the machine gunner's helmet, spraying blood in a mist… The gunner's head snapped back, and his body was pulled backward by the force, like a drunkard stumbling, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The British assistant gunner seemed unaware that his comrade had been killed by a sniper. Instead of seeking cover, he moved to take over the machine gun.
Qin Chuan naturally cycled the bolt, chambered another round, and with another "bang," the assistant gunner crumpled to the ground.
This shot didn't kill him instantly. The assistant gunner writhed on the ground, clutching his wound with his left hand as blood seeped through his fingers, while his right hand frantically clawed at the sand around him.
"Nice shot!" Qin Chuan heard Trigger's voice. "You took them out!"
But then Trigger noticed Qin Chuan pulling back and leaning against the sand dune, looking disturbed. "What's wrong, Friedrich?"
"I… killed them," Qin Chuan said, his voice trembling.
"Yes," Trigger replied coldly, "And you should keep doing it. Because while you hesitate, more of your comrades are dying due to your mercy!"
No sooner had Trigger finished speaking than a German tank exploded.
It wasn't just a simple explosion; the ammunition inside the tank had detonated. Flames erupted from the holes and cracks in the hull like a fiery fountain. The crew inside were likely reduced to ashes before they even realized what had happened… and compared to burning alive, that might have been a mercy.
Qin Chuan knew Trigger was right. The battlefield was a place where it was either kill or be killed, and showing mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself… In fact, it was a matter of life and death. Only by winning could he increase his chances of surviving.
So Qin Chuan stuck his head out again, searched for the next target, and fired another shot.
This time it was an anti-tank gunner. The bullet struck him in the chest, and Qin Chuan watched as a geyser of blood shot a meter into the air from the soldier's chest. Even as he collapsed to the ground and stopped moving, the blood continued to gush out… The shot had likely hit the heart.
The German tanks had reached the British defensive line, and the British soldiers were in disarray, facing a tough choice: hold their ground or retreat.
Qin Chuan knew neither option was good.
If they held their ground, they couldn't withstand the tanks' assault.
If they retreated, they wouldn't be able to outrun the tanks.
Unless the British had reinforcements or the Germans showed mercy, these British soldiers had little chance of escaping alive.
The British chose the latter. They abandoned a large number of wounded and dead, as well as many weapons—machine guns, anti-tank guns, mortars—and scattered in a disorganized retreat… It was a chaotic flight with no semblance of covering one another.
As expected, the German tanks accelerated and charged after the fleeing British soldiers.
What Qin Chuan found hard to accept was that the tanks completely ignored the wounded British soldiers and the corpses on the ground. Some of the British soldiers, unable to move due to their injuries, raised their hands and shouted, begging the tanks to stop. Some were even so terrified that they broke down in tears, desperately trying to crawl out of the tanks' path…
But the German tanks didn't stop, as if those soldiers didn't exist. The thick treads rolled over the wounded and the dead alike, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. Soon, the tanks were draped with bits of flesh and tattered clothing, and the ground was littered with a bloody paste bearing the imprint of the tank treads.
Even more horrifying were the soldiers who were only half-crushed. Their lower bodies had been obliterated, but their upper bodies were still intact, and they were still alive. They screamed and thrashed, staring in disbelief at their mangled lower halves, unable to comprehend what had happened to them. They reached out in pain, struggling futilely, but nothing could change the fact that they were about to die…
"Bang!" Qin Chuan fired another shot, ending the suffering of one such soldier. But the image of that soldier's agony would forever be etched in Qin Chuan's mind.
The German forces continued to pursue the fleeing British soldiers, gunfire and explosions echoing all around. Rows of British soldiers fell to the ground, and more German soldiers joined the battle from the rear.
Qin Chuan didn't follow them. He lowered his rifle and sat back against the sand dune, unmoving. He was too exhausted, too drained to witness any more of the bloodshed on the battlefield.
Trigger didn't push him further. Instead, he extended his injured arm toward Qin Chuan and said, "Now, you can help me with the bandage!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone