Chapter 11: Trust
Agdabia, a key town in central Libya, had strategic importance due to its location. To the north, it was near the vital port of Brega, which sat at the bottom of a "U"-shaped bay along Libya's coastline. To the south, it bordered the vast, inhospitable desert interior, a barren wasteland stretching hundreds of miles with no water and no human habitation. This desert was so harsh that even locals familiar with the terrain and climate would struggle to survive crossing it.
Agdabia had long been considered the gateway to western Libya and the Libyan capital, Tripoli, making it a place of great strategic importance throughout history.
This was precisely why the British had stationed two regiments there—they aimed to hold this critical position and halt the advance of the German and Italian forces.
However, the British plan was overly optimistic. The force approaching the city was not the Italian army but the German forces, who, with their high morale, had been relentlessly pursuing the retreating British.
"Advance!"
With that command, the German soldiers who had been lying in wait behind the sand dunes stood up. They held their rifles with the barrels pointed downward, moving cautiously in a skirmish line formation, gradually advancing toward Agdabia.
Qin Chuan was among them, surrounded by German soldiers. The sound of their boots crunching on the sand, like wind rustling through a field of wheat, provided him with some comfort, reminding him that they had strength in numbers.
Yet, as he approached the earth-colored buildings of Agdabia, Qin Chuan couldn't shake the feeling of being completely exposed to enemy fire. Any corner could conceal a dark gun barrel aimed right at him… The thought made his scalp tingle with fear.
Suddenly, a high-pitched whistling sound cut through the air, a shell streaking across the sky before slamming into the sand nearby and exploding.
The German formation held steady, but their pace quickened. Tanks rolled forward, their tracks clattering ominously, adding to Qin Chuan's mounting tension.
Soon, the air was filled with the sounds of artillery fire, both from the British and the German artillery exchanging shots overhead. The German soldiers' march turned into a run.
For a while, nothing happened—no enemy, no tanks. It was as if the British had vanished. If not for the continuous sounds of gunfire in the distance, Qin Chuan might have believed that the British had abandoned the town.
Closer and closer… Qin Chuan's breath became shallow and rapid with nerves.
Suddenly, Qin Chuan noticed several dark gun barrels protruding from small holes in the buildings ahead. He quickly shouted, "Get down!"
Those nearby heeded the warning and dropped to the ground, while others further ahead continued to sprint forward.
A barrage of gunfire erupted, and the advancing German soldiers fell like dominoes.
Some of the soldiers who had managed to dive for cover turned back and glanced at Qin Chuan, realizing that without his warning, they might have ended up like their fallen comrades.
But Qin Chuan didn't have time to dwell on this. He knew that the British gunmen had the high ground and would soon shift their focus to the prone soldiers below.
Without hesitation, Qin Chuan raised his rifle and aimed at the building.
"Bang!" The shot rang out, sending a bullet straight toward the large opening in the wall.
Qin Chuan had chosen that particular spot because it was larger than the other openings, making it easier to aim at and more likely to hit whoever was inside.
More importantly, the larger size suggested that a machine gun was positioned there, requiring more space for its mount and for aiming.
Sure enough, after Qin Chuan's shot, the intensity of the enemy's fire diminished significantly.
"Bang!" Another bullet left the barrel.
Before firing, Qin Chuan had rolled over to a better position. He found it difficult to maintain his aim while lying prone on the ground, so he rolled over and propped his rifle on the body of a fallen German soldier.
Before this moment, Qin Chuan would have never considered using a comrade's corpse as cover or support—it felt like a disrespectful act, something he wasn't sure he could do.
But at that moment, Qin Chuan had no choice. He sensed that the enemy sniper was aiming right at him… As mentioned before, the Enfield rifle had a much faster rate of fire than the K98K. If the enemy sniper had him in their sights at such close range, Qin Chuan had to use everything at his disposal to hide himself and eliminate the threat. Otherwise, he would soon be the next cold, lifeless body.
Qin Chuan's instincts proved correct once again. He saw the enemy rifle slump down, hanging limply from the wall opening—it was clear that the sniper behind it had been incapacitated.
"Bang!" Qin Chuan fired again.
This time, his target was a British soldier about to throw a grenade.
Qin Chuan knew this because he noticed the rifle at the opening had been withdrawn… Reloading a rifle didn't require pulling it back into cover, and the British sniper didn't need to change position after a single shot.
There was only one reason for such a move—preparing to throw a grenade.
Qin Chuan seized the opportunity, aimed at the wall opening, and waited for two seconds, giving the target time to pull the grenade pin.
Then he pulled the trigger…
Qin Chuan was confident he had hit the mark; otherwise, the grenade would have already been tossed out, trailing smoke.
A few more seconds passed, followed by a massive explosion… It wasn't just the grenade going off; it had triggered a secondary explosion, likely from stored ammunition.
Every crevice and hole in the building spewed flames, and the fragile roof collapsed entirely. Several British soldiers were violently thrown from the windows, crashing to the ground, their fates unknown.
"Oh ho!" The bear, holding a machine gun, couldn't help but shout, "Well done, Friedrich! You saved our lives!"
The soldiers who had doubted Qin Chuan's ability to handle the sniper rifle, including Paul, turned to look at him. Their eyes were filled with guilt, relief, surprise, and a newfound respect for Qin Chuan.
"Keep moving!" the baker ordered. "Don't forget, this is a battlefield, and there are plenty more enemies waiting for us!"
"Yes, Sergeant!" the soldiers replied in unison, getting to their feet and pressing on.
Qin Chuan noticed that their movements were now more decisive, more efficient, and more determined.
What's more, it seemed as though they had become a cohesive unit, as if an invisible thread connected them all… It was an inexplicable feeling, but it was real.
Perhaps this was trust—trust among comrades.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone