Capítulo 6: Killing Machine
Qin Chuan realized that the most important thing he needed to familiarize himself with was the K98K rifle in his hands. After all, it was the weapon that would allow him to eliminate enemies and keep himself alive... He was already starting to think about killing.
Perhaps this was what they meant by "being influenced by those around you." When everyone around you treats killing as a trivial matter, or even as a matter of course or a badge of honor, it's only a matter of time before you become influenced and join in... This is human nature, the instinct of a social animal.
Qin Chuan spent some time convincing himself that killing enemies on the battlefield was no big deal. If it was for survival, then he had every reason to do it.
However, deep down, Qin Chuan still hoped that the British would retreat faster, so that his unit wouldn't have to engage them in battle.
But that hope was unrealistic... The British tanks were simply too slow. Whether it was the "Matilda" or the "Crusader" tanks, their speed in the desert barely reached ten kilometers per hour. On top of that, many tanks had to be abandoned due to overheating engines.
During the march, Qin Chuan occasionally saw several British tanks and vehicles that had been pushed to the side of the road by German engineers. Many of them were still in good condition, with their ammunition intact... Qin Chuan couldn't understand why the British would leave them behind like that. Destroying them would only take a single grenade, so why leave them for the Germans?
"It's a British trick!" Trigger, sensing Qin Chuan's confusion, explained, "They know their tanks are slow, and they also know we don't have an abundance of tank shells. So... leaving them behind delays our pursuit!"
Qin Chuan let out an "oh," realizing the truth: not destroying the tanks made sense. The Germans couldn't use them anyway since their ammunition wasn't compatible with the British equipment. Moreover, the tanks had been abandoned because they were no longer operational, making them useless to the Germans—a mere nuisance.
In contrast to the British, the Germans, being a light armored division, had fewer tanks. With Rommel's planes flying overhead, constantly urging them to move forward, they advanced at a much faster pace.
Five hours later, the unit caught up with a group of British soldiers near a village.
To be precise, the British, knowing they couldn't outrun the Germans, had left behind a force to delay them... a common tactic to slow down the enemy.
"Prepare for battle!" the baker ordered.
Everyone gripped their rifles, crouched down, and moved forward cautiously.
Before long, Qin Chuan saw about a dozen of their own tanks ahead. Most had moved off the road, spreading out and taking up advantageous positions, with their guns all pointed in the same direction.
Looking in that direction, about a kilometer away, there was a British force of around a thousand men, supported by thirty tanks and the ruins of an abandoned village, forming a defensive line.
The British didn't fire; they were clearly waiting for the Germans to attack, hoping to exploit the defensive advantage.
But this time, the Germans had learned their lesson from the previous battle. They knew their tanks were inferior, so they wouldn't charge into a slaughter again.
Predictably, they set up the 88mm anti-aircraft guns upon command.
The battle began quickly:
The 88mm guns opened fire first, targeting the British tanks and the ruins serving as cover.
With each thunderous "boom," another British tank was destroyed, and the makeshift defenses were blown apart. The British could do nothing but endure...
The 88mm guns could punch a basketball-sized hole through the front armor of a "Matilda" tank from a kilometer away, well beyond the range of the "Matilda" tanks.
The British were stunned by the Germans' initial attack. Their seemingly impregnable defense crumbled before the 88mm guns like a house of cards.
"You deserve credit for this!" Trigger said to Qin Chuan. "Now, the battle has become much easier!"
Qin Chuan felt a wave of nausea, as if Trigger was saying that the British soldiers' screams and the burning tanks were all his doing.
The thirty British tanks couldn't withstand the bombardment of the 88mm guns. In a short time, most were destroyed, and the remaining few were either disabled or abandoned by their panicked crews.
The British tank crews made the right decision—there was no other way to survive.
If they stayed, they would become sitting ducks for the enemy artillery.
If they tried to escape in their tanks... the flat terrain and the slow speed of the "Matilda" tanks meant they had little hope of outrunning the German guns.
"Advance!" A German officer standing on a tank waved his hand, and the German forces surged forward like a tidal wave.
Just like before, Qin Chuan shouldered his rifle and followed his comrades behind the tanks... Perhaps because of his previous experience, he wasn't as frightened this time.
Soon, British bullets, shells, and anti-tank rounds began raining down on the tanks in front of Qin Chuan.
The sound of all those weapons firing at once was deafening. The clanging of bullets ricocheting off the tank armor was clearly audible. The flashes from thousands of guns firing looked like a mass of small cameras going off simultaneously.
But without their "Matilda" tanks, the British couldn't stop the German advance. Most of their bullets missed or were deflected by the tanks' armor.
The German tanks pressed forward steadily, occasionally pausing to fire back at the enemy, their cannons recoiling with such force that the entire tank shuddered.
"Follow me!" Trigger ordered Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan didn't know what was going on but followed Trigger nonetheless.
Trigger led Qin Chuan on a quick dash to the flank, then swiftly dropped to the ground behind a sand dune, immediately setting up his rifle... The whole sequence of movements was seamless, and Qin Chuan, following behind, couldn't help but be impressed.
Bullets whizzed past overhead, and Qin Chuan quickly ducked down for cover.
While aiming, Trigger spoke to Qin Chuan beside him, "Remember, we're snipers. We don't need to charge like the others. As long as we're in range, we can..."
With a "bang," Trigger fired a shot.
Then, he quickly got up, ran a few steps to the side, dropped down, and fired another shot.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Trigger was like a living killing machine, and Qin Chuan realized he would have to stay by his side from now on.
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