Beep... Beep... Beep...
Under the repeated efforts of Lieutenant Mottchig, the motorcycle with the sidecar finally roared to life. Donning the windproof goggles borrowed from the sentry, Lynn instinctively wrapped his coat tighter around himself. The Horsch off-road vehicle with the canopy overhead was chilly enough; the military motorcycle was bound to be worse!
But Lieutenant Mottchig, eager to reach their destination, paid no heed. He firmly twisted the handle, and the motorcycle roared to life with a robust sound. The asphalt road looked relatively smooth, and the sensation of riding in the military vehicle was stable enough. However, riding on a three-wheeled motorcycle felt noticeably bumpy. Lynn couldn't help but think of a scene from the sci-fi movie "Steel Sky": a soldier clad in a simplified version of a German uniform, riding a specially made motorcycle rhythmically through extremely desolate and rocky terrain, with a huge crater on the far side of the moon, where an immensely vast building in the shape of a 'ten thousand' character stood!
Lynn vividly remembered that the background of this sci-fi movie was the eve of the German defeat in 1945 when a large number of scientists and soldiers escaped to the moon aboard flying saucers, establishing a secret base for counterattacking Earth. Originally considered pure fantasy, but now, nearing the end of World War II and witnessing flying saucers with his own eyes, how could he not speculate?
"God wants to destroy people; he must first drive them crazy!" This classic line popped into Lynn's mind, and he couldn't help but observe everything around him with increasing curiosity. Except for occasional shell craters and vehicle wrecks along the roadside, the fields, scattered clusters of trees, and scattered farmhouses retained their original appearance, as if watching a finely crafted travel program in 3D glasses. Tranquility, harmony, nature—how could these merge with super-era technology? Were those flying saucers developed by Germans using extraterrestrial technology, or were they the work of a group of mad genius scientists?
Lt. Mottchig was fully focused on driving, and the rumble of the engine and the whistling wind formed an invisible wall between them. Lynn knew that even if he asked, this lieutenant wouldn't divulge what he knew—he might not even be aware of deeper secrets himself.
Nevertheless, Lynn pulled his scarf over his nose to prevent his face from turning into "frozen pork." Riding a motorcycle was naturally less comfortable than driving an off-road vehicle, but thankfully, it wasn't slow. The disheveled duo reached Graefenroda in just over fifty minutes. This city in northeastern Germany was inconspicuous on the map and not a strategic location, but due to its proximity to the Stettin port, it harbored a large number of civilians in the urban area and surrounding areas. Thinking of the White Goatbeard family, Lynn widened his eyes, both eager and fearful of seeing familiar figures and faces among the crowd. The hardships faced by the refugees troubled him. He wondered how Alice and little Carli were faring now!
As the motorcycle entered the temporary headquarters of the "Vampire" Assault Team's third squad, Lynn set aside his feelings of pity. Following Lieutenant Mottchig into a basement, he met the commander of this assault squad, Captain Blaz, a young commander in his early thirties. Handshakes, pleasantries, conversations, discussions. Neither of these young lieutenants treated Lynn, a mere candidate officer, as an outsider. They were fully focused on studying the battle plan for this operation. Based on the practical situation he knew, Captain Blaz made some suggestions, and after consideration, Lieutenant Mottchig gave clear opinions on the spot. They worked together like artists, quickly painting a colorful picture of this battle.
"Farewell, Carleni, good luck!"
After bidding farewell to the captain, Lieutenant Mottchig turned to Lynn and said, "Corporal Galgo, take care! Colonel Bach said... when the war ends, he must have a good drink with you!"
"All right!" Lynn nodded solemnly. "Please convey my thanks and best wishes to Colonel Bach, and ask him to take care of himself!"
Lieutenant Mottchig habitually tilted his cap, exchanged glances with the two officers, and then left without looking back.
"Corporal Galgo, welcome to the brave and fearless Third Assault Squad!" Captain Blaz greeted Lynn's arrival officially with simple and unpretentious words.
Although not on the frontline, the atmosphere here made Lynn feel like he was back on the battlefield. He didn't beat around the bush: "Sir, if possible, I would like to join Sergeant Eric's combat team!"
"This request can be fully accommodated!" Captain Blaz turned to his communication soldier and said, "Go and ask Eric to come over!"
After the communication soldier left, Captain Blaz personally picked up a metal pot from the stove, poured a cup of hot water for Lynn, and asked, "You were attacked by Allied air raids on the way, right?"
Lynn quickly warmed his hands with the cup and replied, "Yes, sir! We were strafed by an American fighter jet near the outpost about 40 kilometers from here. The tire was punctured, but fortunately, the guards there lent us a motorcycle!"
"Oh!" Captain Blaz wasn't surprised at all. By the end of the war, except for rainy, snowy, or foggy weather, there was hardly anything to stop Allied fighter jets from freely flying over German territory.
Seeing the captain returning to the table to study the battle map with another lieutenant, Lynn sat down by the stove to warm himself. After a while, he heard a triumphant "Aha" from the door. He turned his head and saw Sergeant Eric, dressed in dark pea camouflage combat uniform, striding in with an irrepressible look of joy on his face.
Encountering an "old friend" again, Lynn's mood suddenly brightened.
At the frontline command post, soldiers seemed relatively relaxed in both language and body language. Sergeant Eric took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to each of the two lieutenants at the table, and joked, "Sir, can I take this guy away directly?"
Captain Blaz directly put the cigarette in his mouth and said calmly, "With a capable new recruit joining us, how about taking the lead in tonight's assault?"
A newcomer like himself considered a capable soldier? Just returning to the frontline, Lynn felt a bit lacking in confidence. When he heard that he was to take the lead, he stood up and said, "Sir, I was ordered to learn combat experience from Sergeant Eric. How could I be considered a capable soldier to lead the assault?"
The German vocabulary and pronunciation in his words were good, but his manner of speaking was too "Chinese." Both lieutenants and Eric looked a bit puzzled after hearing it. Fortunately, Captain Blaz laughed heartily and patted Eric's shoulder. "All right, take your boys to rest! We've just received the combat order; we're likely to set off in the evening!"
"Yes, sir!" Eric turned around, giving Lynn a sly look. It was only when they left the room that he laughed and said, "What were you saying just now? Everyone has heard about you making a name for yourself in the reserve training. Even Colonel Bach speaks highly of you. So why the change of heart now that you're here with us?"
"Oh... it's not what you think!" Lynn quickly explained, "I'm just worried that our squad might be assigned highly risky combat missions because of me."
"Hey, it's our squad now!" Eric corrected with a smile, then continued, "Besides, what combat mission doesn't come with risks? Once you wear this badge, you should set aside personal life and death! It's better to die gloriously in battle than to live in cowardice!"
The words sounded familiar as Lynn glanced down at the silver-gray badge embroidered on his uniform. Its centerpiece was a skull, but unlike the symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande, it lacked the crossed bones and had elongated fangs, giving it a more sinister and evil appearance.
The admiration he once had for becoming a "Night Warrior" had dissipated during the arduous training. With thoughts of leading a team and handling equipment, Lynn felt he had lost the courage he once possessed when facing death head-on. Yet, if he couldn't prove himself through actions, how could he hope to inspire those truly courageous and talented individuals solely through words and favors?