When Sun Hui and the girls went to the "NKVD" again, because of the company of Major General Lukashenko, the attitude of the reception staff was no longer as blunt and arrogant as before, but became much more cordial, and in Sun Hui's opinion, it was even a little more courteous.

"Comrade Alexander, please don't misunderstand, it's definitely not that I don't want to support your work, you have the orders of General Zhukov, and you are on a very important secret mission, and it is natural for us to support you......" Colonel Premakov, who was in charge of the affairs of the "Punishment Battalion", said to Sun Hui, "But...... It's too dangerous for you to use those guys in the 'Punishment Camp' on important missions. ”

"Why? Comrade Colonel? Lukashenko asked.

"They are all renegades, traitors to the Soviets, and cannot be trusted." Colonel Premakov said.

"Comrade Stalin wanted them to go to the front to cleanse them of the crimes committed against the Motherland, not to waste food." "Since Comrade Alexander considers them useful, it is that they are needed for the most dangerous tasks, and they should be held accountable for the war," Lukashenko said. ”

Hearing Lukashenko say this, Colonel Premakov stopped insisting and agreed that Sun Hui would go to the "punishment camp" to pick people.

"Can you take us to see it now? Comrade Colonel? Lukashenko asked.

"Absolutely...... However, Comrade Major General, we'd better wait until the air raids are over. Colonel Premakov looked up at the ceiling with some concern, "All the 'Punishment Battalion' troops are now on the front line, and they are all in the most dangerous areas. He turned his head to look at Sun Hui and the girls, "Comrade Yelena, Comrade Alexander, I think you want to go, it's better to drive a tank." ”

Listening to the colonel's suggestion, Sun Hui and the girls glanced at each other.

"Don't waste fuel, don't worry, Colonel, we've got them." A confident smile appeared on the corner of Sun Hui's mouth.

The roar of cannons broke the silence of dawn. The earth groaned again, the broken walls shook again, and the bricks and Saturn fell again. A machine gunner of the "punishment battalion" dragged the Maxim heavy machine gun out of shelter, and the soldiers hid in the corner.

Before the shelling stopped, enemy bombers were already roaring over their positions. The whistling of bombs pierced through the thick smoke and fog, and the rumbling explosions shook their positions. Andreasdorf, the commander of the 125th Company of the "Punishment Battalion", covered his ears and lay in the window niche, and the hot dust rushed into his gaping mouth. He did not hear it, but felt a shout. It was a terrible cry that broke through the roars, whistling and rumblings. He looked back and saw a correctional battalion soldier running through the mist of dust.

"Germans - Germans! ……”

A burst of submachine gun fire drowned out the shrill exclamations, and a brief rumble of artillery rang out from the position. Andrasdorf saw the soldier running and falling on the stones, and the fire flickered in the dust mist, so he also shouted: "Germans - Germans!" ……”

Behind the dust and fog, some unsightly German soldiers were desperately shooting at the soldiers lying on their stomachs with submachine guns. Some of the soldiers were shouting, some were rushing out of the trenches, simply exposing themselves to the targets bombed by the planes, and some calmed down and fired deeper into the positions. The bullets of the enemy's submachine guns struck the brick wall, sizzling across the ground and whizzing overhead, and Andreasdorf still covered his ears and lay under the wall, his own submachine gun crushed under him.

"Let's run! ……”

Someone, it seems, Solnyrev, shoved him on the shoulder: "Run, comrade commander!" ……”

Andrasdorf, following Solnyrev, jumped out of the window and fell to the ground, crawling towards a crater, his open mouth swallowing the dust. The planes circled low above the top of the position, machine-gun fire on all living things. The sound of submachine gun platoons, shouts, and grenade explosions was heard from the positions.

Andrasdorf was vaguely aware that he could not run under the shelling, but he was so frightened at the thought of the Germans who were annihilating his soldiers with submachine guns in the smoke-filled position that he immediately got up and ran after the clever Solnyrev. He lay down and climbed up the sand, swallowing the dust and the scorched smoke of the crater, and then ran again.

He couldn't remember how he had run to a dark hole and how he had fallen into it. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the floor: two soldiers in tattered clothes were shaking his shoulders: "The commander is coming, do you hear?" Commander! ”

Opposite stood a burly black-haired captain with a medal hanging from his sweaty, dusty shirt. Andrasdorf finally stood up and reported who he was and how he had managed to get here.

"That is, the Germans occupied the theater building?"

"It's from behind, Comrade Captain. They may be hiding in the basement. And when the air raids ......"

"Why didn't you search the basement yesterday?" The captain shook his head at Solnyrev, who was leaning against the base of the wall silently, "The liaison officer reports that you are firmly in control of the position. ”

Andrasdorf was silent. The unwarranted fear had passed, and now he was soberly aware of his dereliction of duty, and in a panic he fled, leaving behind his soldiers, and abandoning his post which he had commanded him to defend in any case. He couldn't listen to the captain anymore, and felt a fever all over.

"It's my fault."

"It's not a fault, it's a crime," the captain said categorically, "I should have shot you, but I don't have many bullets." ”

"I will atone for my sins," Andrasdorf tried to say louder, but his breath was held as he said in a low voice, "I will atone for my sins." ”

Yes, as members of the correctional camp, they came to atone for their sins, but now their crimes have deepened.

Suddenly, the rumble of explosions, the whistling of shells, the clatter of machine guns——— cut all dumb. There were still scattered rifle shots somewhere, and the fire on the top floors of the building still crackled with a 0 sound, but the fighting had stopped, and the silence was daunting and confusing.

"Could it be that our people are here?" One soldier asked uncertainly, "Maybe it's all over?" ……”

"They're playing tricks, you scoundrels!" The captain said, "Intensify surveillance!" ”

The soldier ran away. Everyone was silent. In this moment of silence, Andrasdorf heard somewhere the faint cry of a baby and the gentle words of a woman.