Heavy rain washed the ground violently, turning the battlefield that had been reduced by shellshells to the surface of the moon into a puddle of mud. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info Zaitsev was in the middle of this swamp, hidden in a huge crater apparently made of large-caliber shells, lying next to a corpse that had begun to decompose, without a movement or sound, just slowly scanning the Japanese army's position two hundred meters away with sharp eyes, looking for his prey.

He's very focused on this work -- he's always focused on his work, all of it. Moreover, the rain and mist affected his observations, and even if the Japanese positions were so close that the Japanese voices were almost audible, it was difficult to see the situation there, but Zaitsev did not want to miss any targets worthy of fire. Finally, focusing on one thing can help him forget about the others: the corpses around him, the cold, the hunger, and the little troubles of today's hunt.

He had been lurking here for a long time, an hour or more, seeing only a worthy target, but not finding a chance to shoot. If this is still the case, then today, he will have to return to his position empty-handed. If this is the case, then this will be the first time after he began to carry out the special tasks of Captain Daninov without catching prey.

From his own point of view, Zaitsev was not discouraged, no hunter could guarantee that he would be rewarded with every hunt. But as a soldier in the Imperial Army, a well-crafted combat hero by Captain Daninov, he knew he could not do nothing.

From ordinary soldiers to high-ranking officers, and even Major General Kontrachenko, people are waiting for today's leaflet recording his latest achievements!

Thinking of those leaflets, Zaitsev's heart suddenly flooded with indescribable mixed feelings.

He did not like Daninov's approach, the war was for him nothing more than his duty to His Majesty the Tsar and the Russian Empire, and the killing of the Japanese was a task that had to be done, and of course, it was also the human instinct for survival - the essence of war was to kill and be killed, he knew it, and he did not want to be killed - it was not something to boast about, but the captain was vigorously promoting it, with exaggerated leaflets, daily refreshed results, yes, he boosted the morale of the troops, but put a cruel, The life-and-death killing turns into a game that keeps people addicted and entertained.

It's like a hunting game for the aristocracy: the hunter hunts animals for survival, and the nobility hunts for fun. As a descendant of hunters from Siberia, Zaitsev had an instinctive resistance to this.

On the other hand, however, he likes to be the center of attention, he likes to be the object of people's pursuit, and he likes to hear everyone cheering, shouting his name, and seeing them salute and congratulate him every day when he returns to his position. This is the treatment that only a general has. "A soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier", said Captain Daninov when he introduced his plan - he said it was Napoleon - Zaitsev was convinced that he was a good soldier and never doubted it.

It feels good to be treated like a general.

Disgusted, but happy with it, so his mood has always been complicated.

Zaitsev solved this problem with one solution: try not to consider it. He did it, and did it well, but today, the hunt was in trouble, and he had been soaked in the mud for so long, cold and hungry, with a rotting, foul-smelling corpse next to him, and even worse, he could neither speak or stand up straight, these little troubles made Zaitsev a little unable to control his thoughts.

Maybe I should go back. He pondered, moving his stiff, near-unconscious fingers. Light a fire and have a bite to eat, brown bread, pickled cucumbers, red sausages, and of course, vodka......

He sighed in a voice that only he could hear. At the soldier level, sausage and vodka are a special supply for combat heroes, another temptation that keeps him can't extricate himself, and at the same time a kind of pressure - the title of "combat hero" is a kind of pressure in itself. No one in the fortress was waiting, and he couldn't let them down.

Battle heroes don't disappoint people, and battle heroes can't disappoint people. Or Captain Daninov said it. He asked all the soldiers involved in his special mission to keep this phrase in mind. Zaitsev didn't know if anyone else remembered, but he remembered it very clearly and didn't make a single mistake.

Because, according to his judgment, the captain's words were actually a threat.

With another sigh, Zaitsev drove all the superfluous thoughts out of his brain and returned to his task.

Still there are no targets to shoot at. A few minutes later he had to admit the tragic truth. The Japanese all hid in the trenches, and were careful, stooping and curling their necks - he could imagine the comical appearance of these men - not to expose their heads, even a little, so as not to be targeted. With one exception, the hat appears every once in a while, about a few minutes, and goes along the trench for some distance before disappearing. However, it is definitely not a target that can be shot.

It is a decoy. Zaitsev was sure that if he or another gunner fired, he would be warmly welcomed by the Japanese, but he was not sure whether he would be greeted by a sniper with the same excellent marksmanship, or a single shot of artillery fire that would be enough to wipe out an infantry company.

The Japanese brain is indeed flexible and reacts quickly. He commented. It's just that a few hundred people have been lost, and these diminutive guys have come up with a set of countermeasures. The only problem was that they were still not as smart as the Chinese named Qin Lang: he listed in his pamphlet all possible ways to deal with hidden snipers.

Captain Daninov had a pamphlet of Qin Lang, and let everyone who participated in the operation read it, so no one was fooled.

No one can get the results either. The Japanese hid well, the only thing exposed was a damn decoy, and it looked like today's battle was in a stalemate.

Maybe you really should go back. Zaitsev reassessed the situation, still uncertain.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps, followed by a loud "whoop" - someone had fallen into the crater. Zaitsev quickly turned around and pointed his gun in the direction from which the sound came. Then he saw a mud-stained, fairly familiar face.

"Don't shoot, Vasily." The person who fell in said, "I'm Simon." ”

"Simon." Zaitsev looked at his most formidable rival. The Finn, who volunteered for the army and then for Daninov's special mission, had better marksmanship than he did, hitting targets up to 700 meters away, killing only one less, but having a feat that no one else might ever have achieved: Simon killed a colonel in the Japanese army.

Zaitsev remembers the situation. The hapless Japanese must have thought that the Russian soldiers would not be able to hit a target 700 meters away, so he stood straight at the front of the position like a stake in a clean, medal-bearing uniform, and observed the position of the fortress with a telescope, and then a bullet fired from Simon's rifle drilled into his head.

Many people saw it, soldiers, officers, and a lieutenant colonel of the navy, and the Japanese immediately launched a charge with at least two battalions in part. Not sufficiently prepared, the first line of defense of the fortress was almost torn open by the raging Japanese - fortunately, Major General Kondrachenko was in time to put in reserve.

No one will forget this kind of thing, and of course, no one will forget the guy who caused it.

"Simon." Zaitsev came back to his senses, "What are you doing here?" ”

"I think you're in trouble, because I'm in trouble." Simon replied, "The Japanese hid and got a bait, and today is an unlucky day." ”

"So?"

"Vasily, I don't know what you think, but I don't want to go back like that." Simon continued.

Zaitsev nodded. "I'm just like you."

"So I came up with a plan." Simon told him, "Vasily, you and I, we join forces and take out the Japanese snipers." ”

"How do you know it's a sniper and nothing else?"

"Machine guns and artillery, they are too slow, so the Japanese will definitely use something that can immediately counter us, what do you think?"

"I don't completely agree with you." Zaitsev's eyes narrowed, "But I decided to take your advice." What are you going to do? ”

Over the next few minutes, Simon explained his plan to him, and they spent a little more time discussing and refining it. Eventually, the details were settled, and the Finn hurried out and returned to the position he had chosen.

Zaitsev refocused his gaze on the Japanese positions and prepared himself. Now all he had to do was wait - wait for the decoy to appear again, for Simon to fire. The Finn decided to take on the role of the daredevil, who had triggered the trap, intending to take advantage of his distance - the Japanese could not have found snipers as far as he did.

Zaitsev waited, and then, he saw the bait, and a little later, he heard the gunshots, and at the same time saw that the hat was gone.

The trap was triggered, and the Japanese snipers in ambush reacted quickly. He opened fire, and Zaitsev locked his position: not far, not close, well camouflaged, at least as good as his disguise, but could hit.

Zaitsev quickly moved the weapon, and then fired the trigger.

He saw something red shoot out from the location of the target's head.

"Well done—" Zaitsev whispered, but the second half of his sentence was swallowed up by the screech of shells and the ensuing explosion.

As he expected, the Japanese prepared not only snipers, but also artillery, and ......

Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly evacuated. The first round of Japanese shells was supposed to hit Simon's position, and their second round of shells filled the crater, less than a minute after he left.

Zaitsev felt that his task had become dangerous. (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )