Chapter 69 - The Mannerheim Line Welcomes You (1/2)

Chapter 69: The Mannerheim Line Welcomes You XI

Maji brought Zhang Heng to meet the logistics guy responsible for the firearms. He was an old hunter with a p.r.o.nounced limp. At the same time, he doubled as the resident chef for the base camp as well. The breakfast that Zhang Heng had earlier? Yeah, that was him too.

Maji gave the old man a quick hug and spoke in Finnish, telling him about the newcomer. As they talked, Maji pa.s.sed him half a pack of cigarettes. The older man then stared at Zhang Heng and nodded his head, albeit somewhat unwillingly. He flipped his remuneration into his pocket, turned around, and entered the house behind him.

“Oher will show you later how to use the machine gun. He’s one of the most accomplished hunters over here. His tens of years of experience are more than good enough to teach you everything you need to know about a machine gun. Don’t worry about the language barrier. I’ll be your translator. If you have any questions, feel free to voice it out,” said Maji.

Zhang Heng was surprised at how Maji was so helpful all of a sudden. She did not seem like the kind of person to stick her nose in the business of others.

“The girl requested me to help you. My hands are tied. She’s the reason why I can still continue to smoke. So, it’s hard for me to say no to her. I consider this favor as repaying her back.”

It was apparent that Maji was in no intention to hide the truth. She then paused and stared at Zhang Heng in a suspiciously.

“Sebor told me that you and the female sniper were…”

“…..”

Zhang Heng blushed, not knowing what to answer. During that perilous time, Zhang Heng was left with no other option if he was to keep her alive. Considering the nature of how it ‘happened’ though, it would be hard for anybody to believe him even if he was telling the truth.

Luckily, good old Oher saved the day, coming out from the house in the nick of time right after Maji asked the question. He then handed a machine gun to Zhang Heng.

“This machine gun that you are holding is an M28. It is an improved version of the M1891 Mosin-Nagant and is way more accurate when it fires. Weapons are scarce here. You better not lose it!”

Maji translated everything to Zhang Heng, and he was thankful he could finally find common ground with these people.

“Besides the gun, Oher has given you 70 rounds as well. You need to know that these bullets are not just for shooting practice. You will need them when you go on your first mission. I would advise you to use ’em wisely.”

Maji paused for a while before continuing, “Now… you can claim 40 rounds here before you go on a mission. If you run out of ammo, you can get it from the dead Soviets that you killed. Alternatively, you can exchange something valuable for bullets. I’ll give you an example. Guns and medicines are precious at the base camp. Bring home some if you can. And if you manage to get your hands on a T26 tank and drive it back to the base camp, you will have my heartiest congratulations. That is because it will grant you full access to your a.r.s.enal!”

While Maji was talking, a few guerrillas brought over a Maxim Heavy Machine Gun, looking like they had just got back to the base camp not too long ago. And they had won the battle. Some of them were even bold enough to whistle at Maji when they saw her. Seeing the colossal cannon-like weapon rolling by, Zhang Heng jumped aside and let them move the lumbering gun into the armory. Then, Oher jotted something down on his notebook.

Only after did the excited guerrillas leave the armory did Oher finally started explaining how a machine gun was used. Zhang Heng made sure as well to pay proper attention to every single word he said. After all, Maji would not be there every single time to translate for him. Not like she would be in such an elegant mood every single day anyway.

The next day, Maji brought Zhang Heng to visit a guerrilla that was really good at s...o...b..arding. The small favor she asked had cost her half a pack of cigarettes, buying Zhang Heng one s...o...b..arding lesson for half a day. Zhang Heng had gone s...o...b..arding a couple of times back home. With the added guidance, he managed to perform a lot better than yesterday.

After two days, Maji finally grew impatient and left Zhang Heng to do whatever he wanted to do. Luckily, Zhang Heng had learned everything that he needed to learn to keep himself alive while he was out on a mission.

So, he searched for a secluded place and started practicing everything he learned for the past two days. s...o...b..arding shouldn’t be too tall of an order for Zhang Heng since he had done it before. Shooting, on the other hand, was a totally different story. When it came to the theory, he knew almost everything about weapons. All he needed to do right now was to familiarize himself with it.

He needed to make sure that his fingers would become accustomed to pulling the trigger at living enemies. Right now, he had only 70 bullets with him, and though he tried to spare as many as possible, he still spent 40 bullets in two days. If he was shooting in real life, going through 40 bullets would take him a mere two minutes.