Chapter 74 - The Mannerheim Line Welcomes You (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After killing over 20 people and a commander, the Soviets had completely lost the will to fight. Some of them surrendered their weapons and begged for their lives, and some tried to run away. The guerillas left a couple of fighters around to keep an eye on the deserters, while some others went into the forest to look for the runaways.

Zhang Heng was not interested in these things that spilled blood. However, he knew that his first fight was the only time to prove his loyalty to the guerilla force. The way he acted upon the Soviets today would determine how the Finnish would treat him tomorrow. So, Zhang Heng followed right behind them and shot those who were on the run. It looked like good target practice as well, trying to strike moving runners and all.

A gun-powdery half an hour later, the fight was finally over. All in all, a total of seven soldiers managed to escape. As for the rest of them, they were either captured or killed. This meant that an entire Soviet brigade had been eliminated. As for the guerillas, there were a total of two dead. One suffered substantial injuries, and four had flesh wounds, but nothing too serious.

As for the fallen Finnish, one got shot directly in the head during the first wave of attack, and the second was killed while in pursuit of the enemy. Though the guerillas eventually killed their killers in revenge, it was impossible to bring their dead allies back to life.

After that, Weller led a few of his people to scout the battlefield and make an inventory of the spoils the had looted from the Soviets. A few of the guerilla even looked excited, as if kids on a demented treasure hunt, looking ever excited at their new possessions. To the captured Soviets, each second that pa.s.sed was h.e.l.l, growing more anxious and panic-stricken. They had no idea what was going to happen to them.

The Geneva Convention saw a way to treat prisoners of war with humanity. Unsurprisingly, the Soviets wanted no part of it in World War II. With that being said, Zhang Heng had never seen prisoners of war back at the base camp. It was simply not economically viable for guerillas to keep them alive, not to mention not having the numbers to control a riot if a huge fight broke out.

This time, they captured a total of 40 prisoners, and at least four to five guerillas would be needed to escort them back to the base. Considering that they needed to deal with those that were injured, the possibility of crossing paths with other Soviets, and the possibility of the prisoners escaping, it still seemed unwise to bring them home.

In an attempt to exert superiority, some of the guerillas had brought over two Maxim Heavy Machine Guns and pointed them at the prisoners, leaving them writhing and trembling. Some even wet their pants and started to cry in fear. All their weapons had been confiscated, and it seemed all but too late for these unfortunate souls.

Zhang Heng had no intention to witness all the killing, not forgetting to leave the confiscated guns and valuable items as well. All he did was pick up ammunition. After filling his backpack, he left the place with Simone.

As they were leaving, the loud rattle of heavy machine guns filled the air. Horrible screams of men doomed to their fate echoed painfully, leaving the forests engulfed in a veil of death and blood. It didn’t last too long, though, as before long, silence embraced the dark woods once again.

……..

Before meeting Simone, Zhang Heng had experienced two fights. Hence, this was not his first time seeing bodies and parts scattered all around the floor. His calm reaction had left many befuddled. Throughout the entire battle, Zhang Heng did not drag anyone’s feet and made no mistakes as well.

This had caused many guerillas to change the way they looked at him, their impressions greatly improving. They no longer treated him like he was invisible. A lot of them remembered that they, too, performed poorly in their early days of battle. Except for Weller and gang of best friends, the rest of the guerilla members had gradually accepted Zhang Heng as one of their own.

With only two casualties, the guerillas had managed to decimate an entire brigade of Soviets. It was to be considered a stunning victory. At the same time, the spoils of battle this time was a lot better than expected. In total, they had raked in a dozen light machine guns, two heavy machine guns, significant numbers of rifles, and together with them, the all-too-precious bullets.

With all the new injection of weapons, Oher’s problem was partially solved.