save the bachelors

Chapter 5151-5154 [Arrival at the Front Lines]

After getting off the train, Xiang Nan and the others took a small boat to the chief's secret base.

"You're late," the chief said to Xiang Nan and the others.

He was an Indian who lost his home during the westward expansion of the United States and then wandered around, making a living by smuggling.

“We need to avoid an attack,” Xiang Nan explained. “Anyway, it’s good to see you again, Chief.”

“Me too.” The chief nodded. “And this is…” Then he looked at Diana.

“I am Diana,” Diana introduced herself.

"Where did you find such a beauty?" the chief asked with a smile, also amazed by Diana's beauty.

"To be precise, she found me," Xiang Nan said with a smile. "But that's a long story, I'll tell you when I have time."

“Alright, rest here with me for the night, and I’ll take you through the blockade tomorrow,” the chief nodded.

"Thanks," Xiang Nan said, then took Diana, Samir, and Charlie to stay at the chief's secret base.

This secret base was located on the Anglo-French Allied side of the blockade zone. They needed to use secret routes to pass through the blockade zone before they could reach the German-occupied territory on the other side.

"What are these?" Diana asked curiously when she saw the chief's base piled with a bunch of messy things.

"German beer, which the British like; English tea, which the Germans like; and novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which are enjoyed by both sides," Xiang Nan introduced.

"If you love each other, why fight?" Diana asked, puzzled. "It's all Ares' fault; he's the one instigating things behind the scenes."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Nan gave an awkward laugh.

World War I was an unjust war, fought by empires such as Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia in order to divide the world and its interests.

Therefore, the empire's high command desperately wanted to eliminate the enemy so they could monopolize all the benefits. But in reality, the common people didn't want to fight; they were forced to go to the battlefield against their will.

Therefore, they did not harbor much hatred towards their enemies. British black tea was equally popular in Germany, and German beer was equally popular in Britain.

……

After a simple meal, everyone found a place to sleep and took turns keeping watch at night.

Late at night, Xiang Nan was on night watch. He tended the fire, adding firewood every now and then.

Just then, the distant roar of cannons could be heard.

"What a strange thunder!" Diana exclaimed, startled awake by the sound.

“It’s a German field gun,” Xiang Nan explained. “It’s also a type of firearm, like a gun magnified hundreds of times.”

"It's 'Goodnight Fire,' the Germans' favorite thing to do," the chief complained. "They deliberately fire in the dead of night, when people are sound asleep, to wake them up and keep them from sleeping peacefully."

"Why did you come to the battlefield?" Diana asked, puzzled.

“There’s money to be made here, and both sides need my goods,” the chief explained. “Besides, I have nowhere else to go.”

"So you came to the battlefield without pledging allegiance to either side?" Diana asked.

“The last war took everything from me, but here, at least I still have my freedom.” The chief nodded.

"Who took your freedom away?" Diana asked curiously.

“They’re all white people,” the chief said, pointing at Xiang Nan.

Xiang Nan lowered his head awkwardly.

"..." Diana was filled with confusion. She was about to ask the Chief why he and Xiang Nan were still together if they had a personal grudge. Just then, Charlie suddenly shouted, "Don't go! Don't go over there, buddy, don't go over there!"

Diana realized he was having a nightmare and quickly went over to hug him, trying to soothe him. "You're safe now, everything's alright. Are you okay?"

"Get away from me, woman!" Charlie snapped out of his daze, shoved Diana aside, and said viciously before picking up his sniper rifle and leaving.

“He saw a ghost,” the chief said quietly.

Xiang Nan knew that he was actually suffering from PTSD. Because many of Charlie's comrades had died on the battlefield, in front of him, his mental state had been traumatized, to the point that he would become nervous at the sound of gunfire.

"Don't mind what Charlie said, he didn't mean it," Xiang Nan comforted Diana, then draped his leather jacket over her shoulders. "Be careful not to catch a cold."

……

The next day, Xiang Nan and his group headed towards the blockade zone.

With the chief's help, they would bypass the blockade and head to the German war zone.

This is not easy; they need to take a long detour.

So they set off early, trudging along the muddy road.

On the road, they saw refugees, wounded soldiers, and wagons transporting military supplies.

The fleeing civilians, young and old, were pale and emaciated, their eyes filled with tears; the wounded soldiers, unable to receive timely treatment, roared loudly.
The transport wagons were deeply stuck in the mud. Even with the horses pulling with all their might, they couldn't pull the wagons out, forcing the drivers to push while frantically whipping the horses…

"Why are they hurting those poor animals?" Diana couldn't understand.

“Because they are in a hurry to get on their way, just like us,” Samir explained.

“I can help them,” Diana said.

With her strength, she could lift a wagon loaded with military supplies out of a mud pit in one go.

“No, we don’t have time,” Xiang Nan stopped him.

"That person is injured." At that moment, Diana saw another wounded soldier whose leg was blown to pieces, causing him to scream in agony.

“You can’t help him, Diana,” Xiang Nan said again, before they entered the trenches.

"Where is this place?" Diana asked, puzzled.

“Didn’t you ask me to bring you to the battlefield? This is it,” Xiang Nan said.

"Where are the German troops?" Diana asked with concern.

"It's right across the street, a few hundred yards away from this no-man's-land," Xiang Nan said, pointing across the street. "Be careful."

Then, with a whoosh, he immediately shielded Diana behind him.

Sure enough, there was a loud bang, and a lot of dirt was blown into the air, soaking Xiang Nan and the others.

"The chief is back!"

"Chief, it's so good to see you again!"

The soldiers in the trenches greeted the chief excitedly when they saw him.

The chief was a smuggler who often brought in popular goods, such as rare items like cigarettes, canned goods, black tea, beer, coffee, cheese, and sugar, which made him very popular with the soldiers.

"Alright, let's keep going. It'll take another day to reach the next outpost," Xiang Nan urged.