We promised to develop a game called Candy Crush, what the hell is the Third Reich?

Chapter 104 [Siege of Leningrad] The Great Survival Challenge (4k)

Still half-asleep, Huang Hao groggily looked at the comments section and instantly snapped back to reality:
"Um?!!"

I quickly checked the time and saw it was only 10:37, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's only 10:37?"

"I was forced to quit the game around 10:20 PM, then went to pick up a package. It's 10:37 now, only a little over ten minutes have passed. Holy crap?!"

"12 hours?!?!"

Huang Hao only realized something was wrong after being reminded by viewers in the live stream.

Why is the moon outside so bright?!

wrong!

That's not the moon, that's the sun!
Huang Hao was completely bewildered, staring at the bottles of 'vodka' and 'Imperial Beer' as if they were the devils:
"Am I really that bad at drinking?"

The viewers in the live stream were laughing hysterically at Huang Hao's bewildered expression and quickly offered a reminder.

Don't be confused, let's continue unboxing!

[If the host doesn't want to drink it, mail it to me! I'll buy it at a high price! It's a gift for my future father-in-law!!!]

[Hey buddy upstairs, I get the feeling you're trying to get your father-in-law drunk and do something naughty.]

There's nothing I can do; my father-in-law is too strict.

Huang Hao was still in a daze, and only responded to his viewers:
"Okay, okay, let's continue unpacking right away, don't rush."

"Let me take a moment."

He was in a daze, reaching out to take the things out of the box. Even after everything was taken out, he was still somewhat incredulous, but the bright sun outside was definitely real.

This is a magical device that lets you fall asleep in a second!

Shaking his head, Huang Hao turned on the air conditioning in the room, and the cold air helped him feel better for a moment.

Then his gaze fell on the things he had taken out of the table:
"Alright, guys, we've recovered."

"Let's take a look at the exclusive souvenirs first."

There were two boxes, one containing wine and the other containing food, such as 'big bread' and 'rye bread', which Huang Hao wasn't very interested in.

Underneath each box is a smaller box containing exclusive 'Earth' IP souvenirs.

Huang Hao picked it up and showed it to the viewers in the live stream.

On the pitch-black box.

It features a light blue planet surrounded by an endless starry sky. Compared to the 'Earth' world map in the game, this three-dimensional light blue planet is much more visually appealing.

Then Huang Hao opened the first box:
"It's a bit heavy."

Let's see what this is~

"Ok?"

"A T-34 tank model from the Soviet Federation?"

What caught the eye of Huang Hao and the viewers in the live stream was a full-metal T34 tank model. Huang Hao picked it up and zoomed in on the live stream.

The details of this T34 tank can be clearly seen.

Next, pick up the T34 tank; underneath are the glasses:

"Glasses?"

Huang Hao placed the T34 tank model on the floor and put on his glasses.

The scene before my eyes suddenly flashed, and the viewpoint shrank several times, just above the T34 tank, and it moved with my thoughts.

The T34 tank on the floor slowly began to move as the signal was transmitted through the glasses. The roar of its engine, though not loud, was exactly the same as that of the T34 tank in the game.

After playing for a while, Huang Hao nodded:
"This model is very well made. It's suitable for kids to play battles, or for collectors to collect."

This kind of toy-based combat has long been common on Earth.

However, if Polaris organizes a toy battle exclusive to the 'World War II' series, Huang Hao feels it could also become a hit, given the game's inherent popularity.

Next was another box.

Huang Hao picked it up, shook it, and said:
"A little light."

"Let's see what this is."

As the box was opened, several small red boxes came into view.

Huang Hao opened them one by one, and his eyes lit up.

"The Order of the Red Star?"

Huang Hao picked up the medal and saw that it was the Soviet Red Star Medal that the son of a Soviet veteran in the game had once won.

However, the medal was engraved with Huang Hao's in-game name. Holding the Soviet Red Star Medal, Huang Hao pointed to the name of the Soviet Federation on it and said to the live stream:

"I can be considered a Red Star soldier of the Soviet Union."

Then he picked up other things: a Stalin pipe, a Soviet shovel, and a propaganda poster with images and the words "Defend Motherland".

The four items are all the exclusive souvenirs inside the gift box. Huang Hao summarized them as follows:
"This unboxing took a bit long, but the items are really great."

"They're all things from 'Earth,' which is quite novel. Games have done this before, but none have been as comprehensive as Polaris Games."

"Since it's an early product, don't worry, it should be available soon."

"When the time comes, everyone can go and buy what they like."

"The souvenirs are great, but you'll probably have to participate in the event to get them. Just wait for Polaris Games to launch the event later."

After saying that, Huang Hao scratched his head, checked the time, and figured he'd already taken a nap anyway.

"Brothers, let's keep playing."

"I should be sober up in the game!"

"CG? What CG?"

"Red Square parade? You've all seen it? I'll watch it myself during the live stream. First, let's get into the game!!!"

Huang Hao, thinking about the game, entered the virtual pod.

This time I wasn't rejected; the image flashed before my eyes.

Re-enter the game World War II: Rise of Empires.

As Huang Hao opened his eyes, he looked at the roof of the wooden house and slowly got up. He moved around a bit and found that there was no one in the house. A feeling of hunger, like an empty stomach, came over him.

Seeing the potatoes on the table, I hesitated.

He walked over and saw the note, which was left for him. Huang Hao then picked up the potato and quickly ate it. Afterward, he picked up the gun that was placed next to him and walked out.

When I stepped outside, I realized it was already evening.
Huang Hao's lips twitched involuntarily. Wasn't it already evening when he arrived yesterday?
It seems like I sleep longer in the game than in real life.

Following the direction he had come from yesterday, he soon saw soldiers digging trenches, with women and children inside the trenches looking at him with smiles.

Huang Hao felt a little embarrassed and coughed lightly.
Where is the village head?

The soldier below said:
"Sir, they're still patrolling over there. Should I go and call them?"

Huang Hao glanced at the direction the soldier was pointing and said:
"I'll go by myself."

After saying that, he started walking away, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked:
"Hmm, how long did I sleep?"

The soldier looked at him strangely and said:
"After that glass of vodka, you probably slept for 24 hours."

As soon as he finished speaking, the women and children around him could no longer hold back their laughter.

Huang Hao blushed and fled in panic.

They quickly found the militia captain patrolling to the west. Upon seeing Huang Hao approaching, the militia captain looked apologetic.
"Sorry, I don't know you."

Huang Hao quickly raised his hand: "It's alright, it's probably because you're too tired."

So, you know.

"I have to go now, I can't stay too long."

The militia captain expressed his understanding, then smiled and said:

"I've prepared all the food for you."

"But the soldiers have been digging all day, so why don't they rest for another night?"

Seeing this, Huang Hao turned around and looked at the trenches, then thought for a moment and said helplessly:

"Ok."

The main reason is that I slept all day and was full of energy. I had been digging trenches all day, so it wouldn't make sense to travel overnight.

Upon hearing Huang Hao's words, the militia captain smiled.
"Let's go, I'll go call them."

"I'm leaving tomorrow, so I need to get a good rest tonight."

Feeling the enthusiasm of the militia captain, Huang Hao couldn't help but sigh that the attitude of the people of the Soviet Federation towards soldiers was truly remarkable.

Following behind the militia captain, Huang Hao looked at the trenches and said:
"It is unlikely that these trenches alone can withstand the Empire."

"Let's find some time to leave with everyone."

"If we camouflage these trenches, we can trap as many Imperial tanks as possible."

Huang Hao sincerely offered advice to the militia captain.

The militia captain said with a smile:

"We are born here, grow up here, and grow old here."

"We've been here for generations."

"Why should we leave just because the Imperials are here?"

"And if we leave, what will happen to Moscow behind us?"

"Although it won't be of much help."

"But I still have the awareness of being a 'Party member.' Even if I die here, I will teach those guys in the Empire a lesson."

"Besides, we're not fighting alone."

"Do you see trenches like these?"

A hint of pride appeared on the militia captain's face as he spoke:
“While you soldiers are fighting on the front lines, we soldiers in the rear are not doing nothing either.”

"We also owe a lot to the time you bought us."

"The villages surrounding these trenches have been mostly completed."

"Next, the women in our village will go to support Mozhaisk and help the Moscow garrison dig trenches."

"I heard they've already dug dozens of kilometers over there. We need to speed things up too, otherwise we won't be able to help our motherland much."

"The remaining children stayed with us to resist the Imperial forces."

"We must let the beasts of the Empire know that the Soviet Union will never surrender!"

The militia captain's even more powerful words struck Huang Hao and everyone in the live stream.

Huang Hao felt a moment of dizziness, as if the person in front of him was not an NPC, but a person with real emotions who had lived on this land for several years.

Otherwise, how could an NPC say something containing such emotions?

Filled with a sense of bewilderment and shock, Huang Hao wanted to upload the conversation, but then suddenly remembered that the event was over. However, it didn't really matter.

Huang Hao uploaded the video to his personal space on Tiansha Live.

Meanwhile, the militia captain called the soldiers back.

The militia captain led everyone into the house, and then they started a fire. This time, however, they didn't urge anyone to drink.

After a day's work, the soldiers, having eaten and drunk their fill, slowly drifted off to sleep.

Unable to sleep, Huang Hao went out of the house and, seeing the women and children still working, joined the excavation team until midnight.

The women and children gradually couldn't hold on any longer, and the excavation was only completed today.

Huang Hao climbed out and sat on the edge of the trench, staring blankly at the simulated pain and numbness all over his body in the virtual pod.

Such labor is arduous, and digging such deep trenches is even more strenuous.

I can't even imagine how these women and children managed to persevere, and then they had to go to Moscow to provide support.
After staring blankly for a while, Huang Hao shook his head.

Looking at the comments in the live stream, I then opened the Polaris official website and went directly to the real-time map.

Open and display it in the live stream room.

Based on what the militia captain said during the day and the conversation during dinner that evening, Huang Hao quickly found his location and the location of Mozhaisk.

I didn't understand what those gray lines on the map were at first.

However, with the militia captain's explanation, and considering the long gray line in Mozhaisk, it's not hard to guess that these represent trenches.

Such trenches were scattered throughout the villages, large and small, in front of Moscow.

In front of Moscow were three long trenches. Some players roughly calculated the combined length of the three lines of defense based solely on the map.

It is currently over 500 kilometers long.

And it's still being excavated; by the time the empire attacks, it will probably be seven or eight hundred kilometers long.

This calculation truly astonished the players on Earth.

After all, the scene of digging trenches in this village was right in front of us. There were only women and children; the men had all gone to the front line. How many people would it take to dig such a long trench?
The cohesion of the Soviets was demonstrated once again.

Huang Hao is waiting to depart the next day.

And the other side.

Duan Yu, a livestreamer from Tiansha who was in Leningrad, was not so lucky.

Because he died in the instance, Duan Yu was restarted after it ended. He entered the game again, but although it was supposed to be the Battle of Moscow, he was restarted in Leningrad.

Good news, this place has not been occupied by the Empire, and the players on Earth don't know what the Siege of Leningrad represents.

Bad news: Imperial troops are right outside the city; there's no escape.
Duan Yu, the unsuspecting anchor from Blue Star, stared at Leningrad before him.

It's as if we've picked up the script from the Battle of Kiev again: besieged, in chaos, and then mercilessly killed?

Depend on!
Duan Yu couldn't help but cover his face and roar to the sky. Fortunately, they were still in the siege phase.

Duan Yu then changed the title of his live stream.

[Leningrad Survival Challenge, Day 1 of 100.]

While asking the other apprentices in the shop, he also went to the player forum to check for information.

The troops in Leningrad are currently facing challenges due to the terrain and environment.

It did not experience a direct strategic collapse like the one on the Kyiv plains.

Instead, relying on the terrain, environment, and the city's defensive lines, the military and civilians united to resist the empire's army.

Duan Yu's current role is that of a carpenter's apprentice, learning from a master craftsman. After a brief explanation of his situation, Duan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the live stream audience:
"Brothers, this time it's in the bag."

"With an apprentice status, you won't have to worry about food and drink. I just checked on the player forum, and the Empire has been besieging this place for almost a month, but they still haven't broken in."

"This shows that it is safe here."

"Moreover, there is no chaos like in Kyiv. There are a large number of troops maintaining order, and there are very few cases of looting and vandalism."

"I should be able to last 100 days in this survival challenge."

(End of this chapter)