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

Chapter 119 Plot Photos: Successfully Completed Challenge for the [Order of the Moscow Patriotic War] (Bonus Chapter 1 for 4.2k Monthly Tickets)

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A prompt began to pop up on the game screen in front of Xu Jie.

The Battle of Moscow

[Settlement begins.]

[Congratulations, you have triggered the 'To: Everyone Has Gone to the Front Lines' event.]

[To receive an exclusive story-themed photo, please fill in your address and wait for your gift to be mailed to you.]

Congratulations! You have triggered the 'Red Square Parade' event.

[To receive an exclusive story-themed photo, please fill in your address and wait for your gift to be mailed to you.]

Congratulations on receiving the 'Red Star Medal'!

[Description: This badge is awarded to outstanding Soviet soldiers for their bravery in combat, military command skills, contributions to defense technology research and development, and long-term service.]

[Note: Wearing this will make you a captain in the Soviet Union, commanding a company of soldiers.]

After a series of rewards were tallied, Xu Jie smiled, but still had some doubts:
"I know about the 'Red Square Parade,' but what is this 'To: Everyone's on the front lines' storyline? When did I trigger it?"

The viewers in the live stream also looked puzzled, clearly recalling Xu Jie's recent events.

None of them match up.
Unable to immediately recall which plot point matched, Xu Jie could only wait for the gift to arrive. Following the in-game prompts, he filled in his address and information, submitted it, and addressed the livestream audience:
"It's done."

"Now we just have to wait for Polaris to mail it."

“I remember one streamer received it on the same day last time.”

"They say Polaris Company is located in Donghai City."

"We are only two hours away from Donghai City. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to get there tomorrow."

"Brothers, I'm starting another game."

With that, Xu Jie clicked on [Battle of Moscow].

This time, there was no settlement button pop-up. Instead, the game started directly, and the player appeared on the front lines of the battle against the Empire on the outskirts of Moscow. Moreover, the battlefield effects caused the badge's effect to be doubled.

Originally, a captain could have been given the position of company commander.

Now, thanks to the boost from the Battle of Moscow, Xu Jie has instantly become the commander of the regiment.

Upon entering the battlefield, specifically within a regimental command post, Xu Jie was pleasantly surprised:
"Early settlement is possible like this?"

The reason I became a soldier in the militia phalanx was because I didn't get a rank in the previous storyline, nor did I fight to the death in the Normandy battlefield, so I was randomly assigned to the militia phalanx as a soldier.

He was promoted directly to regimental commander at this point.

Xu Jie wasn't the only one to discover this; many players who settled their accounts early also gained military ranks upon entering the battlefield because the battlefield effects were doubled, resulting in a surge of new guild leaders and brigade commanders in the game.

However, most of these people are office workers, and even if they get a job, they have less time to play.

There are quite a few people online showing off their settlement rewards.

Many players have already triggered the 'hidden storyline' and are just waiting for the exclusive storyline photos to appear on the Polaris official website.

The next day.

Early morning, in Xu Jie's live broadcast room.

As the screen went dark, Xu Jie rubbed his face. The game's difficulty had increased dramatically with the opening of the battle lines against the Imperial NPCs. This wasn't a war anymore; it was like being shot in a line.
The entire squad was wiped out in one night, increasing the intensity several times over.

Isn't this just lining up to be shot?
Xu Jie was also killed by an Imperial cannon shot and recovered after a while.

Scattered comments floated in the live stream room, clearly indicating that some viewers had stayed up all night watching.

Xu Jie got up, intending to grab something to eat.

At this time.

The doorbell rang, and Xu Jie walked to the door and turned on the video.

Seeing a delivery robot in front of the door, I opened it. The robot paused for a moment, then a mechanical voice sounded:
"Scan successful. Please have Mr. Xu Jie sign for it."

The delivery robot hands out a package and a control panel.

Xu Jie casually signed his name, took the package inside, and closed the door.

He then took out the external camera from the room, adjusted the angle, and the live stream view changed from the game's main interface to Xu Jie's room, with the camera pointing directly at a package.

Xu Jie walked over, sat down next to him, and said:
"Bros."

"The package from Polaris Games has arrived. Let's unpack it."

The few scattered comments in the live stream room suddenly jolted, flooding the chat with question marks.

【? ? ? 】

【So fast? ! 】

I just filled out the information last night, and it arrived this morning.

Xu Jie said with a smile:

"I already said, it's only a two-hour drive from here to Donghai City, so it's normal to arrive in one night."

"Moreover, Polaris sends out its products extremely quickly."

"Express delivery is usually sorted by robots or drones and then delivered directly to the nearest station. If we wait for ordinary people to deliver it, it certainly won't be as fast."

As she spoke, she had already opened the package:
"Let me see. Hmm?"

"Order of the Red Star!"

As he spoke, he took out a souvenir of the Red Star Medal, on which was the name of the NPC Xu Jie had served in the militia formation.

Next up are a series of products based on the 'Earth' IP.

"Vodka, that's fine."

"Rum, I've never had it before, I'll try it later."

"."

"Canned foie gras?"

"Tusanka has so many cans of stewed meat."

"One of each, they all look like products from the 'Earth' IP series. I just don't know when they'll be available. I'll try them later."

Then they took out all the food items, revealing two small boxes at the bottom.

Xu Jie took out two small boxes, one printed with "To: Everyone Has Gone to the Front Lines" and the other with "Red Square Parade." Xu Jie then showed the words on the two boxes to the live stream viewers.
"These should be those two exclusive story photos."

"Let's take a look at the Red Square parade first."

The viewers in the live stream watched with curiosity.

Xu Jie opened the box containing the 'Red Square Parade' first, revealing a photo inside. It showed Xu Jie smiling and waving to the photo studio owner when he saw him in the militia formation.

Xu Jie then took out the photos and showed them to the live stream audience:
"This photo has a good angle; it must have been taken directly from the data in the background by Polaris Games."

Following the instructions on the note inside the box, Xu Jie took out his phone and scanned the photo. Then, he placed the phone flat on the table, and a short video with virtual projection appeared in the air above the table.

Xu Jie adjusted the camera angle and watched the short video playing.

The short video begins with the military parade and ends with him waving to the photo studio owner before heading to the front lines. Several rapid cuts show that he has been fighting for several days and nights until he is the only one left in the trench.

He calmly lit a cigarette, smoked it until the very end, then used the cigarette to ignite two bottles before charging towards the tank.

Especially the last scene, the nonchalant expression on his face after lighting a cigarette, made Xu Jie's eyes widen:
"Was I that handsome back then???"

That puff of smoke was absolutely amazing.

The live stream chat was flooded with "666" comments, and messages like "accompany me" floated by.

Then the video ended, and Xu Jie took out a box that said "Everyone has gone to the front lines":

"Let's take a look at this."

"what?"

The box was opened, and inside were photos of Xu Jie taken at a photo studio.

Could the photo studio be some hidden plot point?
The thought flashed through Xu Jie's mind. He then picked up his phone, scanned the photo, and placed the phone flat on the table.

next second.

A virtual short video projection appears.

However, it didn't start with Xu Jie, but with the girl he met that day and her newlywed husband.

Xu Jie and the viewers in the live stream unconsciously sat up straight and moved closer to watch; this was a scene they had never seen before.

Projecting.

The photo studio owner appeared, looked at the expressionless man, and said:
Could you please smile?

The young soldier opposite him said expressionlessly, "No."

Seeing this, the photo studio owner had no choice but to continue taking pictures like this.

‘Click’!
Just then, the young girl, dressed in a skirt and very pretty, ran in from outside, her voice trembling as she looked at the young soldier:
"why?"

"why did not you tell me?"

"You have a military service exemption certificate, you..."

The young soldier stared straight ahead, his voice firm:
"The motherland needs it."

The girl's tone was full of worry:

"There is something wrong with your body."

The young soldier paused for a moment, then spoke:
"I'll write to you."

The girl fell silent, then spoke:
"Don't you love me anymore?"

The young soldier turned his head sharply, staring directly at the girl, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end he only uttered a dry sentence:
"I will definitely write to you."

Seeing this, the girl simply wiped away her tears, said nothing more, and turned to look at the camera.

‘click’

A young soldier poses for a photo with his wife.

The scene then switched to a familiar one, showing Xu Jie and his viewers in the live stream.

Because Xu Jie was in the photo studio at the time.

The girl had changed out of her pretty dress and jewelry and was now standing in front of the camera in a winter military uniform. The Soviet man rushed into the photo studio and stopped her, but only the girl's reply echoed inside:
"This is war, Dad."

‘Click’!
A young daughter poses for a photo with her father.

The screen switches again.

Not finished yet?
Xu Jie and his viewers in the live stream felt a chill run down their spines.

The image slowly appeared on screen, showing the Soviet man wearing a thick military overcoat, holding a rifle, and standing straight in front of the camera.

Sudden.

A woman rushed out from the side and hugged the Soviet man:

"You're not young anymore!"

The Soviet uncle stared directly at the camera:

"You should have heard about what happened earlier. Everyone who can take up a weapon must go to the battlefield."

The woman burst into tears:

"You've already served your military service!"

"You're too old for the battlefield!"

however.

The only response she received was the Soviet uncle's resolute gaze.

‘Click’!
A photo of an elderly couple.

The screen changed, and the lights slowly came back on.

This time.

There was no one else around, only the woman who had been embracing the Soviet uncle, her gaze fixed firmly ahead.

‘Click’!
The photo slowly came to a stop.

Xu Jie and his viewers in the live stream felt a tightness in their chests.

But the scene wasn't over yet.

As the mother also went to the battlefield, the camera panned to the owner of the photo studio, who was also the photographer.

After cleaning up the photo studio, the photographer also put on a thick military uniform.

After taking a picture of himself in front of the camera, the photographer looked around the photo studio, then picked up a cotton hat from the table, put it on, and pushed open the door of the photo studio, where a loud Soviet song rang out.

The cheerful melody seemed to be celebrating something and boosting morale.

The roar of the Stuka engine swept across the sky as the photographer stepped out of the photo studio and into the midst of the heavy snowfall.

The screen gradually darkened, revealing several large characters.

To: Everyone has gone to the front lines.

After the broadcast ended, Xu Jie's room was silent for a long time, and the viewers in the live stream were the same.

Her husband went to the battlefield because his country needed him, and died in battle.

The wife joined the field nurses because of her husband and died in battle.

The elderly father answered the call and rejoined the battlefield, where he died in action.

The mother, all alone, also went to the battlefield and died in battle.

Even the last owner of the photography studio, gazing at the heavy snow and amidst the roar of the Stuka threatening his motherland, also went to the battlefield.
The video is very brief.

However, all of these reflect the tragic history of the entire population participating in the war.

Xu Jie had only experienced a part of the storyline before and hadn't felt anything, but now that he had seen the entire hidden storyline, he felt extremely uncomfortable and couldn't quite describe the feeling.

I never expected this kind of follow-up.

I thought it was just a regular plot twist.

Looking at it now, the feeling is completely different, especially as the scenes in the short video progress.

It's clear what state Moscow had reached at that time; the description on the Order of the Patriotic War of Moscow doesn't seem to be fabricated.

The Battle of Moscow alone claimed the lives of millions of Soviet Union personnel, revealing just how tragic this battle to defend the heart of the motherland was, to the point that the entire nation was mobilized.

After a long silence, Xu Jie uploaded the scene.

After tidying up the things on the table, he returned to the live stream room and sat blankly on the game's main interface.

After a while.

Xu Jie shook his head, came back to his senses, and said to the live stream:
"This part of the story was really painful to watch."

"Brothers, I'll continue playing and see how this war ends."

"Watch the change of the cotton-padded clothes inside."

"This war feels like it will last at least another two or three months (in-game time)."

"It feels so long. I need to die a few fewer times so I can maybe run into that photographer again."

He was about to click into the game, but drowsiness overcame him. Xu Jie thought for a moment and then said:

"No, I need to get some sleep first, since the box has already been opened."

"Let the video stream for a bit, the streamer needs to catch up on some sleep!"

After finishing speaking, he ended the broadcast at lightning speed and collapsed onto the bed next to him.

Soon after, the sound of sleeping breathing could be heard.

Xu Jie was completely unaware that the hidden storyline video he uploaded had already spread online and caused quite a stir. He was still fast asleep.

the other side.

There are also many streamers and players who stay up all night playing the game.

For example, Fang Ming is one of the representatives.

In Fang Ming's live stream, after a night of intense battle, the chat was filled with comments from viewers. The lively atmosphere in the live stream didn't feel like an all-nighter at all; instead, many viewers were incredibly excited.

Fang Ming himself was equally excited.

Although they were in a sorry state after a night of fierce fighting, the only two remaining Soviet soldiers had also died.

Having been shot multiple times, he was too weak to get up and could only lean against a large tree, waiting to spend the last moments of his life.

but! !! !!

As the sun rises in the sky, the condition of "15/15 (days)" has been met, and a notification pops up, indicating that he has obtained the "Order of the Patriotic War of Moscow".

In addition to the [Normandy Landing Medal] obtained from previously completing the [Normandy Landing] battlefield.

The three medals for being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Fang Ming was only one [Order of Stalingrad] away from completing the empire's offensive, and judging from the real-time map, the Battle of Stalingrad seemed imminent.

(End of this chapter)