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

Chapter 144 The Battle for the Pavlov Building: The Year 1943 is Approaching (6.4k words, combined into one)

This unexpected hidden plot twist excited the viewers in the live stream, who then spread the word to other live streams.

Fang Ming, on the other hand, was immersed in the storyline. After the text slowly disappeared, a Soviet man with a simple and honest face came into view.

A notification appears beside him: "Sergeant Pavlov".

Fang Ming and the viewers in the live stream realized that the so-called "Pavlov Building" in November was indeed named after a person.

No wonder players couldn't find the Pavlov Building anywhere.

Fang Ming also noticed something different.

That's the timeline for this storyline; it's currently showing as the end of September.

The timeframe is roughly the same as the battlefield during the Battle of Stalingrad.

My own "immersive storyline" has reached November, and it seems that the timeline of this storyline follows the main battlefield.

Night had fallen in the game.

It was pitch black.

Sergeant Pavlov, along with three others including Fang Ming, hid behind a building ruin, watching the building in the distance with its twinkling lights.

The Imperial soldiers didn't occupy the area for long; Sergeant Pavlov observed for a while and then assigned tasks.

Then, he led three people toward the building guarded by Imperial soldiers, seemingly without considering the possibility of failure, only thinking about capturing the building in front of them.

This left Fang Ming and the viewers in the live stream speechless.

Follow Fang Ming's perspective.

You can vaguely see the four-story building shrouded in night, with sparks of light on the first floor.

As the group crept closer, they got more and more intimate.

It seemed to have startled the Imperial soldiers on the first floor as well, as some figures could be seen standing up, and there was the sound of gunfire.

Upon seeing this, Sergeant Pavlov, who was standing in front of the group, fired the first shot.

boom!
As an Imperial soldier fell, Sergeant Pavlov roared:
"Hurrah—!!!"

Two Soviet soldiers next to Fang Ming roared and charged toward the building with their guns raised, with Fang Ming's men following closely behind.

Shouting "Hurrah—", he kept firing his rifle, reaping the lives of the Imperial soldiers guarding the tower.

the other side.

Fang Ming's triggering of the hidden storyline "Pavlov Building" quickly became a trending topic.

The battle for Mamayev Kurgan had been going on for over half a month in the game. Although it was tense and exciting, it was also getting a bit tiring.

So when this trending topic appeared, someone from Polar Star reported it to Zhao Ming.

Zhao Ming opened the live stream and took a look. Then he had a new module added to the official Polar Star live stream to broadcast Fang Ming's live stream.

at this time.

Inside Polaris' official live stream.

With the broadcast module connected, Tianji and Mo Xiaomo also became interested. They zoomed in on the broadcast module, and then, looking at the materials handed to them, Tianji explained:

"Okay, we just switched on a new module."

"A player triggered the hidden storyline of the Pavlov Building."

"As you can see, the battle is still going on in the live stream."

"One of the anchors is also an old acquaintance. Many friends know Fang Ming, who is also my old teammate."

Mo Xiaomo, who was standing next to him, was somewhat surprised:

"what?"

"Really?"

"I've never heard you mention that."

Tianji smiled and said:

"Many years ago."

"We team up to play FPS matches."

"You were probably still in school at that time, so it's normal that you didn't know."

As Tianji spoke, he clicked on the virtual projection in front of him, zooming in on the live stream, and said:
"Let's get back to the plot."

"Many players couldn't find the [Pavlov Building] before, but now we can give the answer."

"Just as many people guessed, this [Pavlov Building] is probably named after a combat hero."

"We can see that on the left side of the scene, there is a Soviet sergeant fighting with Imperial soldiers."

"He is Sergeant Pavlov."

"Currently, they are leading a group to seize control of this building."

"It can be seen that the Empire's garrison is not very large."

"The battle is nearing its end, and we have temporarily seized control of the building."

In the picture, Fang Ming, Sergeant Pavlov, and several others are cleaning up the battlefield.

Mo Xiaomo looked at the building curiously:

"According to Polestar's announcement, this is the focus in November."

"This building must have some key function, right?"

"Otherwise, why would the Empire and the Soviet Federation be so focused on fighting for this place?"

"But judging from the appearance of this building..."

"It's no different from other buildings, is it?"

Tianji, looking at the building from Fang Ming's live stream perspective, said:
"really."

"This building looks no different from the buildings in other parts of the city."

"However, if the appearance is the same."

"That must be because of the location."

As he spoke, Tianji pulled up the 'real-time map' on the Polaris website and compared it, quickly finding the location of the Pavlov Building.

It is a building located between Mamayev Kurgan and the Central Station, right next to the Volga River, and its importance is immediately apparent.

Tianji spoke up:
"Indeed, it's because of the geographical location."

Mo Xiaomo also began to understand:

"It's near the Volga River."

"Occupying this place will allow us to assist the Soviet Federation forces on the east bank in crossing the river."

Tianji nodded, then pulled up a virtual 3D map of Stalingrad:
"more than."

"We can see that, apart from Mamayev Kurgan, a natural high point, the entire Stalingrad is on a horizontal line."

"So if you want to occupy a commanding position in the city, you can only look for tall buildings."

"This four-story building standing on the banks of the Volga River is such a building."

Then, clicking on the building, the virtual map's view shifted to the fourth floor. Looking around, the viewers in the live stream watched from this perspective, and Tianji said:
"From the perspective of the fourth floor."

"It can overlook the battlefield within a 1-kilometer radius, forming an intersecting network of fire with the surrounding flour mill buildings and railway staff buildings."

“Slice the long, vertical strip of the western bank of Stalingrad in half horizontally.”

"Sever the connection between the Imperial forces in the north and the southern forces on the west bank of Stalingrad, and divide the Imperial forces into two parts."

"And because it is close to the Volga River."

"This area is within the artillery range of the Soviet Federal Forces on the east bank of Stalingrad."

"The Empire's armored forces cannot get close."

"Once they get close, they can be seen with the naked eye as long as there is a radio call, or even without a radio, they can be bombarded by artillery fire against the Imperial armored forces that are coming to support them."

"It's also quite deadly."

"No wonder this place will become a key battleground in November."

"If this area is occupied by the Soviet Federation, then the battlefield will be cut off, allowing the imperial forces on the north and south sides to divide it up."

"This place is occupied by the Empire, which is fatal to Soviet Federation soldiers who want to cross the river to provide support."

"hiss--"

"The location of this building is truly..."

As Tianji explained, he became increasingly impressed. This location was truly ingenious, its importance not much less than that of Mamayev Kurgan.

And just as Tianji said.

When Marshal Chuikov of the Soviet Federation later commented on the building, he said that its importance was no less than that of the Brest Fortress.

In the live broadcast room.

The netizens on Blue Star were also somewhat shocked by Tianji's explanation.

After watching the battle for Mamayev Kurgan for so long, it's nice to change things up a bit.

I never expected the single-player immersive story mode to be so interesting.

Many Blue Star netizens who watched the live stream actually got hooked halfway through because of the promotion during this period, unlike Blue Star netizens who were focused on the game before.

Therefore, my understanding of games is only superficial.

After this explanation, many people are now interested in playing the single-player "Immersive Story" mode.

Meanwhile, Fang Ming...

After cleaning up the battlefield in the game, he followed Sergeant Pavlov and others to set up landmine traps around the building.

After setting up the whole circle.

Fang Ming was assigned to search inside the building with another scout, Alexandrov.

Inside the dilapidated building, traces of war were everywhere, and almost nothing was intact; the smell of gunpowder filled the nostrils.

Inside the dimly lit building, Fang Ming followed Alexandrov and asked:
"Where are we going?"

Alexandrov looked left and right, then smiled and said:

"Actually, all these buildings have underground tunnels."

"We just need to find a location."

"Those stupid imperial beasts will be exhausted. They never imagined that many buildings in Stalingrad actually have tunnels inside."

Fang Ming's eyes widened:
"is it?"

Not only did the imperial soldiers not know, but it was also the first time he had ever heard of it.

Even those watching the live stream and those on the Polaris website who were watching the broadcast on the Polaris website only then learned about this.

Alexandrov began by saying:
"of course."

"It's just that they're a bit hard to find."

"When I was a kid, I used to explore a lot of tunnels with my friends."

"Let me see"

After finding several rooms, Alexandrov called out to Fang Ming:

"Glushenko, come here."

"found it."

【Glushenko】is the name of the NPC played by Fang Ming. Hearing Alexandrov's shouts, Fang Ming ran over:
"where?"

At this moment, Alexandrov was moving a collapsed table, then gestured for Fang Ming to come over and lift a piece of sheet metal from the ground:
"right here."

"One, two"

As the sheet metal was lifted.

boom--!
A gunshot rang out, followed by a scream from below the tunnel. The two men, whose hands were numb from being hit by the bullet, were startled and released their grip to pull the bolt.

"and many more!!!"

Fang Ming, still in shock and uncertainty, grabbed Alexandrov, who had also come to his senses.

This is a tunnel known only to Soviets; there's absolutely no way the Reichs are below. Looking at the rifle in his hand, he couldn't help but feel a chill of fear and immediately shouted:

"We're from across the Volga River, don't attack!"

Hear the words.

The panicked screams inside the tunnel had just stopped when many sobbing sounds came from within.

Footsteps and sounds of Sergeant Pavlov and his two companions could be heard in the corridor:

"Enemy?"

Alexandrov shouted:
"No!"

"It's one of our own!"

Fang Ming took out a match, lit it, and stretched his hand down into the tunnel below.

What came into the view of Fang Ming and Alexandrov was...

There were more than thirty women and children, all emaciated and pale. It was unclear how long they had been there; they looked at them with a mixture of fear and relief.
The next day.

On a bright, sunny morning, the women helped carry ammunition, while Sergeant Pavlov and a few others set up a defensive line, not daring to stop for a moment.

Only when a small contingent of Imperial troops appeared did Sergeant Pavlov shout:
"Ready to fight!"

The group quickly reached the shelter, while the women and children inside the building swiftly retreated into the tunnel.

"beat--!!!"

At Sergeant Pavlov's command, the four men began firing at the approaching Imperial Company.

Until then.

Fang Ming and the viewers in Lanxing's live stream had no idea how long this battle for the building would last.

The 6rd day of the occupation of Pavlov's building.

boom--!
boom--!
The explosion of the bomb made the entire building tremble, and dust and sand kept falling down. Fang Ming, who was hiding under the window, was covered in a layer of dust.

He waved his hand and looked out through the hole in the wall.

Several Imperial armored tanks approached, followed by Imperial soldiers. However, due to the threat from Soviet artillery on the east bank, the Imperial tanks dared not get too close and could only bombard the building from a distance.

boom! boom! boom!
Loud gunshots rang out from inside the building, hitting the Imperial tanks opposite and sending sparks flying. The Imperial tanks hesitated for a moment and slowly retreated.

Fang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and said to the live stream:
"It still has to be an anti-tank rifle."

"I wonder how much ammunition they brought. Hopefully, it will last until reinforcements arrive."

Fang Ming was referring to the other Soviet troops who had crossed the river to provide support a few days earlier, including mortar teams, anti-tank teams, and a machine gun platoon.

24 people in total.

This gives an idea of ​​how much importance the area on the east bank of the Volga River places on this place.

Including the four of them, there were also more than 30 women and children inside the tunnel.

There are quite a few people in this building.

While watching the Imperial tanks retreat, Fang Ming ran over to Alexandrov and chatted with him about Stalingrad.

With the native inhabitants of this 'Earth', Fang Ming's side actually learned a lot about Stalingrad, and many players even found tunnels inside the buildings on the battlefield.

Some of the tunnels contained gold and silver jewelry, but unfortunately it was just a game and we couldn't take it out.

The 17rd day of the occupation of Pavlov's building.

The sun had just risen in the sky, and the earth was still silent, when the screeching of Stuka bombers suddenly shattered the tranquility of the Volga River.

inside the building.

Sergeant Pavlov's voice rang out:
“Air raid!!!”

"Everyone, take cover!!!"

It was described as a shelter.

Actually, the large craters were created by Stuka bombers and Imperial tanks bombarding the building.

After more than half a month of relentless bombardment.

Although they managed to hold on, the east side of the building was also smashed to pieces, and you could see it coming in from the outside.

A sharp whistling sound approached.

There was a muffled sound.

Then a huge explosion rang out, and the blast wave from the bomb that landed on the east side of the building swept outwards, with the scorching heat wave engulfing the entire building along the corridor.

Broken glass shards scattered like raindrops.

Meanwhile, bombs continued to fall from the sky.

I don’t know how long it took.

After the blast wave was not felt, no one could feel it.

No one dared to delay and quickly got up and rushed to the edge of the wall. At this time, the Imperial soldiers outside had already seized the opportunity to sneak over, and some had even rushed to the first floor.

"Hurrah—!!!"

The 28rd day of the occupation of Pavlov's building.

Fang Ming leaned against the corner of the wall, trying to avoid the cold wind.

It was already the end of October.

The weather in Stalingrad was getting colder, but the building was so badly damaged by the bombing that it was freezing cold, though thankfully it was only the end of October.

If this happened in November or December, we'd be in for a rough time.

Inexplicable.

Fang Ming recalled the days in Moscow when he challenged for the medal; it was even colder there than this.

Just thinking about it.

Suddenly, a melodious tune filled the building.

Soothing music echoed through the building.

Fang Ming got up and followed the sound; other people also came out of the building.

The group followed the sound to a room.

inside the room.

Alexandrov was shaking his body with his eyes closed. On the old table next to him was a badly worn but still working phonograph.

Hearing the door open, Alexandrov opened his eyes, looked at the strange-looking crowd, and said with a smile:

"Want to jump together?"

"I found this in the cabinet; I never expected it to still make a sound."

Sergeant Pavlov shook his head and turned to leave.

Alexandrov looked at Fang Ming, who, seeing the commotion in the live stream, also shamelessly joined in and started swaying wildly to the music.

Several Soviet Federation soldiers nearby were also infected.

She joined the dancing group.

Inside a dilapidated building on the banks of the Volga River, under the crimson sunset.

The melodious singing voice spread out in all directions.

Inside a room in the building, several large men were stiffly displaying their dance moves.

Outside the building.

The Imperial officer, lying in the ruins with binoculars, could faintly hear music coming from inside the building.

He put down the binoculars.

Looking at the distant building, the Imperial officer frowned deeply:
"What are you doing?"

He turned to look at the soldiers gathering behind him and gave the order to prepare for the attack.

The 43rd day of the occupation of Pavlov's building.

late at night.

The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds. Because it was so dark, the number of people on night watch had doubled. Fang Ming leaned against the window and looked out.

He wasn't afraid at all that the Empire's soldiers could lock onto him.

It was so dark that visibility was less than a few meters in the surrounding area.

Alexandrov, standing nearby, yawned.

"damn it."

"The reinforcements are taking way too long; it's been so many days!"

I can't remember the exact time.

Alexandrov only knew that he had been holding out here for many days, and the weather had gotten cold.

It's already November.

Fang Ming, on the other hand, clearly remembered the time and, looking at the time in the system, spoke up:
"It's been 43 days."

"Yes, our building has lasted longer than France."

Alexandrov, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed.

"real or fake?"

Fang Ming nodded and said:
"of course."

"France only held out for 42 days in the face of the Empire's attack."

"And we have been guarding this building for 43 days."

Fang Ming was somewhat moved when he said this.

Perhaps this is the way to complete the [Order of Stalingrad] challenge.

I tried defending the building, guerrilla warfare, and street fighting before, but I couldn't hold out for 10 days.

However, led by the local NPCs in the Soviet Federation, they have held out in this building for 43 days, though it is unknown how much longer they will have to hold out.

However, if this were the [Order of Stalingrad] challenge, it would probably have been completed long ago.

Unfortunately, it isn't.

Upon hearing Fang Ming's words, Alexandrov couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Lost in 42 days?"

"How did they fight?"

boom--! ! !
The sudden explosion of a landmine on the west side of the building, followed by a flash of light, immediately put Fang Ming and Alexandrov on alert.
"Damn it, they're here again."

next second.

The sounds of battle had already begun on the west side of the building. Fang Ming held his ground while Alexandrov's side had already moved to provide support.

The battle raged from night until dawn.

Another new day has begun.

It has been 44, 47, 52, and 57 days since the occupation of Pavlov's building.
Fang Ming's side has been occupying the building for longer and longer, but there is still no sign of reinforcements. They are holding out for so many days with only 20-odd men.

It exceeded many people's expectations.

This sparked a craze for defending buildings within the game.

Everyone wanted to learn how to operate the Pavlov Building.

Unfortunately, their combat capabilities were limited and insufficient to hold the building.

But even so.

This inevitably led to players following suit.

The live stream video of the building defense was also used for analysis by the armies of various federations.

at this time.

Inside the official Polaris live stream room.

Half of the audience is watching the competition among the six federations for Mamaevsky Prospekt, and the other half is watching the Pavlov Building storyline unfolding on Fang Ming's side.

However, as the time approached...

Both sides have reached the final time.

Inside Polaris Corporation.

Zhao Ming watched the live stream.

The six federations and the 'Earth' live broadcast room are each vying for control of the number in the upper left corner of [Mamaevskaya Sopka], which has now become a three-digit number.

And the date arrived at September 30th.

As long as tomorrow passes.

The new battlefield focus will shift to [Central Station].

Zhao Ming prepared a settlement for [Mamaev Gang], which he would release once the time was up.

Meanwhile, in Fang Ming's live stream...

The time has come to the 58th day of perseverance.

on the screen.

Fang Ming's controlled body was already overwhelmed; his legs were bandaged with blood-soaked gauze, and his tattered clothes were covered in tears and bloodstains.

Some were shot, some were stabbed, and some were caused by fighting with Imperial soldiers.

In short, there wasn't a single good place.

Although Fang Ming was still full of energy and chatting with viewers in the live stream, he found it difficult to move his body.

At this time.

Fang Ming, inside the live stream room, could faintly hear noisy footsteps outside.

His expression changed.

He quickly and laboriously stood up, leaning on his rifle, and the netizens on Blue Star became tense.

Sudden.

"Hurrah—!!!!"

A cheering and joyful voice rang out, followed by shouts of "Hurrah!" from outside. Fang Ming's face lit up with delight, and he staggered to the window, leaning on his rifle.

The procession outside the window waved red flags and rushed toward the building.

The red flag shone brightly in the sunlight.

Fang Ming felt a surge of relief. He had won! He had won!!!
"Hurrah—!!!!"

He leaned against the window, holding a rifle in his hand and shouting outside. The live stream chat was flooded with comments and gifts, spamming the screen.

I've watched it all unfold.

Finally, reinforcements arrived, and the netizens watching from Blue Star were just as excited as Fang Ming.

the other side.

Zhao Ming was watching the official Polar Star live stream.

Fang Ming's battle has ended, while the battle for Mamayev Kurgan among the six major federations will be over in half a day, after which the battle for Central Station will begin immediately.

Once all of this is over, the Battle of Stalingrad will be nearing its end.

The year 1943 was fast approaching, and the Battle of Kharkov and the Battle of Kursk were both crucial battles with victories and defeats on both sides.

Zhao Ming was pondering the possibility of launching a new national war instance.

Meanwhile, in the live stream room.

As time passed, it was noon on the Great Xia Federation's side, and the battle for Mamaev Hill had ended.

Tianji and Mo Xiaomo in the Polaris live stream breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally over.

He was about to introduce himself and offer his congratulations.

Suddenly, a notification popped up in the live stream chat indicating the results of the [Mamaevsky Prospekt] battle, along with an introduction to the upcoming [Central Station Battle].

(End of this chapter)