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

Chapter 204 [The Quartermaster Who Froze to Death] (5.2k)

As the netizen on Blue Star watched as the body was moved to the side and medical staff tried to save it, but the chest slowly stopped rising and falling, the netizen felt a deep sense of helplessness.

difficult.

too difficult.

This difficult situation caused the comments section to sparse, and netizens on Earth were at a loss for words.

From the perspective of the live stream.

Seeing the young soldier stop breathing, the medic couldn't hold back his tears.

But he quickly regained his composure, suppressed his grief, and gently closed the young soldier's eyes with his hands, which were red and purple from the cold. He then turned to the crowd and said:

"Bury him on the spot."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a hurried shout came from afar:
"Medic!"

"Medical worker!!!"

Before he could wipe the tears from his face, the medic got up and ran toward the direction from which the shouts were coming from.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Yong and several other soldiers carried the young soldier to the side.

After covering it with snow, they made a small snowdrift and placed it over the little soldier's worn-out military cap, which was adorned with a red five-pointed star.
They walked until late at night and finally found a snow cave.

The group squeezed into the snow cave, huddling back to back for warmth.

Zhuo Yong was also hiding inside the snow cave, gnawing on frozen dry rations. Not far away, the wild vegetable soup cooked by the cooks was emitting a fragrant aroma.

It's called wild vegetable soup, but it's actually just stewed snow water with some dried wild vegetables in it.

The dried wild vegetables and a large pot of snow water were so thin they had almost no taste, but in this frigid environment, they tasted as tempting as delicacies from land and sea.

These Red Army soldiers may not have ever tasted any delicacies.

However, Zhuo Yong, a livestreamer on Blue Star, usually eats food that is hundreds of times better than the frozen dry rations he is now eating. Yet, he is now enjoying the aroma of the wild vegetable soup.

For the first time, Zhuo Yong experienced what it meant for hunger to be the best seasoning.

Zhuo Yong was born on Earth and was well-fed and clothed.

I have never had to worry about food.

But at this moment, looking at the large pot that the cooks brought over, his eyes were filled with longing.

The Red Army soldiers lined up to get soup. When it was Zhuo Yong's turn, he handed over his worn-out enamel bowl and carefully accepted the half-bowl of wild vegetable soup from the cook.

The steam from the wild vegetable soup dissipated quickly on the snow-covered mountain at -20°C, and Zhuo Yong hurriedly took a sip.

There was no salt, and no oil.

Even the wild vegetables tasted bland because of that big pot of snow water, but just one sip of warm soup made Zhuo Yong shudder.

He came back to life.

This warm vegetable soup had little flavor, but it tasted better than any soup Zhuo Yong had ever drunk in his life.

My throat bobbed involuntarily.

My mind kept screaming, "Drink slowly, drink slowly!"
But he simply couldn't stop himself from moving.

In the blink of an eye, half a bowl of wild vegetable soup was gone.

Finish drinking.

After putting down the bowl in his hand, Zhuo Yong seemed to come alive again.

My stomach feels warm and cozy.

Looking around at the soldiers, their clothes tattered, huddled together, drinking the only warmth they had.

Zhuo Yong looked out of the snow cave.

The howling wind continued to blow relentlessly.

But the dark and cold night didn't seem so cold under the firelight from the stove in the mess hall.

But it was all an illusion.

When Zhuo Yong was shaken awake from the cold the next day, he slowly stood up with a stiff body and looked around.

I then realized that many of my comrades who had huddled together last night had never woken up again.

The soldiers' faces remained frozen in a calm expression, as if they were merely asleep, but their unwavering chests and frosted faces betrayed their impending death.
Zhuo Yong stood there, stunned, his throat dry.

The same applies to the viewers in the live stream.

for them.

Just five minutes earlier, the group was sharing a bowl of hot wild vegetable soup, chatting quietly, their eyes filled with hope for the future.

But after finishing the wild vegetable soup, Zhuo Yong sat in a corner to rest.

After a while.

A button appears to skip the night.

With just one click, the screen reappears.

Some people inside the snow cave will never get up again.

Zhuo Yong stood there, not knowing what to do, while everyone who was able to move had gotten up and were looking at the bodies of the dozen or so soldiers.

The group carefully carried out the body of their fallen comrade.

There was no time for grief, nor the means for a proper burial.

They could only find a secluded corner to cover the remains of their comrades with snow.

Everyone stared at the snowdrifts and fell silent for a moment.

After a while.

The old squad leader's hoarse voice rang out, his hand still clutching a few small pieces of dry rations from fallen soldiers:
"The dead are there to make way for the living."

"After the revolution succeeds..."

"Come back and take them home."

The old squad leader's voice was hoarse. After speaking, he turned and walked away without hesitation.

The comments in the live stream room froze completely.

No one posted "tears welling up" or "breaking down," because any emotional outburst would be disrespectful to the soldiers.

The heavy snow may have taken their lives, but it could not extinguish their faith.

All viewers seemed to be put on pause, with only the ever-increasing number of online viewers proving that this was not a still scene.

The team regrouped, but there were more than a dozen fewer people than yesterday.

Zhuo Yong walked in the middle of the group, each step feeling like he was walking on cotton.

The surrounding companies also appeared one after another on the road leading to the summit of the snow mountain, but compared to yesterday, fewer people were buried here forever.

The sun rises.

Bathed in the sunlight on the vast snow-capped mountains, Zhuo Yong couldn't help but look back.

The military caps on the snowdrifts where fallen comrades were buried had their red stars, which should have faded, but they looked exceptionally bright red in the rising sun.

The situation was even worse on the second day.

A blizzard swept through.

The wind whipped up snowflakes, scraping against my face like knives.

Visibility was less than five meters.

The group was forced to slow down, moving forward one by one, with people falling down from time to time, getting up again, but many more falling down and never getting up again.

In front.

There were instructors encouraging everyone, and medics encouraging everyone by playing clappers.

If you had a high vantage point at this moment, you would definitely be able to see this scene.

The red team's ranks stretched endlessly, like a wounded dragon struggling to move through the wind and snow. When someone fell, a comrade would immediately lift them up.

No one speaks.

Only heavy breathing and the sound of snow being compacted underfoot could be heard.

Zhuo Yong's mind went blank, and he mechanically followed the group.

Although various sensations were reduced, they could not be completely blocked out, and the cold environment slowed down my thinking.

I don’t know how long it took.

The procession finally stopped, but they looked at the sun in the sky.

It's not time to rest yet.

Zhuo Yong looked ahead.

A hundred meters ahead, the group suddenly stopped, and everyone was converging on that spot.

People around them all walked over there when they saw this.

Zhuo Yong quickened his pace and followed, wanting to see what was happening ahead.

As soon as I got close, I heard a roar:

"Where's the quartermaster?!"

"Bring me the quartermaster!"

Zhuo Yong approached and saw an old man leaning against a tree, dressed in only a thin shirt and frozen solid.

The old man had a peaceful expression, with ice crystals clinging to his eyelashes and a faint smile on his lips, as if he were simply asleep.

But this scene left everyone speechless.

Young, strong men could barely walk in clothes padded with cotton, but even so, many still froze to death.

An old man was wearing only a thin military uniform, without even a quilt.

Such a scene.

No wonder the Red Army general was furious, shouting for the quartermaster.

"Where's the quartermaster?!"

"Who's in charge of distributing the clothes?! Who!!!"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

Zhuo Yong's heart sank as well; this situation was truly...
At this time.

A young soldier suddenly choked up:
"Reporting to the commander"

Pointing to the old man frozen stiff under the tree:

"He is the quartermaster."

These words were like a muffled thunderclap in the wind and snow. The general swayed, looked at the old man in disbelief, his lips trembling violently but unable to utter a word.

They stared at the frozen corpse, yet remained in the same position as handing out cotton-padded coats.

Zhuo Yong and the netizens in the live broadcast room felt as if an invisible hand was gripping their hearts.

Quartermaster.

A quartermaster who froze to death.

this.
Are those in charge of logistics always rolling in money?
Even without food or clothing, people will still have enough to eat and wear.

But the quartermaster at this moment completely refreshed the understanding of the Blue Star people.

How could anyone be so stupid?
They distributed all the cotton-padded coats, leaving none for themselves?
The group fell into a deathly silence, with only the howling of the wind and snow echoing in their ears.

The chat in the live stream suddenly disappeared.

After a long time.

Only one comment slowly floated by:
He could have survived.

Yes.

He could have survived.
next door.

Almost the same scene.

The anchor who joined the cooking team squatted in front of the wet haystack and tried every fire-making technique on Earth: friction, ignition sources, and even using photon supercomputers to search for ways to ignite it.

But the pile of straw stubbornly continued to emit wisps of smoke, refusing to catch fire no matter what.

The anchor had no choice but to follow the other soldiers to gather firewood nearby.

When coming back.

But then they saw that the pile of wet straw had already caught fire and was burning with heat, and the water in the iron pot was steaming.

This amazed many netizens on Earth, who wondered if the old squad leader possessed some special ability.

After all, this is a limitation of our times.

There is no way that something can exist that transcends the knowledge of physics.

The damp straw, which couldn't be ignited using any modern knowledge or methods available on Earth, was set ablaze by the old head cook in just a short while.

What else could this be but having special abilities?
Many people urged the streamer to secretly watch how the old squad leader performed his magic.

however.

When the old head cook lit the firewood for the last meal, all the netizens on Earth in the live broadcast room fell silent.

The wet straw that the anchor couldn't light no matter what he did, was ignited by the old squad leader.

But it's not magic, nor does it have superhuman abilities.

There is nothing that transcends the knowledge of physics.

The reason the old squad leader lit the pile of wet straw was simply that he took out the cotton wadding from his thin clothes and used it to slowly heat the fire.

One strand, two strands, three strands.
The cotton wadding that was supposed to keep him warm was now gently stuffed under the damp straw and lit with a match.

The moment the cotton wadding burned, the flames illuminated his sunken cheeks.

The old sergeant's clothes were getting thinner and thinner, but the fire burning over the iron pot was getting brighter and brighter.

The chat in the live stream room also froze.

There is no magic.

They don't have superpowers.

Only the old squad leader's hunched back and the cotton-padded coat that grew thinner and thinner until it was almost transparent.

The fire finally blazed brightly.

The old squad leader sat by the fire, watching the iron pot gradually steaming. In the firelight, a smile appeared on his aged face.

Time seemed to stand still here.

But when a soldier rushed into the camp carrying freshly gathered firewood, what he saw from the front was the old sergeant leaning quietly against the fire, a smile on his lips, as if he were asleep.

The firewood in the soldier's hand fell onto the snow.

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the snow and ice, startling the broadcaster awake:
"Squad leader——"

The anchor snapped back to reality and rushed over as well.

I stared in disbelief.

The firelight shone on his bare arms, which were covered in frostbite, but he no longer felt any pain. At this moment, the old sergeant was right next to the fire.

But it froze to death.
It's still in the live stream room where they're climbing a snow-capped mountain.

As the anchor at the forefront of the main force, he then discovered a peculiar corpse.

The body belonged to a scout who cleared the way for the main force.

The soldier's body had turned into a frozen ice sculpture, his arms outstretched forward, his fingers deeply embedded in his cotton-padded coat, as if he was desperately trying to pull something out in his last moments.

Several soldiers, their eyes red with tears, stepped forward, wanting to lift him from the snow and bury him.

But when their hands touched his frozen body, a hard object slipped from the scout's arms.

A bright red Party membership card covered in ice crystals, and a silver dollar pressed down by the card.

The comments section suddenly went silent.

The words on the Party membership card had been blurred by the snow water, but the words "Party Member" were still clearly legible, and the smooth surface of the card, touched by countless hands, showed just how much its owner cherished it.

I often take it out and stroke it repeatedly.

In a trance.

In the minds of netizens on Blue Star, it was as if they could see the blizzard in the dark night.

The scout, nearing the end of his life, used his last ounce of strength to reach into his arms, wanting only to touch once more what was more important than life itself.
In another live streaming room.

In a blizzard.

Six men, their legs covered in icicles, took turns carrying the unconscious, seriously wounded man; their leggings were already soaked in blood.

Stretcher teams climbing snow-capped mountains, comrades taking turns carrying heavy loads, and even soldiers coughing up blood from serious illnesses—all persisted in their march.
next door.

Inside the live stream room where I am a member of the publicity team.

The sound of clappers pierced through the wind and snow.

Two female soldiers with braids were encouraging the troops at the edge of the formation.

The tall female soldier's cotton-padded coat was now covering the wounded soldier on the stretcher, but her encouraging voice grew weaker and weaker until she finally collapsed in the snow.
The scenes of climbing the snow-capped mountain were quickly edited together.

It was posted on the official Polaris forum and quickly spread.

The post received over 100 million views in just a few hours and quickly topped the federal headlines.

It was only a one-day story, but the impact it had was unimaginable.

The quartermaster who managed logistics but froze to death.

The head cook, who was in charge of managing the food, died by the iron pot.

In his final moments, the reconnaissance soldier who cleared the way for the main force only wanted to touch something more important than life itself.

Stretcher bearer, female propaganda team member.
The scenes deeply moved netizens on Earth.

Nothing else.

The emotional impact of these storylines alone has already shocked the vast majority of Earthlings.

The discussion surrounding the Long March continues unabated.

However, the spirit of dedication and sacrifice depicted in the storyline is considered too outrageous by some Earthlings, who question how anyone could possess such a spirit of selflessness.

Especially the scene where the quartermaster froze to death but still continued to distribute cotton-padded coats.

This led many Earthlings to believe it was too unrealistic, that such a thing was impossible, and that no one could have such a spirit of dedication.

On Earth, where nothing like this has ever happened, many people are skeptical of the Red Army's spirit, while those netizens who have experienced the hardships this team has gone through in the game naturally disagree.

For a while.

The two sides argued fiercely, neither willing to give in.

a few days later.

Another post has been featured on the Polestar official forum.

【'Divine Soldiers'—A Shock from the Foot of Jiajin Mountain】

The video in the post is not a scene of climbing a snow-capped mountain.

Instead, it was a player who, due to insufficient preparation, did not join the Red Army before climbing the snow-capped mountain. As he was about to leave the foot of Jiajin Mountain, his perspective swept across the small town at the foot of Jiajin Mountain.

But unexpectedly, they overheard several local elderly people, bundled up in thick cotton-padded coats, sitting at their doorsteps discussing...
"Did you really make it?"

"That's a 'mountain of immortals'! In previous years, even herb gatherers didn't dare to go up there at this time, because if they did, they'd all die. How did so many of them just climb over like that?"

"Divine soldiers, truly divine soldiers!"

The camera turned.

The player had already walked out of the town, and when he reached the local temple at the town entrance, several old people were burning paper money.

It can be used to focus one's perspective.

But what they saw on the yellow paper was not the names of their ancestors, but the crookedly written words "Red Army, please be safe."

An elderly man with a white beard, who was burning paper money, put the paper money in his hand into the fire, and suddenly sighed:

"I've lived for 60 years and I've never seen a soldier like this before."

With trembling hands, he took out something wrapped in a clean cloth from his bosom. Unwrapping it, he revealed half a hardened steamed bun:

“The other day, that little Red Army girl was so hungry she could barely walk, but she still gave me this.”

"That kid even had a clapper on his waist, and he was always smiling at everyone."

The players couldn't bear it any longer and quickened their pace to leave.

The netizens on Earth watching the video fell silent for a moment.

Red Army female soldiers, clapper talk
The cheerful young girl the old man spoke of, the one whose rhythmic chants encouraged her comrades to persevere to the very end, had fallen on the snow-capped mountain.

The player in the player's perspective quickened their pace and left.

But it's conceivable.

In this small town, the Red Army's heroic deeds will be a topic of conversation for decades to come.

It wasn't just them who crossed that impossible snow-capped mountain.

More importantly, because they had never seen soldiers like that before.

A week later.

Within the forum of the 【Awakening Era】 section.

The aftershocks of climbing the snow-capped mountain continue.

Meanwhile, someone else has triggered a new storyline, but the opening scene of this storyline has completely shocked netizens on Earth.
It's a post on the Polaris forum.

The video in the post is from a player's perspective.

At the beginning of the video, the player explains that after climbing the snow-capped mountain and resting, the Red Army was ready to cross the grassland.

at this time.

The Red Army is facing unprecedented challenges.

The vast grassland appears peaceful, but in reality, it harbors hidden dangers.

Swamps, poisonous insects, harsh weather, and extremely scarce food supplies made every step feel like walking on a knife's edge.

The players in the video haven't even entered the grass yet, but in some places the mud is already ankle-deep. Is this what happens before the game even starts?
(End of this chapter)