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

Chapter 211 [Battle of Shanghai] Seven Days of Destruction (4.2k)

Shi Rui kept taking pictures of the scene below with his camera.

Japanese fleet shells bombarded the city repeatedly, turning buildings into ruins and leaving streets filled with panicked citizens running around.

With the attack.

The Japanese army's objective gradually became clear: under the cover of heavy firepower, they wanted to cross the Bazhi Bridge and control this key transportation point.

The Eight-Character Bridge is located at the junction of Hongkou and Zhabei districts.

Although it is just a bridge spanning a small ditch, it is a key location connecting Shanghai North Railway Station and the headquarters of the Japanese Marine Corps.

Once we control this place, we can use it as a base to strike directly at Japan's stronghold in Hongkou.

Conversely, if the Japanese army were to occupy this area, it would be equivalent to severing the connection between the northern and southern forces in Shanghai, thus dividing the entire defensive line in two.

This is also the reason why the Japanese army launched such a fierce attack.

Shi Rui took several photos.

boom--! !

A shell landed below the department store.

Wow!

The glass shattered, and shards littered the ground.

Shi Rui, who was by the window holding a camera, also had his arms scratched. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped back.

"rough!"

"No, we have to hide."

The chat in the live stream was also urging Shi Rui to find a place to hide quickly.

Shi Rui grabbed his camera and ran downstairs, then ran back to find a new vantage point to observe the battle situation.

On the road.

Gradually, more and more citizens, carrying large and small bags, flocked to the concession area.

However, it's uncertain whether we'll be able to get in.

Not long after.

Shi Rui found a tall building relatively far back, and climbed all the way to the rooftop, panting heavily. He even bought some food at a shop he passed by.

Shi Rui tossed his backpack containing food aside and lay down on the rooftop, watching the intense firefight in the distance.

The zoom function in the live stream was also used to showcase it to viewers on Blue Star.

As time passed, the troops in Shanghai arrived and began their counterattack. Shi Rui, lying on the rooftop, watched the battle unfold in the distance and provided commentary:

"The blue team's reinforcements have arrived; judging by their unit number, they are from the 88th Division."

"They pushed it back!"

"They are German-equipped divisions after all; their firepower is much stronger than that of the security regiments."

The fierce battle raged on until nightfall, barely managing to maintain a balance.

However, the German-equipped division quickly gained momentum the next day, while Shi Rui continued to stream the battlefield live:

"The 87th Division has also come to reinforce us."

"."

"The Eighth Division has recaptured the Eighth Bridge!"

"sure!"

"The air force has also arrived; that direction leads to the Japanese Hongkou base."

"."

at this time.

The title in Shi Rui's live stream room has also been changed.

[Day 2 of the Songhu Association meeting is in progress]

The next seven days.

Shi Ruidu crouched on the rooftop, observing the battle situation in the distance.

Don't even say it.

The order was issued in just over a week.

Although the Blue Army's offensive was slow, the Japanese forces did not advance much either. The two sides were exchanging fire day and night, but the battle lines did not expand.

However, the Japanese 3rd and 11th Divisions landed at Wusongkou and Chuansha Town.

With the surge in Japanese troops, the Blue Army faced even greater defensive pressure and gradually lost control of the enemy, leading to an expansion of the battlefield.

Fortunately, reinforcements from various places have arrived one after another.

In Shi Rui's live stream, watching the reinforcements arrive, Shi Rui zoomed in:
"Brothers, does anyone recognize which unit this number belongs to?"

During the Republic of China era, local factions were complex and the military was in disarray. It was impossible for one person to remember everything. Fortunately, the live streamers had people from all over the place at the start.

Before Shi Rui could even finish speaking, the live stream chat was already flooded with comments:

It's the Guangxi Army!!

Did the Guangxi army arrive so quickly?

[That gray military uniform is definitely from the Guangxi Army.]

[I saw in the other live stream that there were 7 divisions and 6 viewers. This should relieve a lot of pressure.]

So many? Then the gap can be plugged.

[Unlikely. Judging from the current situation, the Japanese firepower is still formidable, and our equipment can't keep up.]

[Let's keep watching. The other side hasn't arrived yet; we'll show you a first-person perspective later.]

Compared to the live stream next door, which was from the first-person perspective of the support troops from various places but was still on its way, only Shi Rui's live stream had a general view of the overall battle situation.

soon.

With the addition of 6 Guangxi troops, the defense line quickly stabilized again.

However, the Japanese artillery fire became even more intense.

Fortunately, reinforcements from various regions are arriving in Shanghai soon.

next door.

Inside the live stream room of host Liao Feng.

The Sichuan Army unit they belonged to had been marching at breakneck speed, and the straw sandals on their feet had been worn out for who knows how long, until they were numb from walking.

Liao Feng, on the other hand, had become somewhat numb after a long march, mechanically following the column, only occasionally looking up.

The only sound in the rapidly marching column was the clatter of straw sandals crunching over the reeds.

Sudden.

An old soldier carrying a flag fell down. A soldier beside him tried to help him up, but the old soldier shook his head and pushed him away.

"You son of a bitch, don't worry about me."

"keep going."

As he spoke, he tried to stand up by using the flagpole as a crutch, but he swayed and pushed the flagpole into the hands of the soldier next to him.

He then collapsed to the ground with a thud, his fate unknown.

But the team still didn't stop.

suddenly.

The roar of airplanes echoed in the sky.

"hidden!"

"Don't let the Japanese planes see you!"

Upon hearing the order from their superior officer, the soldiers quickly lay down and concealed themselves.

Liao Feng also took the opportunity to catch his breath while lying down.

Planes roared across the sky, followed soon by a sharp whistling sound.

Boom boom boom boom——

Not far from the main force, a series of bombs exploded.

The bombs missed the main force, and the Japanese planes in the sky gradually flew away. The soldiers in the ranks cursed and swore.

"You damned Japanese! Did they blow up your ancestors' graves?!"

Liao Feng also got up, and comments flooded the live stream chat:

[Shanghai is in sight!]

We're almost there, but can we still fight?

[We should be able to rest when we arrive.]

[Go and reinforce them quickly; the Guangxi army next door is also struggling.]

[Dude, these are all separate storylines. Even if we provide support here, it won't reach the other side.]

Looking at the comments in the live stream, Liao Feng looked up into the distance.

A city shrouded in smoke and engulfed in flames appeared before them, and Liao Feng swallowed hard.

"It's finally here."

at this time.

Inside the live stream room of host Qiao Jie.

It was already mid-September, and they had been in Shanghai for several days since arriving from northern Guangxi.

A counter-offensive was underway at this time, but the Japanese firepower was too intense.

boom--

boom--

The Japanese artillery fire never stopped. At this time, Qiao Jie was hiding behind a bunker and didn't even dare to show his head. The machine gun emplacements on the other side were firing bullets like they were free.

boom!
A shell exploded in front of the bunker where Qiao Jie was.

The bunker shook.

Qiao Jie was jolted and staggered, shaking the dirt off his head as he got up, his gaze sweeping around. They'd already started organizing a suicide squad.

A suicide squad member with a white cloth wrapped around his head took a grenade, strapped it to his body, and prepared to charge toward the machine gun position.

The others also took a deep breath and prepared to charge.

soon.

With an order.

The first platoon of soldiers, including Qiao Jie, all leaped out of their fortifications or trenches, raised their guns, and charged toward the opposite position, clearing a path for the daredevils behind them as much as possible.

however.

Amidst the barrage of heavy machine gun fire from the opposite side.

The first rank of soldiers who had just jumped out fell to the ground in just a few breaths.

Qiao Jie was also hit in the right knee by a heavy machine gun bullet and rolled to the ground.

boom!
It's unclear whose grenade was hit, but the explosion was deafening.

Qiao Jie's brain was buzzing, and he felt somewhat numb.

He tried to get up again, but in a daze, he saw the names, dates of birth, and places of birth displayed above the heads of many soldiers.

Qiao Jie shook his head, but words still appeared above the heads of the dead soldiers in front of him.

Huang Zhiqiang

Date of birth: April 5, 1912

[Place of birth: Pumiao Town, NN City, Guangxi]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

Born in 1912, it's 1937 now. Only 25 years old?
Suddenly, Qiao Jie inexplicably began to calculate the age of the fallen soldier. Then, his gaze swept around, and the image of a soldier who had fought to the death with a broadsword against the Japanese soldiers came to mind:

Liang Shuisheng

Date of birth: April 15, 1911

[Place of birth: Longxu Town, WZ City, Guangxi]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

Emerging from the body of a soldier whose body had been blown in two:
【Chen Agui】

Date of birth: April 2, 1913

[Place of birth: Dapingshan Town, Yulin, Guangxi]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

As Qiao Jie collapsed to the ground, his gaze swept around, and the names, birth times, birth locations, and so on began to appear on the bodies of the dead soldiers.

Qiao Jie was somewhat dazed. The long march and battle, coupled with the fatigue completely simulated by the virtual reality pod, slowed down his thinking.

For a moment, I forgot what I was doing.

Qiao Jie struggled to his feet with a blank mind, leaning against the bodies of his two comrades, and looked behind him.

New soldiers leaped out of the trenches, along with the last of the suicide squad members.

at this time.

Words appeared on their bodies, along with an additional cause of death.

Luo Yongchang

Date of birth: April 8, 1908

[Place of birth: Jintian Town, Guigang, Guangxi]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

Cause of death: Killed by heavy machine gun fire.

next second.

Qiao Jie saw the soldier who jumped out of the trench suddenly burst into several sprays of blood. A bullet from the heavy machine gun pierced through his chest, and the soldier named Luo Yongchang fell to the ground uncontrollably.

He collapsed to the ground, his eyes gradually losing their luster.

Qiao Jie's gaze fell upon the figure of a suicide squad member.

Zhou Musheng

Date of birth: April 17, 1911

[Place of birth: Luwu Town, Qinzhou, Guangxi]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

[Cause of death: A suicide squad member, strapped with grenades, was killed when he detonated a grenade while attempting to destroy a Japanese machine gun position.]

In Qiao Jie's empty gaze, the suicide squad member named Zhou Musheng actually charged through the hail of bullets, covering a distance that exceeded Qiao Jie's reach.

Qiao Jie turned his head and followed Zhou Musheng's gaze.

As Zhou Musheng rushed to the Japanese position and detonated his grenade, the heavy machine gun turned and swept the enemy's position.

Just as Zhou Musheng was about to throw the grenade at the Japanese machine gun position...

boom--!
He was killed heroically when the grenades on his body were blown up.

The shockwave and loud noise from the explosion spread, and Qiao Jie raised his arm to shield himself. Suddenly, he saw words appearing on his body as well.

【Qiao Jie】

[Birth date: 294th year of the New Calendar on Earth.]

[Birthplace: Sea Breeze City, Great Xia Federation]

[Date of death: September 16, 1937]

[Cause of death: Air raid.]

The introduction was very brief, and it mixed up Earth's time with the time on this planet, which created a strange sense of incongruity.

But it doesn't seem out of place.

Air raid?

Looking up at the cause of his death, Qiao Jie's mind went blank.

Is there an air raid?

However, the moment he looked up, his pupils contracted instinctively as countless tiny black dots began to fall from the sky.

Countless shrieks echoed in their ears, which were ringing from the explosion.

Boom boom boom boom—! ! !
The earth trembled, and flames shot into the sky.

Bombs rained down on the position, sending mud, rubble, and severed limbs soaring into the air before crashing down again.

Qiao Jie's body was thrown into the air by the shockwave.

The world seemed to slow down and become distorted in his eyes. Flying backwards in the air, he saw the suicide squad members being engulfed in flames and the machine gun emplacement being blown to rubble.

They saw the Japanese troops entangled with the Guangxi Army soldiers being indiscriminately bombed and reduced to ashes.

For some reason, Qiao Jie felt a surge of exhilaration.

next second.

My vision was filled with white light, then I was plunged into darkness.

thump--

Qiao Jie's body fell to the ground.

The camera pans upwards, until it reaches the entire skies above Shanghai, making it clear what kind of artillery fire is taking place there.

For a moment.

The game returned to its main menu from the story sequence.

at this time.

Once back on the main screen, Qiao Jie, no longer burdened by the fatigue of the long march and the numbing exhaustion of the intense battle simulation, instantly regained his composure.

It just remained motionless, looking dazed.

The live stream chat was filled with comments:
[Has the streamer gone mad? Why isn't he moving?]

This game is so realistic! I almost fell off my chair during that explosion.

[Blink, bro! Should we call a doctor?!]

Is the aftereffect really that strong?

[This moment of death was extraordinary; knowing the cause of death, watching oneself die.]

[Qiao Jie: I'm gone, but my soul still lingers on the battlefield (doge emoji)]

A few minutes later.

Qiao Jie finally came to his senses and rubbed his face:
"Hiss, I don't know if you believe it or not."

"I feel like I just died once."

Even after leaving the game, the slow-motion at the end, along with the flashing of various scenes, took Qiao Jie several minutes to recover.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments:

[Hahaha, the streamer's back to life!]

Welcome back to the world of the living!

[Let's start the next round! Keep taking down those Japanese!]

Qiao Jie said helplessly:
"If we were to start again, we'd have to skip the plot from 1931, which is too slow."

"Let's check out some other live streams first."

"Shouldn't reinforcements from other regions arrive soon?"

What is the final situation of the Guangxi Army?

Qiao Jie opened the Tiansha live streaming platform and searched for live streams from other regions that were participating in the Battle of Shanghai.

A comment scrolled across the live stream screen:
[The 21st Army Group of the Guangxi Army launched a counterattack with 60,000 troops, soldiers strapping grenades to their bodies as they charged into enemy lines. Within seven days, 50,000 Guangxi soldiers were killed.]

In an instant.

The live broadcast room was silent, but the Battle of Shanghai had only just begun to intensify.
(End of this chapter)