Origin Paradise!

Intelligence agent Wuhe: If we deal full damage, killing him shouldn't be difficult. Latest intelligence: Only one person can exist for each type of Soul Armament at any given time. In other words, as long as Kahn Fredenburg is alive, there will be no other Blood Bat Knight in the world.

Jiang He stopped contacting them because they had already reached the second line of defense. The worst-case scenario of a large-scale blocking attack did not materialize, and the company successfully entered the trenches.

"Assault squad, charge the bunker!" the lieutenant shouted.

Soon someone delivered a flamethrower. Jiang He carried the device on his back. It wasn't difficult for him to use it. After all, given the high casualty rate on the front lines, technical soldiers died very quickly, and the operation process was too complicated for anyone to use.

A dozen or so grenades were thrown into the bunker, and a small portion of them were thrown back by the regimental soldiers inside. After a cloud of smoke and dust obstructed the view, Jiang He led the charge into the bunker, his jetpack spewing out flames that stretched for more than ten meters.

Charles II fought bravely, carrying a rifle and following behind the corporal, constantly venturing deeper into the bunker, his ears filled with the cries of enemy soldiers.

Suddenly, a figure fell from the wooden beam overhead, a bayonet thrusting into the back of the spray soldier's neck.

Jiang He turned and kicked, unleashing a fierce force that struck with immense power, almost splitting the attacking enemy soldier in two.

The next instant, bullets came flying in, and the last stand began deep inside the bunker. The dense barrage damaged the spray gun, and Jiang He quickly lay down to the side. His face was not protected by bullets; he had just taken at least five bullets.

Charles II, who was behind him, was unable to dodge in time. Blood splattered in front of him, and he fell down like a rag doll.

The assault squad suffered heavy losses. A bullet ripped open a soldier's skull, and the young soldier immediately fell into fear and madness, throwing away his gun and running wildly, only to be shot dead by a hail of bullets in the blink of an eye.

Jiang He picked up a grenade from his comrade, jumped over the sandbag in front of him, and was immediately shot twice. After advancing ten meters, he struggled to throw the grenade.

After the two explosions, the shooting ceased.

The lieutenant led his team in and successfully captured the remaining soldiers inside. In the grenade explosions, most of the regimental soldiers who were gathered together were either wounded or unconscious, and only a small number died directly.

"Well done, corporal. Where's my nephew?"

Jiang He felt a bit like he was in hell and reminded him, "It's right under your feet."

"Oh no! My little Connor!"

The lieutenant showed genuine grief, holding his nephew's body in a daze, unable to speak.

Tommy arrived to clean up the battlefield. The entire Prussian regimental machine gun company was equipped with six Maxim heavy machine guns. Before this, the British troops had never even seen such a brand-new heavy weapon.

Chapter 47 Metal Storm

The night was cool and still; the battle was over.

Jiang He's assault squad received new reinforcements. Fortunately, Hunter Barney survived the bunker assault, otherwise he wouldn't even have a familiar adjutant.

Tommy brought over a boy who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old.

"He's the lieutenant's younger cousin, nicknamed Lucky Dorn, the best demolition expert in our company. The lieutenant doesn't want to show his face, so he's in your hands, Sergeant."

[Hint: Your reputation +200]

[Hint: You have been promoted to Sergeant (700/700)]

Jiang He nodded. At most, the company commander could appoint him as a sergeant and pass the order to the battalion headquarters via telegram. The basic combat organization of the British Army was the county battalion, while the division, brigade and regiment were only joint units organized during wartime. At the end of 1915, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force was changed. The newly appointed Haig promoted a group army commander who was nearly 45 years old and gave the lower-ranking officers a lot of power, which quickly gained the strong support of the troops in the Somme area.

"From now on, you'll be called Charles III. It'll be easy to remember."

After careful consideration, the boy, feeling that it lacked substance, agreed.

Tommy lit a cigarette, and through the hazy smoke, a hint of weariness appeared in his blue eyes. He clearly sensed that his enthusiasm for achieving great things was waning.

The outside world is engulfed in war.

The company withdrew to its original trench positions under cover of night.

Apart from two instances of friendly artillery fire that resulted in the loss of a dozen or so men, they did not encounter any resistance from the Prussians along the way.

Back in the trench, the lieutenant directed his men to deploy Maxim machine guns. Starting at nightfall, the bombardment of the trench at position 145 had ceased, and the area had been designated as a friendly zone by the artillery group.

Tommy, as the sergeant major, presided over the roll call. After one round, there were 143 men left in the entire company, half the number from yesterday.

After roll call, morale clearly plummeted.

Jiang He inspected his rifle and said, "With the Maxim rifle, the company can hold out until tomorrow, but if we run out of bullets and there is no support, everyone will be finished."

Tommy lit up his umpteenth cigarette and sighed, “I remember someone once asked me what a friend is. I said a friend is someone who turns your problems into their problems, so you don’t have to go through them alone.”

Jiang He slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Does anyone have a way? According to normal thinking, battalion support should arrive during the day. We can use artillery fire to sweep through the trenches on both sides and then, once the general offensive begins, this place can become a bridgehead to tear apart the defenses."

“Perhaps the higher-ups thought it wasn’t necessary,” Tommy said. “Before seeing the Maxim machine gun, I also thought this would be a quick and decisive war.”

Jiang He went to rest in the makeshift fortifications. Deep sleep was not advisable in such a dangerous environment, and the noise from the bombing made it very difficult for him to fall asleep. The good news was that the mission to kill 50 Prussians had been completed. Now, he just needed to survive until the end of the Battle of the Somme to complete the first main mission.

Daybreak, the second day after the capture of position 145.

Corporal Arthur distributed ammunition to the soldiers at each defensive node. Since the Second Trench Line Regiment Headquarters had been taken down the previous night, ammunition was plentiful. Jiang He received 300 rounds and was given special treatment.

Breakfast was still the same: No. 4 biscuits and rum.

Not long after, the deputy company commander emerged from the tunnel, followed by four hundred privates who filed out in single file. They were all death row inmates who had been sent to the front lines.

"Sir, we have been ordered to hold our position for three days. Our company will be directly under the command of the Birmingham Infantry Division starting today. The Major General has appointed you as Captain Acting Battalion Commander, in full charge of holding position 145. All officers and soldiers will be promoted one rank."

The lieutenant sneered and shouted, "He's only being so generous because he thinks we can't get back. Everyone, come with me, we'll go back through the tunnel!"

"Lieutenant, don't make decisions when you're angry."

Tommy quickly grabbed the lieutenant who was about to leave. The order had been given; if they went back, they would face a military court and would surely die.

"Arthur, quickly assign the men."

On the other side, Jiang He's assault squad became an assault platoon with 32 members, and his rank became sergeant. He had a premonition that as long as he could survive the Somme War, his rank would rise on its own, saving him more than ten or even several decades of effort.

[Hint: Your reputation +300]

[Hint: You have been promoted to Sergeant (1000/1000)]

……

In the evening, the artillery bombardment ceased.

Faced with the loss of position 145, the Prussian military abandoned a frontal assault to avoid heavy losses as before, and instead launched a large-scale attack along the trenches to the left and right of the position.

Jiang He lay prone in his usual spot, raised his gun, and shot and killed an officer 150 meters away. The bullet pierced his skull, and blood splattered everywhere.

A grenade landed in the trench, instantly killing or injuring five or six death row inmates transporting ammunition. The surviving leader had his right leg blown off and lay on the edge of the crater, groaning in agony.

Jiang He pulled the bolt and fired four shots in quick succession, killing three and wounding one within fifty meters. But the enemy soldiers continued their charge, layer upon layer, as if ignoring their comrades falling one by one beside them.

"We can't kill them all, we just can't kill them all!" Barney roared. He hit his target every time, but the effect was minimal. The narrow defensive plane severely restricted the sniper's movement.

The earth trembled, and more than a dozen shells fell. When the man struggled to his feet amidst the smoke and dust, he discovered that Charles III had vanished. A shell had blown the young man to pieces, leaving only a crater and charred, murky fragments of flesh and blood.

Jiang He left his original spot, ran into the crater, and took over the machine gunner's command. The Maxim heavy machine gun spewed out a cold flame symbolizing death. His powerful physique allowed him to perfectly control this killing machine. The theoretical rate of fire was 600 rounds per minute. A metal storm enveloped the adjacent passage, stirring up a bloody storm.

As an obstacle that had to be eliminated, howitzer shells exploded around the crater, two of them falling straight down, their trajectory threatening to blow the machine gunner to pieces.

Seeing this, Jiang He grabbed the heavy machine gun and ran. The gun weighed 27.2 kg, and with accessories and protection, it weighed over 40 kg. The long ammunition belt lay on the ground. A soldier disregarded the danger and rushed over to help.

Jiang He returned to the front of the right-hand position, holding the machine gun by the bottom with his right hand and gripping the handle tightly with his left. His taut muscles were as cold and hard as iron. After pulling the trigger, his whole body began to tremble violently, and bullets gushed out.

"Da da da."

The sound of machine gun fire was incessant, and dense bursts of bullets flew into the Prussian battle formation, mowing down soldiers wave after wave, one after another falling to the ground dead. With no cover, the surviving wounded could only feign death on the ground, and the passageway became a veritable death trap.

Player kill count +187

Someone shouted almost frantically, "God bless me!"

The soldiers cheered, "We've repelled them! We've driven back the attack!"

The shouts and cheers were mixed together, but most of them were meaningless shouts. The soldier who came to help kept loading ammunition, feeling honored.

But at some point, two sniper bullets came flying from afar.

One of them was hit in the forehead, lost his balance and fell to the ground, a tearing pain shooting through his neck. The soldier who had helped him died instantly, his eyes losing their light in an instant.

"Goodbye, Charles IV."

Jiang He casually closed the other person's eyes. A moment later, the British artillery began a new round of bombardment, forcing the Prussians to stop their attack.

Chapter 48 Secret Treasure

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

Position 145 is still holding out, with 12 hours remaining before the final assault.

As night fell, Tommy took roll call. There were 122 men left in the company. The newly arrived death row inmates were not very skilled in combat and were almost all killed.

Jiang He sat in the bunker and gulped down a bottle of rum to replenish his water. The heavy machine gun next to him was the second one; the first one had been scrapped due to wear and tear and repeated overheating of the barrel.

[Number of soldiers killed by the player: 1325/50]

Jiang He tossed aside the wine bottle. The intense combat and pitifully little sleep had inevitably made his eyes bloodshot. Including today's results, the number had successfully exceeded one thousand, but this was just a small scene. The entire Somme campaign would see the two sides fighting for four and a half months, with a total loss of 126.5 million people, truly a hell on earth.

After dinner, the deputy company commander came again, this time with a full thousand men. It took them a long time just to get out of the tunnel. Almost all the death row inmates in England were here, and they were carrying a large number of guns and ammunition.

The lieutenant's right arm was bandaged, and his whole body was covered in dust and blood. He couldn't help but feel angry when he saw his former adjutant.

"I see now. The men plan to use position 145 to deal with death row inmates, right?"

Tommy was relatively more objective. He found a map and analyzed, "A Prussian infantry division is gathered around position 145. This defensive line is now greatly weakened. If we go any further, there may be a real gap. From a strategic perspective, our purpose is to wear down the enemy's manpower through trench warfare."

The deputy company commander hesitated to speak, but said, "The major general has ordered that the 2nd Infantry Battalion of Birmingham must launch an attack on the surrounding enemy forces tonight, making noise at all costs to create favorable conditions for the general offensive tomorrow morning. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot. In return, any reasonable request from the commander will be granted."

The lieutenant stood up angrily, pulled out his revolver, pressed it against the deputy company commander's forehead, and roared, "This is an outright suicide mission! Our company is almost wiped out of veterans!"

"For an unending world!" the deputy company commander shouted. "I will fight alongside you!"

"Damn Prussians!" the lieutenant cursed, immediately issuing the order:

"Tommy, Lieutenant, machine gun company commander."

"Rhine, Lieutenant Commander of the Assault Company."

"Arthur and Barney, Lieutenant Company Commander."

"As for me, I want to leave my son a knighthood, and the medal will be sent directly back to the homeland. If the Major General agrees, I will lead the charge tonight."

The deputy company commander knew that most knighthoods were not hereditary, but that was a headache for the higher-ups. He found the communications officer and relayed the lieutenant's request.

On the other side of the bunker, Tommy lit a cigarette, flicked out the match, and asked, "Which side do you think we should attack? To be honest, I'm starting to hate war, damn it, all this talk of making a name for ourselves."

Jiang He naturally preferred to achieve his own goal. "The two infantry battalions at Battlefield 144 are wiped out. Right now, next door is Colonel Kahn Fredenburg, who was originally stationed at Position 143. He is an old nobleman, and his artillery regiment has a lot of shells. If we take his artillery, we will have a chance to live until dawn."

[Hint: Your reputation +1000]

[Hint: You have become a lieutenant (2000/2000)]

"The military ranks are rising so fast, almost as fast as people are dying," Jiang He said with a light laugh. He hadn't yet noticed any significant benefits from the promotions.

Tommy did not object to the suggestion. Tonight was nothing more than a death sentence, and it didn't matter which way they charged. As for the lieutenant, he probably didn't care about such a trivial matter.

……

In the dead of night, the rain poured down.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion of Birmingham, having been reorganized, charged out from the right flank and launched an attack on the adjacent position 144.

The lieutenant, carrying a revolver, charged ahead with someone else, the latter carrying a Maxim machine gun. Charles X was in charge of loading the gun. Now all the soldiers on their side considered "Charles" a symbol of bravery and curse.

Heavy rain was falling from the sky, but the artillery fire never stopped. The roar of the cannons and the flashes of countless exploding shells illuminated the rainy night.

The Prussians were all hidden in bunkers. The sound of the assault company advancing was masked by artillery shells and rain. As pre-prepared grenade packages were thrown into the bunkers, several explosions rang out, and the infantry battalion responsible for the defense lost most of its men, marking the official start of the battle.

It was like the echoing sound of a horn that could pierce eardrums.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, and countless Prussian soldiers rushed out of their makeshift fortifications, launching a counterattack against the enemy under the command of their officers.

Jiang He held a position at the entrance of a trench, where heavy machine guns spewed out a storm of metal, and a sharp and dense barrage swept across the entire passage in front of him, turning dozens of people into sieves.

Another layer of bullets shot and killed Charles X. Jiang He quickly turned around and cleared the bullets. He threw the heavy machine gun aside and left it to the machine gun company. He took off his rifle with a bayonet and led the charge through the blockade, with more than two hundred soldiers following behind.

"Commander Rhine, I want to be Charles XI!"

"Follow!"

The lieutenant fired repeatedly, but his accuracy was pitiful in the rainy night. He shouted and waved to the side. There were at least four or five thousand Prussian soldiers at position 144, and few members of the assault company would survive.

……

at the same time.

On the high slope of position 144, a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat had a cold look in his eyes. He let the rain soak his whole body. He held a thin sword at his waist with his left hand and a sturdy sniper rifle with an old-fashioned design in his right hand. The rifle was covered with carvings and wrapped in layers of coarse cloth.

When a knight dies, there is a 1% chance that his soul weapon will survive, merge with the most important item in the knight's life, and be sublimated into an extraordinary item—a secret treasure—which will inherit the knight's main abilities.