Chapter 9

As the enemy plane fled, the female soldiers rushed to my side and kissed my cheeks passionately. This was supposed to be a good opportunity to embrace them, but I just sat there in a daze in front of the machine gun. When I was fighting the enemy plane, I was calm and composed; but now that the battle was over, I started to feel fear, and my whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with you?" Jeanne asked with concern, her form of address having changed from the formal "you" to the intimate "you."

"Nothing, just a bit cold," I found a more fitting reason to cover up my loss of composure. The temperature difference in Russia's autumn mornings is quite large, and when I rushed out of the house earlier, I was too nervous to feel the chill of the morning. Now, I really felt a bit cold.

Katerina walked over and put her arm around my shoulder, saying, "Come on, Lida. Let's go back and have breakfast. We can't let the damn Germans ruin our breakfast." I responded and jumped off the seat, returning to the house with the female soldiers surrounding me.

Inside, there was a long wooden table, which I guessed was where the female soldiers usually ate. On it were slices of black bread, pickled cucumbers, cheese, sausage, and even a bowl of green apples.

Just as we were about to start eating, a man's voice came from the doorway: "Can we come in?" I looked towards the door and saw Captain Khorobov and Major Khorobov standing there with smiles on their faces. I quickly stood up to greet them, saying, "Comrades, welcome."

The two of them sat down at the table, taking off their steel helmets and placing them on the table. Major Khorobov said excitedly to everyone, "Ladies, you did an amazing job! Before you arrived, there was no air defense on this position, so the German planes would fly over the hill every day, completely ignoring us. Today, you gave them a good lesson, and I bet they won't be so arrogant in the future."

"Alright, my political instructor comrade," the captain interrupted, "it's breakfast time. You can talk after we finish eating." He placed a military satchel on the table and took out the contents one by one: hard bread, lard, and a can of condensed milk. Although there wasn't much, I knew that these ordinary items were incredibly precious during wartime.

"Ladies, this is my gift to you," the captain called out. "Don't be shy, everyone. Eat up. The Germans have already delayed your breakfast, so eat quickly before they interrupt again."

"Boom!" As he finished speaking, an explosion sounded outside. At first, it was just one, but then a series of "boom, boom, boom!" explosions followed.

"Trouble," the captain's face changed immediately. "The Germans are starting to bombard the position again. Major, let's go to the observation post." He grabbed the helmet on the table and rushed out, with Major Khorobov following closely behind.

"Damn, the captain really has a crow's mouth," I muttered in Chinese, then stood up and loudly instructed my deputy platoon leader, "Katerina, leave a few necessary personnel at the anti-aircraft machine gun to keep watch, and have everyone else take cover in the bomb shelter."

"Lida," Katerina said hesitantly, "but during previous bombardments, we always stayed in the house. The battalion commander said that this house is built behind the hill, and the artillery can't reach it, so it's very safe."

I was at a loss for words. The house might be safe from artillery, but not from air raids. If dozens of people were huddled in a wooden house, a single aerial bomb could wipe them all out. So I said firmly, "No, everyone must go to the bomb shelter. That's an order."

After giving the order, I grabbed a few slices of bread from the table, eating as I walked out of the wooden house, following the two commanders to the observation post on the hillside.

In the observation post, the battalion commander and the political instructor were using binoculars to observe the enemy, while a male radio operator with headphones was holding a microphone and shouting loudly, "Hello, hello, division headquarters, division headquarters, this is the unnamed hill, this is the unnamed hill. ..."

"Boom, boom, boom!" I lay down at the observation port, watching the German shells explode one after another on the hill, sending up clouds of smoke that obscured half the sky.

However, the situation on the left hill was even worse, with more intense bombardment. The various sturdy defensive works on the slope were torn apart and thrown high into the air by the explosions. Mines in the minefield were continuously detonated, and the barbed wire in front of the trenches was shredded. Soldiers hiding in the trenches were blown to pieces...

Finally, the division headquarters answered the call, and the captain reported the situation loudly to the division commander: "... The Germans are bombarding the hill heavily, and the infantry is gathering behind. It looks like they are preparing to use their old tactics, using artillery to suppress our positions on both sides of the hill, and then organizing forces to attack the main peak. ..."

"Boom!" A shell exploded near the observation post, and chunks of earth fell like rain from the roof. I screamed in fright and hurriedly left the observation port, crouching on the ground with my head in my hands. The pungent smoke from outside was blown in by the wind, making it hard for me to breathe.

The captain, who had just finished the call, gave me a disapproving look, about to criticize my panic, when Major Khorobov, who had been observing the enemy, suddenly shouted, "Oh no!"

"What is it?" The captain rushed over, grabbing the binoculars at the observation port and looking out anxiously.

"Captain, look, German infantry is being covered by tanks and armored personnel carriers, and they are moving around our position to the right. They are trying to directly attack the defense line on the Kiev road."

"We need to report to higher command immediately." The captain turned and grabbed the phone, shouting loudly, "Division headquarters, division headquarters! This is the unnamed hill, this is the unnamed hill!" He suddenly threw down the receiver, angry, "Damn, the phone line has been cut." Then he instructed the communications soldier, "Go check the line quickly."

"What did the division commander say just now?" Major Khorobov asked the captain with concern as the communications soldier left.

"He said the same things: rather than let our bones be exposed in the wilderness, we must not abandon the hill; as long as there is one person left, we must hold the position like a nail, and not take a single step back."

"Boom!" Another shell landed nearby, and a thick layer of dirt fell on me. This place was too dangerous; it might be hit by a direct hit at any moment. I didn't want to die without a clear reason, so I decided to go to the bomb shelter to find the platoon's soldiers. At least there, I wouldn't be blown up by a shell. With this thought, I didn't say goodbye to them, quietly stood up, and sneaked out of the observation post. As soon as I was out the door, I ran as fast as I could to the bomb shelter.