Chapter 102: The Cruel War

Chapter 102: The Cruel War

Facing the injured Freddie, although Anna was a doctor, a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. Without medical supplies at hand, Anna couldn't magically heal Freddie's wounds.

Thus, Emile and the dog ventured deep into the German army's factions to search for medicine that could treat Freddie.

Here, Liuliu could clearly sense that the puzzle-solving difficulty had increased significantly compared to before.

Not only did timing the German soldier Patrols matter, but coordination with the dog was also essential.

After much effort, Liuliu finally maneuvered Emile to locate the medicine needed to treat Freddie.

By then, Baron von Dorf had already fled.

After treating Freddie with the found medicine, Emile and the others quickly resumed their journey.

This time, their path would lead them to Reims, where the German army had launched an air raid. The entire city was reduced to ruins, with the French citizens suffering immensely.

The once-bustling metropolis lay in collapsed ruins under the aerial bombardment of Zeppelins.

Countless French citizens fled for shelter.

Witnessing this scene, an enraged Freddie attempted to move forward and check the situation, but another shell landed beside him. Forced to take cover in a nearby hole, the entrance was blocked by a massive obstacle from the explosion, separating Emile, Anna, and Freddie.

On the other side, Freddie gazed at the distant Zeppelin. Realizing he couldn't reunite with Emile, he charged forward alone.

Anna began rescuing the wounded. Emile alone couldn't move the obstacle—it required five people to push it aside. Therefore, he had to team up with the dog to rescue trapped refugees and then seek their help to clear the path and catch up with Freddie.

Inside Shark TV's live stream room, Liuliu watched this scene unfold, smacking her lips with a thoughtful expression: "Why do I feel like this story is hinting at something?"

"Freddie gets bombed twice in a row—this old unlucky guy... and combined with his skin color..."

Liuliu didn't finish her sentence.

Because the bullet comments in the live stream room would carry on for her.

Glancing at the now-trending comments, Liuliu refocused her attention on the game.

While saving the suffering citizens of Reims, Liuliu noticed a particular detail.

In the game, whether it was Emile, the protagonist, or other NPCs, all characters lacked eyes.

Yet, a little girl trapped in a room possessed a pair of bright, vivid eyes.

Clearly, this contrast carried deep irony.

Hmm… of course, the dog accompanying Emile was an exception.

After successfully rescuing the refugees, Emile and the dog immediately followed Freddie's trail.

They encountered Baron von Dorf at the Cathedral.

This led to two consecutive BOSS battles. The first required Emile and the dog to attack through the organ's air pipe—an incredibly creative mechanic.

The second involved controlling Freddie to pick up a live grenade thrown by Baron von Dorf but not yet exploded, then using it to target the Zeppelin's propeller.

After destroying two of the Zeppelin's propellers, Baron von Dorf escaped once again. At this moment, the player could see that the pilot aboard the airship was Carl.

Meanwhile, Anna ignored Emile and Freddie, driving off alone with the dog toward the direction where the Zeppelin crashed.

Now, the player finally understood the story belonging to the final character—Anna.

Nine months earlier, Anna had been undergoing training as a veterinarian.

When she received a letter from her father, the German army was already just 20 miles from Paris.

Her father assured her he was in good health and advised her not to return to her home in Belgium until the war ended.

But waiting patiently wasn't in Anna's nature. She decided to go find her father.

However, every taxi in Paris had already been requisitioned to transport soldiers to the Marne River frontlines.

So Anna found a seemingly damaged car on the street, repaired it, and drove herself to the frontlines as a driver.

Just like how she later rescued Emile and Freddie, this segment was also a driving mini-game.

Especially paired with the background audio titled "Can-Can music," it felt even more cheerful than before.

The jingling bells from nearby vehicles and the trembling of the wooden barrels were perfectly timed.

Even more brilliant was when, midway through the journey, two cars suddenly appeared in the road, trapping Anna's taxi between them, perfectly illustrating the pun "surrounded by men."

At that moment, the rhythm shifted seamlessly from the cheerful "Can-Can music" to Offenbach's "Barcarolle," immersing the player in the atmosphere of Venice's canals at night.

But before players could fully sink into the mood, the rhythm instantly transitioned back—without pause—into the lively "Can-Can music."

Witnessing this, Liuliu at her computer and the viewers in the live stream room burst into laughter.

After all, the scene was simply too joyful and delightful.

Likewise, the Anna in the game was also extremely happy.

[September 7, 1914: The taxi raced through the night. Anna felt proud and joyful to be helping warriors reach the frontlines.]

But the next second, the entire game's tone shifted instantly.

[Until Anna reached the frontlines and witnessed the brutal truth.]

Anna in the game, Liuliu actively playing, and the audience watching in the live stream room—all fell into unified silence.

A battlefield of dead silence, littered with corpses.

Piles of fallen soldiers and warhorses stacked high.

Despite the hand-drawn 2D art style, the screen still conveyed an overwhelming sense of heaviness.

Especially when contrasted with the earlier cheerful scenes, this sense of contrast was even more profound.

Driven by compassion, Anna stayed at the frontlines to care for the wounded.

Each life saved was a small victory in this war.

Sawing off necrotic limbs, bodies beneath bridges piled so high they were dumped like trash.

Then, a cry for help echoed from the ruins.

A living enemy soldier—Anna, without distinguishing friend from foe, helped remove the bullet and saved him.

While treating the wounded, Anna overheard a conversation between French officers mentioning Belgium, saying the German army planned to test a new poison gas weapon near Ypres—Anna's hometown.

Worried for her father's safety, Anna decided to return to Ypres.

A rescued governess from her home told Anna that her father had been captured by Baron von Dorf, who wanted to use advanced weapons in the war. Thus, Anna set out on a journey to find Baron von Dorf.

This led to the earlier scene where Anna rescued Emile and Freddie at a moment of great peril.

Emile, Freddie, and Anna—three people from different nations, ethnicities, and vastly different identities—now shared a common goal.

At this point, the game's timeline looped back. Anna, chasing the airship, arrived at the destination but found no sign of her father.

Instead, she discovered Carl, severely injured and trapped. After freeing him, she learned from him that her father had already escaped via the emergency plane aboard the Zeppelin before it crashed, taken away by Baron von Dorf.

The severely wounded Carl was then taken back to a prisoner-of-war camp, while Emile was brought before a military tribunal as a deserter.

However, thanks to Emile's actions in Reims, he was released.

But the place of his release was… the frontlines—a location everyone knew by name: Verdun.

Arriving at the front, Emile fought fiercely alongside other soldiers for three months, the season shifting from autumn into a bitter winter.

On the battlefield, Emile, like all soldiers, endured both the war's devastation and the harsh winter.

The greatest solace for soldiers was letters from home.

Emile received a letter from his daughter back home.

But there was no good news—food shortages, rampant disease, death toll steadily climbing. Amid these despairing messages, there was only one ray of hope: a photo of his grandson Victor learning to walk.

During this time, the German army launched another offensive. Fortunately, Emile survived the battle once again.

Moreover, due to his outstanding contributions, he was awarded medals alongside Freddie. Meanwhile, Anna brought good news—severely wounded Carl had nearly recovered.

Yet, the war grew increasingly tragic. The death toll climbed higher each month, with 70,000 casualties monthly, earning Verdun the nickname "the meat grinder."

Facing the war's white-hot intensity, Emile and Freddie were assigned a mission to retake Fort Douaumont. There, they encountered their old adversary, Baron von Dorf.

Freddie and the dog held off Baron von Dorf, while Emile moved forward to detonate the explosives inside Fort Douaumont.

Though the fortress was ultimately blown up, the German army still managed to hold their position.

The mission failed.

Staring at the distant fortress, Emile felt utterly dejected.

[Mary, my darling. War has taken the life of a close friend—he was like a brother to me. His passing has dealt me an unimaginable blow.]

[Let's talk about something cheerful. Carl has recovered, his condition growing steadily stable. Next time I have leave, I'll go see him. How are you? Are you doing well?]

But Emile didn't know that, at the same time, Carl had also received a letter from Mary.

It said Victor—his son—had fallen seriously ill.

Carl wanted to see his wife and son, but he understood this war wouldn't end. So he made a decision—to escape the prisoner-of-war camp.

As the game's story unfolded bit by bit, Liuliu sitting before her computer felt an overwhelming heaviness.

The cruelty named war—she had now fully experienced it.

"No way… Could Freddie be dead? Did the dog die too? And now Carl's escaping the prison camp—surely nothing bad will happen to him, right?"

Though the game's character had now switched to Carl, Liuliu didn't immediately proceed.

She remained immersed in the information she'd just received.

(Daily request for recommendation votes and Monthly Pass—mwah...)

(End of Chapter) <>