Chapter 103: What Healing? This Is Grief-Inducing!
Chapter 103: What Healing? This Is Grief-Inducing!
Liuliu in front of the computer now felt an overwhelming sense of heaviness.
It started off cheerful and humorous, then evolved into a mix of cruelty and humor, but now only the most brutal depictions of war remained.
Three men, one woman, one dog—that was the complete team composition of the game's protagonists.
As a game reflecting the cruelty of war, it adopted a graffiti-style 2D cartoon art style.
The humorous, doodle-like cartoon aesthetic formed a stark contrast with the harshness of war. Additionally, the game featured many collectible items documenting real historical events.
This made the game feel as though it were narrating a true historical story.
Unlike most anti-war games, this one didn't aim to portray the external appearance of war, but rather to showcase its inner essence.
It didn't depict war from a macro perspective.
None of the characters had any direct connection to war; everyone was unwillingly dragged into this world war sparked by politics.
Carl, Emile, Freddie, and Anna cared more about the peace and happiness of their small families.
Not a single one of them wanted to contribute to the war voluntarily.
To them, this war was born from pitiful arrogance, cruel misunderstandings, failed diplomatic deceit, ignorant nationalism, and long-standing distrust and mutual hatred.
These things, aside from having already destroyed their modest happiness, were utterly irrelevant to them.
Freddie sought revenge for his wife, Anna was searching for her father, and Emile and Carl were conscripted by force. On the battlefield, they didn’t care about victory—only about whether their loved ones were safe.
The game made players feel, through these ordinary individuals, the pain that war inflicted upon people.
As insignificant figures on the battlefield, the protagonists experienced the hail of bullets and explosions, muddy trenches, freezing winters, and constant threats from various weapons of war.
They all shared the same wish: for the war to end soon so they could return to their families.
Undeniably, Liuliu now felt the emotions the game wanted to convey.
Mechanically guiding Carl to escape the prisoner-of-war camp, Liuliu’s thoughts still lingered on the uncertain fates of Freddie and the dog, and Emile, who was still trapped outside the fortress.
But the next moment, the game’s story allowed her to breathe a long sigh of relief.
Freddie wasn’t dead—he was still alive, thanks to the dog.
Just as he had saved Emile before, the dog dragged Freddie out from the ruins.
Through Freddie’s memories here, Liuliu’s speculations about his backstory were confirmed.
Why did Freddie hate war so much? Because war had taken his wife’s life.
Anna’s father, the Old Professor, also survived. Together with Freddie, they repaired the damaged tank.
Driving the tank, the two crushed their way out of the castle. Meanwhile, Emile successfully returned as well.
Although the mission failed, rescuing the Old Professor and capturing a tank excited the French army immensely.
The group took a group photo, and Emile wrote a letter to Anna.
But this reunion was brief. Soon, Emile and Freddie parted ways—Freddie headed to Somme, while Emile was deployed to Vovra Mountain to engage in mine tunnel warfare against the German army.
Here, both sides were digging tunnels frantically, creating a heated atmosphere.
Enemy and friendly forces might be separated by just a thin layer of soil, so even a stethoscope—a tool for healing—had become a wartime instrument.
“It’s just too oppressive and heavy,” Liuliu sighed, watching the scenes on the screen.
Canaries kept in cages to detect underground gas levels, and mine soldiers dying continuously.
Despite the cartoonish, graffiti art style, the mood now was purely oppressive.
At this moment, a cry for help came from the right side of the screen. Liuliu guided Emile in the game to dig toward the right.
Compared to the earlier Emile, who always carried a spoon, he had now upgraded—successfully evolving from a cook into a miner, replacing his spoon with a military shovel.
“Ah, that’s a German officer, not one of our own.”
After digging open the tunnel, Liuliu saw a German officer dangling in midair, having accidentally triggered a rope, now flailing and shouting for help.
“Ah, another poor soul of war. Hold on, I’ll save you.”
Looking at the scene, Liuliu sighed with emotion, then used the nearby handwheel together with the dog to lower the German officer.
Seeing Emile approaching, the rescued German officer put away his gun in advance and extended a friendly hand.
“Have I just made a German friend?” Liuliu in front of the computer asked, her face filled with surprise.
The left tunnel in the game was blocked, so Emile had no choice but to find a new way out together with the German officer.
The two cooperated along the way and successfully escaped.
Just as Emile was about to leave, a group of German soldiers discovered them.
But at that moment, the German officer stepped forward to explain, helping Emile return safely to his unit.
Watching the two shake hands in a gesture of friendship, Liuliu smiled slightly.
“That’s wonderful. This part of the story is so healing! In such a cruel war, such a heartwarming scene is truly precious,” Liuliu sighed. “Have any of you read a novel called ‘War Horse’? There’s a similar scene in it. It’s so touching… I feel healed.”
“So it’s not without reason that Chen Xu calls himself a Warrior of Love! This story is so heartwarming,” Liuliu said with a smile.
The game’s heavy atmosphere had been making her feel uncomfortable.
But this warm moment was like a sudden ray of sunshine in winter, warming her entire being.
But… this warm sunlight didn’t last long.
Back at the Command Center, Emile received a new mission: transport a crate.
When the soldiers uncovered the crate with a white cloth, it was filled entirely with explosives.
More importantly, the next scene showed a close-up of the environment above where the explosives were placed.
A familiar face appeared in Liuliu’s view.
“No way! That’s my friend! No way!”
Seeing this, Liuliu felt a terrible premonition.
What happened next confirmed her fear.
The explosives detonated, dealing a severe blow to the German army—and the German officer who had saved Emile was killed instantly.
[The French officer rejoiced at the enemy’s heavy losses]
[Emile, however, saw this as a cowardly act and, filled with rage, refused to be awarded medals]
Emile threw the newly awarded medal into the blazing flames. At that moment, Anna delivered an even heavier blow.
Carl, who had attempted to escape the prisoner-of-war camp, had been executed.
Just like Emile in the game, Liuliu and other players who reached this point were stunned.
In that instant, Liuliu recalled her earlier praise for Chen Xu. Now, she only wanted to say one thing: Can I rewind?
Where was the heartwarming story? What healing? This is grief-inducing!
The earlier warmth was only meant to make the subsequent heartbreak even deeper!
One moment they were friends, the next—‘I didn't directly kill Boren, but he died because of me.’
Even though they knew this was war.
Even if real war might be even crueler.
Emotionally, it was still hard to bear.
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