All the children received guns, and everyone believed that what awaited them was another two-hour boring disassembly and assembly of firearms.
The army has set a qualifying time for disassembly and assembly. After rigorous training, all recruits can reach the standard in a short time.
But they are all students at school, and this is the only military training they have every week, and this training, which involves disassembly and assembly, only lasts for two hours.
Do we expect students to become experts at dismantling and looting in just this little time? If they can assemble firearms in parts and use them normally, that is very good.
Yes, the students' performance in this aspect was quite poor. Instructor Kaganovsky did not blame them. After all, they were all children at the junior militia level.
The children gathered, holding guns in various poses.
"Everyone stand at attention!"
An assistant teacher scolded, and all the children's legs tensed up as if they were electrocuted.
"Butt to the ground!"
"Gun on shoulder!"
"stand at attention!"
Natasha was very used to this series of commands, but she clearly saw Lilia's stiff movements and expression of resistance.
Instructor Kaganovsky looked at all the students carefully and nodded with satisfaction.
"Okay! Now the butt of the gun is on the ground."
"Well done. Now that I know about the bet between you, I tell you my attitude. I am very supportive. Now, Karpova is out! Kharkova is out!"
After hearing the instruction, Natasha put the gun on her shoulder again almost out of instinct, then took a step forward and put the butt of the gun on the ground again. The instructor and other assistant teachers were surprised by her neatness.
On the other hand, Lilia's behavior was very casual. She took a step forward holding the gun as if dragging a fire stick, and steeled herself to stand up.
Now Lilia, she is very nervous.
The two girls formed a sharp contrast in personality. This contrast was so great that Kagannovsky did not expect it.
Just like having a snack before a meal, Kaganovsky is glad that today's training task is not so boring. He wants to be a fair witness, and he also needs all the teaching assistants and all students to be witnesses.
"Kapova!" Kaganovsky shouted.
"arrive!"
"You must shoot bravely today, try your best to hit the target. For your personal honor, you must complete all this. Under the eyes of all your classmates, you must complete all this. Otherwise, you will never
He is a coward, do you understand?!"
"Ming...understand." Lilia's answer was weak.
In this regard, Kaganovsky sighed helplessly. He didn't want to curse anymore. In short, this girl always responded to his questions in the affirmative last school year, claiming that she would bravely shoot every time, but the result was that every time
Bad results.
His eyes immediately turned to Natasha.
"Khalkova!"
"Here! Comrade instructor!"
"Very good. Comrade Kharkova, your appearance today left a very good impression on me. I learned that you actually claimed that you would help the famous coward Karpova to shoot bravely, and even argued with your squad leader about it.
Bet your meal tickets? I'm afraid that's not a good idea. But maybe you can bring about a miracle. Listen, if you can make this fool brave enough to shoot, I'll give you a kilo of bread slices as a reward."
Kaganovsky deliberately spoke harshly, firstly to express his displeasure, and secondly, to try to stimulate Lilia's fighting spirit in this way.
After all, they are all young and energetic children. Regardless of whether they are boys or girls, they always want to prove themselves at this age. If they use a little provocation, they might be able to awaken Lilia's bravery.
If this trick could work, Lilia would have been brave long ago! The result was quite counterproductive, making Lilia have a strong fear of the instructor.
On the other hand, Natasha was told by the instructor that if she did not lead Lilia out of the quagmire of fear, at least the reward of one kilogram of bread would fly away.
Because she understood that there were not only bread but also a large amount of canned meat in the warehouses of the active troops!
Now, the outcome of the bet depends entirely on Lilia's performance.
With more than fifty pairs of eyes as witnesses, everyone can easily judge whether Lilia was really brave enough to shoot, or whether she was in fear and fired randomly.
All the spectators had entered the military shooting range and saw more than 20 shooting positions listed on the empty grassland on a white line made of white ash.
The shooting points in the shooting range are all fixed. Each shooting point is covered with a layer of canvas and three sacks are placed. This is what a standard shooting position is.
In full view of everyone, instructor Kaganovsky held an empty rifle in front of Lilia.
His eyes were wide open and quite ferocious. He did not have any words of encouragement, but solemnly warned: "If you are still a coward this time, your score will be zero."
He had this threatening attitude towards Lilia, and another attitude towards Natasha.
He personally handed Natasha's cupped hands with ten rounds of full-power rifle ammunition in two bridge clips, and said with great concern: "I can see that you must be an experienced shooter and have received military training, but
I hope you can teach this idiot a lesson."
"Yes! Comrade instructor." Natasha held the bullet in her left hand, immediately raised her right hand, straightened her body and performed a military salute.
This scene is really extremely embarrassing!
Even Kaganovsky was surprised and couldn't help but become happy. He was about to say something like, "Girl, I already understand your determination," but he found that the girl's serious expression had not changed.
Her many inadvertent performances revealed many intriguing questions, and this military salute was not artificial at all.
"After the ceremony, let's go shooting now."
The autumn wind blows in the empty shooting range. Because winter is about to begin, the wild grasses have withered and turned yellow, giving the entire military camp a bleak feel. Especially the former green grass on the shooting range is now just a pile of yellow-green wilting leaves less than ten centimeters above the ground.
.
It is foreseeable that in another two months, the city of Perm and surrounding areas will be plunged into heavy snow as usual.
There has been relatively less rainfall in the past few months, which brings relief to residents but also worries the military.
It rained during the autumn rainy season this year. It was already mid-September. If it doesn't rain yet, it will snow. But there is still no sign of rain.
The rain has made the roads muddy, which will significantly hinder the movement speed of the German elite. Now, the Soviet Union really hopes that a heavy rain will sweep across the entire occupied area to make the German army's logistics line difficult.
For ordinary residents, of course they still hope for more sunshine and less rainfall. Only in this way, everyone will not have to worry about the rations they receive, that is, those potatoes in stock are not mildly moldy due to moisture, or have begun to turn green.
of bad goods.
Shooting and hitting the target is equivalent to one kilogram of bread?
It was indeed a great temptation, but Lilia didn't pay attention to it at all. Now she was holding a steel gun, and the nervousness all over her body turned into trembling, which was easily understood by Natasha.
"Lilia, don't worry about anything. Just treat the surrounding classmates as air and the surrounding noise as if they don't exist. Now follow me and I will let you calm down."
Lilia held the gun in both hands, and Natasha held her arm and kept saying comforting words.
The two of them seemed to be supporting each other, and walked into the shooting range accompanied by everyone.
If Karpova could defeat her fear today, she would not have to be a bad person. Now she is standing calmly in front of the "shooting position". Isn't that an improvement?
Instructor Kaganovsky was very pleased that he would be the referee today.
"That's enough for you two, Kharkova!"
"arrive!"
"You press the bullet into the chamber, you understand, right? I wish you knew that."
"As you command!"
Natasha took the rifle from Lilia's hand and felt Lilia's hands that were cold due to nervousness. She looked at the nervous classmate with wide eyes and offered small comfort with a kind smile.
It's time to show off your skills and show Lilia what you can do!
Natasha skillfully pulled the bolt, and a bridge clip full of bullets was inserted into the gun chamber. She pressed down with her thumb, and when all the bullets were inserted into the chamber, she pulled out the empty bridge clip, and finally closed the bolt cleanly.
The whole movement was very fast, only five or six seconds.
"Ah! Kharkova! You...why are you so skilled?! How many times have you participated in shooting training?" Instructor Kaganovsky asked loudly without concealing his astonishment.
"This... is a lot of times. I think... maybe a hundred times?"
"Oh, you are really good at joking."
She is a secretive transfer student, and Perm No. 1 Middle School has definitely hidden a lot about her identity.
Kaganovsky was self-aware. He speculated whether this Kharkova was the daughter of some military officer. Regardless of whether she was, what did it have to do with him? The only thing that pleased him was that the newly transferred girls no longer needed to be taught by him.
Now, I feel a little less stressed.
He continued: "Now you should understand that this gun is loaded, and as long as you gently pull the trigger, the bullet will fly out."
"Yes, Comrade instructor, I will be very careful."
Kaganovsky nodded: "You reassure me, but I am very worried about your classmate, Comrade Karpova. You are her classmate, I hope you can calm her down."
"Well, I guess I'll try to put her mind at ease."
"This is necessary! Comrade Kharkova!"
"arrive."
"Do you know about snipers?"
Suddenly asked such a question, Natasha's whole body trembled, and her excitement was severely suppressed by willpower.
"I'm sorry, comrade instructor. My understanding of snipers is very limited." She said this deliberately.
"Really? Maybe you should read the newspaper. There is a girl named Speroskina. She is a very good sniper. Haha, you look a bit like her. I hope you also have a talent for shooting."
Hearing this, Natasha had mixed emotions. The instructor would never have imagined that Speroskina was standing here, standing like a pine tree.
Kaganovsky continued to explain: "The so-called sniper is a precise shooting method. A sniper team consists of two people, one is the shooter and the other is the observer. Both people must have excellent shooting ability.
Being able to hit a humanoid target 400 meters away without relying on a scope. Obviously, I can't expect Karpova to hit a target 400 meters away. As long as she can hit a target 100 meters away today, it will be a victory.
"
At this point, Kaganovsky paused deliberately, and then asked deliberately: "Comrade Karpova, can you do it? If not, withdraw now."
At this moment, Lilia knew that by withdrawing, she would eventually lose the qualification to take the college entrance examination. The escape route? No longer existed.
What she was actually afraid of was not firearms, but the loud sound of gunshots and the divergent associations with firearms.
But now, finally someone can truly understand his fear, so he is no longer alone in his struggle.
She mustered up her courage and finally shouted heartbreakingly: "I can!"
"Very good, now prove yourself. Take the rifle and lie down."
Although she was still very nervous, her hands were obviously shaking the moment she took the gun. But her eyes were different, especially when Natasha's eyes met, she seemed to have gained the power of confidence.
All was speechless, Lilia lay down with the gun.
Without any force or complaint, Lilia lay down in a prone shooting position.
It was really a very brave move for her, and the boys who were watching and talking about it couldn't help but cheer her at this moment.
"Natasha, look, Karpova did a great job. Now tell me, can you clearly see the human-shaped target a hundred meters away?!" After that, Kaganovsky pointed casually.
Natasha turned her head and she could clearly see the clues on the target paper of the human-shaped target.
"I can see clearly. I am farsighted, comrade instructor."
"Oh? It seems that you really have the potential to become a sniper. That's good, so I don't have to give you a telescope. You also lie down, and you will be Kapova's observer."
"As you command!"
At first, Natasha felt that Lilia had to complete the brave shooting alone, and all she could provide was some psychological comfort and persuasion. In the end, she had to rely on herself.
Since she wants to be an observer, Lilia will no longer be alone.
It was two girls teaming up again, and this familiar feeling really made Natasha extremely comfortable.
At this moment, Kaganovsky was squatting not far from the two of them. He held a telescope and then ordered: "Kapova, shoot when you are ready. If you dare to scream after shooting, I will still give it to you."
failed!"
Is Lilia so afraid of gunshots? Are those rumors absolutely true?
Natasha turned her face sideways and saw Lilia's ferocious expression, like a lamb that had just escaped from the clutches of a pack of wolves.
"Lilia, I...can I call you sister?" Natasha said suddenly.
"Sister?" Lilia, who was extremely nervous, suddenly felt shaken.
"You are one year older than me, so of course you are my sister. Now you don't have to worry, I'm here, I'm with you, nothing can scare you."
"But...but I'm still afraid..."
"Are you afraid of the sound of gunfire? The sound of gunfire is very annoying. As long as you calm down and don't pay attention to the sound of gunfire, it will not be scary. I think it is not the sound of gunfire that you are afraid of, but the sound of gunfire that reminds you of
Something bad."
These words spoke directly to Lilia's heart, and Natasha noticed the violent trembling in her eyes.
Although she was a classmate who slept with her, Natasha didn't know much about Lilia's past. Completely different from the lively and talkative Anna, Lilia was the kind of silent person. Maybe this silence was not her own personality, but because of her experience.
Something happened?
Natasha suddenly became bold and approached Lilia's face and asked: "You have relatives who died in the war! So you are afraid of guns and the sound of gunshots! You want to escape the war, and you don't want to accept the fact that your relatives are dead."
Suddenly, everything happened without warning.
Lilia suddenly let out a heart-rending roar, her eyes were like floodgates, tears welling up in her eyes. Her astonishing performance shocked the onlookers, especially the squatting instructor, who was furious.
Kaganovsky stood up and yelled vulgarly: "Kapova, if you don't want to shoot, get out of here. This is a military camp. It's too late for you to get out now. I tell you, the consequences for cowards on the battlefield are
Sentenced to death by hanging by court martial."
"No!" Natasha immediately turned around and shouted loudly: "Comrade instructor, she can calm down."