Chapter 33: A Shopping Spree in Europe

Evening, October 2, 1938. On the outskirts of Liberec, Sudetenland.

To be honest, Wang Yue was currently feeling a bit bewildered. While it was true that there were no regular army troops from either side in the area and local police forces were insufficient, he had overlooked the civilian paramilitary organizations that had not been mentioned in the German files. Now, patrol groups from these organizations were on the streets of almost every town, and many critical facilities had been seized by them.

It made sense, in hindsight. If not for these groups interfering, the withdrawing local garrison would likely not have left so much behind. It seemed his original plan to slip in and steal the supplies quietly was no longer viable. He only hoped he wasn't too late to pull off the raid.

Wang Yue’s primary target was an airbase on the outskirts of Liberec. Due to the heightened tensions between the two nations over the past two years, this site had been heavily garrisoned to prevent a German invasion. At its peak, this single airfield had deployed over a hundred combat aircraft. Even before the start of the "Second Season," having an airbase with over a hundred planes was a significant military presence.

Upon arrival, he discovered that the airbase had indeed been seized by local paramilitaries, and the flags had already been replaced with German ones. According to German records, they had captured 41 Avia B-534 fighters and 3,000 barrels of aviation kerosene at this base alone. However, the runway was completely empty. He wondered if the intelligence was flawed.

Compared to professional soldiers, these paramilitaries were diligent, but they were amateurs nonetheless. Wang Yue slipped into the shadows of the base with ease. While his original body had not been able to utilize much of Nalan Xinde’s martial prowess at first, months of training alongside soldiers had allowed him to reclaim eighty to ninety percent of those skills. He scaled the nearly ten-meter-high barbed-wire fence with a single leap—a feat that would have surely made Newton turn in his grave had anyone seen him.

The number of paramilitaries inside the base was substantial, numbering between one and two hundred, yet they were all holding a party at the officers' club. They certainly had reason to celebrate; having taken the Sudetenland without firing a shot, they viewed themselves as heroes and participants in a major historical event.

As for the supplies, under normal circumstances, they could not be moved without a large number of vehicles, and the only road leading out was blocked by several defensive lines. It should have been impossible to spirit away the base’s inventory silently. But the problem was that Wang Yue was not a "normal" person.

After using ether to knock out the guards drinking at the entrance, Wang Yue finally made it into the hangars. There was gear—plenty of it. The Avia B-534 fighters were there, still in their shipping crates as unassembled spare parts. They were brand new. Though their paper specifications weren't as impressive as the I-16 fighter he already possessed, this biplane was rumored to have excellent handling characteristics—a fighter capable of holding its own throughout the Second Season.

Without hesitation, he took everything, including the tools and spare parts. The retreating garrison had clearly tried to take as much as they could, but these unassembled fighters were too bulky for standard vehicles, and the obstruction of the paramilitaries had played right into Wang Yue’s hands.

After clearing out the hangars, Wang Yue infiltrated the adjacent fuel depot from above. The Avia B-534 was a fine machine, but it required aviation kerosene—a rare commodity back home. Later, the Germans would grow to despise this aircraft for that very reason; why burn kerosene when gasoline was perfectly fine? It was expensive and inconvenient.

He took all 3,000 barrels of aviation kerosene, not even sparing the empty drums. These were all valuable assets to bring back to his country. Next came the ammunition depot, the grain storehouse, the motor pool, and the supply warehouse. Though they had been picked over, there was still plenty left.

An hour into his looting spree, Wang Yue regretted his lack of ambition. As the fifth-largest city in the country, Liberec might have looked small, but the amount of gear worth taking was staggering.

Vz.24 rifles, ZB-26 light machine guns, ZB-30 light machine guns, ZB-37 heavy machine guns, and ZK-383 9mm submachine guns—weapons that were incredibly expensive back home were common here. Even technical equipment like the LT-35 and LT-38 tanks were in abundance. It was clear that German infiltration was comprehensive; many tanks in good condition, with full fuel tanks, had been "abandoned" in barracks around the city.

As he collected more, Wang Yue faced a grim reality: his 20-meter cubic storage space was running out of room. He was forced to be selective, prioritizing weapons with high value and utility for the domestic front. He didn't even bother with the heavy artillery pieces that weighed dozens of tons—they simply weren't worth the space.

The biggest surprise was discovering abandoned river patrol boats. These small vessels, with a displacement of 12 tons, a length of 18.3 meters, and a draft of 0.8 meters, looked smaller than his own torpedo boats, but they were fully armored. Even with only 5mm of armor, they were excellent assets. Most importantly, once Jiangcheng fell, the country would be unable to produce such craft for a long time. Taking them was a no-brainer.

Finally, when Wang Yue collapsed in a farmhouse barn, exhausted, his storage space was filled to the brim. The inventory was as follows:

Mannlicher M1895 8mm carbines: 5,000 units.
8mm rifle ammunition: 5 million rounds.
Steyr M1912 automatic pistols: 1,400 units.
Steyr 9mm pistol ammunition: 500,000 rounds.
Skoda M1909 8mm heavy machine guns: 200 units.
Skoda M1915 37mm infantry guns: 50 units.
37mm high-explosive shells: 10,000 rounds.
Skoda M1928 75mm mountain guns: 36 units.
75mm high-explosive shells: 20,000 rounds.
MG-7/24 7.92mm heavy machine guns: 200 units.
B-71 bomber: 1 unit.
Avia B-534 fighters: 41 units.
Skoda M1936 47mm anti-tank guns: 12 units.
47mm armor-piercing shells: 10,000 rounds.
Skoda K1 150mm howitzers: 12 units.
150mm high-explosive shells: 12,000 rounds.
Skoda VZ-35 105mm artillery pieces: 24 units.
105mm high-explosive shells: 24,000 rounds.
AH-4 light tanks: 9 units.
LT-38 tanks: 36 units.
LT-35 tanks: 55 units.
VZ.24 rifles: 6,000 units.
ZB-26 light machine guns: 1,100 units.
ZB-30 light machine guns: 800 units.
ZB-37 heavy machine guns: 400 units.
ZK-383 9mm submachine guns: 2,000 units.
Parabellum 9mm pistol ammunition: 500,000 rounds.
7.92mm spitzer ammunition: 20 million rounds.
Gasoline: 2,000 barrels.
Aviation kerosene: 3,000 barrels.
12-ton armored patrol boats: 4 units.