After the inspection ceremony of the Assault Battalion concluded, Morin dismissed the troops, instructing the companies to return to their training.
Subsequently, he led Crown Prince Georg and his entourage to the training ground where the offensive drill had just been performed.
The area had been quickly reorganized by the battalion soldiers.
Three brand-new humanoid paper targets were set up at near, middle, and far distances across the field.
In the center of the field, next to a long table draped with a green velvet cloth, Helga, dressed in simple worker’s overalls, stood extremely nervously before her ‘child’—the air-cooled light machine gun.
It was only moments ago, when Kleist sent someone to notify her, that she learned the person coming to observe the live fire test was none other than His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of the Saxon Empire, along with many high-ranking Army figures whose names she had only read in the newspapers.
This news was utterly surreal for Helga, whose biggest ‘dignitary’ she had ever met was the honorable Madam Cecilia von Falkenstein at the manor.
She had never imagined that the weapon she designed and built would one day be observed by so many legendary figures.
Her palms were sweaty, her heart was racing uncontrollably, and she felt her legs were giving way.
Once everyone was present, Morin smiled and cast an encouraging glance at Helga, nodding gently.
Seeing her boss’s familiar, reassuring expression, Helga miraculously calmed down quickly.
She took a deep breath, suppressing all her nervousness and anxiety, and began quickly introducing the weapon, which embodied her relentless effort, in a voice that was still slightly shaky but clearly articulated.
“Your Highness, honored officers, this is the air-cooled light machine gun, newly developed by Schmeisser Arms Manufacturing Co., Ltd.”
“It fires the same standard 7.92×57mm Mauser full-power rifle cartridge as the Imperial Army’s currently issued MG08 heavy machine gun. It uses a short recoil operating principle and a closed-bolt mechanism…”
Helga’s introduction was brief and clear. She avoided overly complex details, focusing on the key highlights.
Upon hearing that this machine gun, which also fired a full-power rifle cartridge, weighed only 12.9kg with its bipod attached, and less than 15kg even with a 100-round belt box.
Crown Prince Georg, Falkenhayn, and the others all wore expressions of surprise.
What did this signify?
The MG08 heavy machine gun currently issued to the Imperial Army weighed 26.5kg for the gun body alone.
Furthermore, when deployed in a position, including the heavy tripod and the water-filled cooling jacket, its total combat mass soared to 69kg!
It was simply not a weapon that could be carried by a single soldier. Every time the position was moved, an entire machine gun team had to work together to accomplish it.
And this gun in front of them weighed less than a quarter of the MG08!
Everyone present understood the implications.
Moltke the Younger, who had been somewhat distracted these past few days, preoccupied with border intelligence, was instantly captivated by this new machine gun, focusing his complete attention on it.
Helga quickly concluded her introduction.
The next segment was the highly anticipated live-fire demonstration.
The Crown Prince and the others had initially assumed that the young female weapons designer was only responsible for the introductory part of the firearm.
The actual shooting demonstration would be performed by one of the strong, capable soldiers from the Teaching Assault Battalion.
However, the next scene made their expressions turn utterly astonished.
After concluding her introduction, Helga did not step back. Instead, she efficiently picked up a 100-round belt box filled with ammunition from the table and expertly hooked it onto the receiver’s side mount.
She loaded the ammunition and cycled the bolt in one fluid motion…
Then, under the astonished gaze of everyone, she actually lifted the nearly 15kg light machine gun and quickly dashed toward the preset firing point.
At the same time, Kleist, Manstein, and the others watching from the side also gasped, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.
“A Valkyrie…”
They had only just met Helga. They initially assumed she was just a rare female firearms designer, a timid young woman who spoke softly and seemed a little shy in front of Morin.
But was the ‘Valkyrie’ in front of them, running swiftly with a machine gun, truly the same person?
Helga had not received any tactical training. Her movements looked simple, even a little clumsy.
She simply ran with the machine gun to the first firing point, about 100 meters away, then quickly dropped to a prone position, set up the bipod, and braced the stock against her shoulder.
“Da-da-da! Da-da-da-da!”
Accompanied by a rhythmic burst of gunfire, a streak of dust instantly billowed from the distant first humanoid target.
A short burst, followed by a long burst.
Helga precisely controlled the rate of fire. The muzzle flash spat fire like an angry serpent.
After completing the shooting of the first target, she didn’t pause. She immediately folded the bipod, picked up the machine gun again, and ran to the second firing point, 200 meters away.
Prone, setting up the gun, firing!
Her movements were as smooth as before.
Next was the third firing point, 300 meters away.
When Helga completed the suppressive fire on all three targets and ran back toward the group with the light machine gun—its barrel slightly glowing red—
The entire training ground was silent, save for the sound of the wind and her slightly labored breathing.
Everyone present was utterly stunned by the powerful scene.
Kleist and Manstein quickly understood why Morin had made such an unconventional arrangement.
The unspoken implication was too obvious.
If a seemingly frail young woman could single-handedly carry this machine gun, rapidly move between different firing positions, and engage targets effectively.
Then the strong, capable soldiers of the Imperial Army had absolutely no excuse not to use this weapon in the same way!
This was no longer a simple weapon demonstration.
It was the materialization of a brand-new tactical concept!
“Excellent! Splendid!”
Crown Prince Georg enthusiastically clapped his hands. He quickly walked up to Helga… The look in his eyes when he saw the light machine gun was as if he were examining a priceless treasure.
He turned back, delighted, to the equally stunned War Minister Falkenhayn.
“General Falkenhayn, what do you think? Does this light weapon, which can significantly enhance the firepower of an infantry squad, deserve to be issued to the troops?”
Falkenhayn, who also recognized the immense value of the weapon, abandoned his usual sternness.
He nodded solemnly.
“Your Highness, this is truly a revolutionary weapon of great value.”
“If it can pass the subsequent, stricter inspection and testing of the Army Weapons and Equipment Department, I personally see no reason not to issue it to the troops!”
Falkenhayn pointed to the slightly red barrel and continued:
“While it’s clear the sustained fire capability of this weapon is limited, the MG08 can compensate for that flaw. This weapon’s purpose is to closely follow the infantry charge and provide real-time fire support.”
At this point, the matter was largely settled.
With the dual endorsement of the Crown Prince and the War Minister, it was only a matter of time before this highly anticipated light machine gun, which Morin had pinned great hopes on, entered mass production and was issued to the troops.
With the light machine gun demonstration successfully concluded, the inspection drew to a close.
Before leaving, Crown Prince Georg specifically pulled Morin aside. The approval on his face was palpable.
“Captain Morin, you executed this flawlessly!”
He heavily patted Morin’s shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration and high expectation.
“Both your unit and your new weapon have given me a tremendous surprise.”
“You must continue to intensify the training. I hope to see your Teaching Assault Battalion achieve true combat readiness in the shortest time possible.”
“Furthermore, if you encounter any difficulties in your training and unit development—whether from the War Office, the General Staff, or any other source of resistance—you may report directly to me, and I will personally resolve it!”
“Thank you for your trust, Your Highness! I will not fail your expectations!”
What else could Morin say? He could only give a solemn salute.
Satisfied with Morin’s assurance, Crown Prince Georg and the others boarded their cars and left the camp in high spirits.
Watching the motorcade disappear, Morin and the other officers of the battalion finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Kleist and Manstein, especially, felt like they had been on a rollercoaster.
From their initial worry about Morin’s unconventional method of displaying the unit, to the shock of seeing the unprecedented tactical demonstration, and finally, their surprise when Helga ran across the field with the machine gun.
They had constantly worried that Morin’s unpredictable style would cause an error and anger the conservative Army high officials.
Fortunately, the final result was perfect, and everything concluded smoothly.
“Alright, stop standing around staring.”
Morin looked at the group of relieved officers and smiled, waving his hand.
“Dismiss the troops for rest. Extra rations for dinner~”
“Yes, sir!”
The officers cheered loudly, their faces breaking into easy smiles, and they dispersed to arrange the follow-up matters.
Morin turned and walked toward the side, where the young woman was still reeling from the mix of tension and excitement.
Helga stood still, her cheeks flushed with a healthy color from the exertion and excitement.
A few strands of hair on her forehead were slick with sweat.
“Helga, you did great today.”
Morin walked up to her, praising her sincerely.
“I will arrange a generous bonus for you at the end of the year.”
Hearing Morin’s voice, Helga looked up as if waking from a dream, a look of unreality still lingering in her beautiful eyes.
“Boss…”
She stared blankly at Morin, her voice trembling slightly.
“Does this mean that the gun I designed will enter mass production?”
“No problem with that.”
Morin smiled, giving her an affirmative answer.
“I will send this prototype gun, along with your finalized blueprints, to the Army Weapons and Equipment Department. Once they complete the final inspection and standardization, we should receive approval for mass production shortly.”
He paused, adding:
“Therefore, when you return, you must prepare for the related work.
“Once the production permit is approved, immediately organize personnel and move quickly to produce a small batch first. I will need them for immediate use.”
“Yes!”
Helga nodded forcefully, a brilliant smile finally spreading across her face.
It was a pure, bright smile that chased away all her tension and fatigue.
She smiled at Morin and said, “Boss, I am truly exhausted today. I definitely need a good nap this afternoon when I get back!”
“A nap is fine.”
Morin chuckled in response.
“However, starting tomorrow, you need to begin working on the design of a new weapon.”
“Ah?”
Helga’s mouth instantly formed a cute ‘O’ shape, and the smile on her face froze.
Seeing her reaction, Morin couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“I know it’s hard work, but you can’t rest yet, Helga.”
Morin composed himself, his expression turning serious.
He then detailed his ideas for a brand new individual automatic weapon to Helga.
“I need an all-automatic weapon that can be carried by a single soldier, provides intense and sustained suppressive fire in close-quarters combat, and fires pistol ammunition.”
As Morin spoke, he mentally recalled the key parameters of the weapon that ushered in a new era in the other timeline.
“Its weight must be as light as possible, and the structure should be simple, easy to manufacture and maintain.”
“The rate of fire doesn’t need to be too fast. Around four hundred rounds per minute is sufficient.”
“Regarding the feeding mechanism, I hope for a high-capacity magazine, capable of holding at least thirty rounds…”
Helga was initially confused, but as Morin’s description became more specific, her eyes widened, and a look of disbelief spread across her face.
The weapon Morin was describing was simply too familiar to her.
“Boss…”
Helga finished listening, then spoke cautiously in an uncertain tone.
“Before my brother passed away, he left behind a design sketch for ‘an all-automatic firearm that fires 9mm pistol ammunition.’ Many of the details are exactly as you described.”
“An all-automatic firearm? What a coincidence.”
“It’s true, Boss! I almost suspect you’ve seen the design, though I know that’s impossible.”
Morin covertly clenched his fist. He knew that the weapon was most likely the one he was looking for.
“Helga, then start tomorrow. Use your brother’s design as a foundation and finalize the design of this weapon as quickly as possible!”
“Once this weapon is ready, I will give you a long vacation!”
Helga, simple-minded as she was, did not doubt the ‘carrot’ Morin dangled before her.
Her work enthusiasm was reignited by the promise of a ‘long vacation.’
(End of this Chapter)
You can support the translator and get advanced chapter by join his patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair