I forgot to tell you that I was also skilled with making gunpowder in addition to metallurgy.
Of course, the powder quality wasn't as good as the stuff that came from the factory, but it worked, and the powder quality was improving by now.
When even that was not enough, I checked any hidden ammo dumps that I came across for 152mm shells.
These were hard to find "in the wild", but I managed to come across them, nevertheless.
Once I loaded up Goliath, I set off on another adventure.
This time, my trip took me to the Ural Mountains.
Everything looked okay, but I knew that something might be off.
While I was driving, I found myself under fire from enemy tanks I couldn't even see.
This was the worst possible thing that could ever happen on the battlefield.
Even worse, I kept receiving radio messages from nowhere, probably from those hidden tanks.
They said stuff like, "You cannot beat us!" "We are everywhere!" "We see all!"
I just tried to keep driving, hoping that the enemy wouldn't hit me.
When one shot broke one of my tracks, I got so angry that I just fired in the direction that the shot came from.
Luckily, a shower of sparks shot out of the bushes, which meant I hit something.
I was so relieved to actually hit one of them, my head cleared up.
After I jumped out and fixed my busted track, I formulated a new plan:
Rather than drive around blindly and hope to avoid their fire, I drove cautiously.
When somebody started firing at me, I just fell back and tried to determine what direction they were firing from.
When the firing stopped, I edged out until the firing began again.
Just like before, I determined the direction that the shots came from and fired in that direction.
It was a risky maneuver, especially considering that my 152mm cannon was not very accurate at longer ranges.
However, considering that I wasn't in a hectic, fast-paced battle, my cannon was always loaded by the time I encountered an enemy.
Also, my shots seemed to hit most of the time.
Speaking of shots, while searching for all these guys, I happened to catch a StuG III unaware.
One more easy kill for me.
However, the battle didn't feel so easy near the end.
I was running low on ammo, so I had to play it carefully.
Worse yet, Goliath was getting worn out.
Even so, both of us won the day yet again.
We weren't done yet, though.
I had to investigate these guys.
The way they fought, it was as if they really knew what they were doing.
I drove to every one of the blown-up vehicles and searched the crewmen for any forms of identification.
After conducting my examination, I determined that these guys were part of a company called "The Armored Shadows".
The Shadows were composed of members of the American OSS, the German Abwehr and my country's own GRU.
These were the kinds of guys who just showed up out of nowhere, did their job and just disappeared without a trace.
Well…until now, that is.
Because they were more interested in being hidden from the enemy rather than flattening them with massive firepower, they mostly drove light and medium tanks, plus a few tank destroyers and occasional SPGs for long-range support.
Their most advanced tanks were up-armored versions of the M4A3 Sherman known as the M4A3E2 & M4A3E8, two different versions of the VK 3001 and a version of the T-34 with an 85mm gun.
None of their tanks were less advanced than what was known as "Tier Four".
See, a little while after tanks were invented – around the same time that I got my T-26 – it became common practice among tank manufacturers and tank divisions to use "tiers" to signify various levels of technological development.
The first tanks (e.g. FT-17, MS-1) were called the "Tier One" tanks.
My old T-26 was classified as a "Tier Two" tank.
Goliath is classified as a "Tier Five" tank, though it sure as hell doesn't feel like one.
Given the massive firepower and armor, I think that the Soviets were planning to re-classify the KV-2 in a higher tier prior to the Dark Times.
Aside from their group affiliations, what I found most interesting was a mysterious letter that I found on the commander of a VK 3001, which, strangely enough, was in English:
"Agent 412:
It has come to our attention that your company is experiencing difficulties in the Eastern Territories. This geographic sector is of utmost importance to our cause. If you cannot push further or even maintain your control in this sector, then I am afraid that I shall have no choice but to remove you from our clan and notify all operatives in this area of your grievous failure.
Remember, the rewards for success are great. Do not disappoint us.
-With regards,
W.G."
Clan?
Wow, these guys are really serious!
I was awed by the realization that I may have seriously disrupted something that was part of a larger operation.
I was also very curious about the whole thing:
What clan did these guys belong to?
What is their overall cause?
And who is W.G.?
With a head full of questions, I headed back to my hideout and decided to store this letter in a safe place.
I really should get a safe.
Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.