Chapter 97: Mission of Life and Death

After calming down, Natalia apologized, "I'm sorry, I got too emotional. I didn't take your feelings into account, I..."
No, I didn't!
All those spy tricks, she used them on me!
Fire and ice, lotus sitting, desert storm—she deployed them all against me!
Mei Mumu felt as if tears were streaming down his heart.
If Natalia dared to ask him, "Do you have a girlfriend?" even a fool would know to answer, "No."
But faced with this awkward stalemate, Mei Mumu was utterly at a loss!
Ah, but there should still be plenty of opportunities, right?
He couldn't help but steal another glance at her.
The future Black Widow, though not fully grown yet, was already a budding beauty—no, a budding goddess. And her formidable assets were already quite impressive!
At this sight, Mei Mumu felt a pang of guilt. Damn it, wasn't he supposed to use time travel to pursue power? How did it turn into an obsession with wooing women?
Unexpectedly, just then, the system popped up a prompt: "Due to the host's actions inadvertently altering the fate of Black Widow Natasha Romanoff, she now resists a certain kind of training, bringing unknown variables to her destiny. The host receives 1 point of fate deviation."
Wait... what did I do?
I don't think I did anything?
Of all the fate deviation points he had earned, this one left Mei Mumu the most bewildered.
Still, seeing the renowned Black Widow in her innocent, vulnerable state made this journey through time worthwhile! In his mind, she was always fierce, beautiful, powerful—never indecisive.
Perhaps it was her seemingly gentle, classical beauty, contrasted with her bold, heroic bearing as she slew her enemies, that made her the most alluring woman of the Marvel era.
Failing to win Natalia in one fell swoop was a disappointment for Mei Mumu, but the days ahead were long.
He couldn't resist sneaking another look at her.
The battle ended faster than expected, and the shouts of "Ura!" echoing everywhere confirmed the Russians' victory. Thank heavens—they wouldn't have to wait for nightfall in this frozen wasteland.

"Who goes there?" Hearing voices from the pipes, a Red Army soldier immediately called out in alarm.
"It's me, Major Colonel Delauski!" The Russian coming from the pipe put everyone at ease.
It must be said, among the frontline troops, Colonel Delauski was a celebrity. Although his accomplishments—killing and capturing German generals twice—had been suppressed by Stalin, stories of Mei Mumu's feats, like lending a hand with a rifle or executing difficult shots against enemy officers, had spread throughout the entire 62nd Army.
When Mei Mumu emerged from the pipes with a beautiful woman from Stalingrad, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Our great hero has rescued a damsel in distress this time."
"No wonder you ignored all the pretty girls in the unit—you were hiding someone even better!"
If he had succeeded, Mei Mumu could have bragged about it for a lifetime, basking in pride.
Now it was just awkward!
Natalia followed behind, shy as a daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws for the first time, obediently trailing Mei Mumu. Draped in his army coat, she became the object of endless teasing.
It really did look like a harmonious couple, perfectly in sync!
Regardless of the country, there was never a shortage of gossipers and braggarts. Mei Mumu brought back a stunning young lady, and the news quickly spread throughout the brigade headquarters—even Chuikov heard about it.
Natalia soon became famous as well.
Driven by hatred for the Germans, Natalia joined the army. Her fame wasn't for any other reason, but because she was the only one in the entire 62nd Army whose agility could match Mei Mumu's.
Mei Mumu was dumbfounded. His agility was extraordinary because his growth template was the White Robed Sword Saint Gandalf, and whenever he went out, he usually activated a self-acceleration buff. In other words, he was cheating.
If an average adult's agility was 10, his own was about 12, and with the buff, it reached 24.
Natalia, relying solely on her natural talent, managed to reach 22 or 23.
Thus, Natalia, carrying a Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle, became Mei Mumu's spotter.
Previously, without a spotter, most of Mei Mumu's kills couldn't be confirmed. With Natalia, his confirmed kill count soared, reaching 108 by November.
At this rate, he would soon be ranked alongside the queen of snipers Lyudmila Pavlichenko and the newly arrived Stalingrad sniper star Vasily Zaitsev as one of the most famous snipers of World War II.
Just then, a colonel from the Intelligence Department arrived at the 62nd Army and delivered a secret order to Chuikov. Though reluctant, Chuikov complied.

"What? You want me to go to Germany!?"
"Yes. The son of our great leader Stalin, Yakov Jugashvili, was captured last July after fighting bravely. The shameless enemy has been using him as leverage, placing Stalin in a political bind. The General Secretary hopes you will participate in a secret rescue mission to free Comrade Yakov, who is being held at Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin."
The colonel added, "Of course, this mission is extremely risky. Moreover, Comrade Delauski, your presence at the front is itself a deterrent. As long as you are here, the enemy doesn't dare risk placing an army-level command post within the city of Stalingrad. That's why your achievements haven't been publicized."
Mei Mumu began to understand.
Not revealing who on the Soviet side could threaten the enemy's headquarters kept the enemy constantly on edge. If they found out and eliminated that thorn in their side, they'd soon grow bold again.
The colonel continued, "Given your deterrence at the front and Stalingrad's strategic importance, the General Secretary says you have the right to refuse this request. After all, this mission does not concern the state, but is a private request from the General Secretary."
Private request, my ass!
Stalin was a tyrant.
Those who disobeyed him ended up stripped of rank at best, reduced to common soldiers. The unlucky ones saw their entire families perish. At this point in 1942, in the original timeline, Stalin lived until 1953.
Only by currying favor could Mei Mumu infiltrate the Red Room!
At this time and place, only the Red Room was worth his attention. He had considered stirring up trouble in America or Germany, but he had never been there, and his ring's powers couldn't be used. He had secretly tried once to teleport using 2016 New York coordinates, but failed.
Apparently, different time points had corresponding spatial coordinates.
Was it because Earth revolved around the sun?
Mei Mumu stood up, saluted smartly, "I am willing to accept this mission!"