Decades after the end of World War II, people wearing German Army uniforms appeared once again on the beaches of Normandy.

The commemorative event at Sword Beach was about to begin, and participants started to enter early to wait, while Gao Yang and their group of military enthusiasts began lining up.

They queued up as security personnel meticulously checked each person, whether they were portraying Germans, Americans, or British and Canadians.

No one expected any trouble at this grand commemorative event, but with many multinational leaders attending, security would naturally be thorough, and the standards very high. Moreover, these enthusiasts were all carrying genuine, albeit decommissioned, firearms.

All the firearms were real, and if a single live bullet got in, just firing a random shot towards the audience could be a major incident.

Guns could be brought in, but bullets absolutely could not, requiring repeated checks.

Not only enthusiasts from four countries formed eight queues to undergo checks in turn, the inspection was extremely meticulous. First, all items had to be surrendered, with guns and all metal items handed over for security inspection, while everyone had to pass through an X-ray check, followed by a manual search.

The military enthusiasts came from several countries, and while reenacting battles involving their fathers’ or grandfathers’ generations, they inevitably engaged in conversation while waiting. Among them, the Germans, who rarely had such an opportunity, received more attention.

Especially since there was an Asian in the German team, Gao Yang received even more attention.

Actually, Gao Yang was somewhat famous in America, though his following was relatively niche, mostly among firearm enthusiasts. But at an event like this, who wasn’t a gun enthusiast?

Thus, Gao Yang had undergone simple makeup, still appearing Asian but significantly different in appearance, looking at least a decade older, all to remain low-key and avoid being recognized.

As Gao Yang was about to undergo inspection, he turned around, and said in German to the person behind him, "Look at how nervous they are, as if we were going to gobble them up."

Blake, as the team leader, stood at the front, and behind Gao Yang was a young man he knew but wasn’t familiar with. Upon hearing Gao Yang’s words, the young man chuckled quietly and said, "Of course they’re afraid, those French."

Gao Yang chuckled softly and said, "I recall a joke."

The young man chuckled twice, winked at Gao Yang and said, "I know which joke you remembered."

There are many jokes about the French, but Gao Yang wasn’t planning to tell jokes; he just wanted to shift the inspectors’ focus away from his ethnicity and appear familiar with others.

Nonetheless, when Gao Yang went for the inspection, the inspector seemed somewhat surprised, peering at him carefully, then letting him pass through the X-ray scanner.

Gao Yang had no contraband on him, but he was annoyed when a gun inspector roughly yanked open the gun bolt, checked the chamber, then tossed it onto a nearby table and meticulously examined binoculars and all metal items, before returning a large basket and the gun.

Gao Yang put his items back together, then went to a French person to receive twenty blank rounds.

Blank rounds lack a bullet head, producing only sound and muzzle flash, theoretically non-lethal, but at close range, residue from incompletely burned propellant could injure someone. Or, in particularly unlucky instances, fragments from a ruptured bullet cap might cause harm, but no way could it injure distant spectators hundreds of meters away.

As for those participating in the reenactment, they were certainly prepared to bear risks, though the hazard was tremendously low, and nobody cared.

The 7.92-millimeter blanks were provided by Gao Yang’s enthusiast group, handed over in advance to the French security officers for inspection before being distributed back.

Around enough bullets to give each rifleman a hundred rounds were submitted, but only twenty were returned to each person, understandably causing dissatisfaction amongst many, including Blake, who was arguing with those in charge along with several others, while Gao Yang stood outside the crowd, grumbling like a child deprived of toys.

Finally, after everyone had been almost thoroughly checked, Gao Yang and others received some additional blanks, and under many watchful eyes, they were escorted directly into the fortress.

Security personnel always accompanied them under surveillance, and even within the fortress, among the German soldiers was one wearing a modern French military police uniform, making for a peculiar sight.

Gao Yang had to enter the fortress closest to the spectator stand, so when Blake began assigning tasks, Gao Yang approached, preparing to say he wanted to enter that fortress.

As the organizer within this group of military enthusiasts, Blake had the rank of Captain, responsible for task assignments, both in the simulated warfare and real positioning.

"There are only three fortresses for one hundred people. We can’t all cram in. First and second platoons go into the fortress; the third stays back as reserves. Don’t worry, everyone will have their chance. When those inside are all ’killed,’ replacements will come. There will be a veteran airborne segment, so remember to fire a few shots into the sky. If anyone from the third platoon particularly wants to go into a fortress, tell me, and we can swap."

Some wanted to enter fortresses, others preferred outside, allowing more action and experiencing charges or fortress support; it was all for fun.

Gao Yang helped these people come to France and secured the uniforms for them, so if he wanted into a fortress, who would dare stop him? But just as Gao Yang raised his hand, before he could state his wish, Blake pointed to him and said, "Sniper, snipers freely choose their position and move independently."

During World War II, German snipers indeed had a high degree of freedom, and Blake’s assignment was just right, making Gao Yang exceptionally pleased.

Gao Yang promptly said, "Alright, I’m headed to that fortress."

Blake replied indifferently, "Great, everyone get inside. The speech starts in an hour, and the performance follows. We have to get in and wait for a while."