After destroying the eighth Tiger tank, the remaining two hastily retreated out of the rocket launcher's range. The Germans were clearly intimidated by the ferocious counterattack and puzzled by the advanced weaponry of their adversaries.
"The Germans are retreating; prepare to recapture the bridge!" Shen Yi shouted enthusiastically.
A large number of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers leapt out of cover and charged towards the southern section of the bridge.
The tide of battle shifted. The adventurers also raised their weapons, firing wildly, and returned with a barrage of firepower.
Shen Yi's Spirit Fire Gun intermittently spat out flames. His firing was not rapid but incredibly precise. German soldiers on the bridge were forced to retreat step by step. A German strongpoint at the middle of the bridge was overrun, and dozens of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers leaped over sandbags, seized the machine guns, and turned them against the Germans.
One adventurer roared as he charged into the German ranks, brandishing a long sword.
"Skill: Sword Qi Strike. Creates a straight-line attack dealing a fixed 50 points of damage over a 15-meter range."
A dazzling sword light streaked towards the German position, felling a dozen soldiers.
Another adventurer leaped into the air, launching a dozen darts.
"Skill: Dart Attack. Can release twelve darts simultaneously, each dealing 20 points of damage. Requires the item 'darts'. Not recoverable."
Two more adventurers rapidly advanced, leaping forward...
The inclusion of the adventurers, with their overwhelming combat abilities, exceeded the expectations of Frost and others. Not only did they repel the German attack, but they also recaptured a German position. Frost's fighting spirit and confidence soared, and the entire 2nd Airborne Battalion was swept up in the excitement of victory.
A group of soldiers charged across the middle of the bridge, heading towards the southern section. Six soldiers from Airborne Company A had just started running when they were simultaneously struck, collapsing in a spray of blood.
An advancing adventurer was hit several times in rapid succession, causing him to roll to the ground in fright and take cover behind the bridge railing.
Counting quickly, he had been hit four times in an instant.
A soldier with a bullet through his abdomen lay in a pool of blood, unable to move but not yet dead.
"Help me..." he cried pitifully.
Two paratroopers from the 2nd Airborne Battalion tried to assist their comrade but were also shot, fortunately with non-fatal wounds, and quickly retreated.
"There's a sniper! They're baiting us, don't go there!"
Someone shouted a warning.
"Wen Rou!" Shen Yi roared.
"I see them. On the opposite side of the bridge, south building, fourth floor, second window from the left, one sniper. Clock tower, top level, one sniper. North office building, two snipers on the roof. Opposite position, four snipers at 11 o'clock, positions A, D, G, and one next to the heavy machine gun. That's all I've spotted for now." Wen Rou's periscope rotated, clearly displaying the enemy movements on her screen.
"Eight snipers," Shen Yi muttered, then called out, "Sun Zhe Yu, He Yan Yuan, Fan Qing Yi, Jiang Zi, each of you take out two!"
The four adventurers, each with a sniper rifle, aimed towards the directions reported by Wen Rou without hesitation.
One of them shouted, "They're hiding, not showing themselves."
"I'll draw their fire!" Shen Yi yelled.
The wounded soldier continued his mournful pleas for help, but no one dared to risk the snipers' aim. Shen Yi sprinted out with a series of quick rolls towards the injured man. Bullets struck the ground around him, one hitting him and causing his bulletproof jade amulet to lose another point of protection.
Meanwhile, the four adventurers behind him simultaneously fired, taking out four snipers.
Shen Yi reached the wounded soldier and scooped him up to run back, activating his Benevolent Healing Arts. A warm flow surged through the soldier's wound, spreading throughout his body.
The soldier, who had been bleeding profusely, suddenly felt a resurgence of life and exclaimed, "Oh, Jesus has shown his grace!"
"Better start believing in the City, buddy!" Shen Yi shouted as he leaped over the sandbags, holding the soldier. In mid-air, he was hit again, a flash of white light surrounding him as he and the soldier tumbled into cover.
Bang, bang, bang - four more gunshots rang out, and the snipers on the opposite position were also eliminated by the four adventurers.
As soon as Shen Yi landed, the injured soldier he had saved began to exclaim ecstatically, "God Almighty, my wound, my wound is healed!" The bullet had gone through his abdomen, but now the wound had miraculously disappeared, leaving no trace.
"You're lucky the bullet grazed past your spine. It was a through-and-through wound; you'd have been dead otherwise," Shen Yi said coolly, nodding to Hong Lang. "I was able to repair the soft tissue damage."
"What does that mean?" asked Hong Lang.
"He had a ruptured intestine. I fixed it," Shen Yi chuckled.
"It's the appendix!" the soldier corrected irritably, then looked at Shen Yi with amazement: "How did you do that?"
Colonel Frost, Major Ralph, and many soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion witnessed this scene and crowded around.
"God, Michel, your wound is healed?" one soldier asked.
"Damn, a minute ago you were lying there playing dead, and now you're unharmed?" another commented.
"Go to hell, I was wounded, and badly at that. I even had a ruptured intestine, but this guy miraculously healed me," Michel shouted angrily, pulling up his trousers to show the scar still there, blood-stained.
Wen Rou turned her head away in annoyance.
"It's the appendix," Shen Yi reminded him, indicating that he was exposing more than he should.
Frost exclaimed in astonishment, "How did you do that? God, I didn't know you had this ability!"
Shen Yi rolled his eyes in exasperation – they had no past encounters for him to remember.
Ralph murmured, "They must be messengers of God."
"I think he's a priest," said one soldier.
Michel shouted, "Bullshit, with that skill, he could be the Pope of the Vatican!"
Aside from the adventurer who had died, the remaining 20 adventurers, except for the fat one, all opened fire, showcasing their powerful firepower and various unique items and skills, exciting the 2nd Airborne Battalion. Shen Yi's healing ability gave everyone hope.
As for the fat one, he hadn't fired a single shot since the battle started, trembling in fear.
Everyone ignored him.
The soldiers of the Airborne Battalion chatted excitedly, prompting Shen Yi to remind them, "Hey, don't you think we're too clustered? One shell and we're all done for."
"Spread out, everyone!" Frost shouted, "Back to your positions, the battle isn't over yet! Remember your duty, we need to capture the Arnhem Bridge!"
The soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion reluctantly dispersed. Michel, the young soldier, handed Shen Yi a Camel cigarette, a brand he must have procured from somewhere: "Hey, I owe you my life."
As everyone dispersed, Frost, braving the German artillery fire, lay on the ground and gave Shen Yi, Hong Lang, and the others a formal military salute. This salute, with his chin against the ground, looked quite comical. Then he said, "You are all outstanding soldiers. Ralph and I apologize for any inappropriate remarks earlier."
"No need for formalities, we are all in the same boat now," Shen Yi replied. The Chinese idiom lost its essence in translation, but the two commanders understood his sentiment.
"Can you tell me how you did it?" Ralph asked Shen Yi, clearly referring to the healing ability.
"It's a special ability."
"Are there really special abilities in this world?" Frost seemed incredulous.
"Jin Gang," Shen Yi called.
Jin Gang grinned, gesturing casually, and Frost's sidearm floated in the air.
"Oh God!" both commanders exclaimed again in shock.
In just a few minutes, the beleaguered British paratroopers had called upon God countless times, their nerves shockingly rattled, enough to cause a mental breakdown.
Hong Lang spoke up loudly, "We are British Royal Special Forces soldiers, but unlike your concept of special forces, most people who come here have their own unique abilities. This guy's ability is to heal others."
Frost exclaimed, "That's amazing! Our medics just got killed, and we're running low on medical supplies and bandages. Having you here is worth more than a hundred doctors!"
Shen Yi replied coolly, "Don't get too excited just yet. My ability has limitations. I can heal 10 more people now, and then only three people per hour after that. So, you'd better prioritize and gather the critically wounded immediately, starting with those on the brink of death. Use bandages for the less serious injuries."
Frost turned and shouted, "Michel, get all the seriously wounded together, quickly! God has shown his mercy!"
Ralph then turned to Hong Lang, "What about you? Do you have a special ability?"
Without a word, Hong Lang suddenly turned and punched the bridge railing beside him. The force of his punch sent a large chunk of the railing flying – a feat not even a sledgehammer could achieve easily.
"Skill: Powerful Impact Level 3. Causes 1.6 times the normal strength damage to a single target, with a 10% chance of doubling the impact. D-level skill. Using this skill consumes 3 points of spirit, with a cooldown of 1 minute. Priority level 17."
Typically, strength-based adventurers, excelling in close combat, rely on their high offense and defense, acting like human tanks. While normal bullets can still harm them, the effect is greatly reduced. If it weren't for threats like tanks and artillery, these adventurers could easily breach German lines with their robust physique.
Hong Lang specialized in close combat and had two attack skills, one of which required a two-handed weapon, unusable in this WWII setting.
After demonstrating his ability, Hong Lang boasted, "Give me enough time, and I could dismantle the Arnhem Bridge."
Ralph muttered under his breath, "Damn, our mission is to capture and protect the bridge, not destroy it. You're on the wrong side."
"What about those white lights on your bodies?" Frost asked.
"They're also special abilities of some people, but they can't be used indefinitely. Frequent gunfire will still kill us, and they can't stop artillery... You've seen that we already lost one man," Shen Yi explained. Bulletproof items were hard to explain, so he generalized them as abilities.
"You..." Frost was about to ask more when Shen Yi impatiently interrupted, "Hey, we're in the middle of a battle. Can't your questions wait?"
"Just one more question, OK? I'll shut up after this," Frost pleaded.
"Go ahead." Shen Yi already knew what he would ask.
"Where do you keep your weapons? How do they suddenly appear?"
Shen Yi replied irritably, "Out of our (butts)."