The battle continued until dawn, and the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion successfully advanced 50 meters on the bridge, securing the entire middle section of the bridge. The night's combat had been extremely fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides. Colonel Frost decided to halt the attack, allowing the soldiers to rest. However, the primary goal was to buy time for Shen Yi to treat the wounded as much as possible. The paratroopers ceased their advance, and the Germans began to hastily rebuild their fortifications, leading to a brief period of uneasy peace.
Even the adventurers, with their enhanced physiques, felt exhausted after the battle, most of them lying on the ground, trying to recover. Shen Yi leaned against a sandbag, with a British soldier obsequiously offering him a cigarette. Although smoking was prohibited at night to avoid detection by enemy artillery, it didn't matter much on the small expanse of the Arnhem Bridge, where the Germans could find their targets regardless. Other soldiers brought canned food for Shen Yi, flattering him earnestly.
Seeing Shen Yi relaxing, Jin Gang spat on the ground and grumbled, "Damn, this kid has stolen all the limelight, with his rocket launcher and medical skills. The rest of us might as well not exist."
Shen Yi replied lazily, "We haven't secured the Arnhem Bridge yet. Focus on how to complete the mission and survive. Isn't it meaningless to seek such attention?"
To his surprise, Jin Gang shook his head, "Not necessarily. What do people live for if not fame and fortune? We live such hard lives, a bit of admiration from others at least makes us feel worthwhile. Otherwise, struggling for mere survival is too exhausting. Many office workers in big companies commit suicide under pressure. So, we need something to satisfy our needs, even if it's a meaningless pursuit..." He paused and sighed, "What significance does life really have, after all?"
Shen Yi was taken aback by Jin Gang's words. The muscular man's thoughts were unexpectedly delicate. He had a point, and Shen Yi found it hard to argue.
Shen Yi admitted, "You're right, Jin Gang. It's good to have pursuits in life, even if it's just for show."
Both Jin Gang and Hong Lang burst into laughter.
"What about you? What do you pursue in this bloody city?" asked Wen Rou.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yi shook his head, "Before I came here, I had already fulfilled my pursuit. Now, I don't have much to chase. If I must say, it's to survive in this city, reach the Holy Tower, and see if there's a wish-granting mission."
"Was your pursuit killing people?" Wen Rou inquired.
Shen Yi gave her a strange look and muttered after a long pause, "Hong Lang, your big mouth really is a blabbermouth."
Hong Lang laughed heartily, "I haven't even bragged about your glorious deeds of killing seven and severely injuring sixteen, eight of whom were crippled. You don't seem like a killer at all. Heh, 'The Killing Doctor' is quite a name."
"Shut up, Hong Lang!" Shen Yi shouted angrily, "And don't you dare call me 'doctor'. I hate doctors! I killed one before I came here!"
The next moment, Wen Rou, who had overheard Hong Lang's words, looked at Shen Yi in astonishment.
Covering her mouth, she gasped, "So you were behind the 312 case?" Then she burst into laughter, "I was almost assigned to chase you. No wonder your name sounded familiar."
...
Shen Yi's expression turned cold as he lay on the ground, staring at the starry sky, with the distant sound of artillery fire in his ears.
Since arriving in this world, he seldom reminisced about his past. However, Wen Rou's words suddenly dragged him back into his memories. Images of people he knew and didn't know, familiar and unfamiliar, those he had killed and not killed, hundreds of faces formed a separate world in his mind.
He thought of Li Qiang.
Wondering how he was doing now.
Then, in a hoarse voice, he replied, "So you're also from W City. No wonder your accent sounded familiar. Did I cause a lot of trouble for your work? I'm sorry."
Wen Rou laughed, "I'm not a cop anymore, so don't worry about me arresting you. Besides, even if I caught you, there's nowhere to send you."
"In appreciation of your words, I'll treat your injuries for free next time." "Thanks, but I don't need your bloody points," Wen Rou replied with a glare at Shen Yi.
Both fell into an unusual silence, leaving Hong Lang confused, while Jin Gang understood a bit more: "So, you had a cop-and-robber relationship before coming here. Shen Yi, you must have been quite sensational on Earth."
Shen Yi thought for a moment and seriously answered, "In the eyes of the police... I was somewhat of a person, an unknown celebrity."
"Can you tell us why you did that case?" Wen Rou asked.
Both Hong Lang and Jin Gang looked at Shen Yi, curious about the answer, but Shen Yi yawned lazily, "Tired, let's sleep."
The morning artillery replaced the alarm clock, waking Shen Yi in a daze. A shell landed twenty meters from him, blowing up a sandbag and showering him with sand. Spitting out the sand and crawling to Wen Rou, he yelled, "What's the situation now?"
"Each side controls half the bridge, both wanting the other half but afraid of losing their own. Colonel Frost is confident, preparing for a full assault," Wen Rou shouted back in the roaring world of artillery fire.
"That doesn't sound too bad," Shen Yi smiled, "Let's maintain this, it's good."
Colonel Frost, as usual, was calling for reinforcements: "I need a special operations squad from the 1st Airborne Division, not bombers, I don't need bombers or damn artillery, I need a special operations squad! Yes, you heard right, they're more useful than bombers! I swear on my life, just send twenty more special ops, and I can take the Arnhem Bridge and hold it as long as needed! What? Never heard of them? You idiot, get someone who can access top-secret information!"
Frustrated, Frost hung up and exclaimed to Shen Yi, "You know what's the worst in war?! When you need bullets, they send you shells; when you need shells, they send you bandages! When I asked for more troops like you, the idiot operator said they never heard of such a unit, instead offering air support, damn it!"
"We always keep a low profile," Shen Yi shrugged.
A shell whizzed past the paratroopers' heads, landing on the bridge, bouncing around, scaring everyone to the ground.
After a moment of silence, a soldier looked up and cursed, "It's a dud!"
"We can't leave it there," Frost shouted.
As a soldier rushed to move the shell, Shen Yi's face changed, "Get away from that!"
The soldier hesitated, and the supposedly dud shell suddenly exploded, sending him flying.
"Arias!" Frost yelled. "Save him, Shen Yi!"
Shen Yi rushed over, but the young soldier was covered in blood, spitting out more. Shen Yi opened his uniform to see more than ten shrapnel pieces in his chest, one piercing a large hole in his lung.
Shen Yi looked up at Colonel Frost and shook his head, indicating he couldn't save him.
"No, I don't believe it, you must save him!" Frost pleaded.
"I'm sorry, I'm powerless," Shen Yi replied regretfully.
His healing skills were almost ineffective against such severe injuries, so he could only watch the soldier's life ebb away.
"Oh no, he's only sixteen. I promised his mother to bring him home alive!" Frost cried out.
Arias was the youngest soldier in the 2nd Airborne Battalion. He had two brothers, both in the Allied forces, who had died in battle. Arias's mother had knelt before Colonel Frost, begging him to protect her son. Since then, Frost had kept Arias by his side, away from the most dangerous missions.
But now, Arias was injured and dying.
Such was war, where no corner is ever truly safe.
All the soldiers stared at Arias in silence, their faces reflecting pain.
Shen Yi sighed, "We should find a priest for him. What he needs most now is the voice of the Lord."
"No," Colonel Frost shook his head. "God is dead."
Shen Yi was startled, "What did you say?"
Colonel Frost replied angrily, "I said God is dead!" He became somewhat hysterical, "If God were still alive, He would not have let Hitler live this long, would not have let the whole world suffer in pain. God is dead, He can't help us! The only ones who can help us are ourselves. God is dead, so He threw us into this hopeless situation, leaving us to fight alone. God is dead!"
This cry of despair silenced everyone.
Shen Yi looked at Colonel Frost, seeing the pain in his eyes. The despair in Arias's eyes, the blood spurting from his mouth, something deep within Shen Yi was profoundly stirred.
He quickly took out a bottle of intermediate recovery potion from his Bloody Emblem, "This should save him..."
Upon seeing the intermediate recovery potion, Hong Lang's eyes widened in shock. He rushed over, grabbing Shen Yi's hand, "Are you crazy? Using something like this for a soldier? Is it worth it? Don't forget, we are not like them; they are just..."
"Shut up, Hong Lang!" Shen Yi glared at him. Hong Lang knew he almost slipped up but still glared back at Shen Yi, "Do you have many of these?"
"Not many."
"Then why..."
Shen Yi softly said, "I might not need it, but Arias needs it now. Life is life, there's no high or low… Let go!"
Hong Lang's hand trembled slightly and finally released.
Shen Yi poured the potion into Arias's mouth and then activated his healing technique. Under the influence of that mysterious power, the soldier's breathing stabilized.
The effect was so remarkable that even Shen Yi was surprised. He realized that his dishonorable medical technique was not just for treating common injuries; it also enhanced the effect of medicinal treatments.
"He's awake, he's awake!" Colonel Frost exclaimed excitedly.
Arias's miraculous recovery brought joy to all the soldiers. Although they didn't understand how Shen Yi did it or what the medicine was, Hong Lang's reaction had already shown the potion's value. Shen Yi had evidently used his most precious life-saving medicine on Arias.
This act filled every soldier with respect for Shen Yi.
A notification sound rang in Shen Yi's ear, the familiar chime of the Bloody Emblem.
The Bloody Emblem alerted: You have gained the respect of all the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion, increasing intimacy. In this mission, you have the temporary authority to command the soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion. You will also become a high-priority target for the German officers. One percent of the combat achievements of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers will be attributed to your contribution.
Shen Yi was stunned.