The unexpected reward plunged Shen Yi into a state of astonishment.
More than the reward he had received, Shen Yi was curious about how he had earned it. He had never heard of anyone receiving a reward for an unannounced mission.
At that moment, Hong Lang was still grumbling, "Idiot, fool, moron, I've never seen anyone as stupid as you, spending 500 Blood Points to save 20. And it's 20 Blood Points split among 20 people! What a loss! And here I thought you were a genius."
Not just him, even Jin Gang looked at Shen Yi with sympathy, "That was your lifesaver. You shouldn't have given it away for an ordinary soldier."
Shen Yi, facing the disdainful looks of the adventurers, suddenly had a thought.
"Hong Lang, have you ever heard of a reward that can be obtained without a published mission?"
"You mean a plot reward?" Hong Lang replied instantly, "Those are just legends. No one knows how to trigger them, nor how to complete them. All we know is that plot rewards are special, appearing only after certain hidden conditions are met. And usually, they don't reward Blood Points or items, but rather special benefits that make your mission easier or more rewarding. But these are all just stories. I don't know anyone who has received such a reward. Why do you ask?"
"The legend is true." Shen Yi nodded confidently. "I just received a reward, which must be a plot reward."
At this revelation, all the adventurers were shocked and crowded around him.
Shen Yi showed off the Blood Badge, and the reward left everyone speechless.
The adventurers weren't too concerned about gaining command of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers. Being a competent commander required not just talent but also experience and understanding, both in battle tactics and in the abilities of the troops. An ignorant commander could make fatal mistakes.
In terms of combat experience and understanding of soldiers' capabilities, the adventurers were no match for Frost, nor even for any of his ordinary soldiers, so they had no interest in overstepping their authority. However, the distribution of one percent of the contribution was a different matter.
With over six hundred soldiers in the 2nd Airborne Battalion, that one percent meant Shen Yi effectively owned the contributions of six soldiers. This reward was indeed generous.
All eyes were on each other, and then, as if by mutual agreement, they all backed off, leaving only Shen Yi, Jin Gang, and Wen Rou.
Wen Rou whispered to Shen Yi, "Why did you reveal this? No one would have known if you hadn't said anything."
Shen Yi smiled, "Look over there."
Wen Rou followed his gaze and saw more than a dozen adventurers, including Hong Lang, bringing out their treasured healing potions. Some wounded who couldn't be saved by Shen Yi's healing were now miraculously out of danger.
Even Hong Lang contributed a basic healing potion, saving a soldier whose leg had been blown off.
The "generous" actions of the adventurers earned them the respect of all the soldiers in the 2nd Airborne Battalion.
But it was only respect.
As time passed, the faces of the adventurers grew increasingly grim—they were not receiving the reward notification they had hoped for.
Hong Lang was the first to run to Shen Yi, trembling as he asked, "Are you sure the reward came from that potion?"
Shen Yi nodded seriously, "Very sure."
"Then why didn't I get a reward!" Hong Lang nearly cursed, mindful of the presence of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers.
Shen Yi's expression was grave, "It seems that the plot reward is not easy to get. I think it's related to a series of factors: I treated the youngest soldier in the 2nd Airborne Battalion, responded to the plea of Commander Frost, used my healing skills, and I was the first to do so."
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Hong Lang trembled with frustration.
Shen Yi shrugged innocently, "I just found out myself."
All the adventurers were stunned upon hearing this. Their lifesaving potions were gone just like that?
However, the adventurers' sacrifices were not entirely in vain. At least they had managed to gain the acceptance of the 2nd Airborne Battalion. Friendship among soldiers, who entrust their lives to each other in battle, is priceless but is not formed overnight. It requires a long time to build trust.
The adventurers, proud of their unique abilities, would not have been well-received in the long run by the 2nd Airborne Battalion due to their differing mentalities and characteristics. Their "selfless contribution" this time earned them genuine acceptance, laying a solid foundation for future battles.
But for the greedy adventurers, they didn't care about this. What mattered to them were Blood Points and survival.
Shen Yi had really tricked them this time, and they were all disheartened.
Especially the fatty, who burst into tears, making the soldier he saved feel extremely guilty and continuously express his gratitude. The fatty, embarrassed and crying, earnestly told the soldier, "You have to protect me later."
Everyone was speechless.
Wen Rou, trying not to laugh, whispered to Shen Yi again, "You're so bad. I knew you were too generous. You wanted to use them to explore how to get the plot mission reward, didn't you?"
Shen Yi replied seriously, "Don't say that. It's a case of willing striker and willing sufferer."
Wen Rou's beautiful eyes twirled, whispering, "I think it should be called 'investing involves risks, enter the market cautiously!'"
Shen Yi and Jin Gang burst into laughter, while Hong Lang collapsed on the ground.
Seeing Hong Lang's mournful face, Shen Yi gave him a nudge, "Don't be sad. I'll give you a potion when we get back."
"Really?" Hong Lang sat up immediately.
"Fake." Shen Yi answered earnestly.
Hong Lang was so frustrated he could have torn Shen Yi apart.
Shen Yi didn't mention that he had heard another notification sound: the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers' friendship towards him had deepened, earning him 50 points of Friendliness, totaling 250 points, and unlocking the Friendliness display. In the upcoming battles, he would receive an additional 1.25% of the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers' combat contribution rewards.
To the soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion, the generosity of the other adventurers was influenced by Shen Yi. While they were grateful to the others, they were even more grateful to Shen Yi. The other adventurers probably also gained Friendliness, but not enough to unlock the display. In other words, their efforts weren't fruitless; they just hadn't qualified for the reward yet, so there was no notification.
This 1.25% increase was minor for Shen Yi, but what was more important was that he finally understood the plot missions: they could be continuously upgraded. Others could follow his lead, but their efforts would yield diminishing returns. If Shen Yi gained 100 points of Friendliness for an action, the latecomers would get half of that. His previous 200 points of Friendliness were not just due to the potion but also included his healing skills, but since he hadn't reached the threshold for rewards, there was no notification.
Realizing this, Shen Yi felt like laughing out loud, but this time, he would not reveal this secret.
Shen Yi accurately predicted that the adventurers' involvement would significantly change the strength of the 2nd Airborne Battalion. This change was not reflected in combat power, though most of them had guns beyond the technology of the era and were far more powerful than ordinary soldiers. In war, especially in ancient and modern warfare, quantity often outweighs quality, and the true combat power of 20 adventurers (19, as the fatty was useless) was limited. However, the morale boost they provided was more significant than numbers.
The 20 bulletproof adventurers, with their strange abilities and futuristic weapons, shocked the German soldiers immensely.
They couldn't imagine what kind of force they were up against with such formidable power.
Among the 20 adventurers, there were four snipers, all using 90s era light sniper rifles with range and accuracy far surpassing the German snipers. Two heavy gunners, although not wielding Fire God cannons, had 12mm caliber Gatling guns. Even the weakest, the fatty, was armed with an AK47, while Hong Lang and Jin Gang wielded M17s, each adventurer's weapon surpassing those of the German soldiers. (All these firearms had vastly different attributes from those on Earth, sharing only similar models and styles.)
Additionally, some adventurers had a white light around them that could block bullets. It was a terrifying sight for the Germans to see soldiers from the 2nd Airborne Battalion, who seemed to be hit, get up and start firing again after just a touch. The morale of the German soldiers plummeted, realizing their bullets couldn't bring down these enemies, and some even revived after being hit. How many would continue to fight to the death against such unkillable foes?
With the support of the 20 adventurers, the battle for the bridge gradually intensified.
Paratroopers are special forces capable of operating behind enemy lines, and the 2nd Airborne Battalion was the elite of the elite, with combat skills far surpassing regular German troops. Their only disadvantage was the lack of heavy fire support, a problem well-addressed by the adventurers. Long-range sniping and rocket launchers took out German heavy firepower and tanks, allowing the paratroopers to launch assaults. The adventurers couldn't equip the paratroopers with heavy weapons, but they leveled the playing field in terms of firepower.
The technological capabilities of the adventurers and the combat experience of the paratroopers complemented each other well, gradually forming a synergy. Even the fatty became more accustomed to the battlefield, daring to fire a few shots, and even managed to hit a German soldier once.
Excitedly, he shouted, "I hit one! I hit one!" But three bullets coming his way forced him to take cover behind a sandbag, not showing his head for half an hour, leaving only his rear end exposed.
As morale shifted, the 2nd Airborne Battalion gradually gained the upper hand in the battle for the bridge. Learning from previous lessons, they had controlled key areas like the bridge foundations early, denying the Germans any chance to destroy it. After a day of fierce fighting and heavy German casualties, the battalion captured over half of the bridge, much to the joy of the British paratroopers.
The battle also revealed to many adventurers that destroying tanks earned Blood Points. Many envied Shen Yi, whose anti-tank gun could earn him thousands of Blood Points. No wonder he had refrained from using it against fire points during the crossing, thinking of this ulterior motive.
Shen Yi, unconcerned with their thoughts, continuously observed the German defenses with Wen Rou's infrared binoculars.
"There are about three hundred Germans on the other side and over a hundred on the bridge," said Shen Yi. "The tanks are gone, just one armored vehicle left, and a few artillery pieces, but they're not much of a threat now."
"Looks like we're going to succeed?" asked Wen Rou.
"Don't be too happy yet. Something feels off," Shen Yi replied, lighting a cigar given to him by a British paratrooper for a boost after a day's battle.
"What's wrong?" Wen Rou inquired.
"I feel like I'm overlooking something," Shen Yi responded. "Don't you think this mission is going too smoothly?"
"You want to remind us that this is all thanks to you?" Wen Rou asked with a smile.
"No, that's not what I mean," Shen Yi said earnestly.
He genuinely felt that the mission was proceeding too easily. Although it was his first time in a mission world, he knew that completing missions was usually difficult. According to Hong Lang, even one-star missions had a failure rate of over 60%, and optional missions were typically much harder than the main ones.
He also remembered the effort and sacrifice it took to kill Dracula.
Now, all the adventurers were overly confident, some even saying it was the easiest mission they had ever done.
"It shouldn't be like this…" Shen Yi muttered.
He believed that his decision to focus on the northern line increased their chances of success, but to complete the mission almost without losses was beyond his expectation.
Where was the problem?
While Shen Yi pondered, Frost's voice came through, encouraging his soldiers. "Well done, lads! Let's push harder tonight and take the bridge!"
Shen Yi froze, suddenly realizing something and shouted, "Hong Lang, gather everyone immediately!"