Shen Yi was surprised to receive the Medal of Honor. He hadn't anticipated the extra benefits that came with reaching the highest level of intimacy. The ability to summon the 2nd Airborne Regiment for battle support was a formidable asset in beginner-level missions. However, the cost of summoning them was extremely high. If, for instance, 200 soldiers from the 2nd Airborne Regiment survived this mission, that meant 200 elite soldiers. A level 1 elite soldier wasn't much different from a regular soldier, their advantage being only the potential to level up. The actual strength they could attain after leveling up was uncertain, but it was unlikely to surpass that of an enhanced adventurer. Yet, the cost would double. Summoning 200 level 2 elite soldiers would cost Shen Yi 12,000 blood points – an exorbitant price that might not be recouped in a single mission. As for future high-difficulty areas, blood points might not be a concern, but whether the 2nd Airborne Regiment would still be effective against higher-level enhanced tasks was questionable. Using the Medal of Honor effectively was not going to be easy. The best approach was to start with a small number of summons, then plan further once familiar with their capabilities.
But these were concerns for later. The immediate task was to deal with the artillery issue.
Two kilometers down the road to Anheng, there was a relatively gentle slope. German artillery was being steadily concentrated on this slope. A large number of German soldiers were establishing a circular defensive line to prevent a surprise attack by British paratroopers. Patrol soldiers were dispersed widely for vigilance, and several German officers were loudly directing their subordinates to speed up.
300 meters behind the slope, in a corner, Wen Rou was observing the surroundings through binoculars. "The artillery position is being established. Sixty cannons have been brought up so far, with more on the way. No sign of tanks yet."
"How many soldiers are defending the position?" Shen Yi asked.
"About two hundred, all from the SS, spread out widely. They're experienced veterans with solid defenses. No blind spots."
"The SS here?" Shen Yi was startled. He was lying in the grass, chewing on roots, but sat up when he heard this. He took a look at Wen Rou and asked, "Can you give me some good news?"
"The good news is that you're right. They are indeed establishing a front-line ammunition depot, which is our chance to take out the artillery position." Wen Rou put down her binoculars, lay next to Shen Yi, and continued, "We must eliminate all these cannons within five minutes of the battle starting. Otherwise, a couple of volleys from 120 cannons will wipe out half of Arnhem."
"Half of it is already gone," Shen Yi observed through the binoculars. He saw a large contingent of SS troops on the slope.
His view swept across the position and suddenly jerked. He spat out the root and cursed softly, "Damn it, I knew the city wouldn't be so generous."
"What did you find?" Wen Rou asked curiously.
Shen Yi handed her the binoculars. "Look there, the German artillery is establishing a second ammunition depot. They're not planning to concentrate all the ammunition in one place. It looks like they'll set up three to five supply points, each with barriers against long-range artillery."
Wen Rou saw the same thing. The newly arrived Germans were setting up new ammunition points. Her face fell, "So, we can't take out all their ammo with a rocket launcher in one go?"
"Right. Looks like we'll have to go with Plan B – sneak in and blow it up from the inside." Shen Yi sighed.
"I don't think that's possible," Wen Rou immediately objected. "The German military uniforms we obtained are for infantry, but the artillery position is manned by SS. We don't have SS uniforms."
"It's odd. Why would the SS be here? It must be the city altering the composition of the Anheng garrison again... The city wants to test our ability to infiltrate solo, so it's not giving us any chance to blend in," Shen Yi shook his head in resignation.
"What do we do then?"
"Luckily, I was prepared." Shen Yi took out a small bottle from his badge. "Invisibility pills, a reward from a beginner mission. Thank heavens I didn't sell it. It can make me invisible for a minute. As long as I don't attack, I won't be revealed."
Wen Rou looked at the black pill in the bottle, her voice somber, "Just one?"
"Yes."
"How will you get out?"
Shen Yi didn't answer. His silent gaze spoke volumes.
Wen Rou's heart sank. "Shen Yi, don't take the risk. Even if you complete the mission, you won't escape."
"Some things have to be done
by someone. If done, someone might die. If not, everyone will."
Wen Rou was stunned by Shen Yi's words.
She couldn't understand how a blood-stained murderer could possess such noble determination.
Perhaps sensing her inner doubts, Shen Yi smiled, "Escaping the Germans might be improbable, but surviving until tomorrow morning is still possible. Don't worry, I'm not so easy to kill."
At 1:55 PM.
In five minutes, the German full-scale assault would begin.
The artillery was positioned on the slope, and the tanks below were roaring, ready to advance.
Shen Yi silently calculated the distance and estimated the time required.
Wen Rou suggested, "We need to get within 100 meters first, then sprint the distance and blow up the five ammunition depots within fifty seconds, ten seconds for each. Are you confident?"
"I can't be sure. If it doesn't work out, I'll manually detonate two of them first, then use the rocket launcher to hit the others from close range, bypassing the barriers."
"Here's the map of their positions. Memorize it." Wen Rou had already sketched out the layout of the hillside position and a route of approach.
Shen Yi glanced at it and memorized the entire route instantly. He flexed his body like a cheetah and darted out.
Wen Rou watched his figure disappear, then slowly raised the hefty walkie-talkie: "Shen Yi has moved out. The Germans are preparing for a full-scale attack—sixty tanks, thousands of German soldiers... Good luck to everyone."
After dashing out of cover, Shen Yi quickly crawled forward through the grass. His military training in college and enhanced physique helped him navigate the terrain with ease.
Perhaps it was their own oversight, or maybe it was the city's deliberate arrangement, but the Germans' main focus was on the front, not expecting an intrusion from their flanks. Therefore, there weren't many guards in those directions.
Shen Yi almost effortlessly reached a spot 80 meters from the position. Hiding behind a large rock, he swallowed the invisibility pill and activated the sprint ability of his boots. He then dashed out, disappearing into thin air before the SS soldiers could turn around at the sound.
At a distance of 80 meters, Shen Yi rushed past, and the guarding soldiers only felt a breeze but saw nothing.
Without stopping, Shen Yi pulled out a bundle of explosives from his bloody emblem and stuffed it under several shells at an ammo depot. After lighting the fuse, he quickly ran away.
The shells were laid out in the open without any defenses. The Germans couldn't have imagined that someone could infiltrate right under their noses without being noticed.
Boom!
The ammo depot exploded into a small mushroom cloud, tossing dozens of nearby Germans into the air. A chain reaction of explosions followed, engulfing the area in flames, which also enveloped Shen Yi, still invisible and unharmed. As long as he wasn't detected by the enemy, he remained immune to all attacks.
Shen Yi didn't stop. He quickly planted the second explosive at another depot and lit it before rushing to the next.
Explosions on the hillside created clouds of smoke visible to adventurers in the town. The scale of the blasts was far beyond what the explosives Shen Yi had could have caused. Cheers erupted among them, even Jin Gang and Hong Lang laughed and cursed, "Damn, there's nothing this kid can't do."
The massive explosions not only obliterated the artillery's ammunition but also caused huge casualties among the German troops. With over a hundred cannons destroyed in moments, the remaining few would soon be rendered useless due to lack of ammunition.
After four successive explosions, four ammo depots were destroyed. The fifth one was farther away, requiring Shen Yi to run a bit more.
But the SS reacted quickly, realizing they were under attack. An SS officer shouted orders, directing soldiers towards the last depot. Troops nervously surrounded it, searching for the source of the attack.
Shen Yi could feel his invisible form starting to flicker, a sign that time was running out.
Damn, I'm not going to make it.
Realizing he couldn't reach his target in time, Shen Yi noticed a command camp nearby with an SS major-general shouting orders. Determined, Shen Yi charged towards the camp, pulling out his anti-tank rocket launcher and firing at the fifth depot. This attack revealed his position. He quickly stashed the rocket launcher and, like a whirlwind, charged at the major-general.
The officer reacted swiftly, aiming his pistol at Shen Yi.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out. Two streaks of white light flashed on Shen Yi's body, but he didn't stop his charge towards the SS major-general, quickly closing the gap between them.
To Shen Yi's surprise, the major-general was remarkably skilled. As Shen Yi lunged, the officer's face twisted into a ferocious sneer. He threw his gun aside and swung a powerful punch straight at Shen Yi.
The punch, fierce and strong, hit Shen Yi squarely in the abdomen, sending him flying backward as if struck by a hammer.
The major-general leaped high into the air, spinning rapidly and striking down towards Shen Yi's neck with his feet.
Shen Yi raised his arms to block, but the impact felt like being smashed by a heavy iron rod, causing excruciating pain.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Shen Yi saw his health drop by a third. The major-general's close-combat ability was comparable to that of an adventurer. Shen Yi was sure that the kick must have been a skill attack, otherwise, it wouldn't have reduced his health by nearly sixty points.
Seeing Shen Yi repelled by his kick, the major-general advanced a few steps and swept another kick towards him. Unexpectedly, Shen Yi's left hand now wielded a bright red dagger. He lunged towards the major-general, who responded with an elbow strike to Shen Yi's neck, accompanied by a sickening crack of breaking bones. Simultaneously, Shen Yi's Vampire Touch pierced deeply into the major-general's body.
Shen Yi's disadvantage was his strength, only at four points. Even with the added damage of Vampire Touch, the damage inflicted was limited, absorbing only 4 to 5 points of health per attack. However, the 50% bleeding chance of Vampire Touch took effect.
The major-general howled in pain, striking back with another elbow, causing Shen Yi to spit out another mouthful of blood. His nose was almost smashed. But the next moment, Shen Yi's Vampire Touch stabbed again, drawing another gush of bright blood from the major-general.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Fire Gun fired a series of bullets, shaking the major-general's body but not killing him.
The Spirit Fire Gun's additional flame damage caused continuous loss of life. The major-general, realizing he was rapidly losing health, was momentarily stunned. The cumulative effect of three fire damage instances, combined with the bleeding effect of Vampire Touch, was too much for the major-general's constitution to bear.
Shen Yi, rushing forward, smashed the gun butt onto the major-general's head, knocking him to the ground. Using the Mind-reading Technique, he assessed, "German SS Major-General Hans Mischke, Attack 15-25, Defense 7, Health 120/300, Skills 1??? 2???"
The major-general's willpower was evidently high, limiting the information Shen Yi could glean with his Level 2 Mind-reading Technique.
It was unexpected for this major-general to be akin to a mini-boss. Shen Yi almost lost the fight due to underestimating him.
However, now Shen Yi had his gun pointed at the major-general's head, his dagger at his throat, blood dripping from his mouth. He turned to the encircling SS troops with a smile.
With a bloody grin, he said, "If you shoot, I shoot too."