Battle (Part 2)

After obliterating 8 Tiger tanks, the remaining 2 hastily retreated beyond the range of the rocket launcher. The Germans were evidently terrified by the adversary's overwhelming counter-offensive and the sudden appearance of their advanced weaponry.

"The Germans are retreating! Prepare for a counter-attack on the bridge!" Keanu shouted out.

Scores of 2nd Paratrooper Battalion soldiers sprang from their cover, advancing towards the southern end of the bridge.

The tide of attack and defense turned. The adventurers also simultaneously raised their weapons, firing a torrent of bullets towards the opposition. Keanu's spirit gun intermittently spewed out flashes of flame. His shots weren't terribly fast, but they were incredibly accurate. The German soldiers on the bridge were forced to retreat. An enemy stronghold mid-bridge was taken down, and dozens of paratroopers from the 2nd battalion leaped over sandbags and seized their machine guns, turning their muzzles towards the Germans.

An adventurer roared as he charged into the German ranks and a sword appeared in his hands.

"Skill: Sword Energy Assault. Deals a fixed 50 damage in a straight line, the attack range of 15 meters."

A brilliant light erupted from the sword, shooting towards the German position, as dozens of soldiers cried out, toppling over.

Another adventurer leaped up, throwing multiple darts while airborne.

"Skill: Dart Attack - launch 12 darts simultaneously to attack enemies, each dealing 20 damage. Darts needed. They can't be retrieved."

Following them were more charging adventurers...

The sky-high combat strength the adventurers brought excessively exceeded Frost's expectations. Not only did they repel the German attack, they even managed a counterattack, reclaiming a German position. Spurred by this overwhelming success and the consequential adrenaline rush, Frost's morale and confidence raised, invigorating the entire 2nd Paratrooper Battalion.

A group of soldiers breached the middle of the bridge, initiating an attack towards the southern end. Just as 6 soldiers from Company A had only made a few strides, blood sprouted from their bodies, and they shakily collapsed.

An adventurer leading the charge was flanked by a continuous flash of white light, sending him into a sudden roll behind the bridge parapet, refusing to expose himself.

Counting lightly, in that flash of a moment, four bullets had found their mark.

A soldier was struck in the stomach by a bullet, lying immobile in a pool of his own blood, yet not succumbing to his injuries.

"Help me..." he pleaded.

Two paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion tried to assist their comrades but found themselves in the line of fire. Fortunately, their wounds were not severe, and they managed to retreat in time.

"There's a sniper! It's a trap! Don't go there!" someone cried out.

"Kitty!" Keanu howled.

"I know. On the opposite side of the bridge, the southern building on the fourth floor, the second window from the left, there's a sniper. At the very top of the clock tower across, another sniper. Northern administrative building, there are two on the roof. Across the battlefield, four snipers at 11 o'clock, Position A, D, G, and one by the heavy machine gun. That's all I've found for now," Kitty rotated the scrutinizing tube in her hands, presenting a vivid image of their enemies on the screen.

"8 snipers," Keanu muttered, and then pointed at 4 individuals, "You 4--2 each. Take them out."

These 4 adventurers all had sniper rifles in their possession. Hearing Keanu's instructions, they focused their sights in the direction Kitty indicated.

"One of them is hiding, not showing his head," one of them reported aloud.

"I'll draw their fire!" Keanu declared.

The injured soldier still hollered for help, chillingly echoing on the battlefield. But no soldier dared attempt a rescue under sniper threat. Dashing forward, Keanu rapidly rolled towards the injured comrade. Several bullets hit the ground near him; one struck Keanu, causing a glow from the bulletproof jade, its protective skill decreasing by one point.

Simultaneously, 4 adventurers, not far behind, fired their rifles and neutralized four snipers.

Reaching the wounded soldier, Keanu scooped him up and dashed back, activating the despicable healing skill. A warm current surged around the soldier's body through his wound.

Suddenly feeling rejuvenated, the bloodied soldier shouted in amazement, "Oh, it's a miracle!"

"Consider believing in the city, buddy!" Keanu shouted, leaping over a sandbag, and holding the soldier as he plummeted behind cover amidst a flash.

Bang, bang, bang; following another 4 shots, the remaining snipers across the battlefield were taken out by the adventurers.

No sooner had Keanu hit the ground than the injured soldier shrieked ecstatically, "God, oh, God, my wound, my wound is healed!"

A bullet had penetrated his lower abdomen, but the wound was miraculously gone.

"You'd better be grateful that bullet just grazed your coccyx, this is a through and through injury, otherwise you'd be dead," Keanu stated coldly, nodding at Wyatt, "It can restore damaged soft tissue."

"What does that mean?" Wyatt asked.

"He'd lost part of his intestine, I sewed it back together," Keanu chuckled.

"It's my appendix!" the soldier corrected indignantly, scrutinizing Keanu in disbelief, "How'd you do it?"

Frost, Ralph, and many other soldiers from the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion who had witnessed the incident rushed over.

"Oh, God, Mitchell, are you cured?" One soldier remarked.

"Geez, a minute ago you were playing dead on the ground. So, you weren't injured after all," someone quipped.

"Shut up! I was badly injured, even lost part of my intestine, but this guy miraculously healed me," Mitchell retorted angrily, pulling down his pants and pointing at the remaining scar, "Look here, the scar is still visible, and there's blood!"

Kitty turned her head away in disgust.

"It's the appendix," Keanu corrected, hinting that he had exposed far too much.

"Good heavens, how did you manage that? Why haven't I noticed this skill before?" Frost exclaimed.

Keanu rolled his eyes exasperatedly in response; had there really been a 'before' between them?

"They must be messengers of God," Ralph murmured to himself.

"I suppose he's a priest," another soldier suggested.

Infuriated, Mitchell retorted, "With these miraculous healing abilities, he should be the Pope!"

The 20 remaining adventurers, except for the one who had perished, and the continuously trembling chubby one, all opened fire. The outcome of their formidable firepower, strange props, and skills had all in the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion excited. Keanu's healing trick had given them a beacon of hope for survival.

As for the chubby himself, he hadn't fired a single bullet from the start of the skirmish, clutching his head in fear.

Everyone deliberately ignored the chubby.

The paratroopers huddled together, chattering nonstop until Keanu had to intervene, "Hey, don't you think we're a bit too clustered? This many people in one place - one bomb and we're all gone."

"Scatter, everyone, scatter!" Frost shouted, "Get back to your positions. The fight's not over yet. Don't forget your duties. We have to take the Arnhem Bridge!"

Reluctantly, the soldiers of the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion dispersed. The young soldier named Mitchell tossed Keanu a Camel cigarette - he had no clue how he'd managed to get this American brand - "Hey, I owe you my life."

As everyone dispersed, Frost braved the German artillery to salute Keanu and the others with a standard military salute, his chin pressed against the ground. The salute looked quite comical in such circumstances. "You all are excellent soldiers," he said. "Ralph and I apologize for our earlier inappropriate remarks."

"There's no need. We're all in this together," Keanu responded.

"How did you do it?" Ralph asked Keanu, obviously referring to the healing skill.

"It's a special ability."

"There are supernatural abilities in this world?" Frost asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Max," Keanu called.

Max chuckled lightly. With a casual gesture, Frost's sidearm was levitating in mid-air.

"Oh, my God!" The two battalion leaders exclaimed in unison once more.

In just a matter of minutes, these poor British paratroopers had invoked God countless times. Their nerves were severely jostled, enough to trigger a mental breakdown.

But it was Wyatt who clarified, "We're soldiers of the British Royal Special Forces. However, our concept of 'special forces' might differ from yours. Most of us who arrived here possess unique skills. This guy's special skill is healing."

Frost exclaimed, "That's incredible! Our medic just got killed, and we're running low on medicine and bandages. You being here is more valuable than 100 doctors!"

"Don't celebrate too soon," Keanu warned, "My skill has usage limits; I can heal 10 more people right now, and then 3 per hour. So, you'd better gather your gravely wounded soldiers right now. Prioritize those on the brink of death. Use bandages for minor injuries."

Frost turned around, shouting, "Mitchell, gather all the severely wounded now! It's a miracle!"

Meanwhile, Ralph was curious about Wyatt, "What about you? Do you also have a special skill?"

In response, Wyatt turned and punched the bridge railing. The impact sent a large chunk of the railing flying – something even a sledgehammer wouldn't have accomplished.

"Skill – Hard Impact Level 3: Inflicts 1.6 times the damage of a normal attack, with a 10% chance of doubling the attack effect. D-level skill. Using it consumes 3 SP with a cooldown time of 1 minute. Skill effect priority 17."

Typically, Attack-type adventurers excel at close-quarters combat, leveraging their high offense and defense to charge headlong into conflicts like human tanks. Standard bullets can inflict damage but nowhere near their full effect. If it weren't for larger threats like tanks and artillery, Attack-type adventurers could storm into German camps relying solely on their sturdy physical forms.

Wyatt chose to enhance his close-quarters combat, possessing two attacking skills - one of which required a two-handed weapon to utilize and was thus ineffective in a WWII setting.

Post-demonstration, Wyatt proudly stated, "Give me enough time, and I could take down the Arnhem Bridge."

"To hell with that - our mission is to capture and protect the bridge, not destroy it. You must have joined the wrong side," Ralph grumbled.

"Then the white light on you all…" Frost asked.

"Those are also special skills, but they can't be used without limit. If we get shot too frequently, we'll still die, plus it can't protect against artillery... You saw one of us already died," Keanu explained. The bulletproof aspect was hard to explain, so all was attributed to 'skills'.

"You..." Frost had more questions but was cut off by an impatient Keanu, "Hey, we're in the middle of a battle. Can you hold your questions until later?"

"Just one more, OK? I'll keep quiet after this one," Frost pleaded.

"Go ahead." Keanu knew exactly what he'd ask without needing to think.

"Where do your weapons disappear to? How do they materialize out of nowhere?"

Annoyed, Keanu retorted, "In our assholes."