Negative

All of the adventurers gathered around Keanu.

"What's going on now?" Max asked Keanu.

Keanu pointed at the emblem, "Look at this. How much time is left?"

Max looked down and replied, "9 days and 10 hours."

Keanu snapped his fingers, "It's 10 pm now. We landed yesterday at 8 pm and completed the mission at midnight. The optional mission started 8 hours early, so the official mission starting time was 8 this morning, am I correct?"

"So what?" everyone was confused.

"This means that the process of seizing the bridge is also calculated into the mission time. That is, our optional mission is not to hold the bridge for 10 days but to seize and defend the bridge simultaneously for a total of 10 days. As for how to distribute the time, that's not our concern. We need to have full control of the bridge after 10 days."

"This means we can choose to seize the bridge in one go today and then defend it for 10 days, or take a few days to take down the bridge. Am I making myself clear?"

The adventurers looked at each other, unsure of the meaning behind Keanu's words.

Even Max was puzzled, "What's the difference between taking the bridge now and taking it a few days later?"

"There's a huge difference!" Keanu replied soberly.

He looked at everyone, "The sooner we seize the bridge, the sooner we have to face the German reinforcements and counterattacks! I think you all know, that the more time we give the enemy, the greater the pressure we are under to hold the bridge."

As he finished speaking, a shell whistled sharply and exploded not far from their gathering point.

Everyone hit the deck. Wyatt belted out, pointing at the distant crater, "Look at that! Do you think we're under little pressure now?"

"Compared to a bombardment of ten shells per second, our current situation is child's play!" Keanu yelled, firing a spirit gun, and taking out a German soldier.

Keanu's intention was simple and clear.

Once the adventurers seized the Arnhem Bridge, the Germans would undoubtedly retaliate fiercely to recapture it. German reinforcements would keep coming, and planes, artillery, and tanks would bombard Arnhem incessantly—the longer it dragged on, the more German soldiers would counterattack the bridge, and the greater the difficulty.

This optional mission from Infinity City seemed simple on the surface, but it concealed a deadly trap. If adventurers recklessly attacked after arriving at the bridge, despite the high cost, and took it, they would then face an endless, brutal attack from the Germans for the entire 10 days.

Compared to that, their current situation was far better.

The Arnhem Bridge was under joint control by the British and Germans. As long as the Germans were not driven off the bridge for a day, there was no need for them to urgently call for reinforcements. The pressure on the adventurers wouldn't be so heavy.

So, this period was actually the most relaxed time for them.

When Keanu explained this situation, everyone finally understood his point. Everyone admired his detailed thinking.

In the face of the German fire, Max asked loudly, "So, you mean, we should delay taking the bridge to extend this 'safe period'?"

He emphasized the words "safe period," obviously, he didn't think the current situation was safe at all.

But Keanu nodded solemnly, affirming Max's question.

"Are you sure we can't withstand the German reinforcements?" Wyatt shouted over the frenzied German fire, which had him pinned and unable to raise his head.

Keanu spread out a map on the ground, "Look here, the Germans had heavily fortified the Arnhem area, deploying two entire SS Armored Divisions - Hitler's most elite unit equipped with Tiger tanks. Moreover, there's an airfield in that area, the exact number of aircraft is unclear, but I can assure you it's not a small number. Currently stationed at the Arnhem bridgehead is but a small part of the fortified forces. The other forces are either deployed to encircle and destroy the 1st Airborne Division or to defend other areas. The closest troops to Arnhem can get here in roughly 4 hours."

"The furthest, only 12. They haven't attacked us yet, probably because they don't see the need to spare additional troops against our small unit. But, if we seize the bridge, they'll go berserk...that is, the moment we have control, they'll get the news, and what awaits us are relentless waves of German counterattacks. With each wave stronger than the last, we might finally face an all-out attack from an entire armored division with hundreds of tanks! Our optional task is not to seize, but to defend!"

This statement left everyone shocked.

"No wonder there's a team reward for this mission... damn it, it's so dangerous, this is a hidden trap," muttered Wyatt.

"Right," Max nodded, "I knew it wouldn't be an easy mission."

The mission given by Infinity City was indeed a trap, a very flexible one at that. It took into consideration the adventurers' strength. If the adventurers were robust, they might take the bridge on the first day, facing a 10-day counterattack. If the adventurers were not strong enough, they might take a few days to capture the bridge, resulting in a somewhat reduced counterattack.

However, if one could discover this trap, they could skillfully control the time of taking the bridge, thereby reducing the difficulty. The city appears to be accepting of this. Perhaps in Infinity City's view, wisdom is also a part of strength.

"So when is the best time to start taking the bridge?" an adventurer asked.

"Of course, the later, the better. But the question is..." Keanu glanced at Captain Frost, who was full of confidence, and then said helplessly, "Will he accept it?"

Yeah, would Frost accept it?

According to the orders he received, not only should the Arnhem Bridge be seized, but it should also be done as early as possible. Because Montgomery was utterly confident, he firmly believed that his troops could swiftly pass through the heavily guarded German area and accomplish the feat of crossing the Rhine.

Whether Frost believed in Montgomery or not, as an exemplary officer, he could only unconditionally comply and carry out the commands of his superiors.

So, no matter what Keanu said, Frost would not agree to temporarily halt the attack on the bridge.

Moreover, Infinity City was subtly influencing everything in the background.

This was what made Keanu feel helpless; he could see the issue but was unable to solve it. Just as Infinity City could allow him to play tricks, it could not allow him to pass entirely by using them.

Everyone was now somewhat uneasy. Once they took the bridge tonight, they would surely face the German armor division's fierce counterattack over the next nine days. Would their ammunition supply last that long?

No matter how advanced their weapons, apart from Keanu, none of them had unlimited ammunition. Even if they had bulletproof gear, how many waves of enemy bullets could it block? Even if they had enhanced skills, how much effect could they have with bullets raining and artillery fire flying around?

Wyatt swallowed hard, "We have to try, don't we?"

He looked at Keanu with hopeful eyes. Keanu let out a sigh.

He went over to Frost.

Soon, a heated debate ensued between Keanu and Frost. Before long, Keanu returned with a grim face.

"He refuses to halt the capture of the bridge and doesn't believe the Allies won't arrive within 10 days. And damn it, I can't even tell him how many Germans are really in Arnhem. He still thinks the forces here don't exceed an infantry battalion."

"I figured as much," Max was not surprised at all.

"So what do we do now?" Kitty asked Keanu.

Keanu stared at the German fortifications on the south bank of the Rhine for a long time before finally saying, "Delay... delay as much as possible. From now on, don't use your weapons to attack the Germans anymore. Take off all your bulletproof gear and put on bulletproof vests. If you get hurt, I'll treat you. Try to save resources."

"How long can we delay?"

"Delay for as long as possible!" Keanu replied with conviction.

In the following time, the adventurer team fell into a collective "slump". They no longer displayed the bravery they had shown upon arrival on the first day. But perhaps it was due to their exceptional performance on the first day that scared the German soldiers, reducing their combat power, and hence the 2nd Airborne Battalion continued to maintain an advantage in the battle.

Each time they saw the British paratroopers advancing, the adventurers felt more distressed. They secretly wished they could pull the paratroopers' ears and shout, "Don't rush so fast, we still have to stay with you for 10 days!"

But this thought could only spin around in their minds. The British paratroopers kept steadily advancing, making progress every hour.

In theory, not immediately taking the bridge would mean the Germans wouldn't attack as fiercely. However, when you're actually on the battlefield, watching artillery shell fireworks, trailing fire, and the whole world seeming like hell, you'd feel like nothing could be worse than the current situation.

It was already commendable that the adventurers could restrain themselves under these conditions, let alone control the pace of the entire battle. All they could do was put in as little effort as possible to slow down the pace of victory.

Fortunately, the Germans' last desperate resistance was indeed not easy to overcome. After a night of fierce fighting, the 2nd Airborne Battalion's advance was finally halted.

Frost was naturally dissatisfied with this, but the adventurers one by one used the excuse of combat fatigue and having no energy to unleash their unique abilities, needing time to rest, leaving Frost helpless.

After successfully delaying for a night, the adventurers continued their work slowdown on the second day.

This time their work slowdown was even more absurd, they simply started pretending to be sick. Excuses were as numerous as stars in the sky, including stomach ache, headache, and the like, while Keanu shrugged and declared that this was the result of overuse of unique abilities, and his unique ability only cured wounds, not illnesses.

Frost could only stare helplessly at the adventurers' antics, and upon returning to the radio, once again called for air support. He didn't even want to mention the special operations team anymore.

However, no matter how much the adventurers delayed, the balance of combat victory had already started to tilt towards the British paratroopers and would not shift following people's will. Plus, while the adventurers could slack, Keanu couldn't — he couldn't watch the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers die, those who should be saved had to be saved. Emotionally, they were comrades; interest-based, they were both CP and a combat force, the more preserved, the better.

The reduction in combat casualties made the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers increasingly brave. Originally being elites, the combat power they exerted became even more formidable.

There was never a moment when the adventurers hated their allies' strength as much as now.

The battle lasted a day, and the German soldiers retreated like a tide. By noon on the third day, the 2nd Airborne Battalion had entirely controlled the bridge. However, when they were about to approach the bridgehead, what awaited them was a fort made of reinforced concrete, beside which sat an armored vehicle.

Such a fort was initially present on the north side of the bridge. Frost took it down with a human cost, but this time, facing another fort, he didn't want to do that again.

He crouched and ran over to Keanu, shouting, "My friend, do you see that fort? I need your weapon that can hit tanks. Help me blow it up!"

Keanu replied, "Sorry, I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have much ammunition left. I have to save some," Keanu answered.

"What does it matter? As long as we take down that fort, the bridge is ours! Then, all we need to do is clear the remnants on the other side and wait for the main force," Frost yelled. He couldn't understand why Keanu was so opposed to taking the bridge, to the extent that he'd even resort to covert actions.

Did he think Frost wouldn't notice?

"I'm afraid I don't agree," Keanu replied. Frost would never believe that Montgomery's ground forces had never reached Arnhem from the beginning. In other words, the 2nd Airborne Battalion would never get their main force.

Frost earnestly said to Keanu, "I know you still wish to delay the taking of the bridge, my friend, but as soldiers, it's our duty to carry out orders, and it's our honor to die in battle. We fear neither the strength of the enemy nor potential death. No matter what obstacles stand in our way, we will muster the courage to shatter it!"

"Do you know how many of my soldiers have died in the past 2 days? Over 40. They didn't have to die so many if you and your companions were willing to really take action. But they had no complaints because killing the enemy or being killed by the enemy is our duty."

Speaking, Frost pointed towards the distant fort, "Now, I can order my men to charge at that fort. I'm sure I can take it down, but many will die. You can't stop my assault, but you can make fewer of my soldiers die. I expect your decision."

Frost's speech was sincere, earnest, and firm.

Keanu stared blankly at Frost, and at that moment he could see this Major's unwavering resolve in his eyes.

He was a true soldier!

A soldier who cherished his comrades and was faithful to his duty.

Keanu couldn't possibly continue stalling like this.

After thinking for a moment, Keanu said, "My companions and I are already very tired; we've almost never rested since the battle started. We need to sleep."

"Take down that fort, and you can get what you want. After that, you can sleep however you want."

"I'm afraid by then we won't have time to sleep. Frost, give me one more day, and I promise to take down that fort for you tomorrow. This is my final condition!" Keanu firmly said, "Just one day!"

Frost looked deeply at Keanu and finally nodded, "Alright, I accept your condition. But tomorrow, you and your companions must help us take down that fort."

Having successfully bought a day, Keanu exhaled a long breath and ordered sternly, "Everyone cease-fire, sleep where you are!"

Although the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers didn't understand why they were commanded to stop their attack when victory was near, they followed the order.

Keanu also breathed a long sigh of relief. He didn't expect that his first order after acquiring the command authority of the 2nd Airborne Battalion would be letting everyone sleep.

Day four, early morning.

Keanu called over the adventurer with the teleportation boots and whispered a few words to him, then gestured to several paratroopers and pointed toward the fort ahead. The paratroopers and the adventurer quickly understood.

Moments later, several paratroopers crouched and moved from the front of the bridge to draw the attention of the German army. The fort spewed out flames, and the last remaining German armored vehicle also unleashed its ruthless roar. The bullet rain poured over the exposed soldiers, who reacted quickly, instantly lying down and rolling back to the defensive works. At the same time, the adventurer's teleportation boots skill was activated, instantly teleporting him above the fort. The handheld flamethrower in his hand rolled out a fire dragon towards the fort, and horrified screams of German soldiers came from within.

At the same time, he pulled out a grenade and stuffed it into the armored car next to him. With a bang, the armored car and the fort both went silent.

Several German soldiers with their hands behind their heads emerged from the fort, and the 2nd Airborne Battalion soldiers rushed forward, gunning them down in a hail of bullets.

The final stronghold, which should have cost at least several dozen lives, was easily taken over by them.

Keanu said to Frost, "Congratulations, Major, the bridge has been fully taken."

Yet, his face held no hint of triumph.