Organization

After the German soldiers in the small town were eradicated, the adventurers finally fully assembled. Among those who descended from the two planes choosing not to carry out their mission south, only 22 remained.

Much to Keanu's surprise, Wyatt was among those present in the mission. Remarkably, Max and the chubby had also survived.

Wyatt, who had rushed over to meet them, landed a friendly punch on Keanu and laughed heartily. "Ha! I knew you'd be heading north if you were on this mission," he exclaimed.

"You know me that well?" Keanu replied, grinning.

"Of course." Wyatt said, unabashed.

He had been lured by the light of the rocket launcher, never suspecting that Keanu would be the one wielding it.

"Weren't you the one who said that you only participate in a mission every thirty days? How come we ended up on the same cycle?" Keanu queried, genuinely surprised by the coincidence.

Wyatt shook his head, "Thirty days is the maximum limit. If you wish, you can certainly enter a mission earlier. I calculated your timeline and knew you'd be participating in today's task, so I volunteered to join this mission ahead of schedule. This way, I am synced up with you."

It turned out Wyatt, seeing potential, decided to advance his mission intake to synchronize with Keanu.

It seemed Max also recognized Wyatt. He chuckled, "Wyatt, so you're familiarized too?"

"Lost to this guy during a raid last month. Man, let me tell you, that incident set me straight," Wyatt admitted good-naturedly. "Seriously? Sound like a repentant thief." Max chuckled, "I saw you in the air - firing at the plane wreckage without deploying your parachute. That was cool! I'm starting to believe you took down Dracula on your own."

Many of the adventurers chimed in, "Yeah, we saw that too. Shooting at the plane debris mid-air without a parachute - that's guts."

His mid-air theatrics had been observed by quite a few. Not a huge surprise considering he was the last one to jump, soaring past everyone else sans parachute as people clung to their own. They saw him, back facing the earth, firing wildly at the plane debris above. Such a spectacular act was so unorthodox that it made a deep impression. Little did they know - if it hadn't been for that, he might have been a squashed bug on the landing.

Looking slightly startled, Kitty glanced back at Keanu, "So you were that airborne daredevil? I was wondering who was brave enough to shoot at their parachute."

"Only if you needed one, I would shoot at your parachute too," Keanu replied with a grin.

Kitty rolled her eyes at him, returning to her lookout duties.

Among the entire team of adventurers, she was the lone one with a night vision infrared telescope - the scout's responsibility was an assignment she took seriously.

"There's a road leading straight to the Arnhem Bridge, but there are 4 artillery pieces, 6 Tiger tanks, and about 300 German soldiers guarding it. There are at least 10 powerful fire points. Also, some German soldiers are scattered in the bushes, behind hillocks, and in shelters. There are at least 12 snipers occupying advantageous terrain." Kitty was observing and reporting simultaneously.

Turning to the others, she said, "We're 350 meters away from the Arnhem Bridge. The forces I just reported are only a part of what I've observed so far. The estimated count of German soldiers lining the north of Arnhem Town is not less than 800."

Wyatt cursed, "22 of us gotta break through 800 soldiers, 4 cannons, and 6 tanks? Damn it! the city sure knows how to set a mission. Is this a death sentence they've assigned us?"

"I need a map. I want to look at the terrain around Arnhem. Perhaps we can find a byway to avoid the main road, we shouldn't have to risk an all-out attack. It's just the initial difficulty level of the mission, so it shouldn't be this ludicrous." Keanu contemplated.

Given his reputation as the airborne daredevil and the killer of the former adventurer, nobody dared to refuse him at this moment.

"I have one." In a trembling voice, the chubby raised his hand.

"Stop raising your hand. This isn't a classroom. Just give me the map," Keanu snapped.

The chubby adventurer handed over the map. Upon looking at it, Keanu was irate, "This is a world map. An outdated one at that. I need a map of Arnhem with every street outlined. Ideally, it could even direct us to every bathroom."

Kitty promptly handed her map to Keanu. It was precisely the map of Arnhem that he wanted.

Keanu smiled, "Once again, the lady comes through."

Wyatt, Max, and a few others gathered around the map, cross-referencing their surroundings.

"Kitty, Can you pinpoint our current location using what you observed?"

Kitty nodded and pointed at a small dot on the map, "Currently, we're at the southwestern border of the northernmost point of Arnhem Town."

With the map in hand, Keanu suggested, "There's a stream running northeast. Passing that, there's a small grove. Crossing the grove would bring us directly to Arnhem Bridge. Ravenous, we'd have to detour around and walk an extra 2km. I'm certain, however, that the German defense in that area will be significantly weaker than on the main road."

Wyatt and Max exchanged glances and simultaneously consented, "Sounds worth considering."

"We should assign roles and strategize before launching an attack," Kitty proposed, "Without proper coordination, a mission like this would be suicidal."

Wyatt nodded vigorously, "Absolutely. Let's start by introducing ourselves. How many here have body armor, sniper rifles, or heavy firepower? Unlimited ammunition? What are each of your skills?"

Max was the first to respond, "I'm armed with a heavy machine gun. It's not unlimited ammo, and I don't have any armor besides the Kevlar bulletproof vest and the standard American infantry helmet. My discipline is telekinesis. I can control specific targets using my mind, but I'm at low energy at the moment. I struggle to control larger objects."

Everyone was taken aback to hear that Max had already unlocked his disciplines since many were even unclear about what disciplines were.

However, skills have always been each adventurer's ace up their sleeve. Friends today could turn foes tomorrow when the mission scene changes. Thus, even now, while explaining their skills, everyone held something back. No one dared to probe further.

"My skill enhances hearing. I can pick up anomalies in the wind, identify the enemy, and record their voice information. My other skill is weapon proficiency, which is dependent on the weapon I have at hand. You're already aware of my equipment." Kitty was the one speaking.

While the passive skill's effects were perhaps not as impactful as combat skills, the benefit was that they did not occupy the combat skill slot. Keanu smiled and said, "You're suited for the scout role." Kitty's passive skill was another gift from her tutorial mission.

Judging by her gains, her mission completion rate wasn't low. "I can create SP power armor..." the chubby adventurer spoke softly, "I'm at level 3 now where I can fabricate armor with 150 HP and 3 defense. It lasts for 1 hour without taking any hits, but it uses up 5 SP each time I make it. Daily, I can only fabricate 10 pieces." Keanu gave him a light pat on his shoulder and chuckled, "That's not bad at all. We are relying on you for protection. See, everyone has their use." Another person chirped in, "My skill is Sword Wave... It generates a straight-line attack resulting in a fixed 50 damage over a distance of 15 meters... My equipment..." "Skill: Lunge…" "Skill..."Each adventurer went around sharing their equipment and skills.

Surprisingly, the skills of nearly a third of the adventurers weren't fit for this World War II scenario they were landed into. What's interesting to note is that while most adventurers only revealed one skill, Keanu felt that more than a third of them had more than two skills. Getting everyone to fully disclose was a pipe dream.

"Skill: Thunderstorm Fury. Creates a thunderstorm in a 9 by 9 square meters area, raining down nine lightning strikes each with a damage force of 30, lasting for 10 seconds." Suddenly, a voice piped up with an undertone of pride. No one expected that among a group of adventurers, there would be someone with such a powerful area-of-effect spell. All adventurers were revived by his revelation.

However, Keanu was the one to ask nonchalantly, "How much SP does it consume?" The adventurer hesitated before reluctantly answering, "25" Everyone sighed. In other words, this adventurer could only cast this spell once in a while, provided his SP did not fall below 50. Keanu then added, "You've seen my skill so I won't go into that. My weapon is a spirit gun with an unlimited bullet modifier. I also have an anti-tank rocket launcher with 70 rockets – now 67 left."

Everyone was envious of his equipment. An unlimited bullet spirit gun provided a relentless barrage of firepower, while the anti-tank rockets, lethal against Tiger Tanks, made Keanu the tri-persona of a medic, an assault rifleman, and an anti-tank gunner in one; all incredibly vital roles. Max grinned, "Bro, I know your healing spell needs SP. But since we're going to run this mission together, how about you stop charging for the healing?" Keanu replied with a smile, "No problem, but then I won't be able to lead the charge. I do have body armor, but it can only withstand 40 bullets. There are only 36 left now. I need to reserve them for emergencies." "Settled!" Max shouted, "Anyone with body armor step forward! Don't play coy; we all saw each other during the fight. Those who won't share can leave the team now! When we need an assault, those with body armor will be in front. The heavy firepower follows and the snipers take the rear. Any objections?"

The adventurers looked at each other before nodding in agreement. Wyatt was the first to step forward, "My skill is close combat, which is useless in this damned place. However, I do have body armor that can withstand 30 bullets. I'm willing to lead the charge and take 5 hits before stepping back to let the next person take charge. We can rotate the leading role." Kitty held up her thermal imaging scope and said, "I'll be in charge of scouting.

I can spot most enemies even if they are hiding behind cover. If Keanu and I coordinate, I can direct him where to shoot." Max nodded, "Keanu, any objections?" Keanu shrugged, "I like working with beautiful women." Wyatt added, "Let's go through each of our skills again to see how we can use them effectively. No more rushing like before. Beau was a damned fool. His death was a waste."

Clearly, Wyatt meant the Rambo-like adventurer. Several had skills that were irrelevant in modern warfare, and they relied on their weapons instead. One adventurer grumbled, "Last assignment had us battling monsters all over. I was prepared for that this time, but here I am in the middle of World War II, damn my luck."

"Just be content," another guy chuckled, "At least we're back on Earth. It's better than being on another planet." "Bullshit," scowled the first adventurer, "This is time travel, not a homecoming. It's bloody 1944." "Enough with the prattle; if you're useless, stand aside," Wyatt interjected with a glare. The adventurer bristled at his command, however, thinking better of it, he slowly moved aside.

Unbeknownst to all, a coherent leadership team formed around Wyatt, Max, Keanu, and Kitty. It's the way war has always worked. People would quickly, either willingly or unwillingly, select a leader. Whoever proved capable would claim the position.

It was clear that Wyatt had pegged Keanu as a promising pick. Despite being new, Keanu was more proficient than most adventurers there. As for Max, he appeared crude but was surprisingly delicate. His status as the sole adventurer with active Innate Skills made it clear his strengths were not to be underestimated.

Regarding Kitty, her vast experience and preparedness were invaluable. They saw her as the irreplaceable scout of the team. In a matter of minutes, the foursome had decided to unite this adventurous team as the driving force to accomplish the mission.

True leadership within the group and their ability to survive until the end would be determined by future battles.