Invincible through Touching Corpses

Chapter 274 - 273: Intelligence

The Surveillance Team was actually quite powerful. If they really wanted to deal with these Mutated Zombies, they could attempt a decapitation strike, even if the targets were gathered in small groups. The only condition was the absence of any threats like Death Claws or Blood Worms, which were extremely dangerous to him.

If the other members of the Surveillance Team could just distract the other Mutated Zombies, he could easily defeat them one by one.

However, with such a large horde of Mutated Zombies clustered within a one-kilometer radius, he really didn’t dare take that risk.

The distance was too short. If they were held up for even a moment, the other Mutated Zombies would be able to reach them.

At that point, he estimated that everyone else, besides himself, would have a hard time escaping.

After abandoning the idea of a decapitation strike, the team scouted the surrounding area. Under Zhuo Yongyuan’s leadership, the Surveillance Team quickly made its way to a nearby skyscraper.

Activating their jet boosters, 11 Mechas soared through the air, quickly landing atop the skyscraper that was over a hundred stories tall.

"This will be our temporary base. First, I’m going to transmit all the intelligence we just gathered."

"Next, we’ll probably need to work in shifts. We’ll split into two squads and scout the surrounding area every two hours," Zhuo Yongyuan said as he retrieved a long-range communication module from the back of his Mecha and installed it on the skyscraper’s roof.

Lin Xinghai had no objections to this proposal.

"In that case, Lin Xinghai, would you be willing to be the captain of the second squad?" Zhuo Yongyuan asked directly when Lin Xinghai remained silent.

"No problem!" Lin Xinghai’s reply was decisive. ’Leading my own team is better than being commanded by someone else, anyway.’

After that, the Surveillance Team began methodically carrying out the plan.

Lin Xinghai also led his squad out every two hours to check the activity in the surrounding area.

’It had to be said, while having all those Mutated Zombies gathered in one small area prevented him from launching a surprise attack, it did have its advantages—namely, it made them easier to monitor.’

All they had to do was pass by in their Mechas and scan the numbers with the Zombie Detector.

There were no weaklings in the Surveillance Team, so leading them on these surveillance missions was quite easy for Lin Xinghai.

But beneath the ease of their task, everyone felt an oppressive sense of an approaching storm.

With every patrol, they found that the number of Zombies converging on the nearby Industrial Park had increased.

...

The night passed. Early the next morning, Lin Xinghai led his team out again.

His first destination was the Industrial Park. After a thorough inspection, he discovered that the number of Zombies had increased by nearly twenty percent compared to when they first arrived last night.

And that wasn’t even counting the areas outside the Industrial Park, which was where the main Zombie horde was located.

"This situation is pretty bad! There are so many Zombies in the Industrial Park. Even if we clear a path today, it will be hard to clear out all these Zombies inside the park and start gathering supplies in such a short amount of time," Zhuo Yongyuan said, his brow furrowed as he looked at a chart showing the growth in Zombie numbers.

"We don’t necessarily have to clear out all the Zombies in the Industrial Park at once. We can just clear them out as we go, wherever we’re gathering supplies. What I’m actually worried about are the developments to come," Lin Xinghai said.

"What do you mean?" Zhuo Yongyuan’s brow furrowed.

"Those Mutated Zombies aren’t just going to stand by and watch. Of course, in the current situation, as long as the Military Department is willing to make a move, they can still be dealt with. It all depends on what happens next. There’s nothing we can do right now," Lin Xinghai said with a shrug.

Honestly, what they could do right now was quite limited. All they could do was monitor the situation here and relay intelligence back to base.

As for what specific actions to take, the people in the Strategy Department would be the ones to figure that out.

Zhuo Yongyuan sighed. Although Lin Xinghai’s words stung, he had to admit they were true. Their squad might be composed of powerful individuals, but in the face of a situation like this, they were truly willing but powerless.

「Time continued to pass.」

After a full night of clearing operations, not even one in a hundred Zombies remained in the previously secured safe zone; they no longer posed any threat.

Under these circumstances, the Star Shield Shelter could now go all out to forge a path and push into the Industrial Park.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the Mercenary Corps taking action today; the military had finally mobilized as well.

One military squad after another now joined the clearing operations.

The military’s forces were stronger, their coordination was better, and their equipment was superior. For a squad of the same size, the military’s combat effectiveness was at least three to five times greater than that of the Mercenary Corps.

With the military’s involvement, Lin Xinghai estimated their Speed could increase significantly. They had originally expected to break through to the Industrial Park by evening, but now it might be as early as two or three in the afternoon.

"Let’s go! Time for patrol," Lin Xinghai said to the members of his squad.

Five Mechas quickly departed from the skyscraper.

Half an hour later, when Lin Xinghai returned with his team, Zhuo Yongyuan immediately went to meet him. "How’s the situation?" he asked.

"Same as before. The number of Zombies has increased significantly again," Lin Xinghai said.

"The military just sent over an order," Zhuo Yongyuan said. "They want us to get a total count of the Zombies in the surrounding region and report back."

Lin Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "Does the military have a plan?"

"Not for now," Zhuo Yongyuan said after a brief hesitation. "Actually, your Mercenary Guild has performed exceptionally well, far exceeding the military’s expectations."

"So, the Strategy Department previously made an overall assessment of our combined strength. Together, the military and the Mercenary Guild should be able to withstand a Zombie horde of 500,000."

"The fact that the higher-ups have given this order now probably means they’re trying to estimate the scale of this impending horde, which will determine whether we retreat or fight to the death."

This time, Lin Xinghai was genuinely surprised. The Mercenary Guild and the military combined only had 35,000 people.

Of those, only 5,000 were from the military.

And yet, the Strategy Department had produced data suggesting they could hold off a horde of 500,000. That meant in the eyes of those strategists, their 30,000-plus Mercenaries were expected to hold off a Zombie horde of at least 300,000.

"Aren’t they overestimating us a bit?" Lin Xinghai said, stroking his chin. "A small second or third-tier city only has about 300,000 to 500,000 Zombies. Does this mean the Mercenary Guild could wipe out an entire city if we all mobilized?"

"Uh... I don’t think they’ve overestimated you, but you can’t really calculate it that way."

"After all, fighting a defensive battle and fighting an offensive siege are two completely different concepts. What’s more, once a major battle starts, the Strategy Department will provide centralized management and coordination, which will definitely multiply our combat effectiveness," Zhuo Yongyuan explained.

"That’s true," Lin Xinghai nodded. "Let’s not talk about that for now. We should get out there and scout first, so we have a better idea of what we’re up against."

"You’re going too?" Zhuo Yongyuan asked.

"We’ll split into two groups. The sooner we finish the mission and assess the situation, the sooner the Strategy Department can start making preparations," Lin Xinghai said.

Zhuo Yongyuan nodded, and without another word, he led his team out.

Lin Xinghai also departed quickly.

In fact, it wasn’t just them. All the Mercenaries of the Mercenary Guild and the soldiers of the military were racing against Time.