Invincible through Touching Corpses

Chapter 310: Probed

As the squads pushed deeper, the size of the zombie hordes they encountered continued to grow.

This time, they faced the largest horde yet, numbering over 20,000.

Of course, 20,000 zombies didn’t pose much of a threat to them.

So, when the various Mercenary Corps received Lin Xinghai’s order to slow their kill rate, they didn’t hesitate.

In situations that would normally call for bombardment with Hand Cannons, they switched to using Tearing Rifles for precise shots.

This conserved Points and, as intended, slowed down the rate at which they were killing zombies.

Of course, there was a limit to how much they could slow down. They couldn’t just let the zombies mass in greater numbers, so when the Mercenaries did open fire, they showed no mercy.

After fifteen minutes of intense fighting, the horde’s numbers had dropped to below 10,000.

With fewer zombies in the surrounding area, the rate at which new ones converged also slowed. At this pace, the entire horde would be wiped out in ten minutes at most.

To Lin Xinghai’s frustration, however, the Hunter five kilometers away seemed content to just watch the show. It had been observing for a full fifteen minutes without making a move.

Just as Lin Xinghai was starting to think it was another bust, an observer suddenly shouted, "Sir! We’ve spotted another Hunter! Wait... it’s two Hunters! They’re both closing in fast!"

A flash of delight crossed Lin Xinghai’s face. "How far out are they?"

The observer replied, "Eight kilometers... now just seven."

"Excellent! Keep a close eye on them." Lin Xinghai rubbed his hands together in anticipation. ’Killing three Hunters would be a pretty good haul.’

But, as is often the case, things rarely go according to plan.

A moment later, the observer reported in a low voice, "Sir, the three Hunters have rendezvoused, but they aren’t advancing any further."

"What?!" Lin Xinghai’s brow furrowed. He strode over to the optical surveillance equipment. The operator, quick on the uptake, brought up the projection without even being asked.

Lin Xinghai could see that the three Hunters indeed had no intention of approaching. They just seemed to be watching, as if it were a show.

The sight was infuriating to Lin Xinghai.

But soon, he saw on the projection that the three Hunters were moving again. Though they weren’t getting any closer, they had all begun to roar.

He couldn’t hear them, but he could tell from the shape of their mouths that they were roaring continuously.

"Adjust the camera. I want a look at the zombies around them," Lin Xinghai ordered quickly.

Everyone else watching had a bad feeling about this.

And soon, that feeling became reality.

With the three Hunters at the center, the surrounding zombie hordes were rapidly converging. They were gathering at a speed far beyond what zombies could manage on their own.

"This is bad. They’re going to launch a horde. Should we pull back?" Zhang Yue asked, looking at Lin Xinghai with a grave expression.

It would take time for the enemy to gather a horde, and even more time for that horde to reach their position. They had plenty of time to withdraw. If they were quick about it, they could even finish clearing the battlefield.

Lin Xinghai’s brow was furrowed at first, but then a cold smile crept onto his face. ’It seems I’ve underestimated these Mutated Zombies. I wanted to make an example of them, but it looks like they’re the ones testing our strength now.’

Zhang Yue’s heart tightened. "You mean...?"

"The Mutated Zombies are clearly too afraid to attack us directly. That’s why they’re launching a horde—to probe our strength."

"If we retreat now, if we show the slightest bit of fear or weakness, I guarantee that by tonight, the forward base we’ve established will be facing a horde of its own—and one numbering in the millions, at least," Lin Xinghai said.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Zhang Yue swallowed hard before slowly nodding. "I understand. I’ll go arrange for defensive fortifications to be built immediately."

Lin Xinghai nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, "Remember to leave us an escape route."

"Right!" Zhang Yue nodded and hurried away.

As the orders were relayed, a sense of tension spread through the Mercenary Corps at the clearing point.

Three Mutated Zombies were about to unleash a horde and attack their position. The situation could be either a minor skirmish or a full-blown disaster.

Ultimately, the outcome would depend on just how large a horde those three Hunters could summon.

But that was out of their control. The only thing they could do was use the time they had to prepare.

Fortunately, they had come fully prepared for this zombie-clearing operation.

The Mercenaries felt particularly reassured when they recalled the terrifying bombardment capabilities of the artillery squad.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The firepower at the clearing point surged. Within just five minutes, the remaining 10,000-plus zombies were completely annihilated.

Then, with no time to clear the battlefield, the Mercenary Corps immediately began constructing defensive fortifications.

The entrances to the shopping mall, in particular, could no longer be held just by Combat Robots; they had to be completely sealed.

Furthermore, they couldn’t afford to be pinned down here from the start. They needed room to maneuver. Following the strategy used at the previous outpost, they began constructing a new line of defense every 100 meters out from their central position.

They built three defensive lines in total. Only after all three were breached would they fall back to this position for a final stand.

Everything was proceeding at a frantic pace. But with ample manpower and the help of the Combat Robots, three trenches were dug in no time.

Connecting tunnels were dug between the trenches, allowing frontline troops to fall back at any moment.

They also planted a significant amount of explosives within the trenches.

Of course, the explosives weren’t meant to kill zombies directly. Rather, if they were truly being overrun, detonating the charges under all three trenches simultaneously would create a massive explosion, briefly halting the horde’s advance.

At that point, the artillery squad would coordinate to blast open a path, making it easier to break through the horde’s encirclement.

They had also already contacted the forward base; if they needed to break out, the base would dispatch a relief force immediately.

Lin Xinghai made sure all these arrangements were made public, so every Mercenary Corps knew the plan.

For the Mercenary Corps, every single one of these plans was a shot in the arm.

With their fears allayed, the Mercenaries’ fighting spirit was rekindled.

And all the while, as they bustled with preparations, the zombie horde continued to approach, growing larger and stronger.

Twenty minutes after they began fortifying their position, the vanguard of the horde arrived.

The vanguard consisted of only 20,000 zombies, and the main force arriving behind it was less than 40,000 strong. Moreover, there were none of the more troublesome types, like berserker zombies or Blood-colored Beetles.

This horde seemed easy enough to handle, but neither Lin Xinghai nor Zhang Yue relaxed in the slightest.

Because they all knew this was just the beginning. As long as those three Hunters were still out there, they could continuously summon more zombies to join the horde.

There was no telling just how large it would ultimately become.