Everyone present had witnessed Lin Xinghaiās Gun Technique. No one doubted he would play a crucial role in this battle.
Thatās why Fang Tianheās question cut right to the heart of the matter.
At that moment, all eyes turned to Lin Xinghai. Everyone understood that his answer would directly impact their plans moving forward.
After some serious thought, Lin Xinghai gave a conservative estimate. "I can probably take out 40 to 50 of them."
HISS!
Everyone couldnāt help but suck in a sharp breath.
The Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps only had 83 members in total. This meant Lin Xinghai was confident he could take out half their people in just five minutes?
āAnd if he had ten minutes, wouldnāt that mean...ā
The more they thought about it, the more they felt it was best not to dwell on it. It was the kind of thing that could make a person question their reality.
"Mercenaries arenāt Zombies," Fang Tianhe said seriously, looking at Lin Xinghai. "When things go south, theyāll hole up behind cover. You need to factor that in."
"Mm, I understand. Unless they refuse to attack at all, Iām confident I can kill anyone who so much as peeks out," Lin Xinghai said with conviction.
"Good!" A smile finally broke across Fang Tianheās face. "However, according to my plan, you only need to kill 30 people within five minutes. Donāt take unnecessary risks. If possible, you should prioritize your own safety."
"Er... Donāt worry," Lin Xinghai said with a smile. "Iāll be attacking from over 200 meters away. Iāll probably be safer than any of you."
"Holy crap! For real?" Xu Haishuiās eyes instantly went wide.
"Youāre confident you can hit enemies from over 200 meters away?" Roger couldnāt help but ask.
The others didnāt say a word, but the shock was written all over their faces.
Everyone knew what a terrifying range advantage this was. If he could also guarantee his accuracy, then it would be a complete turkey shoot. The enemy trying to fight back at that distance? It was a laughable prospect.
"My Gun Technique improved while I was hunting Zombies yesterday. I can now consistently hit High Level Zombies at 200 meters," Lin Xinghai said with conviction.
Even though everyone had mentally prepared themselves, the room fell silent for a moment.
Hitting a High Level Zombie from 200 meters away... With a Gun Technique like that, unless the members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps holed up and never came out, whoever peeked their head out would be as good as dead.
Of course, what Lin Xinghai didnāt say was that he could hit any target within 300 meters. After all, the area covered by his Perception Power was essentially his personal Domain.
Only someone with a Speed of over 100 points would have a chance of dodging his bullet, and that was only if Lin Xinghai made a mistake in his prediction.
However, the Tearing Rifleās effective range was 200 meters. Beyond that, its stopping power would drop sharply. Since Mercenaries all wore protective gear, it wasnāt a guarantee he could actually kill them at longer distances.
Once everyone present accepted the fact that Lin Xinghaiās Gun Technique was even more monstrously effective, the originally tense atmosphere of the discussion suddenly relaxed.
They all knew that from this moment on, the scales of victory had already tipped in their favor.
At the same time, Fang Tianhe finally understood why Lin Xinghai hadnāt chosen to pilot a Mecha.
Indeed, with Gun Technique of that caliber, a Mechaās killing efficiency couldnāt possibly compare to Lin Xinghai simply wielding a Tearing Rifle.
After all, Mecha were generally used for close-quarters combat. If he were to aim and fire using a Mecha, the feel and every other aspect of it would be completely different. It would be tantamount to forcing Lin Xinghai to give up his greatest advantage.
After that, Fang Tianhe was much more at ease as he laid out the various battle plans.
After all, Lin Xinghai had single-handedly flattened their biggest obstacle with his Gun Technique.
There were three operational plans in total, each for dealing with a different situation. Fang Tianhe spent a full half-hour meticulously explaining all three.
"Alright, if anyone has any questions, ask them now," Fang Tianhe said as he looked around at everyone.
Roger and the others shook their heads, indicating they had no issues. But after a moment of thought, Lin Xinghai spoke up. "During the battle, Iāll be operating alone, using highly mobile, hit-and-run tactics to eliminate the enemyās manpower. Under those circumstances, I think it will be difficult for me to command the fourth squad."
After recruiting new members over the past two days, the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corpsā total number of members had reached 45, enough to be split into four squads. Lin Xinghai had been appointed captain of the fourth squad.
The entire operation depended on the coordinated efforts of all four squads.
"Thatās an easy problem to solve. Iāll assign Xu Hao, the first squadās vice-captain, to your fourth squad to act as your vice-captain. When the battle starts, you can hand command over to him."
"Besides, in a few days, once you announce that youāve broken the second Genetic Lock, Iām promoting you to Vice-Commander. Xu Hao will be a perfect fit to take over as captain of the fourth squad at that point," said Fang Tianhe.
Lin Xinghai was slightly surprised to hear he would be promoted to Vice-Commander in just a few days.
However, after what happened with Gao Mountain and his men today, and after taking on a vassal mercenary corps, Lin Xinghai felt much more composed about it.
He simply nodded, indicating that he had no further issues.
"Since no one has any more questions, the operational plan is set. Iāve reassigned the new members among the four squads. Hereās the roster. You should all get familiar with your new squadmates and also do some work to prepare them mentally."
"Of course, just tell them the enemy is the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps. Donāt mention the Morgan Conglomerate for now, to avoid causing a panic. Shen Han, youāll be responsible for coordinating this," Fang Tianhe instructed, holding out a list.
"Got it," Shen Han said succinctly.
"Commander, what about you?" Xu Haishui asked, a little curious. After all, when it came to morale-boosting, it was always most effective for the commander to do it himself.
"Iām going to pay a visit to the Great Elder and the militaryās top brass. This business involves the Morgan Conglomerate, so it would be unreasonable for them not to provide us with some assistance. Iām definitely going to request a few of those lovely man-portable missiles," Fang Tianhe said with a smile.
Hearing this, everyoneās spirits lifted. Xu Haishui immediately laid on the flattery, "The commander is amazing! In that case, our victory is guaranteed."
"Letās not get ahead of ourselves. We still donāt know what weapons theyāre packing. Besides, a man-portable missile isnāt necessarily a guaranteed one-shot kill." After saying his piece, Fang Tianhe left without another word.
Watching Fang Tianheās retreating figure, Lin Xinghai thought for a moment before saying, "We canāt rely entirely on the commander. We should also make whatever preparations we can."
"What do you have in mind?" Roger asked.
"Letās gather the members in the Mercenary Corps who are skilled with their Gun Technique and head to the Mercenary Guildās shooting range. I can give them some pointers," Lin Xinghai said.