Following Lin Xinghaiâs instructions, they slowed their advance.
As they drew closer, the enemy soon spotted them. One after another, off-road vehicles appeared, seemingly boxing them in from all sides.
Of course, Lin Xinghai had anticipated this. They werenât flustered in the slightest and continued to advance at a steady pace.
After advancing another kilometer, the enemyâs main force finally appeared on their radar detectors.
The intercepting force consisted of 20 Mecha and 500 armed personnel.
Overall, the enemy was stronger, but only by a limited margin. The Three Major Mercenary Corps also had a combined force of 500; they were just slightly outmatched in terms of Mecha.
But being down by four Mecha wasnât a huge deal in a battle of this scale.
Simply put, it was a winnable fight.
"I think we can take them," Song Yao was the first to speak. "Weâre at a slight disadvantage, but with Brother Lin here, we shouldnât have to worry about the Mecha combat."
"I agree," Qin Wenbo added. "And we donât have to fight them to the death. We just need to break through."
Lin Xinghai, however, frowned slightly as he listened. He felt that something was off.
âHe could reason it out. Since the enemy sent a team to trail them, how could they not know their strength? In that case, an intercepting force should be more than just slightly stronger than them. They should have at least fifty percent more troops for it to be logical.â
Lin Xinghaiâs lips twitched, but in the end, he didnât voice his objection. He couldnât believe that Song Yao and Qin Wenbo, who had reached the rank of Third Level Mercenary Corps Leader, wouldnât understand such a simple concept.
âThe fact that they werenât bringing it up was, in all likelihood, because of that precision equipment.â
âUnder these circumstances, even knowing the grave dangers ahead, they probably wouldnât be willing to give up until the very last moment.â
"Alright! Prepare for the breakout. If something seems wrong, we retreat immediately." Lin Xinghai finally stated his opinion.
Hearing this, both Song Yao and Qin Wenbo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. They had genuinely been afraid Lin Xinghai would just tell them to abandon the mission.
With the three of them in agreement, no one below them would object. Soon, the Three Major Mercenary Corps began to move as one. Under coordinated direction, the convoy constantly shifted positions, gradually forming an assault formation.
On the other side, the Morgan Conglomerateâs convoy also began to change its formation, arranging itself into an oval-shaped defensive line.
It was obvious that the enemy was well-trained; their armed personnel shifted into formation in a disciplined and orderly manner.
In contrast, the process was clumsy and halting for the Three Major Mercenary Corps, as this was their first time coordinating. They had to rely on communications to make adjustments before finally completing their formation.
At the head of the assault formation, taking on the role of the main spearhead, was Song Yao. Flanking him were Qin Wenbo and Fang Tianhe.
The three of them formed a triangular formation at the very front of the column. As long as they could punch through the enemyâs lines, the troops behind them could follow and break through in one concerted push.
As for Lin Xinghai, he was positioned in the middle of the formation. Not only was he heavily protected, but by Song Yaoâs arrangement, two Mecha were also assigned to guard him at close range.
Of course, they hadnât forgotten that besides his terrifying Speed, Lin Xinghai was also the one and only Gun God of Star Shield Shelter.
When he killed the Hunter, he had fully demonstrated his terrifying Gun Technique. Even from the cockpit of a Mecha, his Gun Technique was unparalleled.
How could they not make good use of such an asset under these circumstances?
According to Song Yaoâs plan, Lin Xinghaiâs official role was that of a Divine Sharpshooter. In reality, he was the teamâs true ace in the hole. If any unexpected situations arose, he would unleash his terrifying Speed to save the day.
"Iâm all set over here," Lin Xinghai said.
At this moment, of the two Mecha beside him, one was piloted by Roger. The other was the damaged Mecha from the Holy Light Mercenary Corps; Lin Xinghai still remembered the pilotâs name was Ah Mu.
Both of them shared a common trait: weak combat effectiveness.
Rogerâs case was self-explanatory. Having only broken two Genetic Locks, he could only bring out 50% of his Mechaâs combat potential. In a battle of this magnitude, that was completely inadequate.
As for Ah Mu, one of his Mechaâs arms had previously been completely severed. Although simple repairs allowed for normal movement, it couldnât perform high-intensity combat maneuvers, severely hampering his performance.
The reason they were assigned to Lin Xinghaiâs side was to reload his ammunition.
An Electromagnetic Railgun wasnât like an Automatic Rifle. The weapon was powerful, and its ammunition was large.
A full magazine only held 20 rounds. With Lin Xinghaiâs rate of fire, heâd empty it in an instant. Therefore, if Lin Xinghai wanted to unleash his full combat potential, he would definitely need someone dedicated to reloading for him.
And so, Roger and Ah Mu, currently at the bottom of the pack in terms of combat power, were assigned exclusively to Lin Xinghai.
"Sigh... I thought that once I got a Mecha, Iâd finally get to show what Iâm made of. I never expected Iâd still just be assisting you in battle," Roger lamented while inspecting the Electromagnetic Railgun in his hands.
"I thought youâd be used to it by now," Lin Xinghai replied with a chuckle. In truth, he had intentionally arranged for Roger to be in this position.
âAfter all, there was no telling how the upcoming battle would go. If Roger were to be surrounded or encounter an expert at the Blood Qi Realm, his current strength meant he could be killed in an instant.â
After that jab, Roger was left speechless.
Once everyone else had finished their preparations, the column began to accelerate, charging forward at full speed.
The distance between the two main forces closed rapidly: four kilometers, three, two, one.
As they closed to within one kilometer, both sides opened up with long-range attacks.
Some raised their Electromagnetic Railguns and began to fire. Hitting a Zombie from a thousand meters would be nearly impossible, but a Mecha was such a large target that a direct hit was feasible for anyone with good Gun Technique.
A Divine Sharpshooter like Tang Zhuofei could even maintain a perfect hit rate, but of course, they could only guarantee a hit on the target, not on any specific critical component.
Those with less-than-stellar Gun Technique, on the other hand, simply attacked with their Mechaâs mounted Micro Missiles.
For a moment, the roar of guns and cannons filled the air. The Mecha on both sides either dodged or blocked the incoming fire, all while rapidly closing the distance.
After all, Mecha were forged from special alloys; it was highly unlikely that they could be taken out by such long-range attacks alone.
And it wasnât just the Mecha attacking; the Mercenaries inside the Armored Vehicles had also begun to exchange fire.
Of course, they didnât expect their gunfire to cause any real damage to the enemy. It was merely to create a dense curtain of flak to intercept the enemyâs Micro Missiles.
Throughout this exchange, however, Lin Xinghai held his fire. He was waiting for the element of surprise.