In response to Lin Xinghaiâs question, Fang Tianhe quickly answered, "The prototype will be delivered to the main base tonight, and the modifications will be finished by tomorrow morning."
"As for the modification plan, itâs just as you requested. The main focus is on enhancing the Superpower amplification function and the Mechaâs Speed."
"I contacted the Military Department, and weâll be using their specialized equipment for the upgrade. Once itâs done, the Superpower amplification effect should be about 15 times what it was."
Lin Xinghai nodded. âIf her Superpower is amplified 15 times, Liu Miaomiao will only need 1.5 seconds to drain the Life Force from a High Level Zombie.â
As for Mutated Zombies, although they hadnât tested it, a smaller one like a Hunter would likely only survive for a few seconds.
Liu Miaomiao, who had just climbed out of her Mecha, overheard their conversation, and her face lit up with joy.
âEven though she had a good natural talent, it wasnât easy to increase her combat effectiveness. Before, aside from helping heal others, she hadnât really done anything particularly outstanding.â
âEven with her Gun Technique practice, for which Lin Xinghai had pulled some strings, her skill was still only average within the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps. Her impact on the battlefield wasnât all that significant.â
âHowever, yesterday, when her Genetic Optimization Level reached 60% and she broke the second Genetic Lock, her talent finally translated into real combat strength.â
âNow that she could pilot a Mecha, her combat power was on par with the other Mercenary Corps leaders, and she could even rival Fang Tianhe.â
After realizing this, she had been practicing piloting the Mecha whenever she had a spare moment these past two days.
âLiu Miaomiao didnât ask for anything else. As long as she could be worthy of standing by Lin Xinghaiâs side and fighting with him in the next battle, she would be content.â
âShe hadnât even refused when Lin Xinghai offered to have a custom Mecha made for her. She wanted to become stronger, too.â
"Youâve pretty much mastered the basic piloting skills. You should probably change up your training now and focus specifically on dodging and parrying."
"After all, as long as your Superpower takes effect, you wonât be lacking for offensive power," Lin Xinghai said with a smile as Liu Miaomiao walked over.
"Okay!" Liu Miaomiao never objected to any of Lin Xinghaiâs suggestions.
After giving her the tip, Lin Xinghai turned his gaze back to Fang Tianhe. "By the way, Old Fang, when do you plan to break through to the Blood Qi Realm?"
"I was originally planning to spend a bit more time consolidating, but since things might get messy in the next couple of days, Iâll try for the breakthrough tonight!" Fang Tianhe said after a momentâs thought.
âBefore coming on the Guanghan City mission, his Genetic Optimization Level had already reached 99%. But he understood that when attempting a breakthrough, the greater his control over his own Power, the higher the chance of success.â
âAccording to his original plan, waiting another month to consolidate wouldnât have been too late.â
âAfter all, a failed breakthrough would cause irreversible trauma to his body, permanently lowering the success rate for any future attempts.â
âBut he also understood that given the current situation, he couldnât afford to wait any longer.â
âAlthough he was just one step away from the Blood Qi Realm, that single step represented a world of difference in strength.â
âIf he could wield Blood Qi Power, then combined with his Heaven-Splitting Superpower, the combat effectiveness he could unleash would likely jump by more than a whole tier.â
"Pressure can also be a driving force. Sometimes, what you need is that dauntless, forward-charging spirit," Lin Xinghai said.
Fang Tianhe was taken aback for a moment, then couldnât help but laugh.
âThatâs right! He wanted to wait until he was in peak condition, but if he kept waiting like this, that fiery drive in his heart would diminish, which wasnât necessarily a good thing.â
âBesides, he already had a High Level Breakthrough Potion to help him. Compared to others, he was in a much better position.â
The two of them didnât discuss the matter further. Instead, they called over Roger and the others to discuss which weapons they should purchase from the military to maximize the Mercenary Corpsâ combat effectiveness.
...
Half an hour later, the convoy returned to the main base.
Fang Tianhe handed off all his duties to Shen Han; he was going into seclusion to attempt his breakthrough.
Lin Xinghai had wanted to go and observe, but just then, Jin Canlan found him and invited him to a meeting.
This meeting, just like the one on Lin Xinghaiâs first day here, was a joint affair between the Mercenary Guild and the military. Lin Xinghai was the only person in the room without an official title.
Lin Zhengyang, the supreme commander, was the last to arrive. As soon as he entered, the meeting began without any delay.
"Iâll start with the topic of this meeting: responding to the Mutated Zombies and the potential emergencies they might cause."
"Iâll get straight to the point. Iâm sure youâve all become aware of some of the Mutated Zombiesâ abnormal movements these past few days. If you havenât, you can look at the files on your desks now."
"According to analysis from our Strategy Division, thereâs an over 85% probability that the Mutated Zombies will band together to launch a counterattack, and itâs highly likely to happen within the next three days."
"Therefore, we must establish some countermeasures right now," Lin Zhengyang said. As he spoke, a staff officer at his side quickly distributed a stack of files.
Lin Xinghai picked up the file and scanned it, nodding slightly.
The file outlined three countermeasures.
First: Eradicate all Zombies within the areas under our control and clear all obstacles from the main roads to ensure a swift evacuation is possible in case of an emergency.
Second: Expedite the process of opening a path to the Industrial Park, even if it means merging the ten parallel routes into a single one. The goal is to reach the Industrial Park by tomorrow to begin collecting various Alloys.
Third: Dispatch monitoring teams to keep a constant watch on the Mutated Zombiesâ movements. If anything unusual is detected, they are to report back immediately.
Lin Xinghai had no objections to these countermeasures. In truth, it was unlikely for anything proposed by the Strategy Division to have any major flaws.
"Does anyone have any objections to this plan?" Lin Zhengyang asked after waiting a minute for most of the attendees to finish reading.
The room was silent. No one disagreed.
"Since there are no objections, weâll begin implementing the plan shortly."
"The Mercenary Corps on duty tonight no longer need to clear new paths. Their mission is to sweep the controlled areas for Zombies. My requirement is this: go building by building, and leave no more than 10 Zombies in each one. Ensure that any remaining Zombies no longer pose any threat."
"Then tomorrow, we will gather all the Mercenary Corps to open up a single route, aiming to enter the Industrial Park before sunset."
"If all goes well, we can start gathering resources tomorrow night. According to the Strategy Divisionâs estimates, we can collect the majority of the resources needed to upgrade the Shelter in at most a day and a half."
"At that point, if something does go wrong, we can retreat immediately."
"From here on out, we are in a race against Time."
"Of course, we canât just charge ahead blindly; that would only lead us into danger. Thatâs why the formation of the monitoring teams is especially important. They will be our eyes and our greatest assurance for the remainder of our time here in Guanghan City."
"This squad will be established by drawing elite members from the Military Department, but we will also be inviting some of the more powerful Mercenaries to join." As Lin Zhengyang finished, his gaze fell upon Lin Xinghai.