After hearing Lin Xinghai’s explanation, everyone gradually grew excited.

It was true. Just as Lin Xinghai said, since they could attack with Hand Cannons, the denser the Zombie horde, the greater their gains would be.

And during a zombie horde, the density of Zombies was undoubtedly at its peak.

If they could truly withstand the horde’s assault, their profits would naturally be maximized.

The Mercenary Corps Leaders began to feel a faint sense of anticipation at the thought. Spurred on by Lin Xinghai’s words, the entire team’s morale instantly soared.

Since they were rushing to provide support, the team advanced at an incredible pace, practically flooring it as they charged ahead.

Under these conditions, they soon encountered their first wave of Zombies—a horde of 300.

Previously, whenever they encountered a horde, they would slow down, maintain formation, and make full use of their crossfire to annihilate the Zombies.

This time, however, the convoy showed no signs of slowing down and simply charged straight ahead.

The two sides rapidly closed the distance. As soon as they were in range, the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps at the head of the formation opened fire without hesitation.

However, the volume of fire from the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps seemed lower than usual; it looked like fewer than 20 people were shooting.

Just as the other Mercenary Corps Leaders were feeling puzzled, a sudden series of booming explosions rang out.

Only then did everyone realize that the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps was also using Hand Cannons.

In all their previous battles, both the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps and the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps had exclusively used Tearing Rifles.

The reason for this, of course, was to conserve Points.

A single Hand Cannon Bullet cost a full twenty times more than a Tearing Rifle bullet.

Even if a lucky Hand Cannon shot could take out five Zombies at once, the same number of Points could buy 20 rifle bullets. Since that was enough to kill 20 Zombies, it was a four-fold difference in efficiency.

Of course, it wasn’t that the other Mercenary Corps didn’t want to follow suit; their Gun Technique simply wasn’t good enough, so they could only watch in envy.

Now that the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps was finally incorporating Hand Cannons into their combat tactics, their true fighting prowess was on full display.

Following a series of explosions, the horde charging head-on began to fall at an even faster rate.

Using Hand Cannons effectively was highly dependent on skill. Whether a bullet landed in a dense pack of Zombies or not made a world of difference to the outcome.

With the skill of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps’ shooters, they could bring the full power of the Hand Cannons to bear.

Every shot was swift and accurate, their firepower blanketing nearly eighty percent of the horde. The few remaining Zombies were scattered and fell upon the Mercenary Corps further back, but they posed almost no threat and were quickly cut down in a hail of gunfire.

The entire engagement was over in just over a minute. This sudden display of power from the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps left the other Mercenary Corps utterly dumbfounded.

After the battle, Lin Xinghai didn’t even have the team stop to collect Elemental Crystals, instead pressing onward without a moment’s delay.

Traveling at such a breakneck pace, they neared Outpost 32 in just over eight minutes.

The convoy finally ground to a halt. It wasn’t because they had reached their destination, but because they had encountered the zombie horde.

Outpost 32 was now completely besieged by the horde. However, by standing on the roof of his vehicle, Lin Xinghai could still see the office building housing the outpost over the teeming mass of Zombies.

The sky above it was lit with explosions. The dense roar of gunfire and artillery showcased the outpost’s formidable firepower. Though few in number, the defenders’ output was at least comparable to that of a 500-man battalion.

Against a regular horde, such firepower would have torn them to shreds long ago. But faced with a tide of Zombies that stretched as far as the eye could see, it seemed inadequate.

Even with corpses piled high outside the office building, more Zombies simply clambered over them to press the attack, bringing the horde ever closer to the building. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Clearly, if this continued, all it would take was for a few High Level Zombies to break into the outpost, and its fall would be imminent.

"The situation looks grim," Lin Xinghai immediately issued a series of commands. "Proceed with the original plan. Have the convoy switch to a double-ring Defense Array. We’ll move in to draw some of the Zombies’ fire. Also, activate the signal booster and contact Outpost 32. Get a status report."

At his command, the entire convoy sprang into action. Over twenty Armored Vehicles quickly formed a circular Defense Array.

But unlike a standard circular Defense Array, they had enough Armored Vehicles to form both an inner and an outer ring.

This way, if the outer ring buckled under the horde’s pressure and a gap appeared, the Armored Vehicles of the inner ring could quickly move to plug it.

While the convoy was shifting into formation, all the Mechas were activated and positioned throughout the array, ready to respond to any emergencies.

The only unit in the entire convoy that hadn’t been deployed was perhaps Lin Xinghai’s Speed Mecha.

However, Lin Xinghai had put his Mecha on standby to deal with any sudden developments. He himself remained on the roof of the Armored Vehicle, having activated its firing platform.

When it came to dealing with ordinary Zombies, the Mecha’s killing efficiency couldn’t compare to his own with a Tearing Rifle.

"You should get to the inner ring. Stay safe," Lin Xinghai said, turning to Liu Miaomiao beside him. "There will definitely be casualties in the coming battle. If we have anyone seriously wounded, we’ll probably need your Superpower."

"Okay! You be careful too," Liu Miaomiao replied, her expression full of worry.

’This is only my second mission, and now I have to face a zombie horde,’ she thought. ’It would be a lie to say I’m not worried. But I know I absolutely cannot hold Lin Xinghai back.’

’All I can do now is play my part and be the best medical Superpower User I can be.’

Lin Xinghai’s mind was put at ease as he watched Liu Miaomiao ride another Armored Vehicle to the inner ring.

Just then, with the formation change complete, the convoy rounded the last street corner and came into the view of the massive Zombie horde.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

RAT-TAT-TAT!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battle erupted in an instant. The first volley consisted of Burning Bullets, which immediately engulfed the area before the convoy in a sea of flames. This was followed by a dense barrage of Hand Cannon Bullets that saturated the ground. The violent shockwaves tore the bodies of the Zombies within the blast radius to pieces.

For the few Zombies that managed to break through the initial barrage, a dense web of fire from countless Tearing Rifles awaited them.

Even the High Level Zombies could not withstand such terrifying firepower long enough to reach the convoy.

However, as their side opened fire, the deafening explosions drew the attention of more and more Zombies from the horde.

A dense mass of Zombies surged toward them like a tidal wave. It was easy to imagine that the real, intense battle was about to begin.

Lin Xinghai quietly observed the evolving battle. The situation didn’t require his intervention just yet. Besides, he was waiting for something.

Soon, he saw Wu Yan striding toward him, an intelligence report in hand.