Soon, the convoy approached the Military Department’s main base, and Lin Xinghai noticed from a distance that a banner had been hung at the entrance.

A Hearty Congratulations to the First Grand Company on Their Triumphant Return!

The large, glittering gold characters were visible from far away.

The others quickly saw it as well. They were stunned, but also felt an inexplicable sense of pride.

This was especially true for the First Level Mercenary Corps. They had been disdained before, but now they were the center of attention.

’What on earth is our Chairman trying to do!’ Lin Xinghai thought, feeling a headache coming on as he watched the conspicuously-built Jin Canlan standing under the banner.

"Boss, why worry about him? We crushed a zombie tide. It’s a huge victory! No matter what, this can’t be a bad thing," Xu Haishui said with a carefree expression.

Lin Xinghai glanced at him but said nothing.

Soon, the convoy reached the entrance of the main base. Lin Xinghai led everyone out of their vehicles and went to greet Jin Canlan.

Regardless of what the man was planning, he had to show the Chairman of the Mercenary Guild some respect.

"Haha, our heroes have finally returned victorious!" Jin Canlan strode forward, his chubby hand affectionately draping over Lin Xinghai’s shoulder.

"Chairman! This is too grand. Besides, we were just doing our duty," Lin Xinghai said modestly.

"This isn’t what you were ’supposed’ to do at all! The Mercenary Guild’s mission is just to clear the Zombies from the supply lines."

"If you encounter danger, especially a zombie tide, you’re supposed to retreat to an outpost for shelter, not turn around and go provide reinforcements. That’s why I’m calling you heroes, and the Military Department has to acknowledge it," Jin Canlan declared loudly.

His voice was so loud that probably half the nearby camp heard him.

And just like that, Lin Xinghai understood Chairman Jin’s intentions. ’So he’s planning to use this matter to get some perks from the military!’

Lin Xinghai just kept a smile on his face. He didn’t take the bait, but he didn’t deny it either.

’He didn’t want to get involved, but if Jin Canlan secured some benefits, it was only right that he get a cut.’

"Ahem!" Seeing Lin Xinghai remain silent, Jin Canlan cleared his throat, thought for a moment, and continued, "You’ve all achieved great merit this time. I’ve already negotiated with the Military Department, and all the Points you earned on this mission can be converted into Merit Points for you. Of course, this doesn’t include the Points you’ve already used to redeem Elemental Crystals."

The moment Jin Canlan finished speaking, before Lin Xinghai could even respond, a wave of irrepressible cheers erupted from behind him.

The Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps had a Merit Medal, so they didn’t really need Merit Points, but for the other Mercenary Corps, they were incredibly precious.

They could use them to purchase military equipment that was normally completely inaccessible to them.

Things like military-grade radar or some high-power military engines might not offer a huge, immediate boost to a Mercenary Corps’ overall combat power. But the long-term benefits were incalculable; this was all equipment that could greatly increase a Mercenary Corps’ survival capabilities.

At worst, even if they couldn’t use them right away, they could sell these Military Merit Points and get at least three times the value back in regular Points.

So, for every Mercenary Corps involved, this was an absolute windfall.

Lin Xinghai was also somewhat surprised, but he quickly smiled and nodded. "Then on behalf of all the members of the First Grand Company, thank you, Chairman Jin."

"Don’t be so formal. As the chairman of the Mercenary Guild, it’s my duty to look out for your interests." Jin Canlan paused, then added, "That’s why I plan to take this opportunity to propose that the Military Department open up access to purchasing some of their equipment. However, the request would probably be more effective coming from you than from me."

Now Lin Xinghai fully understood his intentions. "Alright! If I get the chance, I’ll mention it to General Lin Zhengyang."

"And that old fellow Wei Tianxing. This matter will need his nod too," Jin Canlan added.

"Alright! I’ll talk to Elder Wei about it after I get back." Lin Xinghai didn’t refuse. He also wanted the Mercenary Guild to grow stronger. With more fertile ground, the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps and the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps would have more room to grow.

Seeing Lin Xinghai agree so readily, Jin Canlan was surprised, and the smile on his face grew even more brilliant.

"Excellent! You really live up to your reputation as a leader among Mercenaries. By the way, I’ve prepared a victory feast for you all. Come, let’s eat! We can also take the opportunity to boost the morale for the Mercenary Corps that haven’t deployed yet."

Lin Xinghai was speechless.

’Since when am I a leader of the Mercenaries?’

Besides, he honestly didn’t want to attend a victory banquet. However, since Jin Canlan had framed it as a way to boost the morale of the other Mercenary Corps, he thought it over and agreed.

After all, the other grand companies couldn’t compare to his First Grand Company.

One could imagine that if these Mercenary Corps encountered serious trouble, like Mutated Zombies or a zombie tide, their casualties would be immense even if they managed to pull through.

An event like that would be a huge blow to morale. It could even affect the other Mercenary Corps after they retreated to the main base, which would in turn impact the entire operation.

So, before the other teams departed, letting them see the rewards and making them a little green with envy wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

That way, even if they encountered a setback, their first reaction would likely be to think they were just unlucky, instead of concluding that Guanghan City was too dangerous and losing the will to carry on with the mission.

The so-called victory banquet was a simple affair. A huge tent was erected in an open plaza, and all sorts of food and drinks were served.

The banquet may have been simple, but the atmosphere was electric. Many Mercenary Corps Leaders were asking the corps from the First Grand Company about what they had gained.

When they heard the full story, they were green with envy.

While inwardly cursing these corps for having the dumb luck to profit by following Lin Xinghai, they also eagerly anticipated their own trip to Guanghan City, wondering just how many Points they could earn.

Jin Canlan dragged Lin Xinghai around the banquet to say a few words of encouragement before he was finally able to slip away.

Of course, the banquet itself didn’t last very long—an hour at most.

Theoretically, the Mercenary Corps, divided into three rotating batches to clear Zombies, had at least six hours of rest after a mission. But if something unexpected happened, or if another grand company in their rotation was crippled and forced to retreat, they had to be ready to fill in at a moment’s notice.

What’s more, their rest time also had to be used for treating the wounded and repairing equipment, so they really didn’t have much time to spare.

Especially after this mission, where the First Grand Company had charged directly into a zombie tide and faced so many High Level Zombies, the outer armor of every corps’ Armored Vehicles and Mechas was covered in scratches.

If not repaired promptly, these scratches posed a potential hazard.

Of course, Lin Xinghai paid no mind to these things; he trusted Fang Tianhe to handle it all.

To his surprise, however, not long after he returned to his tent, Fang Tianhe knocked on the door and entered.

"Something wrong?" Lin Xinghai asked curiously.

"Yes, it’s about the repairs for the Speed Mecha," Fang Tianhe said. "Your Superpower puts too much strain on the Mecha, so I just went to consult with the military’s engineering department. I’m planning to have them help perform a comprehensive reinforcement and install some of the military’s special-supply parts."

"Oh! That’s a great idea," Lin Xinghai said, his interest piqued. "Those special-supply parts must be pretty effective, right?"

"They’re definitely in a different league from standard parts. I had the engineering department run an estimate. Once the modifications are done, the Speed Mecha’s performance should improve by at least one-third. And its overload resistance will double. It’s just... a bit expensive."

"How expensive?"

"Five hundred thousand... Merit Points."