After hearing Lin Zhengyang’s account, Elder Wei’s heart sank. He quickly summoned an engineer for a more detailed inquiry.

It was a case of bad luck, really. The Geothermal Energy Extractor was so large that they had to dismantle it and transport it in 20 separate Armored Vehicles.

Of those 20 Armored Vehicles, only three were carrying essential components. But as luck would have it, one of those was the very vehicle that got blown up.

"Is there really no way to repair it?" Wei Tianxing asked after a brief silence, unwilling to give up hope.

"We don’t have the technical expertise," the engineer replied, sounding quite helpless. "And that’s high-tech, precision equipment. The Shelter doesn’t have the instruments to repair it. We don’t even have the means to try."

They had been working with this Geothermal Energy Extractor for over half a year, and with the previous repair work, they had developed a deep understanding of the device. If they had the right repair instruments, they might have been able to attempt it.

However, the kind of instruments capable of servicing such advanced, precision equipment were rare—even large bases with research labs only had one or two. For a medium-sized Shelter like theirs, it was completely out of the question.

"If the Geothermal Energy Extractor is missing this essential component, can we substitute it with other equipment? If it can’t be substituted, can the extractor run without it? Even at low power would be fine," Wei Tianxing asked, approaching the problem from different angles.

But the engineer gave him a blunt answer. "No, it’s an essential part of the converter. Without it, the entire system can’t run at all."

"Sigh, this is all my fault," Lin Zhengyang said with a sigh. "Once things are settled here, I’ll head to East Sea Base immediately. I’ll have to swallow my pride and call on a few old-timers to help me get this essential component made."

Following standard procedure, getting a new custom part would take at least four to five months. However, he still had some connections in the Military Department. If he used them, he could probably cut that time down to two months.

"Hold on," Wei Tianxing said, shaking his head. "We still have hope. Don’t forget, we had two sets of these essential components custom-made."

That’s right. What Elder Wei was referring to was the set of important equipment in the hands of Lin Xinyang and his people.

He had only made this arrangement out of caution at the time, never expecting it would become their last hope.

After all, the money spent on re-customizing the component was a small matter; the real issue was time.

With the Abyssal Passage continuously expanding, the time they had left to develop was shrinking. Wasting two months would mean delaying many plans.

"You mean those Mercenary Corps?" Lin Zhengyang said. "Old Wei, no offense, but Mercenaries are ultimately just people with some combat experience. They’ve never undergone any rigorous training. They’re fine for killing a few Zombies, but now they’re fighting the Morgan Conglomerate’s armed forces."

"I have no problem with you using them as decoys to draw the Morgan Conglomerate’s attention. But entrusting them with such a critical mission is a mistake," Lin Zhengyang said, his brow furrowing.

In his view, both sets of essential components should have been entrusted to the Military Department for transport. While putting all your eggs in one basket was risky, it was still a better bet than placing them in the hands of those Mercenary Corps.

"Old Yang, I have to disagree with you there," Wei Tianxing retorted. "Do you think the Mercenary Corps of today are the same as they were a year ago when the Mercenary Guild was first established?"

"I admit, back then the Mercenary Corps were a chaotic mess, no different from a disorderly mob. But after a year of living on the knife’s edge, believe it or not, in small-scale skirmishes that don’t require much command, they can absolutely hold their own against your soldiers from the Military Department."

"They might not fare well on a main battlefield, but as a surprise element, they’re still something to look forward to," Wei Tianxing said immediately in rebuttal.

"Fine, fine, even if you’re right, that’s only in an evenly matched fight. But don’t forget their designated role—they’re decoys! They’re meant to draw away the Morgan Conglomerate’s forces, and a significant number at that. Do you really think they can accomplish anything under those circumstances?"

Seeing Wei Tianxing about to argue, Lin Zhengyang quickly added, "And don’t forget the order you gave them: ’If the situation becomes untenable, you can abandon the cargo and flee for your lives.’"

Checkmate.

That one sentence stifled all of Elder Wei’s rebuttals.

There were two main differences between a Mercenary Corps and a regular army. The first was discipline. In small-scale battles, a Mercenary Corps could be commanded through the prestige of its leader, but if gathered in large numbers and thrown onto a true battlefield, they would likely be as organized as a plate of loose sand.

The second difference was their willpower.

Soldiers, upon receiving an order, would charge forward without hesitation even if it meant certain death. Mercenaries, however, could never possess such resolve.

Therefore, when a situation became untenable, abandoning the mission was almost a mercenary’s first choice. After all, staying alive was more important than anything else.

This was the fundamental nature of Mercenaries, and Elder Wei couldn’t argue against it.

However, though he couldn’t refute the point, he still held on to a sliver of hope when he recalled Lin Xinghai’s file. ’Lin Xinghai’s rise has been nothing short of stunning, and his capabilities can’t be judged by ordinary standards.’

Before long, they received news that the Mercenary Corps were returning.

The nine Mercenary Corps had been divided into three teams, and now, two of those teams had returned.

The first team to return had suffered over 100 casualties. They had only managed to escape because they’d ditched their cargo at a critical moment, which slowed the enemy’s pursuit as they stopped to inspect it.

The second team to make it back was in much worse shape. They had lost more than half their members, and even one of their Mercenary Corps Leaders had been killed in action.

For that Third Level Mercenary Corps, this was an absolutely devastating blow. It was highly likely they would be demoted to a Second Level Mercenary Corps.

As for protecting their cargo, that was out of the question; they had abandoned it at the first opportunity.

This outcome left Elder Wei speechless. He couldn’t blame them, either—after all, he was the one who had given the order, and these Mercenary Corps had fulfilled their mission as decoys.

At the same time, he learned from these two returning teams that the ambush force dispatched by the Morgan Conglomerate had outnumbered them by more than half.

Furthermore, they were used to fighting Zombies. This was their first time exchanging fire with humans who were also armed with firearms. Their combat experience was no match for the Morgan Conglomerate’s armed forces, so they were completely suppressed the moment the firefight began.

After hearing all this, the weight on Elder Wei’s heart grew even heavier.

Lin Zhengyang, who had been listening alongside him, was no longer in the mood to taunt his old friend.

’It’s not like I didn’t want the Mercenary Corps to actually bring back the essential components,’ he thought. ’But their performance is even worse than I imagined!’