Two of the three teams had already returned. Everyone thought Lin Xinghai’s team would arrive soon.

However, they waited for a full ten minutes without any sign of them, which left Elder Wei and the others puzzled.

In reality, the Three Major Mercenary Corps had deliberately taken a detour to shake off the Morgan Conglomerate’s pursuit. Then they ran into a zombie horde, only just making it to the handover point at the last possible moment.

Because of these delays, it was only natural that they returned later than the other mercenary corps.

But Elder Wei and the others knew nothing of this. Thinking something terrible had happened, they were frantic with worry.

"Old Wei, can you stop pacing in front of me? You’re making my head spin," Lin Zhengyang said irritably.

"I can’t help being anxious! Lin Xinghai’s is the only team we haven’t heard from. Sigh... I should have given each battalion a set of long-range communication devices," Wei Tianxing sighed.

"That stuff is expensive! Even we in the Military Department don’t have enough!" Lin Zhengyang retorted.

But after a moment’s thought, he offered his own suggestion. "Didn’t you capture Gibson alive? He might know something about the mercenary corps."

Elder Wei’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. He had almost forgotten about that. The Morgan Conglomerate probably knew more about the mercenary corps’ situation than they did.

He immediately contacted Zhang Yue and instructed him to interrogate Gibson.

News came back quickly. What Zhang Yue sent wasn’t a text message, but a voice recording.

Elder Wei played it at once, and Gibson’s voice filled the room.

"Haha, you’re asking about that Lin Xinghai? Let me tell you, he’s a dead man. For the other mercenary corps, I just sent a few extra troops to intercept them. But that Lin Xinghai has foiled my plans time and again, so I sent an entire elite battalion after him."

"The interception force over there has four Blood Qi Realm experts, 50 Mechas, and 1,000 soldiers, plus the heavy-firepower weapons I provided. Using a force like that against three mercenary corps is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. But who cares? As long as it makes me happy, that’s all that matters. HAHAHAHA~"

Of course, after giving the order, Gibson had fled the Star Shield Shelter for his life, so he didn’t know what happened afterward.

The more they listened to Gibson, the colder their hearts grew. By the end, they had to admit that Gibson was right.

It really was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

One thousand armed personnel... forget using them against the Three Major Mercenary Corps; they would play a significant role even if deployed on the main battlefield.

"They made a great contribution to this war. I will add them to the list of martyrs," Lin Zhengyang said after a long silence.

A force like that appearing on the main battlefield would have caused huge problems for his own defense system.

Especially those 50 Mechas and four Blood Qi Realm experts. If they formed a strike team, they would be incredibly difficult to stop.

At that point, it wouldn’t just be a single important component that was destroyed. The entire Geothermal Energy Extractor might have been lost. If that happened, there would be no chance for recovery.

"No, I believe that kid will make it back. He’s the most talented person I’ve ever seen. And as long as his Superpower isn’t countered, he should be able to escape," Elder Wei said resolutely, recalling the files he had read.

Lin Zhengyang glanced at his old friend in surprise, wanting to ask where he got such confidence.

After all, the enemy had deployed twice their own numbers, not to mention the four Blood Qi Realm experts and 50 Mechas sent to encircle them. This was not something the three mercenary corps could handle.

But he merely moved his lips without saying anything. Sometimes, you had to let an old friend hold on to a little hope.

"Report! The First Mercenary Corps battalion has returned!" a messenger yelled, rushing in from outside as the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Elder Wei just nodded subconsciously, but then the words registered.

’The First Mercenary Corps battalion? Isn’t that the team made up of the Holy Light Mercenary Corps, the Soaring Dragon Merc, and the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps?’

He had made the assignment himself.

"Are you saying the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps and the others are back safely?" Wei Tianxing asked, a note of pleasant surprise in his voice.

"Yes, along with the Holy Light Mercenary Corps and the Soaring Dragon Merc," the messenger replied.

"Good, good, good! As long as they made it back. Were their losses heavy?" Wei Tianxing asked, his face filled with relief. Feeling much better, he even picked up his long-cold cup of tea and took a sip.

Lin Zhengyang was also filled with astonishment. For them to escape safely when faced with such a force... He felt he had been prejudiced against the mercenary profession. Perhaps they weren’t as bad as he’d imagined. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The messenger looked at the report in his hand and said, "The Three Major Mercenary Corps lost a total of 53 Mercenaries, with 137 wounded. In addition, three Mechas were completely destroyed."

He paused before continuing, "The First Mercenary Corps battalion successfully retrieved the mission item. They’re asking which department it should be handed over to."

*PFFT!*

Elder Wei sprayed the tea he had just sipped.

*CLATTER!*

On the other side, the battle report Lin Zhengyang was reading fell to the floor.

"What did you say?" the two old men asked in unison.

The messenger was startled. Having no idea what was going on, he could only brace himself and repeat what he had just said, holding out the report as he did.

Lin Zhengyang immediately took it and scanned it rapidly. It contained a brief summary of the engagement. Although the report was summed up in just a few words with no details of the process, his shock grew the more he read.

As for Elder Wei, he said directly, "Let’s go. Take me to the First Mercenary Corps battalion now. I want to see them myself."

...

When Elder Wei and his group arrived at the Mercenary Plaza, they could see from a distance that the Three Major Mercenary Corps were regrouping. They even seemed to be in the mood to chat with the Mercenary Guild staff, apparently haggling over prices.

"Is that the corpse of a Hunter?" As someone who had surpassed the Blood Qi Realm, Lin Zhengyang’s eyesight was naturally excellent, and he spotted the Mutated Zombie corpse the Three Major Mercenary Corps had brought out from afar.

He saw it, but he could hardly believe it.

’Weren’t they on a dangerous escort mission? It’s one thing to escape with their lives, but how could they also manage to bring back the corpse of a Mutated Zombie?’

’And a Hunter, at that—one of the most difficult to capture.’

"Mm, you’re not seeing things," Elder Wei nodded numbly, then pointed to the side. "I also see the Sharp Claws of a Death Claw over there."

In fact, he was completely baffled as well. ’Are we sure the Three Major Mercenary Corps weren’t out on a dedicated Mutated Zombie hunt?’