Lin Xinghai sat in the multi-purpose off-road vehicle, staring blankly ahead for five minutes before he came back to himself.
During that time, the other members left him alone, likely assuming he needed a moment to adjust.
He watched them, darting and shooting, taking on zombies head-on, while he remained seated in the SUV. A pang of guilt rose in him.
Shaking it off, he raised the Ripper rifle and began contributing. If he could help thin the waves of zombies, it would not only benefit the team—it would also benefit him. A dozen bottles of genetic medicine could solve all his problems.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lin Xinghai went all out, observing the elite team around him. There were only seventeen of them, but their firepower was concentrated.
Of the group, only two had marksmanship better than his: Roger and sniper Song Mu. Three others were roughly on his level: Xu Hao, and two members from Teams 2 and 3.
Effectively, the convoy's defense relied heavily on these five. Song Mu's sniper contributions were limited, leaving four main shooters, including Lin Xinghai, to form a firepower network.
Once he started, the change was immediate. Sitting in the SUV, he could aim steadily, and his efficiency surpassed everyone else. The team realized quickly: the brief five minutes of apparent daze had been deceptive.
Seeing his skill, the others adjusted their positions, leaving sections of the defense circle to him.
Clang!
The off-road vehicle bounced high over an obstacle, propelled by the pneumatic system. From his elevated position, Lin Xinghai scanned the area. Eighty meters away, three zombies moved into view. He fired rapidly—three headshots and they fell.
As the vehicle landed, he shifted focus, taking down two intermediate zombies forty meters away.
In this way, he established a rhythm: a three-dimensional attack alternating long and short distances, using the vehicle's leaps to maximize efficiency and prevent zombie clusters.
The maneuver required split-second judgment. Fortunately, the SUV's zombie detector displayed precise data: numbers, location, and strength of approaching zombies.
A purple light blinked in the upper-right corner of the display.
"Three o'clock, 300 meters out—a high-level zombie!" Lin Xinghai shouted to Roger.
Roger responded with an OK gesture. "Watch your side of the defense line."
"Got it!" Lin Xinghai confirmed. Thirty seconds later, the high-level zombie was down, the team's forward momentum uninterrupted.
After a short battle, Lin Xinghai had earned the respect of the entire team. He was no longer a rookie; he was a backbone.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Despite running and fighting, the team maintained a speed of forty kilometers per hour—a testament to their enhanced physiques as genetic optimizers.
Occasionally, they encountered terrain too complex for the off-road vehicles. Lin Xinghai briefly considered abandoning the SUV and proceeding on foot.
But the mechas, "Lietian" and "Tianshuang," carried the vehicles over the obstacles with ease. Lin Xinghai's doubts vanished.
Three kilometers in, he reloaded his rifle after taking out three zombies. A shrill alarm sounded on the detector—a new presence.
Glancing at the screen, he froze. A black dot had appeared in the lower-right corner.
Ordinary zombies glowed light red, intermediates dark red, advanced purple. This… black? Purple-black?
He didn't hesitate. "Lao Luo, black dot on the detector! What is it?"
Immediately, the convoy halted. Tension flashed across the faces of the veteran mercenaries.
Another off-road vehicle's operator called nervously, "Attention! Mutant zombies approaching at high speed!"
Lin Xinghai's warning alone might have been ignored. But now confirmed, it was undeniable—they were about to face mutants.
"Leave the mutated zombies to Shen Han and me," Fang Tianhe's calm voice came over the comms. "You all set up a defensive formation here and prepare to fall back."
Relieved, the others immediately snapped into position, readying for the incoming threat.