392: Mission Changes

The stronghold was exposed; although the Special Operations Group escaped the encirclement, they suffered nearly 30% casualties, and Zheng Haoyu's second team also took a hit.

Only three members of the entire second team managed to escape, and all were severely wounded. Although they also deployed a space-based weapon, it failed to kill the leading Corpse King. When the weapon was fired, the Corpse King was not standing still but was in motion.

Laser pulses are powerful, making the Transmitter very cumbersome. Maintaining a lock is extremely difficult; even for cannons, various complex parameters need to be set, let alone orbital weapons.

Qiu Qian stood at the center of the rallying point and said, “The stronghold has been exposed. All the information we previously gathered is now outdated. If we go back to investigate, the enemy will be prepared, making it impossible for us to obtain detailed information about the underground situation. We will rest here and await the latest mission.”

Everyone remained silent; no one spoke. The Special Operations Group suffered heavy losses in this exposure, fighting against a large number of high-level evolved zombies.

Black particles condensed in the air, and Tian Ming appeared before everyone. Seeing their leader, the members of the Special Operations Group straightened up.

The Tian Ming who arrived was a clone. He looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, “The exposure of this stronghold is not your fault. According to the intelligence obtained by my clone, there are quite a few evolved zombies within the corpse race that possess detection abilities. Operating behind enemy lines, it is very difficult to remain hidden.”

Qiu Qian asked in a low voice, “Leader, what should we do next?”

Tian Ming smiled faintly and said, “Currently, the production capacity ramp-up within the Base has been completed. The daily production of combat robots has reached over 50,000 units, meaning a million-strong army can be produced in twenty days. However, these robots cannot connect to the combat AI behind enemy lines, so the Base is adopting a strategy of attrition, advancing step by step.”

Tian Ming paused, then continued, “The mission objective of the Special Operations Group has changed. The Special Operations Group will be divided into three-person teams, leading the personnel released by Jiang Chen to establish legions behind enemy lines. In twelve hours, the first batch of high-altitude airships will appear, carrying ordinary combat supplies, and will conduct saturation air-drops in designated areas. Weapons will be plentiful; you don't need to engage in mobile combat, only hold the designated points.”

Tian Ming did not explain much. The designated points formed a straight line, directly dividing the areas controlled by the corpse race in half. As long as supply logistics could keep up, the corpse race would be unable to manage both ends, and their previous defense line to the south, facing the mountains, would become extremely passive.

However, such a defense line, being behind enemy lines, would face a vast sea of corpses, with an endless stream of zombie attacks.

Qiu Qian lowered her voice and said, “Leader, while your approach will indeed put the corpse race in a dilemma where they cannot manage both ends, it will lead to extremely high casualties among the personnel at those points. It's possible that none of the released personnel will make it back.”

“I know that. It was already very difficult for them to escape. War is cruel; sacrifice is inevitable.”

“Understood!” Qiu Qian said no more. The situation was as it was. War tests the endurance and limits of two races; only those who laugh last are the true victors.

“Begin allocating personnel. Move to the designated areas within twelve hours and prepare to receive equipment,” Tian Ming instructed.

Qiu Qian nodded slightly. Tian Ming's clone transformed into particles and vanished into the air.

Qiu Qian turned her head and looked down, saying, “Everyone, form your own teams and report your status in the team channel. I will assign points and missions to each team. For this mission, the Special Operations Group will break into smaller units, and the situation you face will be one of near-certain death. If anyone wishes to withdraw, you may do so now.”

A profound silence fell below; no one spoke. Those who could join the Special Operations Group were not cowards; if they feared death, they would not have come to this place.

Qiu Qian took a deep breath, nodded with satisfaction, and said, “Very good. Once you are at your designated point, there is no turning back. I will apply for each of you to be given a Red Crystal Core original solution. I hope that when the time comes, you will return and give that original solution back to me.”

A long silence followed. All members of the Special Operations Group knew what the Red Crystal Core original solution was. The Red Crystal Core original solution, while providing immense energy, also drains all of a person's potential. No one would use it unless in a desperate situation, because using it meant certain death.

Qiu Qian's words echoed in the air. Everyone understood in their hearts that this time, most would die. But they possessed the resolve and courage to face death.

“That's all. You have one hour to prepare, then depart on your own once ready.”

Within the East Sea City Base, airships were slowly ascending. These airships were enormous in size, yet their propulsion systems were remarkably simple.

Airships inherently rely on gas buoyancy for lift, supplemented by thrusters for directional and speed control.

Both their manufacturing difficulty and speed are significantly lower than other aircraft.

As for the helium required by the airships, Tian Ming provided an endless supply. Beneath the airships, a massive container hung, slowly rising into the sky.

Large quantities of weapons and equipment would be delivered via high-altitude airships through saturation resupply. These weapons all had an identification lock, allowing them to be used only by humans.

This meant that zombies could not use the weapons even if they obtained them. This clever idea was simple: a miniature sensor was placed on traditional weapons, achieving an identification rate of about 90%.

Most evolved zombies have bodies composed of a high proportion of specific elements; for example, steel zombies are almost entirely made of iron. The elemental composition of their bodies differs greatly from that of humans.

The greater the difference, the easier the identification. Many people might then ask, what if a zombie gets a weapon and removes the sensor?

That's a good question. If the sensor is removed, the weapon becomes useless. If it could truly be removed without rendering the weapon useless, then there would be no need to fight. If they were that smart, humanity would surely lose.

Thousands of floating airships carrying equipment ascended, passing directly through the defense line. Such a large number of targets would naturally trigger defenses from ray zombies.

The airships, besides carrying cargo compartments, were also equipped with an automatic defense system.

At an altitude of 10,000 meters, the power of the ray zombies' plasma rays was greatly diminished. Firing rays would also quickly expose their own positions.

The airship's defense system consisted of two super Nitrogen Bombs, which were bundled with drones. While two might not be enough to kill a ray zombie, they would certainly inflict severe injuries.

So many airships, and each one was equipped with a defense system.

Watching the airships ascend, Tian Ming's lips curved into a slight smile from below.

His true body remained in the Base, manufacturing supplies, while his clones were dispatched to the front lines to understand the battle situation. Tian Ming had a clear grasp of the entire battlefield's dynamics.