Listening to the crowd’s praise, especially a title like "Humanity’s Heroes," made everyone feel a little awkward, and Lin Xinghai was no exception.

After all, such high praise was a bit much.

Fang Tianhe was about to offer a few modest words, but Lin Xinghai knew what he intended and stopped him before he could speak.

"They need hope! Even if we can’t live up to it, we can at least let them keep that hope. As for everything else, as long as we do our best and have a clear conscience, that’s all that matters. Just like this time."

Hearing Lin Xinghai’s words, it wasn’t just Fang Tianhe; all the high-ranking members of the Mercenary Corps grew quiet. In the end, however, none of them said anything, and they accepted the crowd’s praise.

It was both an honor and a burden.

As for the other members of the Mercenary Corps, after some initial unease, they gradually relaxed when they saw that the leadership wasn’t saying anything.

Of course, there was an exception: Liu Miaomiao, who stood beside Lin Xinghai.

The other Mercenaries might have found the title a bit exaggerated, but they had indeed given it their all—even risking their lives.

But this had been Liu Miaomiao’s first mission, and her goal had been simply to learn Gun Technique. Her actual contribution was minimal at best.

Yet here she was, standing at the very front with the Mercenary Corps’ leadership. Female mercenaries were already rare, and a beauty like her was one in a million, so naturally, she drew even more attention.

Facing all those intense and expectant gazes, Liu Miaomiao felt her skin crawl.

Sensing Liu Miaomiao’s breathing grow short and anxious beside him, Lin Xinghai gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said with a smile, "You need to believe in your abilities. Sooner or later, you’ll be worthy of this honor—and it won’t take long."

"Mhm!" Liu Miaomiao pursed her lips and nodded earnestly.

Just then, the Mercenary Guild official in charge of the tally finally came to his senses and hurried over with his team to begin the count.

Although there were a few other Mercenary Corps waiting ahead of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps, an exception could certainly be made for something like this.

However, Fang Tianhe simply exchanged a few words with the official, left Shen Han to handle the Mercenary Corps’ business, and then departed with Lin Xinghai for the Mercenary Guild in the Middle Level District.

...

When the two arrived at the Mercenary Guild, they were surprised to find Supervisor Jiang Rui, the man in charge of posting missions, waiting right at the entrance to personally greet them. He welcomed them with great enthusiasm and ushered the pair into the largest reception room.

Jiang Rui was among the first to receive the report on the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps. When he heard they had brought back twelve Mutated Zombies in a single run, he was stunned for a long time before being overcome with excitement.

It wasn’t that he had doubted the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps’ ability to complete the exploration mission. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But completing the mission was one thing; killing twelve Mutated Zombies was another entirely.

The two feats were on completely different levels of difficulty.

It was safe to say that after receiving this news, his assessment of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps’ importance instantly jumped by two levels.

Otherwise, given his status as the mission supervisor, every Mercenary Corps vied for his favor. Why would he have stooped to personally greeting them at the door?

"You two have truly opened my eyes today. I reckon that after this, your title as the First Mercenary Corps will be well and truly deserved."

"I don’t think it’s right for you to still be receiving the benefits of a Second Level Mercenary Corps. How about I submit a report to my superiors and make an exception to promote you to a Third Level Mercenary Corps?" Jiang Rui said with a chuckle, laying on the flattery thick and fast while offering a real perk.

Lin Xinghai remained silent, leaving the decision to Fang Tianhe.

Fang Tianhe was, of course, incredibly tempted. After all, the difference in benefits between a Second Level and a Third Level Mercenary Corps was substantial. In the end, however, he shook his head.

He was well aware of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps’s true level. Without Lin Xinghai, they were just an ordinary Second Level Mercenary Corps, and Lin Xinghai would be leaving in a month. So, he decided it was better to keep his feet on the ground.

Otherwise, once Lin Xinghai left, jealous rivals might use this promotion to make trouble for them.

"We appreciate the kind offer, Supervisor Jiang, but it’s not good to break the rules. Our Mercenary Corps will advance through the proper channels," Fang Tianhe said.

Jiang Rui was a bit disappointed that his favor was rejected, but since the offer had been made on a whim, he didn’t press the issue when it wasn’t accepted. Instead, he transitioned to discussing the mission itself.

As the conversation turned to business, even Lin Xinghai’s expression grew serious.

Fang Tianhe activated the projection function on his wrist-mounted computer, narrating as he played back the video footage from the mission.

Even though Jiang Rui already knew the outcome, watching the projected recording now, his heart still jumped every time a Mutated Zombie appeared.

Although Lin Xinghai had been able to quickly dispatch the Mutated Zombies before encountering "Giant Arm," it was all predicated on his immense personal Power.

Jiang Rui was also extremely familiar with Mutated Zombies. He knew perfectly well what would have happened if any other Mercenary Corps had faced such a situation—it would have been questionable if they could have even escaped.

The danger level in Guanghan City completely exceeded the Mercenary Guild’s prior assessment. Even a Third Level Mercenary Corps would have been nothing but cannon fodder.

In that case, the plan they had previously formulated would be impossible to carry out.

"Sigh... Given the situation, all we can do is see what the Military Department has to say," Jiang Rui said with a long sigh after viewing all the footage.

"Then based on your experience, what do you think the Military Department will do?" Lin Xinghai finally spoke up.

"It’s hard to say, but I suspect it’s a long shot. The plan will most likely be postponed."

"After all, we’re only a medium-sized Shelter. Our military forces aren’t that large, and we already lost a portion of them in the last great battle with the Morgan Conglomerate."

"And it’s not just soldiers. We also went through a huge amount of our high-powered munitions, and those can’t be restocked overnight," Jiang Rui said with another sigh.

The Military Department could wait and recuperate before making a move, but the problem was, time was the one thing they were desperately short on.

More and more Abyssal Passages were appearing. If they didn’t take advantage of this lull after the great cataclysm to expand rapidly, the situation would only grow more dire with each passing day.

Eventually, they would most likely have to migrate to one of the other major shelters and seek refuge.

At that point, they would have to start over from scratch, and life would be difficult for everyone.

That was precisely why the military had placed so much of its hope in the Mercenary Guild.

They weren’t actually asking the Mercenary Guild to do too much—just clear out a portion of the Zombies so the army could focus its Power on more critical areas.

After listening, Lin Xinghai fell into a deep thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive.

After about a minute, the tapping of Lin Xinghai’s fingers suddenly stopped. He looked at Jiang Rui and said, "Actually, it might not be impossible to move forward with the plan. We just need to change our approach."

A thank you to Dog in a Hat for the 10,000 Book Coins!