Watching more and more berserk Zombies being mass-produced, even Lin Xinghai started to feel unsettled.

"Does anyone know how many Zombies the venom from a single Spitter can send into a berserk state?" Lin Xinghai asked over the communication channel.

Although they had encountered Spitters before, they had never considered this question, because the number of berserk Zombies created by a single Spitter posed a limited threat to them.

And most of the time, Lin Xinghai had finished off the Spitter before it could create many berserk Zombies.

But now, they had no choice but to face this grim problem.

In response to this question, however, the communication channel was deathly silent.

Although Fang Tianhe and the other veteran members had become Mercenaries long ago, they’d had, to be frank, very few opportunities to deal with Mutated Zombies.

As a result, they had even less information on the matter.

After a brief silence, Wan Jiasong said, "I’ll check with the intelligence department. They should have the data."

Lin Xinghai said nothing, simply waiting while he had Fang Tianhe prepare for a retreat.

When the number of berserk Zombies surpassed 1,500, Wan Jiasong finally received word from the intelligence department.

"Captain Lin, since Spitters vary in strength, the number of berserk Zombies they can create also differs. Under normal circumstances, the venom in a single Spitter is enough to send 1,000 Zombies into a berserk state."

"Furthermore, if they devour other Zombies, they can rapidly replenish their venom, recovering to full capacity in about an hour." As Wan Jiasong relayed the message from the Military Department, a chill ran down his spine.

News like this was indeed enough to make anyone feel a little desperate.

Even Lin Xinghai fell silent the moment he heard it.

If one Spitter could create 1,000 berserk Zombies, then six Spitters could churn out 6,000 of them at once.

Of course, the most terrifying part was their recovery ability. This meant it wasn’t a crisis they would only have to face once.

Lin Xinghai also had another concern: they weren’t just facing six Spitters.

Sure enough, once the number of berserk Zombies surpassed 2,000, another type of Mutated Zombie capable of threatening them from range also began to make its move.

Five Blood Worms emerged from the horde. As they opened their mouths, thousands upon thousands of Blood-colored Beetles were spat out.

Furthermore, under the control of the Blood Worms, these Blood-colored Beetles were also doused in venom, swiftly entering a berserk state.

Some of these Blood-colored Beetles followed the zombie tide to directly attack Outpost 108, but most of them latched onto the berserk Zombies.

As long as those berserk Zombies could breach the defense line, the Blood-colored Beetles could launch their own attack.

After seeing this, Lin Xinghai’s expression shifted several times before he finally issued the order: "All members on the first defense line, fall back to the second defense line. Leave only the Combat Robots to hold the position."

"If the zombie tide breaches the first defense line, immediately fall back to the third line, and so on."

"However, if the zombie tide breaks through the third defense line, we will abandon the outpost and retreat immediately. We’ll use the tunnel to fall back to Outpost 98." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What?!" Wan Jiasong had no objections to Lin Xinghai’s earlier arrangements.

But when he heard Lin Xinghai say they would just abandon the outpost and retreat, he was stunned speechless.

He knew that the outer defense lines were merely supplementary; the entire defensive system was built around the outpost. In other words, the outpost was the most heavily fortified position.

So how could he not be shocked when Lin Xinghai was suggesting they abandon it without a fight?

Once he recovered from his shock, Wan Jiasong quickly said, "Captain Lin, this doesn’t seem to follow regulations! Although the Military Department hasn’t ordered us to defend to the death, and we can retreat if we’re outmatched, if we pull out without even putting up a fight, the higher-ups will definitely hold us accountable."

Lin Xinghai didn’t get angry. Instead, he countered, "Captain Wan, I take it you’ve never fought those Blood-colored Beetles before, have you?"

"I haven’t," Wan Jiasong replied, although he was a bit confused.

"Let me put it this way. These Blood-colored Beetles can chew through a Mecha’s specialized Alloy in an instant and burrow inside. As for this outpost’s reinforced concrete, it might as well be made of paper mache in front of them."

"In a situation like that, defending the outpost to the death would be a joke. Once these Blood-colored Beetles get close, the members of our Mercenary Corps won’t even be able to fight back," Lin Xinghai explained.

Wan Jiasong was left speechless. He finally understood why Lin Xinghai had made such a decision.

If these Blood-colored Beetles were truly that terrifying, then defending the outpost to the death would just be a suicide mission.

"I see what you mean. I’ll communicate with the Military Department right away. Facing this kind of situation, they should approve your plan," Wan Jiasong said hurriedly.

Lin Xinghai said no more. ’It’s best if he cooperates,’ he thought. ’If he dares to get on a power trip and starts meddling with my arrangements, I don’t mind going over his head and explaining the situation directly to Lin Zhengyang.’

Of course, abandoning the outpost was the last resort. If they could defend it, he didn’t want to give it up.

Even if they truly had to abandon it, he hoped to buy as much time as possible.

However, as he watched the number of berserk Zombies swell past 3,000 without them launching an attack, Lin Xinghai knew the chances of a successful defense were now extremely slim.

After all, they weren’t just facing the berserk Zombies, but also those Blood-colored Beetles.

And by now, although it was impossible to get an accurate count, a conservative estimate placed the number of Blood-colored Beetles at over 100,000.

Just as Lin Xinghai was about to give up all hope, the first rapid-response unit arrived at Outpost 108.

To his further surprise, the person leading the unit was an old acquaintance: Zhang Yue.

"Well, well! What’s a ’Liaison Officer’ like you doing on the front lines?" Lin Xinghai teased.

Zhang Yue’s primary responsibility was to act as the Military Department’s representative in communications with the various Mercenary Corps, so many people jokingly called him the "Liaison Officer."

"What do you think? It’s because of this mess you’ve gotten yourself into. I never expected that along a nearly 10-kilometer defense line, all these Mutated Zombies would decide to swarm your position."

At this, Zhang Yue sighed. "I don’t know if you’ve got terrible luck or if I’m the unlucky one, but after the general staff learned about the situation here, they drew up a temporary plan. I’m here on a mission."