With the threat of the High Level Zombies gone, all the Mercenaries erupted with power.
The first to switch from defense to offense was none other than Squad Leader Wu Yan, positioned at the very front.
He wielded a Giant Shield, which he had always used as a defensive weapon.
But after he activated the power unit on the back of the shield, the enormous shield was practically a sledgehammer as it slammed forward violently.
All the Zombies in its path were smashed to pieces, their bones broken and sinews torn.
Of course, with the shield briefly leaving his hands, some Zombies seized the opportunity to attack Wu Yan.
But an earthy-yellow light suddenly flared up around Wu Yan. His bulging muscles, now as hard as rock, directly absorbed the attacks.
Clearly, this was a defensive Superpower, and its effects were quite potent.
Of course, Wu Yan wasn't one to just take a beating. He immediately retracted his Giant Shield and let its power unit begin Charging Power for the next blow.
If Wu Yan's fighting style, both in attack and Defense, could be described as grand and powerful, then the third Squad Leader, Xu Haishui, was rather unique.
Or rather, his Superpower was what made him unique.
Upon activating his Superpower, Xu Haishui not only grew taller and more muscular, but black fur also sprouted all over his body.
Even his facial features had changed, making him look somewhat like... an upright giant wolf.
Lin Xinghai finally understood why the man's eyes looked like those of a wild wolf.
It turned out his Superpower allowed him to become a Werewolf.
After transforming into a Werewolf, all of Xu Haishui's physical attributes were massively enhanced.
His weapon was also extraordinary: a pair of Sharp Claws with a built-in electric shock function. Any Zombie grazed by the claws would convulse violently. An instant later, a swipe would send its head flying.
"Superpowers... they're really something else!" Lin Xinghai couldn't help but remark. He felt a surge of anticipation. 'I wonder what my own Superpower will be.'
Just then, Qin Yang, from the driver's seat, chimed in, "Yeah! If you awaken a Superpower, you can become a Squad Leader."
"Huh? You can become a Squad Leader just by awakening a Superpower? Aren't there any other requirements? Like reaching a certain level of strength," Lin Xinghai asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Nope. After awakening a Superpower, your strength increases dramatically. Plus, the Mercenary Corps will allocate more resources to you, so your strength is bound to go up eventually."
"Take Xu Haishui, for example. His Genetic Optimization Level is only 50%. Plenty of elite members are stronger than him."
"But he got lucky! He awakened a Superpower, and a very Rare Superpower at that—a Transformation Ability, the Werewolf Transformation."
"After his Werewolf Transformation, his combat power is almost on par with an expert at 80% Genetic Optimization Level," Qin Yang said, his face full of envy.
Lin Xinghai was a little surprised to hear this, but that was all.
In truth, he didn't have a concrete concept of what a Rare Superpower even was.
"What about Wu Yan, then? What's his Superpower?" Lin Xinghai pressed.
"Squad Leader Wu Yan's Superpower is 'Rock Form.' When he activates it, his skin becomes as hard as rock. Not even an Intermediate Zombie can break through his Defense."
"But the Corps Leader said that this kind of Superpower is equivalent to a fixed boost to Defense Power. It's effective early on, but it doesn't scale with your overall strength. If the Superpower itself can't be enhanced, it'll probably become pretty mediocre later on," Qin Yang explained.
"Superpowers can be enhanced?" Lin Xinghai asked in surprise.
"Mhm!" Qin Yang nodded. "It's possible to awaken a Superpower at 30%, 60%, 90%, and 100% Genetic Optimization Level. If you've already awakened one, you have a chance to enhance it at those same milestones. That's why the earlier you awaken a Superpower, the better."
Hearing this, an idea struck Lin Xinghai. 'Since I could choose to awaken a Superpower through the system at 30% Genetic Optimization Level...'
'...then I'll probably be able to choose to enhance my Superpower when I hit 60% as well, instead of having to rely on luck and gamble on the odds like everyone else.'
This thought made him both excited and a little dismayed. 'Knowing this system's bullshit, the amount of Blood Qi Power required will definitely be astronomical.'
After their brief chat, the two quickly turned their attention back to the battlefield, opening fire to provide support.
The front line was now quite Stable. Without the threat of the High Level Zombies, and with the Mercenaries' collective burst of power, the tide of battle had almost completely turned.
After all, even though the other Mercenaries couldn't compare to the two Squad Leaders in terms of raw combat power, they were by no means weak, especially with their equipment advantage.
The melee weapons of this era weren't just simple forged steel; they all incorporated some technological elements to a certain degree.
The most common additions were high-frequency vibration or electric shock functions, which greatly increased a weapon's power.
Even though they were outnumbered, their overall combat power was enough to fight the zombie horde to a standstill.
Adding to that, you had Lin Xinghai and the others taking potshots from the rear. Ahem! That is to say, helping to kill Zombies. The front line not only stabilized but became a veritable meat grinder, relentlessly reaping the lives of the Zombies.
At this point, the zombie horde had no chance of turning the tables. In fact, if they didn't retreat, they would very likely be completely annihilated.
Because of this, Lin Xinghai's attention shifted from his position to the battlefield in the distance.
The state of the battle there could only be described as cataclysmic. Everywhere the fight went, streets were torn asunder and buildings collapsed.
Right now, Fang Tianhe, piloting the Heaven-Sundering Mecha, was wielding the Vibrating Giant Blade, continuously clashing head-on with the Armored Corpse.
Meanwhile, Shen Han, piloting the Celestial Frost Mecha, was providing covering fire from the rear with an Electromagnetic Railgun, constantly looking for opportunities to suppress the Armored Corpse.
By now, the Armored Corpse's steel-like hide was covered in cracks, and several places on its body even had deep, penetrating wounds.
Even its aura had weakened considerably, losing its initial bloodthirsty brutality. Its attacks had even become hesitant and timid.
"Tsk! Their fight is going much more smoothly than ours. I estimate they'll finish it in a minute at most," Lin Xinghai remarked.
'This means that even if I hadn't found a way to deal with the High Level Zombie, these Mercenaries could have held out until the two leaders returned to provide aid, as long as they fought desperately.'
"It won't even take a minute to deal with the Armored Corpse. Look at the Celestial Frost Mecha—Vice-leader Shen Han is about to use his Superpower," Qin Yang said.
Lin Xinghai looked over. The Celestial Frost Mecha was once again raising its Electromagnetic Railgun and taking aim.
But this time was different. In addition to the arcs of electricity crackling around the Electromagnetic Railgun, a chilling aura now emanated from the entire weapon, and it even began to frost over.
"What's that?" Lin Xinghai asked.
"That's Vice-leader Shen Han's Superpower, 'Celestial Frost.' It can freeze enemies from a distance. Now that it's being amplified by the Mecha, its power is on a whole other level," Qin Yang answered.
As soon as Qin Yang finished speaking, the Celestial Frost Mecha fired.
Normally, the trajectory of a round from an Electromagnetic Railgun is impossible to follow with the naked eye. But this time, a white streak appeared in the air where the projectile passed.
Lin Xinghai stared in shock, only to realize with horror that this "white streak" was actually formed by the projectile instantly freezing the moisture in the air as it flew.