Invincible through Touching Corpses

After finishing his instruction on their Gun Technique, Lin Xinghai had everyone practice for another hour before giving the order to head back.

Their haul this time was enormous. Lin Xinghai alone had killed 3,000 Zombies, and the others had taken down a few more while practicing their Gun Technique. In total, they had acquired a staggering 3,210 Elemental Crystals.

As usual, on the way back, Lin Xinghai, Gao Mountain, and the others began by dividing the spoils.

However, Lin Xinghai didn’t take the 70% share they had previously agreed upon. He only took 2,000 Elemental Crystals, and all of them were Low Level.

He wasn’t short on either Blood Qi Power or Points at the moment, so he didn’t particularly care how many Elemental Crystals he took. It was better to leave more for the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps to help them grow more quickly.

This gesture made Gao Mountain both happy and overjoyed. Even though there were only 1,210 Elemental Crystals remaining, the proportion of Middle and High Level Elemental Crystals was exceptionally high since Lin Xinghai had only taken Low Level ones.

He did a quick estimate and figured they were worth at least 35,000 Points.

Of course, the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps was only a First Level Mercenary Corps. If they cashed in so many Elemental Crystals at once, it would undoubtedly draw a great deal of attention.

So, after discussing it with Lin Xinghai, Gao Mountain decided to cash in the Elemental Crystals over two days. Exchanging them for 17,500 Points per day was still enough to turn heads—it was even more than what some Third Level Mercenary Corps earned from a single mission.

Once they had a plan, Gao Mountain announced the day’s earnings, and the vehicle immediately erupted in cheers.

The members had all expected Lin Xinghai to take the majority of the Elemental Crystals. But for him to leave their Affiliated Mercenary Corps with nearly 20,000 Points worth of crystals each day was, they had to admit, incredibly generous.

With such a massive haul, the bonuses they would receive would be no less than those given to Third Level Mercenaries. How could they not be ecstatic?

Lin Xinghai, however, wasn’t feeling particularly excited. Instead, he was a little dismayed.

Getting 2,000 Elemental Crystals, which was equivalent to 20,000 points of Blood Qi Power, was certainly something to be happy about.

But the moment he thought about the time it would take to absorb them all, he grew troubled.

Even if absorbing a single Elemental Crystal only took ten seconds, 2,000 of them would take at least 5.5 hours!

This was also why he hadn’t taken more. Otherwise, he’d have to spend the entire night absorbing Elemental Crystals instead of sleeping.

’It’s a good problem to have, I guess.’

...

Soon, the convoy returned safely to the Star Shield Shelter. And when the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps cashed in enough Elemental Crystals to get over 17,000 Points at once, they inevitably drew a great deal of attention.

This filled many Mercenaries with envy and fueled all sorts of speculation.

Some went even further. After seeing that the vice-captain’s profile was classified, they used their connections to contact personnel inside the Mercenary Guild for information.

The answer they received, however, was that viewing the information required First Level clearance.

First Level clearance was second only to the highest level of authority. This revelation sent a cold sweat down the foreheads of many who had been prying. Now, everyone was certain: the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps was backed by a power they couldn’t afford to provoke.

And just like that, the brewing storm subsided with an uncanny quietness.

...

The next day, at 8 a.m. sharp, Lin Xinghai arrived at the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps’s main base. He went through a similar routine, giving the new recruits a few words of encouragement (by going straight to the benefits), and then they departed immediately.

This time, their mission location was Changping City, but the process was virtually identical. Lin Xinghai was responsible for gunning down the Zombies, while everyone else collected the Elemental Crystals.

The new recruits had heard from the veteran Mercenaries yesterday about how they had earned 80,000 Points in a single day.

But witnessing Lin Xinghai’s divine might with their own eyes—as he single-handedly slaughtered every Zombie and turned the hundred-meter radius around the convoy into a kill zone—was still utterly unbelievable.

In fact, Lin Xinghai’s performance today was even more incredible than the stories suggested, because with the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps numbering 70 strong, he had more support.

This meant Lin Xinghai could unleash his full firepower. In just four hours, he killed 4,000 Zombies.

Converted to Points, that would be well over 100,000.

And that was just in four hours. If he kept this up for a full day... The mere thought made their scalps tingle.

However, after they had collected this massive number of Elemental Crystals, Lin Xinghai stopped his frenzied slaughter of Zombies. He then initiated the same procedure as the day before, having everyone practice their Gun Technique before he offered guidance.

What was different today, however, was that he was piloting his own "Speed" Mecha.

Under Roger’s somewhat resentful gaze, he settled into the pilot’s seat. He ignored the original Giant Axe, instead picking up the spare Longsword that was set aside.

After all, Lin Xinghai didn’t know any Axe Techniques. His personal weapon was a Vibrating Dagger, but unfortunately, Mechas weren’t equipped with short weapons like daggers. Therefore, Fang Tianhe had re-equipped this Mecha with a Longsword.

Lin Xinghai lifted the Longsword, testing its weight. The blade was quite narrow, almost like an oversized dagger. Because of this, he found it quite easy to handle.

He only spent a moment getting used to it before taking down the Electromagnetic Railgun mounted on the Mecha’s back and starting his practice.

The four-meter-long Electromagnetic Railgun, when held by the Mecha, was proportioned similarly to a sniper rifle in a normal person’s hands. It didn’t feel particularly awkward to hold, but the tactile feedback was a world of difference.

To be more precise, there was no tactile feedback at all.

He fired a couple of test shots and found he could even miss Zombies 100 meters away. He could only guarantee a hit at a range of 50 meters.

This sight, however, left Shen Han, who was watching from the side, completely dumbfounded.

She still remembered her first time using an Electromagnetic Railgun in a Mecha. She had been no different from a total rookie; her shots had gone completely wild.

It wasn’t just an issue of tactile feedback, either. The inability to control the Mecha’s arms with the same finesse as one’s own limbs made practice particularly exhausting.

Yet with Lin Xinghai, as he fired shot after shot and made constant adjustments, his effective range gradually increased from 50 meters to 100, and then to 200.

An hour later, when Lin Xinghai was able to accurately hit Zombies 300 meters away, Shen Han was simply numb with shock.

"How are you doing that?" Watching Lin Xinghai make such incredible progress after just one hour of practice, Shen Han felt her world turning upside down.

She knew that with his foundation in Gun Technique, it was only a matter of time before he surpassed her. But for him to leave her so far in the dust after such a short period... it was something she found hard to accept.

"Er... I use my Perception Power to lock on to the target, and then I fire." After a moment of consideration, Lin Xinghai decided to reveal his method.

"Lock on with Perception? But Perception Power can only vaguely sense a Zombie’s presence. How can you use it for precise targeting?" Shen Han was even more baffled.

"It requires a special technique for applying Perception Power. You could call it my secret formula," Lin Xinghai explained.

Shen Han had a moment of sudden enlightenment. ’No wonder his Gun Technique improves so rapidly. No wonder he can reach a level ordinary people can only dream of.’

’So, besides his natural talent, he’s also mastered techniques that are completely beyond us.’

However, she was sensible enough not to press the issue. Shen Han knew full well how crucial a secret like that was to a shooter. Mastering it was tantamount to holding the key to the path of a Divine Sharpshooter, or perhaps even a Gun God.

Prying into it could easily turn them from allies into enemies.

To her surprise, however, Lin Xinghai continued, "I can teach you this Perception Power secret, but only a few of the core members."

This was a decision Lin Xinghai had made after careful deliberation.

Once he left the Star Shield Shelter, this secret would give the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps a core competitive advantage that no other mercenary corps could match.

It would allow them to become an existence that other Mercenary Corps could never surpass.