Chapter 497: Encirclement
The 1 million experience points were just enough to raise Ling Zhan from level 65 to level 67.
The higher the level, the more experience required to level up.
The surrounding team members, looking at the Blinding Ghost that had died in the raging fire, were filled with admiration and respect.
None of them had expected such a cunning and powerful Blinding Ghost to be slain single-handedly by their Non-specialist Captain.
Although the senior members had some complaints earlier, after this mission, they were completely convinced.
Strength commands respect.
When Ling Zhan displayed such overwhelming power, all biases and arrogance vanished.
"Captain Ling, our mission is complete. Should we begin the retreat?"
At that moment.
Zhou Xue'er stood in front of Ling Zhan, asking.
The fact that no one had been injured during this mission was astonishing!
Especially considering this was a challenging siege mission!
In previous sieges, there would always be numerous injuries, and sometimes even fatalities.
But now…
Everyone was unharmed!
This left the squad members utterly shocked!
They had never carried out such a smooth siege mission before!
Of course…
They understood.
The success of this mission was largely due to their Captain.
"No need to retreat. We'll move out and flank the Ghost Slave Army."
Ling Zhan said calmly.
"Huh!?"
When Ling Zhan spoke.
The previously excited and admiring group froze again.
What?
Did they hear that right?
Not retreat, but flank the Ghost Slave Army?
This…
The team members who had just started admiring Ling Zhan suddenly didn't know what to say.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Vice-Captain Zhou Xue'er.
Zhou Xue'er quickly stepped forward, hesitating, "Captain Ling, are you sure about flanking the Ghost Slave Army? There are many of them. If they launch a desperate charge at us, we might have to retreat ourselves."
Zhou Xue'er wasn't afraid of death.
But it was an undeniable fact.
The number of Ghost Slaves was enormous, likely approaching 100 million after their full-scale deployment.
It sounded exaggerated.
But it was true.
Moreover…
The key issue was that these Ghost Slaves were fearless and fought like crazed beasts, indifferent to their own lives. They followed one order: kill all enemies.
They were like robots from a factory, blindly executing orders without any self-awareness.
This mindless determination made the Ghost Slave Army incredibly dangerous.
When they faced the adventurer legions or other empire forces, they attacked without hesitation, often resorting to suicide bombing.
In such circumstances.
Their small squad of a few hundred people would be suicide if they tried to flank the Ghost Slave Army, which numbered nearly a hundred million.
If the Ghost Slaves retaliated, they would be trapped in an extremely dangerous situation.
Facing Zhou Xue'er's question.
Ling Zhan just gave her a cold glance.
Clearly.
He was telling her.
Obey his orders unconditionally, and leave all doubts behind.
If they couldn't, they were free to leave the squad now—he wouldn't stop them.
At this.
The other members could only sigh.
Ling Zhan didn't care about their reactions.
For him, canceling this flanking maneuver was not an option. The reasons were simple.
First, for merits.
Second, for experience points.
Ling Zhan had thoroughly researched the information about the Hundred Ghost Fortress.
Killing Ghost Slaves and enemies on the front lines earned you merit points.
Merit points were like school credits, which could be exchanged for equipment, skill books, items, and materials.
There was also a ranking system for merit points, called the 'Chongxiao List,' for the recruits.
This list recorded who had the highest merit points among the recruits, showcasing the top performers.
Ling Zhan didn't care about the merit rankings; he just wanted enough merit points to exchange for useful items.
Moreover…
The reward vault on the front lines was very rich. Outside or in school, if you wanted to exchange for an A-rank or higher skill book.
Whether it was a general or class skill book, you'd have to apply, wait, go through approval processes, and wait for final approval from national resource departments.
If you had connections with the dean or instructors, you might speed up the process.
But here.
There was no such hassle.
As long as you submitted your request, if approved by superiors, the item would be delivered immediately.
The stock was plentiful.
The Ghost Slaves, constantly fought, were akin to wild monsters dropping loot in the field. With their massive numbers, the chances of loot drops, like skill books and equipment, were high, leading to abundant supplies.
In most cases, the items would be available for exchange.
Merits and experience.
These were Ling Zhan's priorities right now.
Having made his decision.
Ling Zhan ordered the Blinding Ghost's body to be collected by special equipment.
If nothing else, it would serve as a valuable research subject for the labs.
With that done.
The entire squad assembled.
Activating the flight function on their combat suits, they sped toward the densely packed Ghost Slave Army on the vast plains, swarming like ants.
"From now on, focus on survival. You don't need to concentrate on killing enemies, and don't worry about me."
"Just stay safe and attack from a distance."
Ling Zhan gave his orders calmly.
This left everyone surprised once more.
Essentially, this order meant, 'Just find a safe spot and stay out of the way.'
Damn!
Was this Non-specialist Captain about to put on another performance?
Or was he planning to charge into the endless Ghost Slave Army all by himself?
This…
Was he really going to do that?
Everyone couldn't help but doubt.
One minute later.
Dragon Kingdom's 9th Squad arrived at the battlefield above.
From a distance, and looking down.
They saw that the battle below had already reached a fever pitch!