"General Morgan!"
Buck was startled when he heard the words of the old scientist, quickly standing at attention and saluting.
There were two Level 1 scientists present, both of whom had received the Federation Hero Medal.
Anderson Morgan was one of them.
He held a position in the Strategic Research Department and held the rank of Major General, but his authority within the Federation reached the level of a General.
He couldn't believe that Morgan was still alive!
The intelligence provided by the Strategic Department stated that Morgan had informed them before the communication was cut off, saying that they were about to die and that the Federation should not hope for rescue until after the insect tide receded and the research data could be retrieved.
But considering Morgan's importance, the Strategic Department still sent them over.
Now, upon hearing Morgan's words, Buck probably understood the reason behind it.
Morgan was a good person; he believed the safe house wouldn't hold up and didn't want too many people to die because of him. As long as they protected the research data, it would be enough.
After all, the bugs couldn't chew through the protective cases. If he just hid the cases a little higher, he could prevent the research data from being damaged by the bugs.
Zhou Yuan and the others also saluted, filled with excitement.
The main rescue target was still alive, which meant they had successfully completed their mission.
And the rescue target was a big shot, which meant a great achievement.
"Captain, insects are approaching!"
"There are a lot of bugs, we better hurry!"
The group hadn't been happy for long when Soft Egg delivered some bad news.
Buck quickly looked towards Morgan and asked, "General Morgan, are there any other safe houses here?"
"No..."
Morgan shook his head gently, his tone filled with sadness.
The bugs came too fast, and their numbers were overwhelming. The defense force of the research center couldn't hold them back at all.
The reason they survived was that they were on this floor when the incident happened, giving them enough time to enter the safe house.
"I understand!"
Buck solemnly nodded and ordered his team members, "Go up and assist, if necessary, you can use tactical nuclear bombs. I will notify the transport plane for evacuation."
After speaking, he looked at the remaining fifteen defense soldiers of the research center. "Guys, go up and help as well."
"Yes, sir!"
The defense soldiers saluted and followed Zhou Yuan and the others.
"General Morgan, we should also leave."
"Gentlemen, please take care of the wounded for me. We don't have much time left."
At this moment, Buck began to organize the evacuation of the research personnel while carrying Morgan on his back.
Finding Morgan alive was a great achievement, but if they didn't successfully bring him back...
He was afraid that he would lose his position as the captain of the Hunter unit, and even the team members who accompanied him on this trip wouldn't get any good results.
... ...
As the insects in the research center were all killed, the return journey became much easier.
Previously, they had to fight, move, and dismantle equipment along the way, which took half an hour. But now, they finished it in less than two minutes.
When Zhou Yuan and the others arrived at the exit, Falcon and Soft Egg were already fighting the bugs.
There were a lot of bugs, easily a few hundred visible ones, and there were even more bugs outside the valley, rushing in.
If they didn't go up, both Falcon and Soft Egg would be overwhelmed.
"Da! Da! Da!" Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan unleashed a hail of bullets from his heavy machine gun. The rest of the team followed suit, pushing back the onslaught of creatures. Ten members of the Hunter Squad and fifteen defense guards from the research center unleashed a formidable barrage. At least they could hold off the approaching swarm for now, as long as the tide of creatures didn't flood in.
"Guys, the situation is getting dicey!"
"The number of creatures outside is increasing. We have about five minutes before they form a full-scale swarm!"
As the firefight raged on, Falcon suddenly shouted, "We should have enough time to retreat."
"If anything goes wrong, we'll have to resort to tactical nukes!"
Zhou Yuan, while pressing down the trigger of the heavy machine gun, glanced through his binoculars at the valley entrance. Indeed, the creatures were multiplying rapidly, and the swarm was becoming congested. These creatures seemed panicked, even attacking their own kind in their escape—probably still reeling from the aftermath of nearby nuclear explosions.
They were not the primary targets; they just happened to be blocking the creatures' path of retreat.
"Guys, I'm switching to the mixed explosives," Zhou Yuan announced. After emptying a drum magazine, he took two steps back, out of sight from the others.
Opening the demolition crate, he stashed away the heavy machine gun and pulled out the infinite ammo version. It was time to make this thing see some action. He wasn't worried about his teammates noticing, as the weapon was bound to his soul. When he used it, it had infinite ammo, but for others, it appeared as a regular heavy machine gun that required reloading. If anyone asked, he could simply say he brought extra ammo, which made sense given the amount he was carrying.
With the infinite ammo weapon in hand, Zhou Yuan felt much more confident. Even though it was the same heavy machine gun, the infinite ammo version felt significantly more powerful, with a much better handling experience. Perhaps this was just his fear of inadequate firepower talking.
Of course, in the midst of firing the machine gun, he didn't forget his earlier declaration and threw several packs of mixed explosives into the swarm. High-energy explosives were far more effective than the machine gun in dealing with the creatures. Since he had them, there was no reason not to use them. How could he pass up the opportunity to earn some soul points?
Watching the creatures shatter into pieces and the prompt panel refreshing rapidly, Zhou Yuan felt a surge of satisfaction. He turned to Storm and Recovery Station beside him and said, "Guys, hand over the demolition crate to me."
"I'm strong enough to throw the explosives into the thickest part of the swarm."
"Ok!" Storm and Recovery Station replied without looking back, indicating that Zhou Yuan should just take it himself.
"Watch me!" Zhou Yuan arranged the three demolition crates in a row and alternated between the machine gun and mixed explosives, thoroughly enjoying the experience.
"Guys, your hero is here! You had better act fast; there are at least a hundred thousand creatures outside!"
After holding their ground for about four or five minutes, Steve arrived in a transport aircraft, circling to find a landing spot.
"Find a landing spot first. The captain and the researchers haven't come out yet," Zhou Yuan instructed, glancing back.
The researchers were not as swift as they were, and there were a few injured ones who would need more time.
"Damn! Creatures on the right wing!"
Suddenly, Zhou Yuan's peripheral vision caught sight of a group of creatures scaling the high slope on the right side of the valley, spilling into the ravine. Even defending the front was proving to be a challenge, and with creatures coming from the right, the pressure was mounting.
"Should we consider using tactical nukes if necessary?"
"Well, now seems like a necessary time!" Zhou Yuan recalled Bak's words earlier and couldn't help but smile. He wasn't doing this to earn soul points; he was a team-oriented soldier looking to avert the immediate crisis!