Morris stared intently at the Mutated Zombie, speaking in a low voice into the squad channel.
"Interesting. This guy isn't ordinary stock. Try to keep the body intact; it has extremely high research value."
"Understood, Captain."
Facing this swift Mutated Entity, Morris didn't hesitate. While giving the command to surround it, he decisively pressed the emergency call button on his tactical headset.
"Eagle Eye One and Two, abandon your original sniper positions and converge on my location."
He spoke in a deep voice into the full-spectrum communicator.
"Squad One calling Headquarters, we have discovered a Special Mutated Zombie in the coordinate area. Requesting fire support."
Morris knew well that although the abilities displayed by the zombie before them were not yet insurmountable, as the first Elite Monster they had encountered since entering this world, its value was immeasurable.
To ensure its capture without fail, or even just to secure an intact corpse, no amount of force was excessive.
No one knew if this creature was hiding any other strange abilities.
Although the death of the possessed Enderman body was not a huge loss, every casualty represented a mission failure, which they could not accept.
Almost the instant his voice fell silent, responses immediately echoed one after another in the communication channel.
"This is Squad Four, received. Please report your exact location."
"Squad Seven received. We are nearby and ready to provide support at any time."
"Squad Eleven received..."
...
Meanwhile, at the Fortress Command Center.
On the huge curved screen, the tactical view of Morris's squad was instantly magnified, occupying the core position of the main display.
That strangely shaped, fast-moving Mutated Zombie was clearly displayed before everyone's eyes.
"A Special Infected Entity has appeared."
Steve's eyes narrowed, and he immediately spoke to the Commander responsible for battlefield deployment beside him.
"Immediately broadcast the beacon based on the real-time location of all squads, guiding the nearest teams to Squad One for support."
"Yes."
The Commander tapped rapidly on the virtual screen, and the order was immediately relayed via communication to the ears of every Shadow Marine Warrior.
"Squad Four, teleport three kilometers to the direct right."
"Squad Eleven, teleport five kilometers due west."
"Squad Seven, maintain current position, stand by, and blockade the south exit."
Command after command quickly constructed an invisible net across the battlefield.
"The First Twenty Squads, proceed to support. The remaining squads, continue executing the Cleanup Mission."
Steve finally issued the General Order.
"Received!"
"Received!"
The First Twenty Squads, having received the precise coordinates, nearly a hundred Shadow Marine Warriors, no longer hesitated.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streaks of purple smoke continuously lit up and faded in the city ruins.
In less than ten seconds, hundreds of Enderman Warriors wielding various firearms had silently appeared on the rooftops and street corners surrounding the Mutated Zombie, encircling it like grim reapers emerging from the shadows.
Locked onto by a hundred cold gazes, the Mutated Zombie also seemed to sense an unprecedented threat.
It let out a low growl from its throat, stopped hesitating, and its figure suddenly moved, transforming into a blurry afterimage as it lunged straight toward the nearest warrior.
The cold, gleaming sharp claws were raised high, striking down fiercely with the momentum of tearing everything apart.
However, just as the sharp claws were about to touch the warrior's body, the warrior's figure vanished with a whoosh, turning into smoke, causing the strike to hit empty air.
"Open fire."
Seeing this, the surrounding warriors instantly pulled their triggers.
Dense streams of fire erupted from all directions, weaving into a net of death that enveloped the zombie head-on.
Facing a hail of bullets strong enough to turn an armored vehicle into a sieve, the zombie displayed terrifying reaction capabilities.
Its body twisted and dodged frantically with bizarre footwork, somehow managing to evade most of the bullets even in the airtight barrage.
"Be careful, this guy is too fast. It can even react to bullets."
"Although our teleportation is fast, it still requires a fraction of a second reaction time. If it gets close and we can't track its movements, we might be instantly killed before we even have time to teleport."
The serious warnings of the warriors came through the channel.
"Everyone, immediately pull back and create distance."
Morris gave the command decisively.
Without the slightest hesitation, all the warriors in the encirclement instantly activated their teleportation, vanishing from their spots.
The next second, they had appeared on various high points within a one-kilometer radius, scattered in all directions—from the tops of skyscrapers to broken overpasses—all aiming their muzzles once again at the solitary figure in the center of the encirclement.
"Sniper Squads, prepare. Let's test its reaction speed."
Morris issued a new order.
Meanwhile, the warriors armed with assault rifles were positioned at an intermediate distance of about five hundred meters, forming a second layer of firepower. They constantly monitored its every move, ready to instantly teleport away and ensure their absolute safety if it showed any sign of charging.
Receiving Morris's command, forty snipers scattered across various locations simultaneously locked the crosshairs of their scopes firmly onto the Mutated Zombie's head.
"Fire."
Bang!
Forty muffled, massive gunshots exploded almost simultaneously.
Forty specialized armor-piercing sniper rounds, trailing helical air currents and traveling at over three times the speed of sound, whistled toward the zombie from forty different directions, sealing off all its evasion routes.
Just at the moment the bullets flew within a hundred meters of it.
The zombie suddenly moved.
It surprisingly reacted later but moved faster, its body turning into a nearly invisible phantom just before the bullets reached it, as it charged madly in one direction.
It chose the direction with the sparsest bullet trajectory, forcefully tearing open a gap in the Cage of Death formed by the forty sniper rounds, and bolted away.
"It's trying to run."
A warrior in that direction saw this and didn't hesitate; his figure flashed, teleporting onto a building a kilometer away, raising his rifle again for a predictive shot.
Warriors in other positions reacted just as quickly, constantly changing their locations via teleportation, maintaining fire suppression against it.
Dense gunfire echoed throughout the entire block.
During the chase, the zombie suddenly swung its arm, and with a few crisp metallic clangs, several rifle bullets flying toward it were directly batted away by its iron-hard sharp claws.
"It can swat bullets away with its bare hands?"
Seeing this scene, Morris's eyes burst forth with an intense, burning light.
"This guy is definitely a Mutated Entity. Spare no expense—we absolutely cannot let it escape."