Nie Chang set down the communicator, the senior commander's words echoing in his mind.
"Leave professional matters to the professionals."
He stopped hesitating and immediately picked up another radio, one that connected directly to the frontline guards.
"Tianpeng Squad, this is Nie Chang at Frontline Command. Have Major Lin Yi get on the radio immediately. This is urgent!"
Soon, the voice of Tianpeng, the special operations squad leader, came from the other end. "Command, Tianpeng here. Major Lin is maintaining energy neutralization. Go ahead; I can relay the message."
"Give him the radio. Directly. He needs to hear this himself!" Nie Chang ordered.
After a brief rustle, Lin Yi's calm voice came through the radio. A faint energy hum seemed to sound in the background. "Commander Nie, go ahead."
"Staff Officer Lin, I'll keep this brief."
Nie Chang spoke rapidly. "The Monitoring Center has detected a Leader Rank Abyss Beast at Small Nest No. 1. Its Source Energy is as high as 17,900, and it's expected to arrive with the Abyss Tide."
He took a deep breath and explained the predicament as concisely as possible. "My assessment is that our current firepower reserves won't be enough to kill a Leader of this rank quickly and effectively. If we stick to the original plan, the infantry line will come under tremendous pressure, and casualties may get out of control. I recommend an immediate retreat. With you covering us, we can preserve our main force and fight again when the opportunity arises. I want to know what you think. Do we retreat, or do we fight?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end. Only the faint noise of energy flowing could be heard.
Then Lin Yi's voice came through, utterly unruffled. He sounded as though he hadn't heard that a