Upon hearing this, the old general withdrew his gaze and said solemnly,
"In that case, is a direct confrontation the only option?"
Zhang Weijun frowned, turned to the staff officer and asked:
"The grassland and marine Erosion Zone are at most only five thousand, right?"
The Erosion Zone is not directly connected to the outside world, and messages cannot be transmitted directly; they are all manually passed on by personnel entering and leaving the area.
"Yes," the staff officer nodded, "They entered the Erosion Zone earlier than us, and they were attacked by the Calamity Beast earlier as well. The largest group they faced was from the Erosion Zone on the grassland a few days ago, with 5,364 Calamity Beast."
What about the proportion of mid-to-high-tier Calamity Beast?
"The percentage of 5th Tier is uncertain; sometimes there are more, sometimes fewer, and sometimes none at all. For Fourth Tier, it's probably between 1% and 3%."
"1%-3%? That means if there are 10,000 Calamity Beast, there might be 100-300 Fourth Tier?"
The staff officer was about to say something when he suddenly stopped. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Based on data from two other Erosion Zone, that's the case. However, the Erosion Zone are different, and these are only a few instances, so they can't be used as a complete reference. The data could be more or less."
Zhang Weijun didn't reply, he just nodded while looking at the screen.
Silence fell over the hall once again.
Everyone wore serious expressions as they pondered how to deal with this beast tide.
Nearly ten thousand came from the vast horizon, along with an unknown number of mid- to high-level Calamity Beast...
Although they already knew that establishing a foothold in the Erosion Zone would not be easy, the difficulty still made everyone frown deeply.
Shen Heng was also deep in thought, his brows furrowed.
Does 1%-3% mean that out of 100 Calamity Beast, 1-3 are Fourth Tier Calamity Beast?
It seems there's no problem with having fifty or sixty Tier 1, thirty or Tier 2 animals, a dozen or so Tier 3 animals, and one to Fourth Tier animals.
However, this was placed among nearly ten thousand Calamity Beast.
Even the lowest percentage, 1%, is almost the same as the number of Fourth Tier inspectors in the base now.
Moreover, there may be even more.
Of course, one could also hope that the Fourth Tier Calamity Beast would be hit head-on by missiles as they charged toward the base, crippling or killing them!
but...
A scene suddenly flashed into Shen Heng's mind.
On the plateau, a One-Horned Lizard charged forward, its eyes fixed on the corpse of another Calamity Beast...
It seems we can't rely too much on this idea.
"Then... is there any other way?" Shen Heng frowned, deep in thought.
Beside them, the old general and the slightly overweight officer were both frowning in thought.
They wanted to find a way to resolve their current situation, but couldn't seem to find one.
Perhaps, going outside is the only way to solve this problem?
But putting aside the question of whether it's too late to get out now, even if it is, will others be able to get in later?
If they're allowed in, what will happen next time the Calamity Beast does this?
Just as the group was frowning in worry, a voice rang out in the command center.
"Sure, shall we try attacking with a nuclear bomb?" Shen Heng raised his hand and tentatively suggested.
These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly resounding throughout the command center.
The old general, his hair now streaked with gray, slightly opened his eyes and spoke instinctively.
"No, the spatial structure of the Erosion Zone is already very fragile. The energy and pollution generated by a large-scale nuclear explosion could have unpredictable consequences!"
"If it's just low-yield nuclear weapons, not large-scale ones, there shouldn't be a big problem." Shen Heng calmly looked over.
"Furthermore, we don't need to kill any Sixth Tier Calamity Beast; we just need to eliminate some Fourth Tier or lower Calamity Beast. This will greatly reduce the pressure on the base."
"This..." The old general was slightly speechless.
"But the radiation and chaotic energy field after the nuclear explosion will prevent us from further exploring that area," the slightly overweight officer hurriedly interjected, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Furthermore, our radar signal is still under investigation and repair. If it is subsequently extended to that area, but a nuclear explosion has occurred there, the chaotic energy field there may prevent us from reaching it."
"If the Calamity Beast then come from that direction, they could easily launch a surprise attack before we even notice them."
"Exploration and reconnaissance," Shen Heng said, looking at the slightly overweight officer, "Are better than being forced to retreat now, or losing most of our men."
Upon hearing this, even the slightly overweight officer was speechless.
Shen Heng turned to look at the others.
Everyone's faces showed an expression of wanting to object, but not knowing how to object.
"Chief of Staff!" The slightly overweight officer gritted his teeth and looked sharply at Zhang Weijun, wanting him to speak up and persuade him.
Upon hearing this, the others also instinctively turned their gazes in that direction.
Shen Heng also turned his gaze in that direction.
Zhang Weijun was also looking at him, his eyes filled with surprise and a hint of admiration, unlike the hesitation and rebuttal of the others.
"You actually thought of this method? How did you come up with it?"
"Also?..." The pupils of everyone present contracted slightly.
Shen Heng then recalled that the other party had been pondering something, and that he had only asked about the location of the beast tide, without asking anything else, but he hadn't been asked to leave either.
So, he had already thought of this, but hadn't made the decision yet. Was he making me wait here so that I could help him pinpoint the exact location when he made the decision?
Shen Heng paused for a moment, then replied:
"I was just thinking that since conventional methods are ineffective, why not reduce their numbers in the most direct way when they gather for an attack?"
Shen Heng met Zhang Weijun's gaze and calmly replied,
"Instead of letting them fully deploy and attack our lines on the plains, we should launch a long-range strike while they are still relatively concentrated."
"And nuclear weapons are currently the most widespread and powerful means we can utilize."
He paused, then added:
"As for the subsequent radiation and energy disturbance issues... those are things we need to consider after we've secured them. If we can't even get past this current hurdle, then there's no point in talking about anything else."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Weijun's lips twitched slightly, a smile that was almost one of approval.
"That's right." He said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the various expressions on the faces of the people in the command center.
"Our top priority now is to ensure the base's survival."
As for the potential negative impacts of a nuclear explosion...
His voice paused deliberately here, carrying an undeniable determination.
"Compared to the survival of the base, these are all acceptable costs."