Although Gu Lan's squad had beaten back the assault and kept "Ashes" safe,
the "Anvil" Mecha had been hit by stray rounds during the interception just now, its shield energy heavily depleted, and Gu Lan's own Mecha had also triggered minor structural alarms from operating at the limits.
More importantly, they had been successfully pinned down, and their search progress was severely hindered.
Almost at the same time, Rose's and Kuang Xin's squads were also subjected to similar harassment and containment—only even more targeted.
The enemy refused to engage them head-on, instead constantly using the terrain and environment to stir up trouble, slow their advance, and try to funnel them into preset trap zones.
"They're stalling for time and trying to split us up and wear us down." Rose quickly read the opponent's intent, her expression grim.
Splitting into groups had indeed expanded the search range, but it also gave the enemy a chance to pick them off one by one.
