Stout's face turned cold as well, and without saying another word, he yanked Diana out of the armored vehicle: "Let's go, we'll use the hovercar."
Mercer remained silent, just focusing on putting on the exoskeleton.
Even though Lucy and Qiwei weren't there, the technical expert from Military Science helping Mercer don the exoskeleton was no slower than the two of them.
"I don't plan on dying here!" Seeing Mercer not responding, Stout cursed and turned to lead the others into the hovercar.
But Mann and Rebecca coldly raised their guns to aim at her.
Chewing bubblegum, Rebecca blew a pink bubble: "Unless my boss says go, you stay put."
"Damn, don't think I'm the one fishing! Hell, if we don't leave now, we'll be in the Demon Lizard's range and won't be able to leave!"
Stout spoke angrily, while the Military Science operatives beside her urgently formed a combat formation, vigilantly facing the direction of the Demon Lizard while still keeping an eye on Rebecca and her group.
Mercer's voice came from inside the van: "Can your hovercar take all my people?"
"Have your people split up; you come with me on the hovercar with the equipment, my people will stay behind to buy time." Stout's words made a few of the Military Science operatives exchange glances, but none said anything, just tightened their grip on their weapons.
"I won't leave my people behind." After Mercer finished speaking, he turned around and shouted loudly: "Give me thirty seconds!"
Stout cursed under his breath but stepped onto the hovercar without hesitation: "Suit yourself!"
"You can't leave!" As soon as Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca stepped forward and pointed her gun at Stout without hesitation.
"You're out of your mind, don't drag me down with you!" Stout was truly anxious now.
"Who knows if you're trying to pull something? If I don't leave, you're staying here with me. Once I put this on, everyone gets to live. If we can't buy time, then we'll die together."
Mercer's words almost made Stout laugh from anger.
But seeing Rebecca, fearlessly holding her gun with one hand on the trigger, not afraid at all despite the operatives around her virtually aiming at her head.
Stout couldn't help but respect them a bit—are these mercenaries really not afraid to die?
Would these people truly go all out at Mercer's command?
She gritted her teeth, her expression wavering for a brief two seconds before making a decision: "Combat team! Spread out and assault! Get everything off the car, hold them off for me!"
"Yes!" The Military Science operatives immediately started boarding the vehicle.
And several operatives jumped onto the hovercar as well, knowing that trying to hold off the Demon Lizard with just an armored car was impossible.
At this moment, the distant black dot that was the Demon Lizard suddenly emitted white smoke—more accurately, a line of mini-missiles trailing white smoke was launched from it!
"Mini-missiles!" An operative shouted, and the armored vehicle heading towards the Demon Lizard activated its portable anti-air device, while the two high-speed machine guns mounted at the front of the hovercar began spewing gunfire under the gunner's control.
An armored vehicle and a hovercar charged towards the Demon Lizard left and right; several mini-missiles in the air were intercepted and blown up, but the rest headed directly for the armored vehicle and hovercar.
Evidently, the opponent's target was clear: first cripple Mercer's armored units.
Meanwhile, the heavy machine guns on the Demon Lizard itself started firing. Three armored vehicles not far behind the Demon Lizard also opened fire with their vehicle-mounted machine guns from a distance of about two or three kilometers, engaging in indiscriminate heavy firepower suppression.
Accuracy was hard to guarantee, but if the targets were large ones like armored vehicles and hovercars, it could still have some effect.
Mann and the others immediately ducked back behind the armored van, while Stout, a woman of no mean skill, grabbed the wailing Diana with one hand and threw her into the van's rear compartment.
She then let the only operative remaining by her side take the driver's seat.
"Everyone get in the car, put some distance!"
Stout said as she chose to sit with Mercer.
In fact, when the mini-missiles didn't target the relatively densely clustered group around Mercer after their launch, Stout discerned the opponent's intent immediately.
The opponent was directly targeting people and equipment.
Where the information leak came from, Stout could no longer check, but she knew very well that the only chance for survival now might depend on whether Mercer could deal with the Demon Lizard.
Mercer signaled to Rebecca, who quickly got in the car with efficient movements, all the while keeping a wary eye on Stout.
Stout couldn't be bothered to mind as she stared unblinkingly out the car window at the two vehicles charging forward on their side.
Even though the operatives under Stout could be considered elite compared to regular operatives, and the driver was experienced, trying to use suppressive fire to increase distance while maneuvering skillfully.
But the reason the Demon Lizard was regarded by many as Military Science's second best armored force after the Chimera, praised as the pinnacle of fighting vehicles, was precisely its formidable combat capability.
The multitude of mini-missiles launched by the Demon Lizard, two of which breached the defenses and hit the hovercar, caused it to tilt to one side just as it was picking up speed.