It was a High-Tier, Commander-Level insect. Its body was covered in a thick carapace, its foreclaws were like sharp blades, and its presence was terrifying.
"This is bad, it’s a Commander-Level insect!" Han Ruoxi gasped.
"Looks like a straight escape is out of the question," Shen Qiuyue said calmly, her Dueling Sword already drawn.
Li Chang’an’s expression hardened. He knew they had no other choice.
He quickly issued his orders. "Han Ruoxi, hit it with electricity! Sun Yang, provide suppressing fire! Shen Qiuyue, attack from the flank! We need to make this quick—take it down and pull out!"
"Understood!" they responded in unison.
Han Ruoxi immediately unleashed her Electric Superpower. Arcs of electricity instantly enveloped the massive insect.
The insect let out a furious shriek. Its massive body convulsed, but it wasn’t completely subdued.
It swung its sharp foreclaws and lunged toward Han Ruoxi.
"My turn!" Sun Yang squeezed the trigger of his Pulse Gun. A volley of Energy Bullets shot toward the insect, successfully drawing its attention.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Qiuyue struck from the side. Her Dueling Sword stabbed precisely at the insect’s joint, and the blade scraped across its carapace with a piercing metallic shriek.
"This thing’s defense is too tough!" Shen Qiuyue said, frowning. "I can only get through its outer armor!"
"Keep attacking! Don’t let up!" Li Chang’an yelled. At the same time, he raised his Saw Chain Sword, aimed for the insect’s head, and brought it down with a powerful swing.
The Saw Chain Sword let out a high-pitched whine as it struck the insect’s head, instantly shredding its defenses.
As blackish-green fluid sprayed out, the massive insect let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Its body convulsed violently a few times before it finally crashed to the ground.
"Nice work!" Li Chang’an quickly retracted his Saw Chain Sword. "Let’s move! Retreat!"
Without hesitating, they quickly skirted the fallen insect and sprinted toward the ship.
The fight had been incredibly dangerous, but they knew the threats within the Insect Hive were far from over.
The sooner they escaped, the better their chances of avoiding even greater danger.
"Faster! Insect reinforcements are almost here!" Bai Lin’s urgent voice came through their earpieces.
The Insect Hunter Squad picked up their pace and finally broke free of the Insect Hive’s perimeter.
By the time they reached the ship, it was already prepped for takeoff, its hatch open and waiting for them.
"Get on board!" Li Chang’an yelled, and the team scrambled into the ship.
The ship powered up, lifted off swiftly, and escaped the area controlled by the Insect Hive.
Through the viewport, Li Chang’an saw the swarms of insects on the ground below growing denser. They had gone into a frenzy, frantically converging on the spot from which the team had just escaped.
"Man, that was a close call!" Sun Yang slumped into his seat and let out a long sigh. "Captain, you’re always so cool-headed. If it weren’t for your command, we would’ve been totally screwed back there!"
Before Sun Yang could finish, Han Ruoxi cut him off. "Save the praise for the Captain. We’re not completely out of danger yet!"
Li Chang’an gave a slight smile and leaned back in his seat, but his eyes remained fixed on the viewport.
The ship might have taken off, but he knew the threat from the Insect Race was far from over.
"She’s right, we can’t let our guard down yet," Li Chang’an said, his voice low. "We’ve only temporarily escaped the Insect Hive’s perimeter, but the scale of the Insect Race is far larger than we anticipated.
If they’ve figured out this was a reconnaissance mission, the days ahead are going to be tough."
Sun Yang shook his head in resignation. "That doesn’t sound very optimistic, Captain. I thought we could finally relax after taking out that giant bug!"
"In your dreams," Shen Qiuyue said coldly. "The Insect Race won’t just let us go. We were just lucky to escape this time."
Han Ruoxi sighed, her fingers gently tracing the marks on her Superpower Gloves. "We need to get some good rest. The next mission will probably be even tougher."
Li Chang’an nodded and spoke into his comms. "Bai Lin, has the mission data been sent back?"
"Transmission complete," Bai Lin’s voice, as calm as ever, came through the earpiece. "Command has received the data we collected and is analyzing it.
They’ll use this information to plan the next phase of the operation."
"Good," Li Chang’an said, breathing a sigh of relief. He turned to the others. "Good work, everyone. Once we’re back at the base, get some proper rest.
The mission is far from over, but we can’t stay wound up this tight all the time."
"Rest? I could definitely use some rest!" Sun Yang rolled his shoulders and leaned back in his seat, his expression one of pure relief. "A big meal and a good night’s sleep... now that’s the life!"
Han Ruoxi chuckled. "Of course you’re thinking about food.
Weren’t you just scared out of your mind back there?"
"It was scary, sure, but look at us. We’re sitting here on the ship, safe and sound, aren’t we?" Sun Yang said with a shrug. "We’re a capable bunch. It’s always a close call, but we always pull through."
"Being capable is no excuse to be careless," Shen Qiuyue stated coldly. "That attitude of yours will get you into trouble one day."
Sun Yang shrugged, smiling. "Relax, I know my limits."
Li Chang’an cleared his throat, cutting off their bickering. "Alright, everyone. Relax for now. This part of the mission is over, so let’s drop the shop talk.
Command will have new orders for us when we get back to base."
The ship passed smoothly through the atmosphere and returned to the Interstellar Warrior Base on Lion’s Fang Star.
After landing, Li Chang’an led the Insect Hunter Squad back to their quarters.