"Brother Chang’an, I... honestly have no idea what we’re doing today!"
Han Ruoxi scratched her head, looking completely lost. "Instructor Wei said we’d get a mission notification later, but we haven’t heard anything yet!"
Li Chang’an nodded after hearing this.
"It’s been way too quiet these past few days. I thought after joining an Insect Hunter Squad, we’d be busy all the time!"
He walked over to the equipment rack, casually grabbed an iron rod, and began practicing. His movements were crisp and clean, as if the wait for a mission didn’t bother him in the slightest.
"Man, you know, I’m actually starting to miss the Insect Race!"
Sun Yang came over, plopped down on the floor, and watched Li Chang’an swing the iron rod.
"Fighting those bugs is a pain, sure, but at least it’s exciting. Hanging around the base every day is getting seriously boring!"
"Sun Yang, of course *you’d* be bored!"
Shen Qiuyue walked over from the other side, arms crossed, and gave a cold smirk. "You just love looking for trouble. Is there anything in that head of yours besides fighting?"
"Heh heh, Sister Qiuyue, don’t be like that!"
Sun Yang scratched his head, grinning. "It’s not like I have any other hobbies, you know? Besides, I always pull my weight in a fight, don’t I?"
Shen Qiuyue shook her head, not bothering to argue with him.
"Didn’t we come here to improve ourselves?"
Li Chang’an stopped his practice and turned around, his tone mild. "The Insect Race is still out there. There will always be more fights. What’s the rush?"
"Brother Chang’an, you just have a great mindset!"
Han Ruoxi sighed and walked over to sit down. "I’m so bored these past few days I feel like I’m going to start growing mold. Say, you think we could apply for a mission or something? Even if it’s not combat, patrols would be fine!"
"Patrols, huh?"
Li Chang’an chuckled. "You think the veterans on this base would let us go on patrol? We’re just rookies right now. We have to follow procedure for missions. Can’t rush it."
"I do think something’s been a little strange at the base lately," Bai Lin muttered in a low voice, having entered at some point without them noticing. He glanced around the room.
"Hm? What did you find?"
Li Chang’an’s brow twitched.
"It’s nothing major."
Bai Lin thought for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "It’s just that the base’s security system has been upgraded a few times all of a sudden. It’s not normal. Also, I spotted some outsiders on the surveillance feed yesterday. Unidentified, and they were acting suspiciously!"
"Outsiders?"
Han Ruoxi’s eyes lit up. "Why didn’t you say so sooner!"
"What are you so excited for?"
Bai Lin rolled his eyes. "I only caught a glimpse of it in the system. I don’t know the details. Besides, they could just be regular visitors. No need to read too much into it!"
"Suspicious visitors?"
Shen Qiuyue frowned. "That doesn’t sound right. Bai Lin, did you investigate any further?"
"Of course!"
Bai Lin nodded. "But I’m still analyzing the data. Haven’t found anything major yet."
"If there are suspicious people, we need to be extra vigilant."
Li Chang’an mused for a moment, gently tapping the iron rod in his hand. "We’ll report it when the instructor gets here."
Just as he said that, Instructor Wei’s voice boomed from outside the door. "You’re all here. Assemble!"
At his words, everyone quickly got to their feet and went to the door.
"Today’s mission isn’t complicated, but it’s not simple either."
Instructor Wei looked them over and said coolly, "We’ve recently detected signs of Insect Race activity near the base. The scale is small, but we can’t afford to be careless. Insect Hunter Squad, prepare to move out for a perimeter reconnaissance mission!"
"Finally, a mission!"
Sun Yang couldn’t resist slapping Li Chang’an on the shoulder. "Brother Chang’an, I knew this downtime wouldn’t last long!"
Li Chang’an smiled and nodded. "We have our orders. Let’s go."
Everyone quickly returned to their dorms to get their gear.
Han Ruoxi picked up her weapon, muttering, "I have to do better this time, or that jerk Sun Yang will never let me hear the end of it!"
"Make fun of you?"
Sun Yang poked his head out with a wide grin. "How would I dare make fun of you, Eldest Miss Han? You’re our squad’s only genius Superpower User. I’m the one who should be sucking up to you!"
"Get lost!"
Han Ruoxi shot a small arc of electricity at him. Sun Yang dodged it nimbly, hiding off to the side with a goofy grin.
Once everyone was ready, Li Chang’an led the squad out of the base and toward the mission area.
"This recon mission probably won’t be a big deal," Shen Qiuyue said calmly from the middle of the formation. "Still, we need to be careful. The Insect Race has been getting more active lately."
"Don’t you worry. My Pulse Gun is locked and loaded, just waiting to teach those bugs a lesson!"
Sun Yang brandished his weapon as he walked, looking incredibly excited.
"Don’t get cocky."
Li Chang’an shot him a cold glance. "The mission hasn’t even started. What are you so excited about? Save it for when we’re done."
"Heh heh, Brother Chang’an, I’m just happy, is all!"
Sun Yang rubbed his nose and quickly wiped the smile off his face.
The Insect Hunter Squad pressed on. Though the atmosphere seemed relaxed, every member remained alert to their surroundings.
"Something’s not right up ahead."
Bai Lin suddenly stopped and raised a hand, signaling for the team to halt.
"What is it?"
Li Chang’an stopped immediately as well, looking back at Bai Lin.
"I’m picking up a weird signal. Doesn’t seem like the Insect Race," Bai Lin said, frowning at the device in his hands.
"Not the Insect Race?"
Han Ruoxi asked curiously. "Then what could it be?"
"Not sure. The signal is messy. Let me check again."
Bai Lin crouched down and began working on his device.
"Hey, we’re not about to run into some Alien Martial Artists, are we?"
Sun Yang blurted out. "Those guys are no joke!"
"Don’t spout nonsense. Let Bai Lin figure things out first."
Li Chang’an shot him a glare, and Sun Yang immediately shut up.
The squad fell silent. Bai Lin continued to work his device while Han Ruoxi watched him from the side, looking anxious.
"Got it!"
Bai Lin finally looked up, his brow furrowed. "The signal source is to the east, not far from here. We need to go check it out."
"Let’s move. Go check it out."
Li Chang’an ordered immediately, and the Insect Hunter Squad hurried toward the signal’s source.
They hadn’t gone far when a faint tremor came from the distance, as if some colossal creature was moving underground.
"What’s that sound?"
Han Ruoxi asked with a frown.
"Not good. It might be the Insect Race’s burrowers!"
Bai Lin immediately tensed. "That kind of tremor usually means subterranean Insect Race activity!"
"Burrowers? What a pain."
Li Chang’an’s expression darkened. "Everyone, on your guard! Prepare for battle!"
"Whoa, finally some action!"
Sun Yang rubbed his hands together in excitement, clearly impatient after the long wait.
The Insect Hunter Squad immediately adopted a combat stance. Everyone gripped their weapons, their eyes locked on the area ahead.
The tremors grew closer, and small cracks began to spiderweb across the ground, as if something was about to burst out from beneath.
"Get ready!"
Li Chang’an said in a low voice. The Saw Chain Sword in his hand was already active, its teeth humming with a low-pitched WHIR.
"These burrowers... there’s probably not just one, is there?"
Shen Qiuyue stood to the side, gripping her High-Energy Dueling Sword, her expression as calm and composed as ever. "These things usually travel in packs."
"Packs are even better!"
Sun Yang chuckled. The Pulse Gun on his shoulder was already aimed at the cracks in the ground. "The more the merrier. I’ll kill as many as they send. It’ll be a good warm-up!"
"You’re certainly optimistic."
Han Ruoxi stood on the other side, her hands slightly raised. The air around her began to crackle with the smell of ozone, ready to unleash her Electric Superpower at a moment’s notice.
"Optimism is a good thing," Li Chang’an said with a faint smile. "But don’t let your guard down. The Insect Race doesn’t play games."