"Hey, Captain, that kick back on the training grounds was pretty vicious!"
Sun Yang complained while shoveling food into his mouth, "I almost fell off the platform. Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?"
"Gentler?"
Li Chang’an took a bite of meat without even looking up. "Is the Insect Race going to be gentle on the battlefield? If you don’t want to get beaten up, then stop running your mouth so much next time!"
"When was I running my mouth?!"
Sun Yang exclaimed, "That was tactical communication! You guys don’t get it. It’s an art form!"
"Art, my ass!"
Han Ruoxi stuffed a steamed dumpling into her mouth and mumbled, her words muffled, "That’s not art, it’s just you making noise. When it really matters, your shouting is going to get us all killed!"
"Hey, that’s going too far!"
Sun Yang waved his hand dismissively. "You throw your Electric Grids all over the place, but it’s not like they kill that many insects. In the end, you still have to rely on my fire support, don’t you? Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be thanking me?"
Hearing this, Han Ruoxi put down her chopsticks and glared at him. "Sun Yang, say that again. I dare you. You want a taste of high-voltage electricity right now?"
Sun Yang shrank back and quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Just kidding, just kidding! Don’t take it seriously, Miss Han. You’re the best, okay? I was wrong!"
"Stop arguing and eat!"
Shen Qiuyue cut in coolly, her eyes fixed on her plate. "We have more training this afternoon. This bickering is endless!"
"Right, eat up!"
Li Chang’an looked up and scanned the group. "This is the only downtime you guys are going to get. Once our deployment orders come in, you won’t even have time to argue!"
"Oh, right, Captain!"
Bai Lin put down his chopsticks and asked, "What do you think this mission will be? They’re not just going to send us to clear out another Insect Hive on the back mountain, are they?"
"Who knows!"
Li Chang’an raised an eyebrow. "Then again, that place is perfect for practice. If we do go, you should be happy. You can scavenge some more discarded mechanical parts."
Bai Lin nodded slightly. "If there are any, I wouldn’t mind picking up some useful things to repair our gear.
The equipment logistics provides is often defective. We have to rely on ourselves to fix it!"
"You’re right. Our support... let’s just say it leaves a lot to be desired."
Sun Yang sighed. "Look at my Pulse Gun. It’s about to fall apart from use, and I have to rely on Bai Lin to fix it. Those guys in logistics just do a slapdash job!"
"Less complaining, more eating!"
Han Ruoxi tapped his plate. "It’s going to get cold if you don’t eat!"
"Alright, alright! Why does every single one of you love to lecture me!"
Sun Yang buried his head and shoveled down a couple more bites of food, then suddenly looked up. "But Captain, seriously, I’m kind of hoping we run into some heavy hitters on this mission. All this training is getting boring!"
"Heavy hitters?"
Li Chang’an smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Let’s hope you’re still smiling when the time comes!"
That afternoon, the Insect Hunter Squad was called for a meeting.
Commander Liu Na stood in the conference room, holding a mission briefing. "Everyone, the squad’s next deployment mission has been confirmed.
The target is an area with high Insect Race activity, codenamed the Crawling Zone.
Your mission is to clear the outer Insect Hives and collect their biological data!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Yang immediately raised his hand. "Commander, how dangerous are these outer hives? Are we bringing heavy firepower?"
Liu Na glanced at him. "The outer hives aren’t the core hives. The danger level is moderate.
The base will provide you with standard equipment. As for heavy firepower, you’ll have to coordinate that yourselves!"
Han Ruoxi muttered under her breath, ’Standard equipment? That just means the same old junk!’
Liu Na continued, "This mission is very important. We need detailed data to analyze the evolutionary trends of the Insect Race.
The Insect Hunter Squad must ensure the mission is completed. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Li Chang’an nodded, his expression serious. "We’ll give it our all!"
"Good. The mission is scheduled for 0600 tomorrow morning. Prepare in advance!"
Liu Na nodded and then left the conference room.
After the meeting, the squad returned to their dorm. Sun Yang grumbled as he sorted his gear, "Six in the morning? That’s way too early! We haven’t even had a proper rest!"
"What’s so hard about waking up early?"
Shen Qiuyue said coolly as she maintained her Dueling Sword, "If you’re even going to complain about the time, then maybe you should sit this mission out!"
"Alright, you’re the war goddess. I give up!"
Sun Yang sighed and turned to Han Ruoxi. "Hey, Miss Han, what are you packing? Planning on bringing a whole mess of random Energy Bottles again?"
"None of your damn business!"
Han Ruoxi didn’t even look up, continuing to inspect her equipment.
Li Chang’an stood at the door and glanced around the room. "Stop dawdling. Get to sleep early. We deploy tomorrow morning. Anyone who’s late can explain themselves to the instructor!"
"Captain, you say that as if we’d actually be late!"
Sun Yang chuckled. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be the first one there!"
"Let’s hope so."
Li Chang’an tossed out the remark, closed the door, and left.
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the Insect Hunter Squad’s dorm was already filled with the sounds of bustling activity.
"Sun Yang! Get up! If you don’t get out of that bed, I’m kicking you out of it!"
Han Ruoxi stood by the bed with her arms crossed, glaring coldly at Sun Yang, who was still fast asleep under the covers.
"Ugh, stop shouting!"
Sun Yang rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head. "The sun’s barely up, and the instructor isn’t here yet. What’s the rush?"
"What’s the rush? We assemble at six, and it’s already five-thirty! Get a move on!"
Han Ruoxi bent down, gave a hard tug, and ripped his blanket off. "Do you want me to actually shock you?"
Sun Yang shot up in bed, rubbing his eyes and grumbling, "Alright, alright, you win.
You nag me every single day. I’m starting to suspect you’ve got a thing for me or something."
"A thing for you?"
Han Ruoxi scoffed. "As if you’re worthy."
Nearby, Shen Qiuyue was already fully dressed and was looking down, inspecting her Dueling Sword.
She glanced up at the two of them and said coolly, "Can you two stop fooling around? We don’t have much time. Get your gear ready!"
"Sister Qiuyue, don’t be so cold!"
Sun Yang forced a smile. "This is just our daily little drama. Relax, don’t be so tense!"
"Whatever."
Shen Qiuyue averted her gaze and went back to her own business.
Li Chang’an pushed the door open, glanced at the messy dorm, and frowned. "Sun Yang, you have five minutes to get to the assembly point.
If you’re late, you know the consequences!"
"Hey, Captain, I’m already up! Stop nagging, I’ll be ready in a second!"
Sun Yang said stubbornly while frantically getting dressed, "Don’t you worry, I never drop the ball!"
"I hope so."
Li Chang’an tossed the line over his shoulder and left.
At 0600 sharp, the Insect Hunter Squad assembled on time in the base’s mission prep area.
Liu Na stood beside a combat vehicle, mission briefing in hand, her eyes scanning each person. "Good. It seems everyone is on time.
Have you checked your equipment and supplies?"
"All checked!"
Li Chang’an replied with a nod.
"Then let’s move out!"
Liu Na gestured to the vehicle. "Remember, this mission is to clear the outer Insect Hives and collect biological data.
If you encounter an unexpected situation, your personal safety is the top priority.
Understood?"
"Understood!"
The squad members answered in unison before piling into the combat vehicle.
The vehicle rumbled slowly over the rough terrain, but inside, the atmosphere was lively.
"So, Captain, don’t you think this mission sounds pretty simple?"
Sun Yang leaned back in his seat, a compressed biscuit dangling from his mouth. "It’s just clearing out some outer Insect Hives. A crack squad like us will have it done in minutes!"
"Simple?"
Li Chang’an shot him a look. "The Insect Race’s outer hives may seem simple, but the mutated individuals inside can emerge at any moment.
You’d better not let your guard down!"
"I’m not letting my guard down, Captain!"
Sun Yang waved his hand. "I just have faith in our abilities! You’re all so badass, how could I possibly drag you down?"
Han Ruoxi snorted. "You’re the textbook example of someone who drags the team down!"
"Miss Han, that’s just harsh!"
Sun Yang sat up straight. "How do I drag the team down? During the last Insect Hive cleanup, who held the line with suppressive fire during the final wave? It was me!"