Li Chang'an stood at the edge of the squad's training ground. He brushed the dust off his clothes, his gaze sweeping over Han Ruoxi and Shen Qiuyue, who were still sparring.
"Stop!"
Han Ruoxi stopped what she was doing, pouting. "Captain, I was just about to pin down Sister Qiuyue! Is this really the right time to call a stop?"
Shen Qiuyue sheathed her sword, her tone nonchalant. "Pin me down? Ruo Xi, you can keep bragging. Your Electric Energy is impressive, sure, but did you really think I'd be scared of it?"
"Oh, so you admit it, Sister Qiuyue! You're admitting I almost had you backed into a corner!" Han Ruoxi flashed a triumphant smile, a faint arc of electricity crackling around her finger as she waggled it provocatively.
"That's enough!" Li Chang'an cut off their argument, pointing to Sun Yang on the other side of the field. "You two, take a look. *That's* what I call serious training!"
Han Ruoxi turned to look and saw Sun Yang holding a Pulse Gun, spraying a row of training targets. The score bars on the targets were nearly maxed out.
He tossed his hair back and shouted, "See that? That's what you call skill! If these targets could move, I'd be even faster!"
Standing in a distant corner, Bai Lin held a tablet, speaking without looking up. "Sun Yang, the data shows your accuracy is only 70%.
Stop bragging and get back to training. You'll make the insects die of laughter!"
"Hey, Bai Lin, can't you give me a little encouragement?" Sun Yang yelled indignantly. "70% is already really high, okay? Do you have any idea how small these training targets are?"
"I do!" Bai Lin's fingers flew across his tablet. "I also know that Han Ruoxi's accuracy is 85%, Shen Qiuyue's is 90%, and Captain Li's is 99%.
And you have the nerve to say yours is high?"
Sun Yang pouted and shouldered his gun. "Fine, I won't compare myself to you freaks. Us regular guys have our own kind of glory!"
Han Ruoxi couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Yang, can your 'regular guy glory' be a little louder? I don't think the insects at the base can hear it!"
Shen Qiuyue snorted coldly and walked to the side to wipe her sword. "Let's just focus. This kind of daily training is basically meaningless. When we really run into the Insect Race, it all comes down to actual combat!"
Li Chang'an clapped his hands. "Qiuyue is right.
Alright, everyone pack up and get ready. Instructor Wei Zhuang says there's a simulation mission this afternoon!"
"A simulation mission? Didn't they say we new recruits still had two more days of rest?" Han Ruoxi wrinkled her nose. "We have to get busy again?"
"Don't you like proving yourself?" Li Chang'an said casually. "This is your chance. Our squad hasn't officially made a name for itself at the base yet!"
Han Ruoxi huffed. "Fine, fine! Who's afraid of who!"
Sun Yang sidled up to him. "Captain, how exciting can this simulation mission be? I hope it's not too easy. I'm already getting hyped!"
"Cut the crap!" Li Chang'an shot him a look. "We'll talk after the instructor briefs us on the mission this afternoon. Let's get some food first!"
With that, he turned and headed toward the mess hall, and the rest of the team followed.
In the mess hall, they all grabbed trays and found a table by the window. Han Ruoxi asked while shoveling food into her mouth, "Captain, what's the simulation mission about, really? Give us a little hint!"
Li Chang'an picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and said calmly, "Wei Zhuang didn't say much, just mentioned it would be 'a little interesting.' I'm guessing it'll be a comprehensive test."
Shen Qiuyue put down her chopsticks, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "A so-called 'comprehensive test' most likely means a combat scenario.
Captain Li, do you think it might be a high-intensity enemy simulation?"
"Hard to say," Li Chang'an said, taking a sip of soup. "But just relax. No matter what the mission is, as long as you follow orders, we can definitely complete it."
Sun Yang laughed heartily. "Exactly! With the Captain here, what's there to be afraid of? Even if the Insect Race really did break in, they'd have to get Captain Li's permission first!"
Han Ruoxi looked up. "Brother Yang, can you stop sucking up to the Captain all the time? It's getting old!"
Sun Yang waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, I'm just telling the truth! I'm someone who respects the strong. If you could beat me into submission, I'd suck up to you too!"
"Heh!" Han Ruoxi's lip twitched. "Forget it. Who has the time to beat you up?"
The group chatted back and forth as the food on their trays gradually disappeared.
That afternoon, the Insect Hunter Squad appeared on time in the training hall.
Instructor Wei Zhuang was standing in the middle of the hall, holding a document. When he saw Li Chang'an and his group, he nodded. "You're here."
"We are," Li Chang'an replied, standing firm and taking a step forward. "Instructor, what's the mission?"
Wei Zhuang looked around, then smiled. "The simulation mission… to put it simply, it's to let you experience a real combat environment.
The objective is an enemy stronghold, garrisoned by a mixed force of the Rebel Army and a swarm of the Insect Race!"
Han Ruoxi's eyes widened. "The Insect Race and the Rebel Army? This isn't for real, is it?"
"Of course it's not for real!" Wei Zhuang rolled his eyes. "The enemies are simulated, but the combat difficulty is close to the real thing.
Li Chang'an, you're leading. Everyone else, follow his command.
You move out in thirty minutes!"
"Understood!" Li Chang'an responded with a nod.
Han Ruoxi muttered under her breath, "He calls this 'a little interesting'? This sounds more like 'a little life-threatening'!"
Sun Yang, however, rubbed his hands together excitedly. "A mixed force of the Insect Race and the Rebel Army? Now that sounds awesome! Captain, can I be the one to charge in first?"
Li Chang'an turned to look at him. "You're the team's ranged fire support!"
"I know! But I can shoot while I charge. It'll look so cool!" Sun Yang said with a straight face, gesturing with his Pulse Gun.
"Cool my ass!" Li Chang'an retorted mercilessly. "How are you supposed to fight when the formation is broken? Get a few more years of training under your belt!"
Sun Yang rubbed his nose. "Alright, you're the boss."
Bai Lin spoke up quietly from the side. "Captain, the data for the simulation mission has been synced to my terminal. I can start studying the terrain ahead of time."
"Good!" Li Chang'an nodded. "Clear division of labor, everyone does their part. We have to score well on this mission!"
"No problem!" everyone replied in unison, their spirits high.
Instructor Wei Zhuang watched the Insect Hunter Squad's neat formation, and the corner of his mouth twitched. 'Not bad, you look the part.'
"Don't get too relaxed. This simulation won't pull any punches. We here in the Interstellar Corps love to see new recruits go in smiling and come out crying!"
"Instructor!" Han Ruoxi raised her hand indignantly. "Who's going to cry? We're the Insect Hunter Squad! We're not that fragile!"
Wei Zhuang waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the lip service. Move out in thirty minutes. Grab your own gear from the armory. If you're short on weapons, speak up now!"
Li Chang'an nodded. "Roger that.
Squad, dismiss! Go get your gear from the armory!"
The group headed for the armory. On the way, Han Ruoxi couldn't help but speak up again. "Captain, that instructor really looks down on us, doesn't he? It feels like he was saying we'd be scared to tears. He's so condescending!"
Shen Qiuyue said calmly, "Don't mind it. That kind of talk is just to provoke us into performing well.
He might sound casual, but he definitely has something planned."
Sun Yang chimed in with a grin. "No worries. In a bit, we'll show them what we're made of and beat those simulated enemies so bad we'll break their programming!"
Han Ruoxi clapped her hands. "Exactly! We have to let them know that the Insect Hunter Squad is not to be trifled with!"
Bai Lin, who was looking down and calibrating his data terminal, said at a steady pace, "The simulated enemies will adjust their difficulty based on our real-time performance.
If you're actually too strong, the mission's difficulty might increase!"
Sun Yang froze. "That can happen? Does that mean we should pretend to be a little weaker?"
Li Chang'an shot him a sidelong glance. "You can try pretending to be weak. When the enemy actually comes at you, let's see if you can run faster than I can."
Sun Yang scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "Just kidding, just kidding! I was just trying to lighten the mood!"
Inside the armory, the squad members began selecting their equipment.
After rummaging around for a while, Han Ruoxi pulled a small, blue-glowing launcher from a locker and waved it at Li Chang'an. "Captain, what's this thing? It looks super high-tech!"
Li Chang'an walked over and took a look. "It's a Shock Wave Grenade. It uses Electric Energy to generate a shock wave. Its lethality is limited, but it can disrupt the nervous systems of the Insect Race."