"Captain, there are too many of them. Should we fall back?" Sun Yang asked as he fired.
"Retreat? Hell no! Taking them out is our mission!" Li Chang’an roared, charging the nearest Insect Race warrior and viciously slamming his Saw Chain Sword into its abdomen.
...
The Saw Chain Sword bit into the Insect Race warrior’s abdomen with a grating screech. Green fluid splattered everywhere, accompanied by the insect’s shriek.
With a sudden heave, Li Chang’an tore the insect in two.
"Don’t just stand there, focus!" Li Chang’an glanced at the squad members behind him.
Sun Yang let out a breath and raised his Pulse Gun again.
"Captain, I wasn’t spacing out! These things are just too damn durable!"
"Less talk! Aim for the joints!" Li Chang’an snarled. Without breaking stride, he lunged at another Insect Race warrior that was trying to get close.
Han Ruoxi gathered an electric arc once more, her hands flashing with electricity.
"This thing is too fast! I need some time to aim!"
"Bai Lin, can you slow them down?" Li Chang’an shouted as he hacked off the forelimb of an Insect Race warrior.
"The interference range is limited, but I’ll try!" Bai Lin quickly worked his terminal, attempting to boost the interference signal.
Sure enough, the Insect Race warriors’ movements faltered, seemingly affected by the signal.
"Now, Han Ruoxi!" Li Chang’an roared.
Han Ruoxi seized the opportunity, flinging the arc in her hands at the insect’s head and splitting it in two.
In the instant the lightning flashed, the air filled with the stench of something burning.
"Nice one!" Shen Qiuyue took advantage of the opening, stabbing another Insect Race warrior through the abdomen from the side. Green fluid gushed out, splashing all over her.
"Ugh, this stuff is disgusting!" Sun Yang muttered while firing.
"Our gear is probably ruined after this!"
"You have time to worry about gear?" Han Ruoxi shot him a glare.
"Focus if you don’t want to get eaten by an insect!"
"Quiet! Three more left!" Li Chang’an shouted.
The remaining three Insect Race warriors seemed to realize the situation was dire and grew even more frenzied.
They let out piercing screeches, waving their massive forelimbs as they lunged at the squad.
"Finish them, quick!" Li Chang’an severed one warrior’s leg with his sword, then sidestepped to dodge another’s attack.
Sun Yang quickly took aim. His Pulse Gun fired continuously, finally punching through one of the Insect Race warrior’s heads.
"Last two!" Han Ruoxi called out, the electric arc gathering in her hands again.
Shen Qiuyue calmly circled to an Insect Race warrior’s side and, catching it off guard, lopped off its head with a single stroke.
Green fluid splattered across the ground. The insect’s body twitched violently before finally collapsing.
"Last one’s mine!" Li Chang’an bellowed, rushing forward. He plunged his Saw Chain Sword into the Insect Race warrior’s chest and revved it, tearing the creature to shreds.
The battle was over. The entire hatchery fell silent, leaving only the stench rising from the Insect Race corpses.
"Finally, it’s over!" Sun Yang gasped, slumping to the ground.
"These bugs are damn tough!"
"Don’t let your guard down!" Li Chang’an raised a hand.
"There could still be reinforcements. Gather intel, now!"
"Captain Li, can we pretty much confirm this is part of the nest?" Han Ruoxi asked.
"Yes, but it’s not the whole picture!" Li Chang’an scanned his surroundings.
"Bai Lin, download the environmental data. Han Ruoxi, get images of the eggs. Shen Qiuyue, check if these eggs have any special markings!"
"Roger!" The others immediately sprang into action.
"Sun Yang, don’t just sit there spacing out. Help keep watch!" Li Chang’an said, looking at him.
"Alright, alright, I’m getting up!" Sun Yang pushed himself off the ground, picked up his Pulse Gun, and walked to the mine tunnel entrance.
"But Captain Li, so many bugs... can we get an easier mission next time?"
"Cut the crap!" Li Chang’an snapped back irritably.
A few minutes later, Bai Lin looked up.
"Data download complete!"
"Got the images, too!" Han Ruoxi said, shaking the device in her hand.
Shen Qiuyue backed away from a pile of eggs.
"No special markings. They look like standard hatchery eggs."
Li Chang’an nodded.
"Fall back. We’re returning the way we came!"
"Finally, we can leave!" Sun Yang let out a long sigh of relief.
"I don’t want to spend another second in this place!"
The squad quickly formed up and began to withdraw from the hatchery.
As they returned to the mine tunnel, the shrieking of the Insect Race reached their ears once more.
"Move it! We’ve got pursuers!" Li Chang’an roared.
The Insect Hunter Squad quickened their pace, rushing toward the exit.
The shrieks inside the tunnel grew closer, and the shadows of the Insect Race loomed behind them.
"Should I stay behind and hold them off?" Sun Yang asked as he ran.
"Shut up! Full withdrawal!" Li Chang’an commanded loudly, not looking back.
By the time the squad burst out of the mine tunnel and back into the light of day, several Insect Race warriors had chased them to the entrance.
"Aren’t you going to light them up?" Sun Yang asked, raising his Pulse Gun.
"Don’t waste the ammo. They won’t follow us out of the tunnel!" Li Chang’an stopped and watched coolly as the Insect Race warriors milled about at the entrance.
Sure enough, the insects seemed unwilling to leave their nest. They only shrieked at the tunnel mouth before finally retreating.
"Is it over?" Han Ruoxi panted, wiping away her sweat.
"For now." Li Chang’an turned to face his team.
"Back to base. We need to sort through this intel!"
"I’ll write the mission report when we get back to base. Everyone clean your gear first!" Li Chang’an nodded at the others. His Saw Chain Sword, still resting on his shoulder, was caked in the disgusting green fluid of the Insect Race.
"Captain, if we keep getting missions like this, shouldn’t we apply for some extra hazard pay? The cost of cleaning this gear is almost as much as my salary!" Sun Yang grumbled as he walked.
"Hazard pay?" Han Ruoxi shot him a sidelong glance.
"Hazard pay is for those who distinguish themselves. What did you do that’s worthy of it?"
"Ruo Xi, I don’t like the sound of that!" Sun Yang said, turning around with a straight face.
"My role in that fight was crucial! Without my suppressive fire, could you all have handled those insects so easily?"
"Alright, alright, you get all the credit, happy now?" Shen Qiuyue cut in coldly.
"Too bad the Insect Race can’t hear you bragging."
"Sister Qiuyue, can you not always hit me where it hurts?" Sun Yang said, rubbing his nose.
"Captain, say something. I can’t be a squad member with no voice at all, right?"
"Sun Yang!" Li Chang’an said, still walking without turning his head.
"You have a voice, but it’d be better if what you said was actually useful!"
"Captain, that’s just harsh!" Sun Yang whined.
"Shut up. We have a ton of work to do back at the base." Li Chang’an, having no patience for him, quickened his pace.
...
「Back at the base」
The first thing the squad members did was head to the equipment room to clean their gear.
Shen Qiuyue carefully wiped down her High-Energy Sword, her movements clean and efficient.
"Sister Qiuyue, you take such good care of that sword. When are you going to let me play with it for a couple of days?" Sun Yang sidled up, a huge grin on his face.
"In your dreams," Shen Qiuyue replied coldly, without even glancing at him.
"I was just kidding! Don’t take it seriously!" Sun Yang backed away with an awkward laugh.
"Sun Yang, if you’ve got time for that, you’d be better off giving your Pulse Gun a proper cleaning!" Han Ruoxi said while inspecting her own equipment.
"After the fight, I took a look. Your gun barrel is about to jam!"
"That’s because the fighting was so intense!" Sun Yang quickly waved his hands in dismissal.
"It’s not my fault, it’s the gun’s fault!"
"You’re the one with the most faults," Li Chang’an said as he pushed the door open and walked in, a file in his hand.
"After you finish cleaning your gear, head to the conference room for a meeting.
The higher-ups are very interested in this intel. There might be a follow-up mission."
"So soon?" Han Ruoxi frowned.
"Captain, can’t we rest for a couple of days first?"
"Rest?" Li Chang’an set down the file.
"Ruo Xi, are you saying you want to wait for the Insect Race to have more time to prepare, so we can go on an even more dangerous mission?"
Han Ruoxi opened her mouth, but said nothing more.
"Fine, Captain Li, you call the shots!" Sun Yang said with a wave of his hand.
"I’m used to these non-stop days anyway!"