A1 Area, Base 3, two veterans covered in dust were leaning against the wall inside the base, with one pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up, taking a delightful puff.
The other almost turned red-eyed watching him.
"Okay, I'll give you one, just this one," the man said, unable to bear being gawked at any longer, throwing a cigarette over.
The comrade next to him received it with a grateful smile, and both looked up, their gaze passing through the superbly transparent energy filter shield to the pale green sky.
"We've been here for five days now, right? The area has expanded to fifty square kilometers already, and who knows how long this mission will have us stationed out here? Killing bugs every day is making me nauseous."
"Who cares? We're expeditionary forces; our job is to lick blood off the gun muzzle."
"Hey, licking blood doesn't scare me; you don't know, but yesterday I turned around and blew a beetle's head off when it lunged at me, and its disgusting juices splashed into my mouth—I never want to experience that foul stench again in my life."
"Haha, why didn't you swallow it down then? It's high in protein."
"Buzz off, I'm taking back the cigarette."
"It's already lit; what reason do you have to take it back? Hey, do you think the higher-ups said they would send someone over, which troops will they be?"
"Not sure, I heard it's from a bigger planet."
"Those pampered soldiers, if they come and continue their lax ways, I'll have to give them a hard time."
"I'm not as reckless as you; I'll see if we can beat them first, if we can, I'll step on them a bit. This is war, not playing house."
The two were stationed at the doorway of Base 3, with the half-meter-tall red grassland outside, called Red Plain on their tactical map, today being their turn for duty watch.
"Rustle," suddenly, a rustling noise came.
The one who had pulled out the cigarette immediately became alert, grabbed his pulse rifle, and stood up.
"What's up, Fa?"
"Something sounded off?"
"You think it's a beetle? We've already cleared the nearby ones."
Suddenly, a patch of grass in the distance collapsed, and without any hesitation, the soldier known as Fa fired his gun.
The distinct sound of the pulse rifle rattled, sending a volley of bullets zipping forward.
Puff, puff, puff!
Sounds of some liquid squirting everywhere.
A hint of a smile appeared on Fa's face; indeed, it was a beetle; no other sound was quite like the sound of this ammo hitting its body.
But the two exchanged glances and neither of them moved, knowing that beetles never acted alone.
Sure enough, after five seconds, some grass started moving rapidly nearby.
"Focus fire!"
This time, Fa pressed down on the handheld automatic artillery in his hand, which would target and repeat fire along the detected trajectory!
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
A minute later, the patch of grass was plowed over, with severed limbs scattered across the ground.
"All clear; looks like a few strays managed to wander back into our area."
"Yeah, the Zeg Clan's ability to hide is really too strong."
The two were about to sit back down when suddenly a "swoosh" sounded and a shadow flashed from the side, Fa, not hesitating, aimed his gun at his comrade and adjusted it slightly for a three-round burst.
Puff, puff, puff!
His comrade, not having realized what happened, had his entire face covered in thick green liquid.
"That was damn close; you just saved my life, Fa. I owe you one."
"Hehe." Fa chuckled without saying anything, picked up the half cigarette he had thrown away, blew on it, and once again started puffing contentedly.
For their expeditionary force, with a casualty rate as high as 27%, as long as there was a gun in hand, they were in combat mode.
These beetles had attempted covert attacks many times, but every time it was only the small beetles less than half a meter long. They had already accumulated extensive extermination experience for these quick but hardly discreet creatures.
At that moment, a patrol squad approached. They looked at the two people by the main gate. "Did you spot more beetles just now?"
"Yes, just a few small ones. They've already been exterminated, no worries."
"Stay safe!"
Salute!
Return salute!
Just as this routine conversation was going on, a strange howling sound suddenly came from above.
Then everyone's earphones simultaneously transmitted a shout from their superiors, "Mobile troops, enter the Cleaner Mechas! Clear space for the starship landing! Get ready to welcome our new comrades!"
Fa and the patrol soldiers exchanged glances.
Reinforcements dispatched by the military?
...
Inside the starship, this was the first time the cadets had worn their full combat uniforms.
However, each person's face was covered with a breathing apparatus, making them look oddly funny, and many couldn't help laughing after exchanging looks.
While others held rifles, Mu Fan tightly gripped the expeditionary saber. If allowed, he would definitely throw away his firearm at the first opportunity in combat.
"Prepare to land in five minutes, check your personal status!"
"Open the deployment channel, enter in sequence."
The Hunting Tiger Team and another team known as Man-eating Shark entered the channel together, and Mu Fan observed below through a transparent strained-wall window.
The red ground got closer and closer.
A flush of red was vibrant, yet when an overwhelming canvas of red struck, it was utterly shocking.
"This is the stationed area of the base, the tactical map names this area as Red Plain. The grass here grows densely and is hard to clear. Don't look at me like that; compared to other places, this is paradise," Wolf muttered to himself, his background as a reconnaissance soldier gave him an exceptional ability to capture frontline military information.
"Kid, nervous?" Deer looked at White Hair, who was trembling slightly, and couldn't help asking with a laugh.
"Nervous... no way! I regret not bringing a camera; this could absolutely be a hit online," White Hair slapped his thigh, causing Deer's teeth to itch with irritation.
"Little brother, how about you?" Tracy eyed Mu Fan's profile and suddenly asked, her husky, sensual voice drawing the attention of several people nearby.
"Me?" Mu Fan turned his head and then shook it, "Not nervous."
"There's a significant chance you could lose your life here, and you're not afraid?"
"Not afraid, I plan to live well."
"Should I teach you to shoot guns?"
"..."
Mu Fan turned solemn, his serious demeanor making Tracy giggle incessantly. She was really growing fond of teasing this young mate.
As the starship slowly decelerated, a jolt to his feet, Mu Fan finally knew he had now landed on the soil of Planet 131.
"Open the hatch, disembark!"
The first thing that entered Mu Fan's sight was a large circle of soldiers standing on the ground still stained with red stems, their faces showing astonishment then bursting into loud laughter.
"Didn't you see that we're not wearing respirators? What are these pampered soldiers doing here, so delicate?"
"Are you here to sightsee? Damn, had me waiting here for ages just for this bunch of soldiers wearing gas masks? Are you preparing for biochemical warfare?"
Various unsavory comments floated around, a means for the battle-weary expeditionary soldiers to vent their frustrations. Don't expect them to have a good attitude toward this group of pampered supporters.
"Air is confirmed safe, oxygen content 23%, no toxic gases, respirators can be removed now," Lin Hao's voice transmitted through the combat earphones, and the students from Dingchuan Academy on Blue Capital Star took off their masks.
One by one, young faces appeared before the expeditionary soldiers.
Finally, a man with a captain's insignia who was chewing gum harshly spat it out, scowling as he shouted, "Are you here on a vacation? State your unit number!"