Chapter 764: Chapter 374: Did the Insect Race Eat Your Brain? (Part 2)

"If they get their hands on this weapon, our defensive lines will be under immense pressure!"

"Command will organize a higher-level operation!"

Liu Na closed her terminal and looked at the Insect Hunter Squad.

"You completed your mission exceptionally well. This intelligence is crucial!"

"Thank you, Commander!"

Li Chang’an nodded.

"However, you must also be prepared!"

Liu Na’s tone was calm, yet tinged with a hint of seriousness.

"The missions to come will only be more difficult, and you will likely be key participants!"

"We understand!"

Li Chang’an’s reply was as firm as ever.

"Alright, go get some rest for now."

Liu Na waved her hand.

"You’ll be notified of the arrangements for subsequent operations soon!"

The Insect Hunter Squad saluted in unison, then left the command room.

Back in their dorm, the team could finally breathe a small sigh of relief.

Han Ruoxi flopped onto her bed and shouted.

"I feel like I’m about to fall apart! When is this ever going to end?"

"This is only the beginning,"

Shen Qiuyue said coldly, sitting to the side.

"You’ll get used to it."

"Get used to it, my ass!"

Han Ruoxi rolled over.

"If this keeps up, I’m afraid I won’t even have the chance to get used to it!"

"Complaining is useless. Getting some sleep is the most practical thing to do."

Sun Yang had already burrowed under his covers, his voice coming out muffled from within.

Night deepened. In the Insect Hunter Squad’s dorm, there was hardly a sound aside from soft breathing.

Sun Yang was sleeping the soundest. He would occasionally turn over, muttering something in his sleep as if dreaming about food.

Han Ruoxi, however, couldn’t fall asleep. She tossed and turned for a long while before finally just sitting up.

"I can’t sleep!"

She muttered softly, her gaze falling on the sky outside the window. The starlight was sparse, just like this desolate Third-class Planet.

"Insomnia again?"

Bai Lin’s voice suddenly came from a corner, low and soft, without any emotional inflection.

"You’re not asleep yet?"

Han Ruoxi jumped and turned to look at him.

"Are you a ghost? You didn’t make a sound!"

"I’m used to it."

Bai Lin sat on the edge of his bed, the glow from his terminal reflected on his face.

"After every mission, I go over the data again to see if I missed anything."

"You’re really made of iron. Is there ever a time when you’re not studying something?"

Han Ruoxi sighed, hugging her knees as she sat on her bed.

"Sometimes I really envy you. How come you don’t have a single worry?"

"No worries?"

Bai Lin looked up, his gaze calm as he looked at her.

"You think I have no worries?"

Han Ruoxi froze for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah. Every day, you’re either crunching data or getting work done. I’ve never seen you complain or heard you say you wanted to quit. Compared to the rest of us, aren’t you just like a machine?"

"A machine?"

Bai Lin looked down and chuckled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"Perhaps. But I don’t think complaining changes anything. And if you can’t change it, then you do what must be done."

"That sounds so boring!"

Han Ruoxi shook her head.

"Don’t you feel like there’s more to life than just completing missions?"

"Meaning?"

Bai Lin’s fingers paused, and he looked up at her.

"To me, being alive is meaning enough. As long as you’re alive, you can keep searching for answers. If you die, there’s nothing left."

Han Ruoxi stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"You’re quite the philosopher. Fine, my mistake for asking you!"

Bai Lin didn’t respond, lowering his head to continue fiddling with his terminal.

Just then, Li Chang’an’s voice, tinged with exhaustion, came from the opposite bed.

"What are you two talking about instead of sleeping in the middle of the night?"

"Brother Chang’an, you’re not asleep either?"

Han Ruoxi looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you were dead to the world!"

"How am I supposed to sleep when you’re being so loud?"

Li Chang’an sat up, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Are you planning to chat nonsense all night again?"

"No, no, just talking about random stuff!"

Han Ruoxi quickly waved her hands.

"I couldn’t sleep, so I was just venting a little!"

"Is venting useful?"

Li Chang’an glanced at her.

"We have training tomorrow. Get to sleep, or don’t come crying to me when you’re tired!"

"I know, I know!"

Han Ruoxi pouted.

"Geez, you’re always lecturing people!"

"I lecture you so you’ll have a chance to make it back alive!"

Li Chang’an said flatly.

"Don’t think what we’ve faced so far is the hardest it’s going to get. The truly difficult parts are still waiting for us down the road."

Han Ruoxi froze for a moment, then lowered her head and said no more.

Li Chang’an glanced at her and sighed.

"Alright, don’t overthink it. Get some sleep. Conserve your energy."

"Mm..." Han Ruoxi nodded lightly and slowly lay back down on her bed.

The dorm fell silent once more, but the exhaustion and pressure hanging in the air lingered for a long time.

Early the next morning, the base alarm blared right on schedule, and the members of the Insect Hunter Squad began to crawl out of bed.

Sun Yang was the last one up. He rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes, his hair a bird’s nest.

"Can I just sleep for ten more minutes...?" he pleaded pitifully from the edge of his bed, looking at Li Chang’an.

"No!"

Li Chang’an’s reply was merciless.

"This morning is the entire Combat Group’s tactical drill. If you’re late, Commander Liu will send you straight to logistics to scrub toilets!"

"What?"

Sun Yang was instantly wide awake and began to dress with nimble movements.

"No way, I’ve got to hurry! I’m not scrubbing toilets!"

"If only you were always this quick!"

Han Ruoxi snickered on the side, covering her mouth.

Shen Qiuyue shot them a cold glance and picked up her gear bag.

"Stop wasting time. Let’s go!"

The group hurried to the training grounds. The entire Combat Group was already assembled, with Commander Liu standing before them, her gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Today’s tactical drill is a simulated Insect Race invasion!"

Her voice was cold and powerful.

"Everyone will move according to your squad assignments! The objective is to defend the base’s core area. Any mistakes will be recorded!"

Li Chang’an spoke to his teammates in a low voice.

"Did you hear that? Stick to our group formation, coordinate with each other, and make no mistakes!"

"Understood!"

The squad members replied in unison.

Once the drill began, the entire training ground instantly became tense.

The Insect Hunter Squad was assigned to the base perimeter with the mission of intercepting the simulated Insect Race assault.

"Sun Yang, suppressing fire!"

Li Chang’an rapidly issued commands.

"Ruo Xi, maintain support! Don’t let the simulated insects near the defensive line!"

"Roger!"

The two immediately got into position. Their firepower and Superpowers alternated, suppressing wave after wave of simulated insects outside the defensive line.

"Qiuyue, enemies on the high ground to the left! Take them out!"

Li Chang’an looked at Shen Qiuyue.

Without a word, Shen Qiuyue raised her Dueling Sword and charged forward, cleanly and efficiently eliminating the targets.

Bai Lin, meanwhile, was responsible for monitoring the entire field, constantly providing his teammates with the latest enemy positions via his terminal.

"Chang’an, another wave to the north! About ten of them!"

Bai Lin reported calmly.

"Understood!"

Li Chang’an waved his hand.

"Full squad, move up! Press the attack!"

The Insect Hunter Squad’s coordination was more fluid than ever before. When the drill ended, their performance ranked among the very best.

Liu Na walked up to the squad and nodded.

"Not bad. This performance met expectations. Keep it up!"

Li Chang’an saluted.

"Understood!"

After the drill, the Insect Hunter Squad returned to the rest area.

Sun Yang plopped onto the ground, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily.

"My god, training at this intensity feels even more exhausting than a real battle!"

"That’s because you slack off too much normally!"

Shen Qiuyue said flatly as she unfastened her Armor to check for damage.

"If you spent more time on physical training, you wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state today!"

"Sister Qiuyue, can’t you give it a rest?"

Sun Yang waved his hand dismissively.

"I’m already dead tired, and I still have to listen to you lecture me!"

"She lectures you because you genuinely need to improve!"

Li Chang’an sat down beside them and began cleaning his Saw Chain Sword.

"Even though our performance in this drill was good, your reaction time at several key moments was still half a beat too slow. Against the real Insect Race, you would’ve been killed already!"

Sun Yang looked up at him.

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