Chapter 705 - 345: The Armor Guards Are All Dealt With
Chapter 705: Chapter 345: The Armor Guards Are All Dealt With
With a blast of energy from the High-Energy Dueling Sword, the giant insect’s movements abruptly halted. It let out a muffled roar and collapsed to the ground.
"Done."
Shen Qiuyue retracted her sword and stood up straight, speaking in a cold voice.
"Nice work!"
Li Chang’an drew his Saw Chain Sword, glanced at the fallen giant insect, then quickly scanned their surroundings.
"What’s the status on the rest of the guard insects?"
"Captain, all the guard insects have been taken care of!"
Sun Yang’s voice came over the comms, tinged with a hint of pride.
"I took down five guard insects all by myself. How about that? I’m the team’s firepower specialist for a reason, right?"
"The guard insects are taken care of, and the drones are contained. Now it’s all up to Bai Lin!"
Han Ruoxi’s voice followed immediately. She was standing on one side of the quarry, the Superpower Gloves on her hands still crackling with electric arcs.
"Bai Lin, what’s your status?"
Li Chang’an quickly switched channels to ask about Bai Lin’s progress.
"Thirty seconds!"
Bai Lin’s voice was as calm as ever. His fingers flew across the terminal as complex code scrolled rapidly across the screen.
"The Insect Race’s encryption algorithm is more complex than before, but I’ve found a vulnerability.
Just give me a little more time!"
"Alright. You focus on the breach. We’ll cover you."
Li Chang’an said in a low voice, then looked at Shen Qiuyue.
"Qiuyue, we’ll hold the front. Watch for any potential reinforcements."
"Understood!"
Shen Qiuyue quickly repositioned herself at the entrance to the command station, her sword at the ready for any new enemies.
"Captain, something’s wrong!"
Bai Lin suddenly spoke, a rare note of gravity in his voice.
"There’s a hidden signal in the Insect Race’s system. It seems to have triggered some kind of automated alarm.
I’m trying to block it, but reinforcements might already be on their way!"
"Reinforcements?"
Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed slightly.
"How long, exactly?"
"Can’t be certain, but I’d estimate no more than five minutes!"
Bai Lin answered quickly.
"We have to complete the mission and extract within five minutes, or we’ll be surrounded!"
"You hear that, everyone? Mission timeline is now five minutes!"
Li Chang’an immediately gave the order over the public channel.
"Bai Lin, pick up the pace! Sun Yang, Han Ruoxi, clear out the drones on the perimeter and make sure our exfil route is clear! Shen Qiuyue, hold the command station entrance and cover Bai Lin!"
"Roger!"
The squad members replied in unison and moved out immediately.
Sun Yang raised his Pulse Gun, aimed at a few distant drones, and fired several shots, knocking them to the ground.
He didn’t forget to grumble under his breath.
’What a pain. Where do all these bugs keep coming from? Can’t we just wipe them all out at once?’
"Cut the chatter and finish them!"
Electric arcs flashed from Han Ruoxi’s gloves again, striking three drones and completely paralyzing them.
"Sun Yang, if you keep dawdling, you’ll be the next one I zap!"
"I know, I know! I’m on it!"
Sun Yang kept shooting as he complained, but his movements were noticeably faster than before.
"Done!"
Bai Lin’s voice suddenly came over the comms. He looked up, lifting his fingers from the terminal screen.
"The command station’s communication system is completely paralyzed. The Insect Race can’t send any signals!"
"Good work. Everyone, extract now!"
Li Chang’an gave the order to retreat with a wave of his hand.
"The comms device in the target area is destroyed. Reinforcements will be here soon. Don’t waste time!"
The team quickly regrouped and sprinted out of the quarry, following their planned extraction route.
The moment they burst out of the quarry, a massive, dark shadow appeared on the distant horizon—the Insect Race reinforcements had arrived.
"Faster, they’re here!"
Sun Yang glanced back and was so startled he nearly tripped.
"That number is insane! Captain, are we really going to make it out of this?"
"If we can’t, we die here. Your choice."
Li Chang’an said coldly, picking up his pace.
"Everyone, maintain formation! Put as much distance between us and them as possible! Don’t let them catch up!"
The Insect Hunter Squad retreated at full speed with the Insect Race in hot pursuit. Though exhausted, not a single one of them gave up.
They understood that completing the mission was only the first step. The key to victory was getting the intel back alive.
The holographic battlefield gradually faded. By the time their feet touched the floor of the actual training room, everyone was drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
"Simulation mission complete."
Li Chang’an glanced at the time and announced calmly.
"Results were better than expected, but there’s still room for improvement.
Ten-minute break, then we’ll run the debrief."
"Captain, give us a break!"
Sun Yang collapsed onto the floor, arms spread wide.
"A debrief? We’re dead on our feet! Can’t you give us a little more time?"
"This debrief is what will keep you alive."
Li Chang’an walked to the side, activated the holographic projector, and pulled up the combat data from the simulation.
"Ten minutes. Anyone not here can report to logistics and process their withdrawal from the Insect Hunter Squad."
"Captain, you..."
Sun Yang opened his mouth to protest but ended up just sighing.
"Fine, you win."
The ten-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.
Every member of the Insect Hunter Squad was sprawled out in the break room. Some leaned against the walls, others sat directly on the floor. Only Li Chang’an remained standing beside the holographic projector, waiting for his team to recover.
"Captain, don’t you think this intensity is a little... excessive?"
Sun Yang clutched his stomach as he struggled up from the floor, wearing an expression that said he had lost the will to live.