Chapter 750 - 367: A Rare Moment of Free Time (Part 2)
Chapter 750: Chapter 367: A Rare Moment of Free Time (Part 2)
"Captain, when did you get here?"
"Just now."
Li Chang’an’s tone was calm.
"Looks like you’re taking your training seriously."
"Of course I have to. Didn’t you tell us to stay in peak condition?"
Han Ruoxi pouted, then asked,
"Is something up?"
"Nothing, just came to see what you all were up to."
Li Chang’an leaned against a nearby wall, his eyes fixed on her.
"Your Superpower is definitely strong, but there’s a problem with it."
"A problem?"
Han Ruoxi frowned.
"What is it?"
"You rely too much on area control and neglect single-point precision. If you face an enemy who excels at close-quarters combat, your advantage will be neutralized."
Li Chang’an was blunt, holding nothing back.
Han Ruoxi fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded.
"You’re right. I’ll work on it."
"Good. Practice your precision strikes when you have time. It’ll be more helpful for you in future battles."
Li Chang’an nodded and turned to leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Han Ruoxi was suddenly struck by a thought.
’This Captain may not say much, but he’s a really observant person...’
「Several days passed in a flash.」
"Chang’an, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you?"
Han Ruoxi strolled over, swinging a lunchbox, a smug grin on her face.
Leaning against the training ground fence, Li Chang’an gave a casual wave of his hand.
"What did you bring me this time? Don’t tell me it’s yesterday’s leftovers."
"Hey, what’s with you? I made a special trip to the cafeteria to get this for you!"
Han Ruoxi handed him the lunchbox with a pout.
"Besides, I don’t even eat leftovers myself. Why would I give them to you?"
"You don’t eat leftovers? Then who was it that took a couple bites out of a chicken leg and tossed the rest just so they could grab more?"
Sun Yang sauntered past, an energy drink in hand and a mischievous smirk on his face.
"That’s because I didn’t have time to finish it, okay?!"
Han Ruoxi shot him a glare.
"Training was too hectic!"
"Alright, alright. So hectic you couldn’t even finish a chicken leg."
Sun Yang pulled out a chair, sat down, and tilted his head back to chug a mouthful of his drink.
"But honestly, the food at this base is really mediocre. This morning it was that rock-hard bread again. I swear..."
"Stop being so picky. We should be glad we can get full meals on a third-class planet like Lion’s Fang Star."
Shen Qiuyue walked over from the other side of the training ground, holding a document which she handed directly to Li Chang’an.
"This just came from Commander Liu. We have a patrol mission this afternoon."
"Another patrol?"
Sun Yang sighed.
"Is our squad specially assigned to all this grunt work?"
"This is what rookies get. If you don’t want to do it, plenty of others will."
Li Chang’an flipped open the file, glanced at it, and casually closed it.
"However, this patrol area is near the front lines. Be careful. The Insect Race has been pretty active lately."
"Near the front lines?"
Han Ruoxi was instantly on alert.
"Does that mean we might run into the Insect Race?"
"It’s possible, but the mission is mainly reconnaissance. Don’t be nervous."
Li Chang’an patted her on the shoulder.
"Just stick with me when the time comes. Don’t go running off."
"Who said I’d run off?"
Han Ruoxi muttered, looking down to unwrap her Energy Bar.
"Where’s Bai Lin? Why haven’t I seen him?"
Shen Qiuyue glanced around.
"Didn’t he say he was going to calibrate his equipment this morning?"
"He’s probably still holed up in the server room."
Sun Yang stretched lazily.
"Once that kid touches a computer, it’s like he’s grown into his chair. He won’t emerge for at least three to five hours."
"I’ll go get him, so he’s not late again."
Li Chang’an turned and walked toward the server room.
The door to the server room was ajar. Li Chang’an pushed it open and saw Bai Lin hunched over, typing furiously on his keyboard as dense strings of data scrolled across the screen.
"Bai Lin, that’s enough. We have a patrol this afternoon," Li Chang’an called out.
"Yeah, got it."
Bai Lin didn’t even look up.
"Give me five more minutes. I just need to finish calibrating this surveillance system."
"Fine. Assemble in five minutes."
Li Chang’an nodded and left.
Back at the training ground, the team members had already gathered, their equipment checks nearly complete.
"Alright, let’s move out. No dawdling."
Li Chang’an stood before the squad and scanned them over.
"Got all your gear? Don’t want any problems later."
"We got it, we got it!"
Sun Yang waved his hand dismissively.
"You worry too much."
"Less talk, more walking. Let’s go!"
With a wave of his hand, Li Chang’an led the team toward the patrol route.
Along the way, Sun Yang couldn’t help but speak up.
"Chang’an, I’m serious. How do you think this Insect Race stuff evolved, anyway? How can a bunch of bugs become such a huge threat?"
"You think they’re just ordinary bugs?"
Han Ruoxi interjected.
"They’re sentient beings, you know. They’ve evolved specialized castes and have a collective consciousness. They’re even more unified than we humans are."
"So what you’re saying is, we should learn from the Insect Race?"
Sun Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Eldest Miss Han, why don’t you go ask the Insect Race’s boss someday if they’re willing to recruit us?"
"Get lost!"
Han Ruoxi jabbed him with her elbow.
"If you want to join the Insect Race so bad, I’ll give you a little shock to send you on your way!"
"Alright, that’s enough fooling around!"
Li Chang’an glanced back and shot them a glare.
"Pay attention to your surroundings. Stay focused."
The squad quieted down immediately and began to carefully observe their surroundings.
The patrol area was indeed abnormal. Faint claw marks were visible on the ground, and some unidentifiable fragments were scattered about.
"This looks like the wreckage of an Insect Race probe."
Shen Qiuyue crouched down to examine the fragments.
"It must have been shot down by something."
"Can you determine which type of Insect Race probe it is?"
Li Chang’an asked.
"Not sure. Probably a reconnaissance type."
Shen Qiuyue stood up.
"We need to be careful. There might be Insect Race activity here."
"Keep moving forward. Stay alert."
Li Chang’an waved his hand, and the team pressed on.
They hadn’t gone far when the team suddenly halted. The ground ahead was disturbed, and there were splatters of fresh green liquid.
"Is this Insect Race blood?"
Han Ruoxi’s brow furrowed.
"Yeah. Looks like there was a fight here not long ago."
Li Chang’an bent down to inspect it.
"Another squad might have run into the Insect Race. We need to pick up the pace and find out what happened."
"Should we send a signal to warn the other squads?" Bai Lin suggested.
"No. Let’s assess the situation first."
Li Chang’an stood up.
"Everyone, watch your formation. Advance slowly."
The team continued forward cautiously, the atmosphere growing tense.
Just then, a faint sound came from up ahead, like something moving slowly.
"Movement up ahead!"
Sun Yang immediately raised his Pulse Gun.
"Could be the Insect Race!"
"Hold formation. Don’t panic," Li Chang’an said in a low voice. "Bai Lin, can you scan anything?"
Bai Lin quickly brought up his device and stared at the screen for a moment.
"I’m getting life signs, but not many. Probably a small-type Insect Race creature."
"Then let’s clean it up."
Li Chang’an drew his Saw Chain Sword.
"Han Ruoxi, get ready to provide support. The rest of you, with me."
"Understood!"
The team members moved out swiftly.
The bushes ahead were suddenly thrust aside, and an insectoid creature with sharp claws lunged out, letting out a low-pitched roar.
"Here it comes!"
Sun Yang was the first to fire. A Pulse Bullet shot out, striking the creature’s abdomen.
Li Chang’an leaped forward, his Saw Chain Sword slashing directly at the creature’s head, ending the fight in an instant.
"Done."
He turned to face his team.
"Keep searching. There might be something else here."
The squad quickly spread out and continued to check the surrounding area.
The air was thick with tension, but everyone remained on high alert.
"The Insect Race activity in this area is higher than we thought."
Shen Qiuyue reported after finishing her sweep and rejoining the team.
"We need to get this information back as soon as possible."
"Right. This trip was worth it. We’ve found new traces of activity."
Li Chang’an nodded.
"Let’s pack it up. We’re heading back to report."
「By the time they returned to base, it was nearly evening.」
"How come today’s patrol felt more tiring than training?"
Sun Yang leaned against a wall, plopped down on the floor, and cracked open an energy drink.
"This Insect Race is such a pain. You run into traces of them wherever you go."
"Of course you’re tired. When you were clearing a path through those bushes earlier, how many branches did you blast apart with your gun?"