Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

”Ugh, we can’t even enjoy a good meal. Sister Qiuyue, you’re so strict!”

Sun Yang sighed. ”But I know you’re doing it for our own good, so I’ll listen to you!”

”At least you know what’s good for you!”

Shen Qiuyue replied coolly, then ordered some light dishes.

Li Chang’an watched their interaction and smiled softly, but his gaze still drifted to the window from time to time. He was clearly still preoccupied with the recent mission and that Black Armored Warrior.

”Brother Chang’an, can you please stop being so tense?”

Han Ruoxi noticed Li Chang’an’s expression and couldn’t help but ask, ”Aren’t we already back? We finally have a chance to relax, so stop thinking about all that stuff!”

”I’m not tense!”

Li Chang’an smiled, his tone still calm. ”But I was just thinking about who could have sent that Black Armored Warrior.

”He appeared so suddenly, and he’s incredibly strong. This definitely wasn’t an ordinary mission!”

”Now that you mention it, I think it’s a bit strange too!”

Bai Lin looked up from adjusting his equipment and said, ”Based on my analysis, it’s highly likely that some Alien Martial Artist faction is behind the Black Armored Warrior. Their target probably isn’t just us, but the entire Combat Group!”

”So does that mean we have to constantly watch out for these guys from now on?”

Sun Yang’s head throbbed at the thought. ”And here I was thinking we could get some rest after this mission!”

”Don’t get too optimistic. The enemy could return at any moment!”

Shen Qiuyue’s tone remained calm. ”Besides, they definitely won’t give up this area easily. We need to be prepared for a long-term fight!”

”Looks like the days ahead are going to be tough!”

Han Ruoxi sighed. ”But it’s fine. The Insect Hunter Squad is no pushover! We’ll take ’em on one by one!”

”Of course!”

Sun Yang said with a grin, ”No matter how many enemies come, we can handle them!”

Just as they were chatting, a waiter came over with a large platter of food. ”Your order is here. Enjoy your meal!”

”Whoa, that was fast!”

Sun Yang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately reached for a plate. ”Come on, everyone, let’s dig in!”

After the dishes were served, the group continued to discuss their next mission while they ate. The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and a warm feeling filled the cafeteria.

”I think the priority now should be figuring out the enemy’s objective!”

Bai Lin put down his chopsticks and said seriously, ”Their technology is far superior to ours, and they’re well-hidden.

”That Energy Ball from before was definitely just one part of their plan. We still haven’t figured out their true intentions!”

”You have a point!”

Li Chang’an nodded. ”And even though the fight is over, it doesn’t mean the enemy won’t make another move.

”We have to get more intel as soon as possible. We can’t give them a chance to launch a larger-scale attack against us!”

”Exactly!”

Shen Qiuyue added, ”The stronger the enemy, the more cautious we have to be.

”Chang’an, do you have a plan for what to do next?”

”I plan to contact the intel department first and have them step up their reconnaissance. See if they can find more clues about the Black Armored Warrior!”

Li Chang’an’s gaze was steady. ”At the same time, our Insect Hunter Squad needs to intensify our training and maintain peak combat readiness!”

”More training?”

The moment Sun Yang heard the word ”training,” his face fell. ”Brother Chang’an, can’t we take a break? My shoulder hasn’t even recovered yet!”

”Training is mandatory!”

Li Chang’an showed no sign of yielding. ”The enemy could return at any moment. We can’t let our guard down!”

”Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you!”

Sun Yang sighed helplessly, but a smile still played on his lips. ”You’re our Captain, after all. Listening to you is always the right call!”

”Alright, stop complaining!”

Han Ruoxi said with a laugh, ”Let’s just finish eating first. We’ll have to see how things go before deciding what to do next!”

The Insect Hunter Squad finished their meal in a relaxed mood. They chatted and laughed, the atmosphere gradually warming up as everyone temporarily set aside the pressure on their minds.

After the meal, Li Chang’an stood up and called out to the others, ”Alright, we’ve eaten. Break’s over.

”Let’s head back, get ourselves sorted, and prepare for the next mission!”

”Time to get back to work!”

Sun Yang got up reluctantly and stretched. ”But at least I’m full this time. Ready to fight whenever!”

”You’re all fired up after a good meal, aren’t you!”

Han Ruoxi just smiled and shook her head.

The Insect Hunter Squad returned to their dorms to sort out their gear.

「Time flew by in the blink of an eye.」

Li Chang’an stood by the training grounds, stretching lazily.

”Another boring morning!” he muttered, his eyes sweeping across the grounds. Han Ruoxi and Shen Qiuyue were practicing, Sun Yang was lazing about in the sun, and Bai Lin was sitting in a corner, fiddling with his terminal and occasionally glancing up at the others with a blank expression.

”This is so damn boring!” Sun Yang suddenly shouted, giving a huge stretch before rolling over and continuing to lie there.

”Captain, when are you gonna take us out for some real action? This daily training is killing me!”

”Aren’t you enjoying yourself?” Li Chang’an shot him a sideways glance, his lips twitching into a slight smirk.

”You’re the only one sunbathing every day while everyone else is sweating bullets from training.

”And you’re still bored?”

”Hey, I’m just maintaining my condition!” Sun Yang glanced toward Shen Qiuyue and lowered his voice. ”Besides, I don’t see you making any moves either. Are you waiting for special orders or something?”

Li Chang’an couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He walked over to a nearby bench, sat down, picked up a water bottle, and took a sip.

”We haven’t gotten a mission yet, so what’s the rush? Just wait. It’s not like we can run from it anyway!”

”Don’t say that, Captain!” Han Ruoxi wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked over. ”Don’t tell me we have to train for another week before we see any action! I’m about to knock myself out. I practice discharging electricity so much every day my fingers are numb!”

Li Chang’an just smiled and shrugged.

”It’s just training. It’s fine. The more you practice, the more useful it’ll be. The day we actually run into the bugs, you’ll be grateful for these days!”

”Grateful, my ass!” Han Ruoxi shot him a look. ”It’s not like you haven’t seen them. The Insect Race attacks fast and hard. Who has time to train at a leisurely pace? Besides, I’ve been discharging so much electricity that this whole field is about to turn into an Electric Grid. One of these days, one of you might step on the wrong spot and get turned into barbecue!”

”Then we’d have to thank you even more!” Li Chang’an chuckled.

”If you cooked one of us, we could all save money on a meal!”

Hearing this, Sun Yang burst out laughing. He sat up and brushed the dust off himself. ”You’ve got some jokes, Captain. But seriously, isn’t it our turn for a field mission? If nothing else, we should at least go out on recon. We can’t just stay cooped up here forever!”

”A field mission will happen sooner or later, but it’s not our turn yet!” Li Chang’an looked up at the sky and yawned.

”Don’t worry, you’ll get all the excitement you can handle.

”You like thrills, don’t you? When the Insect Race shows up, we’ll all jump into their nest and party for a day and a night. Let’s see if you’re still laughing then!”

”Whoa, count me out!” Sun Yang quickly shook his head. ”If we really get surrounded by bugs, that’s no joke.

”I’m more of a hit-and-run kind of guy. Don’t want those things sticking to me!”

Shen Qiuyue walked over and snorted coldly after hearing their conversation.

”Is that all you’ve got? You’re always so loud and boisterous, but you chicken out when it counts. How pathetic!”

Sun Yang pouted but didn’t dare to talk back.

He’d always been a little intimidated by Shen Qiuyue. After all, her Swordsmanship was superb, and she rarely joked around with them, always maintaining a serious demeanor.