Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

”Captain, another mission?” Sun Yang sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes.

”What time is it? Is the Insect Race causing trouble again?”

”Cut the crap and get ready!” Li Chang’an’s voice was tinged with urgency.

”The commander said it’s an emergency mission. I’m guessing the situation is bad!”

Sun Yang quickly scrambled out of bed and suited up. ”Looks like another tough fight!”

Shen Qiuyue had already efficiently organized her gear and was waiting by the door.

The group hurried to the command center. Liu Na stood before the large screen, her expression even more serious than usual.

”The situation is critical!” she said, getting straight to the point. ”We just received word that the Insect Race has dispatched an elite unit. They’ve already breached our eastern defensive line and are pushing toward the inner base.

If they aren’t stopped, the base will face a direct assault!”

”They’ve already broken through the eastern line?” Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed. ”When did this happen?”

”Two hours ago!” Liu Na said gravely. ”The troops on the eastern front put up a tenacious resistance, but the Insect Race’s offensive was too fierce, forcing them to retreat.

Your mission is to head to the eastern front immediately, help reestablish the defensive line, and halt the Insect Race’s advance!”

”What’s the scale of this Insect Race force?” Han Ruoxi asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

”It’s not small. We don’t have exact numbers yet, but their troops are elites with immense combat power!” Liu Na glanced at Li Chang’an and continued, ”You need to be extremely careful. This unit may be tougher to deal with than any enemy you’ve faced before!”

”Understood. We’ll leave immediately!” Li Chang’an nodded in response, then turned to his squad. ”Everyone, get ready. This mission won’t be easy. We have to give it our all!”

Sun Yang immediately slapped his Pulse Gun and grinned. ”Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll go above and beyond this time and show them what we’re made of!”

”Less talk, more focus!” Li Chang’an said coldly. He then led the team to the armory to grab the latest weapons and supplies.

A few minutes later, the Insect Hunter Squad boarded their dropship and flew toward the eastern front.

Inside the dropship, the atmosphere was a bit tense.

Although Sun Yang had stopped joking, he was clearly nervous, repeatedly checking his Pulse Gun.

Han Ruoxi sat to one side with her eyes closed, seemingly focusing her mind.

Shen Qiuyue remained silent, her hands gripping her Longsword tightly, looking exceptionally calm.

”Captain, do you think we can hold them off?” Sun Yang suddenly asked, his voice laced with unease.

”We have to hold them off!” Li Chang’an said calmly. ”No matter how strong the Insect Race is, we will give it our all!”

”Yeah, I get it!” Sun Yang nodded and took a deep breath, as if psyching himself up.

The dropship soon neared the eastern battlefield. Li Chang’an glanced out the viewport and saw that the ground below had descended into chaos.

”Prepare for landing. The mission is starting!” Li Chang’an told his squad, his expression turning grim.

The dropship descended slowly. The Insect Hunter Squad quickly jumped out and entered a combat stance.

”The battlefield is right ahead!” Li Chang’an said in a low voice, looking at the battle line not far away. ”Everyone, be careful. The Insect Race’s assault is ferocious. We have to defend with everything we’ve got!”

Han Ruoxi nodded. ”Captain, my current device is ready. I can provide support at any time!”

Shen Qiuyue gripped her Longsword and said calmly, ”I’ll handle the front line and keep them from breaking through our defenses!”

Sun Yang raised his Pulse Gun, his face resolute. ”Captain, leave it to me! I’ll lay down suppressing fire and make sure they can’t get through!”

”Good. Coordinate with each other and don’t underestimate them!” With Li Chang’an’s command, the squad charged toward the battle line.

On the battlefield, the Insect Race forces were attacking relentlessly. The defending soldiers already looked exhausted, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

The Insect Hunter Squad immediately joined the fight, quickly taking over for the front-line defenders.

”Suppress them!” Li Chang’an shouted as he swung his Saw Chain Sword at a charging insectoid.

Sun Yang’s Pulse Gun unleashed a frantic spray of fire. A stream of Energy Bullets slammed into the enemy’s front ranks, temporarily suppressing the Insect Race’s assault.

Han Ruoxi unleashed a powerful electric current. Arcs of lightning flashed through the air, forming a solid protective barrier that temporarily held the enemy at bay.

”Their attack is relentless! Stay sharp!” Li Chang’an yelled, swinging his sword to cut down several insectoids that had gotten too close.

Shen Qiuyue’s Longsword glinted coldly as it sliced through the air, precisely killing several insectoids. Her movements remained calm and efficient.

”There are more and more of them!” Sun Yang shouted, clearly struggling.

”Hold on! Reinforcements are on their way!” Li Chang’an gritted his teeth and continued to command the squad to hold the line.

After a few minutes, the Insect Race’s assault eased slightly, finally giving the Insect Hunter Squad a moment to breathe.

”Captain, we held them!” Han Ruoxi wiped the sweat from her forehead, a weary smile on her face.

”Don’t lower your guard. They could attack again at any moment!” Li Chang’an said calmly, his eyes still full of vigilance.

”Captain, when are the reinforcements getting here?” Sun Yang asked, panting. He was clearly having a hard time.

”Soon!” Li Chang’an nodded. He glanced up at the sky and suddenly saw several ships approaching in the distance—the reinforcement transports.

”Reinforcements are here! Hold on, everyone!” Li Chang’an shouted.

Shortly after, the reinforcements finally arrived, their superior firepower quickly suppressing the Insect Race’s assault.

”We did it.” Li Chang’an let out a soft breath and led the squad in a slow retreat.

Back at the base, Sun Yang collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. ”That was a hell of a fight, Captain. I almost couldn’t take it!”

”You did great,” Li Chang’an said with a smile, patting his shoulder. ”Everyone did great!”

”Captain, will there be more missions coming up?” Han Ruoxi asked, her face showing her fatigue.

”Probably. The Insect Race’s offensive isn’t over yet,” Li Chang’an said, a cool glint in his eyes as he gazed toward the distant battlefield.

”But we’re prepared. No matter how many times they come at us, we’ll hold them off!”

The Insect Hunter Squad returned to their dorms once more to rest.

「Time flew by.」

”Oh man, I’m telling you, I can’t take this base’s food anymore!” Sun Yang said, shaking his head as he shoveled food from his plate into his mouth. ”I’m starting to suspect we were sent here to suffer, not to train!”

Li Chang’an, who was sitting beside him, slowly put down his chopsticks and shot him a look.

”Suffer? How come you weren’t complaining about suffering when we were fighting the Insect Race last time?”

Sun Yang nearly choked on his food and coughed a couple of times. ”Hey, that’s different! Fighting the Insect Race lets us blow off some steam, get a good rush.

But eating this stuff every day...” He patted his stomach. ”Even my guts are starting to protest!”

Han Ruoxi covered her mouth with a light laugh, a mischievous glint in her eyes. ”Why don’t you go report it to the regimental commander? Ask them to get you some better-quality meals. See if they even bother with you!”

”Heh, you know, I actually did!” Sun Yang grinned, not the least bit embarrassed. ”The other day I asked one of the guys in the kitchen if I could get a couple of extra chicken legs. They said, ’Sure, you can have chicken legs—after you finish tomorrow’s training!’”

”And?” Li Chang’an watched him with amusement. ”Did you do it?”

”Of course not!” Sun Yang said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ”I can’t waste my stamina on chicken legs! We’ve gotta save it for the Insect Race.

Besides, who wants to eat chicken legs after training? All I want to do is sleep!”

Shen Qiuyue pursed her lips, lowered her head, and continued eating without a word.

”Qiuyue, aren’t you going to say anything?” Han Ruoxi couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Qiuyue looked up and glanced at her. ”What’s there to say? The base’s food is bad? Then don’t eat it. It’s not like anyone’s starved to death, have they?”

Sun Yang quickly waved his hands. ”No, no! I was just kidding. Of course I’m going to eat it! As bad as it is, you still have to eat. Starving to death would be even worse!”