Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Sun Yang’s face instantly crumpled in despair. ”Captain, I want meat! Meat! Lion’s Fang Star has resources, doesn’t it? We can’t be forced to eat that plastic-flavored Nutrition Paste every day!”

”Tastes like plastic?”

Bai Lin put down his terminal, speaking up for once. ”I just scanned it with my micro-analyzer. The components of the Nutrition Paste are completely up to standard. There are no plastic ingredients. Your claim is unscientific.”

”Bro, that’s easy for you to say! Can you even imagine that cloying texture in your mouth? Can science explain *that*?”

Sun Yang stared at Bai Lin, his face a mask of indignation.

Bai Lin shook his head and went back to fiddling with his terminal. ”I can write a report and submit it to the logistics department, but I doubt it’ll do any good.”

”Forget it. There’s no use counting on you rational types!”

Sun Yang flopped back onto the ground, wiped the sweat from his face, and turned to Han Ruoxi. ”How about you roast a couple of beasts for me? We can have a secret feast.”

Han Ruoxi frowned. ”Do you think this is some wilderness training camp? If Instructor Wei finds out I used my Superpower to cook something, he’ll skin us alive!”

”There’s no justice in this world!”

Sun Yang collapsed to the ground, covering his face and wailing dramatically. ”Life on this base is even harder than the battlefield!”

”Keep complaining and I’ll cut your dinner portion in half.”

Li Chang’an stood up, stretched his limbs, and brushed the sand off his pant legs. ”All right, everyone up. Go wash up and get ready for dinner. Stop playing dead.”

Hearing this, Sun Yang immediately scrambled to his feet. ”You’re right, Captain! Dinner is the one hope we have each day. Can’t be late! Let’s go!”

The Insect Hunter Squad dragged their weary bodies toward the living quarters. Sun Yang was still muttering along the way, ”If dinner is actually better tonight, I’ll write the logistics department a thank-you letter...”

Once they reached the living quarters, everyone washed up and gathered in the dining hall.

Sure enough, in addition to the Nutrition Paste, their trays also held a portion of stewed meat and a small bowl of soup.

”Oh my god, there’s actually meat! Am I dreaming?”

Sun Yang picked up his fork, speared a piece of meat, and held it close to his nose, taking a deep whiff. ”Ah, that smell... It’s incredible!”

”If you keep dawdling, the meat’s going to get cold,”

Shen Qiuyue said coolly, already starting to elegantly cut her meat with a fork.

Han Ruoxi glanced at Sun Yang. ”I thought you hated the Nutrition Paste? Once you’re done with the meat, I’ll give you a double serving of paste.”

”No! I’m an all-rounder. I can eat both Nutrition Paste and meat!”

Sun Yang immediately stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, chewing with immense satisfaction. ”Captain, was this your request to the logistics department? You’re so considerate!”

”You’re thinking too much. This is just today’s scheduled bonus meal from logistics.”

Li Chang’an said calmly before looking down to continue eating, completely ignoring Sun Yang’s attempt to suck up.

The meal was a cheerful affair. Sun Yang’s mouth didn’t stop moving the entire time—complaining about the food, teasing his teammates, and even trying to discuss with Bai Lin how to use hacking to add a few dishes to the logistics department’s menu, only to be shot down by Bai Lin’s ”Too low-tech. Not worth my time.”

After dinner, the squad returned to the dormitory area to prepare for the evening’s tactical meeting.

Li Chang’an clapped his hands, gathering everyone in the meeting room.

”Tomorrow’s mission is reconnaissance of the Insect Race activity around the base. We’ll split into two groups.”

Li Chang’an marked two zones on the electronic screen and pointed. ”I’ll send the specific group assignments to your terminals later. Get a good night’s rest. Don’t screw this up.”

”Captain, can I not be in Han Ruoxi’s group?”

Sun Yang raised his hand, a wronged look on his face. ”Her Superpower is too brutal. I’m afraid she’ll zap me into a fried chicken!”

”Well, I don’t want to be in a group with you either. You’re dead weight!”

Han Ruoxi shot back without missing a beat.

Li Chang’an looked at the two of them and said coolly, ”Fine. You two are a group.”

”Huh?”

”Huh?”

They both protested at the same time, but Li Chang’an ignored them and dismissed the meeting.

As night fell, the squad members returned to their respective dorms to rest.

Sun Yang was still muttering in his room. ”This life is so hard. When am I going to get rich, buy a villa, and live a life of luxury...?”

From the next room, Han Ruoxi knocked coldly on the wall. ”Shut up, or I’ll zap you tonight!”

Sun Yang immediately fell silent, and the entire dormitory area became quiet.

The next morning, a piercing wake-up alarm blared through the Insect Hunter Squad’s dormitory.

”Argh! This damn alarm! It’s like a death knell every morning!”

Sun Yang rolled over and sat up in bed, scratching his messy hair. ”Captain, can’t we change this alarm? Something like soft music? I’m going deaf from this racket!”

”You’d sleep right through soft music.”

Li Chang’an was already fully geared up, standing at the door checking his equipment. ”Stop complaining. We assemble in ten minutes. Anyone late runs five kilometers with Instructor Wei.”

”Five kilometers again? Can’t we switch it up for once?”

Sun Yang grumbled as he put on his shoes, ”Every day it’s either running or carrying sandbags. When are we going to learn some high-tech stuff? You know, like how to wipe out an Insect Race nest with a single shot?”

”You?”

Shen Qiuyue emerged from the adjacent room, already perfectly dressed with not a hair out of place. ”Wipe out the Insect Race in one shot? I’d say you’re doing well if you can manage not to trip over your own feet.”

Sun Yang pouted. ”You people just don’t appreciate my potential.

I’m telling you, one day I’ll unleash my true power, and you’ll all have to look at me in a new light!”

”By the time you unleash your true power, the Insect Race will have probably devolved back into protozoa!”

Han Ruoxi walked past him from behind, her small Electromagnetic Emitter on her back. ”Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just try not to drag us down today.”