Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Han Ruoxi’s electric arcs followed, covering more distant targets.

”Target at two o’clock on the left!” Bai Lin reminded them in a low voice.

”I’ve got it!” Sun Yang raised his Pulse Gun and fired continuously, accurately hitting the target.

”Not bad. Keep it up!” Li Chang’an broke through from the flank, his Saw Chain Sword sweeping horizontally and tearing a swath of simulated Insect Race members to shreds.

...

After the training session, the exhausted Insect Hunter Squad dragged their bodies back to the dorms.

As Sun Yang reached the dorm entrance, he plopped down on the floor, his back against the wall, and casually rested his Pulse Gun on his knees.

”Captain, are you really determined to train us to death?!” Sun Yang panted.

”Today’s urban combat simulation was insane! It felt just like a real fight!”

”Just like a real fight? Have you even seen the real Insect Race more than a few times?” Han Ruoxi rolled her eyes and tossed her protective gear onto the table.

”If this were a real urban battle, you would’ve been torn to shreds by the Insect Race long ago!”

”I’m serious, Ruo Xi. Can’t you be a little kinder with your words?” Sun Yang said, waving his hand dismissively.

”Can’t you just praise me for my improved accuracy today?”

”Improved?” Shen Qiuyue emerged from the kitchen, holding a glass of water.

”You missed with half your shots, and the rest barely met the standard. You call that an improvement?”

”Sister Qiuyue, I’m really trying my best!” Sun Yang said with a pained expression.

”Aren’t your standards a little too high?”

”The Captain sets the standards. Go talk to him!” Han Ruoxi said, looking up at Li Chang’an, who was standing in the doorway.

”Don’t push the problem onto me!” Li Chang’an said coldly.

”Sun Yang, if you think today’s training was tiring, wait until you’re on the battlefield for the next mission. Then you’ll know what real exhaustion is!”

Sun Yang sighed and didn’t dare say more. He lowered his head and began inspecting his equipment.

”Captain, are we training again tomorrow?” Han Ruoxi asked.

”Of course!” Li Chang’an sat down in a chair and opened his mission terminal.

”The higher-ups were very satisfied with today’s simulation results, but the intelligence department requires us to familiarize ourselves with the new combat model as soon as possible. Tomorrow’s training intensity won’t be any lower than today’s!”

”Tsk, they really don’t give us a moment to breathe!” Sun Yang muttered under his breath.

”Captain, at this rate, our squad will become the base’s model workers!”

”Hard workers survive. The lazy die on the battlefield,” Li Chang’an said flatly.

”Alright, alright, I get it!” Sun Yang waved his hand dismissively.

”Captain, I just have a big mouth. I misspoke. Don’t blow it out of proportion!”

”Alright, everyone go organize your gear. We assemble at 0500 sharp tomorrow morning!” Li Chang’an stood up.

”A mission could come down at any time. We have to be ready!”

...

That night, the base’s alarm suddenly blared. A series of urgent beeps echoed throughout the entire dormitory area.

”Emergency mission?” Sun Yang rolled out of bed, grabbed his Pulse Gun, and rushed out of the room.

”Captain, what’s the situation?”

”Assemble in the combat hall!” Li Chang’an shouted as he put on his Armor.

”Looks like the enemy is approaching the base!”

The squad members quickly organized their gear and rushed to the combat hall in the shortest time possible.

Commander Liu Na stood before the operations table, her expression grave.

”Insect Hunter Squad, our reconnaissance unit has just spotted an Insect Race vanguard team approaching the base perimeter. They are expected to reach the defense line in fifteen minutes!”

”A vanguard team?” Li Chang’an frowned.

”Have their numbers and types been confirmed?”

”Between twenty and thirty of them, including two High-tier Warriors. The rest are common attack-type insects!” Liu Na said, pointing at the tactical screen.

”Your mission is to stop them from breaking through the defense line and eliminate as many targets as possible!”

”Understood!” Li Chang’an immediately responded, then turned to his squad.

”Prepare for battle!”

”Captain, can we hold them?” Sun Yang asked while checking his equipment.

”We have to hold them whether we can or not!” Han Ruoxi said coldly.

”If you’re scared, go stay in the logistics department!”

”Ruo Xi, can you stop undermining me all the time?” Sun Yang sighed.

”Fine, I’ll do my best!”

”Don’t do your best. Give it your all,” Shen Qiuyue said, her tone as calm as ever as she calibrated her High-Energy Sword.

...

Fifteen minutes later, the squad arrived at the defense line on the base’s perimeter.

In the distance, the silhouettes of the Insect Race could be seen moving under the moonlight. The piercing screeches that reached their ears made their hearts tighten with tension.

”Targets spotted!” Bai Lin announced, staring at his terminal screen.

”The High-tier Warriors are at the rear of the formation, with common attack-type insects in the front. Their formation is very dense!”

”Han Ruoxi, concentrate your fire to clear the front line. Shen Qiuyue, intercept any enemies that break through the middle. Sun Yang, provide suppressing fire on the High-tier Warriors from a distance. Bai Lin, monitor the overall situation and report any anomalies immediately!” Li Chang’an quickly laid out the tactics.

”Understood!” they replied in unison.

As the Insect Race drew closer, Han Ruoxi was the first to act. She unleashed powerful electric arcs from both hands, engulfing several of the common attack-type insects in the front line and instantly burning them to a crisp.

”The show’s just getting started!” Sun Yang raised his Pulse Gun and fired several shots at the High-tier Warriors in the rear, but their carapaces were too hard. The bullets only left faint sparks on the surface.

”Your firepower isn’t enough! Aim for the joints!” Li Chang’an shouted as he charged the front line, slicing open an insect’s abdomen with his Saw Chain Sword. Green fluid splattered onto the ground.

”Got it!” Sun Yang adjusted his aim and finally hit a High-tier Warrior’s knee joint, forcing its movements to slow slightly.

”More on the left!” Shen Qiuyue called out, swiftly moving to block an insect rushing toward the defense line. Her High-Energy Sword sliced its head clean off.

The Insect Race’s assault grew fiercer, but the Insect Hunter Squad’s coordination became increasingly seamless.

In just ten minutes, they successfully cleared out most of the targets. Only the two High-tier Warriors were left, putting up a desperate resistance.

”Concentrate fire! Take them down!” At Li Chang’an’s command, everyone aimed at the final targets simultaneously, working together to utterly defeat the two High-tier Warriors.

After the battle, the squad members leaned against their cover, panting for breath, their faces etched with exhaustion.

”Captain, that was a pretty clean job, right?” Sun Yang grinned.

”Not bad, but there’s still room for improvement,” Li Chang’an nodded.

”We’ll debrief back at base and prepare for the next mission.”

”Another debrief...” Sun Yang said with a wry smile.

”Captain, you really don’t know how to enjoy the sweet taste of victory!”

”Joy is for survivors,” Li Chang’an said, getting to his feet.

”Back to base. Clean your gear!”

Watching Li Chang’an walk away, Han Ruoxi couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath.

”The Captain really is cold and ruthless!”

”But he’s trustworthy,” Shen Qiuyue said calmly.

Back at the base, the Insect Hunter Squad fell into their usual routine of combat readiness.

Although the missions outside were fraught with danger, the squad members didn’t forget their basic life rhythm.

The bustling routine between the training grounds, the armory, and the dorms gradually accustomed them to this high-intensity lifestyle.

”Captain, when’s today’s debrief meeting?” Sun Yang asked, sprawled on the sofa, his tone still a bit lazy.

”I’m dead tired. We just got out of a fight, and now we have to sit through a debrief!”

”Can you stop complaining all the time?” Shen Qiuyue asked, walking out of the kitchen with a glass of water.

”It’s not like you’re the only one who’s tired. No one else is slacking off!”

”Yeah, but you’re always the most active one in the Captain’s debriefs. When can the rest of us get a chance to relax?” Sun Yang said, half-joking.

”If you want to relax, first learn how to stay alive,” Li Chang’an responded coldly from the doorway, his tone as serious as ever.

”Every post-mission debrief is to ensure you make fewer mistakes and have a smaller chance of dying next time!”

”The Captain’s right,” Shen Qiuyue said, her expression blank.

”With every mission, we are gradually approaching the core territory of the Insect Race. The missions are becoming more complex, and the probability of death is increasing!”

”Just hearing that is terrifying!” Sun Yang grumbled.

”But after every mission, we’ve always managed to pull through, no matter how tough. That proves our strength!”

”Strength isn’t proven by words, but verified through action, every single time,” Li Chang’an said, looking at him, his tone calm.