Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

”Got it!” Shen Qiuyue whipped around, her sword sweeping horizontally to force back the two Martial Artists on her left.

The enemy’s assault grew more intense, and heavily armored Martial Artists began to close in.

They wielded massive shields and heavy weapons, advancing relentlessly and seemingly unaffected by light attacks.

”Captain, the heavies are here! My Pulse Gun is just tickling them!” Sun Yang shouted.

”Ruo Xi, use the drone to suppress their advance!” Li Chang’an growled.

”Got it!” Han Ruoxi maneuvered the tactical drone, unleashing a powerful electric arc that struck the heavily armored Martial Artist in the lead.

It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it managed to slow the target’s movements for a moment.

”Captain, I’m almost done!” Bai Lin’s voice called out from behind a large rock.

”Just one last step! Give me ten seconds!”

”Hold them off for ten seconds!” Li Chang’an gritted his teeth, swinging his Saw Chain Sword as he charged back into the enemy horde.

Every one of his strikes was precise and vicious, aimed at buying as much time as possible.

Han Ruoxi and Sun Yang’s coordination grew increasingly synchronized. The combined fire from the drone and Pulse Gun continuously broke the enemy’s formation, while Shen Qiuyue and Li Chang’an held the front line with everything they had.

”Done!” Bai Lin suddenly shouted.

”Their comms are completely jammed! We can pull out now!”

”All right! Fall back!” Li Chang’an ordered decisively.

”Pull back along the planned route! Maintain a covering formation!”

The squad members quickly adjusted, retreating along the pre-planned route.

Thrown into chaos by the comms disruption, the enemies behind them slowed their pursuit drastically.

The Insect Hunter Squad wove through the rubble and shrubs, finally vanishing into a dense forest.

Once they confirmed they had completely shaken off their pursuers, the team stopped, everyone gasping for air.

”That... was a damn close call!” Sun Yang plopped onto the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

”Captain, I really thought we weren’t going to make it out of that pass!”

”Knock it off,” Li Chang’an said, patting his shoulder.

”Just focus on staying alive. Don’t always be trying to play the hero.”

Han Ruoxi leaned against a tree, tinkering with her drone.

”So, is the mission complete? Are there any follow-up teams coming in?”

Bai Lin pulled out his terminal to check.

”We’ve completed the perimeter sweep and the comms jamming. The main force should be able to take over without any trouble.”

Shen Qiuyue stood to one side, her gaze as stern as ever.

”Captain, what’s next? Do we head back or stand by?”

Li Chang’an looked at his team and chuckled.

”Rest up first. Then we’ll head back to base.

You all did good work today. When we get back, we’ll all have a drink!”

The squad finally relaxed, and a few rare smiles appeared.

「Some time passed.」

”Hey! Han Ruoxi, did you charge the e-scooter? Didn’t you say you were going to use it last night? Now it’s dead!” Sun Yang shouted from his crouched position at the garage entrance, dangling the scooter keys and yelling at Han Ruoxi, who was adjusting some equipment nearby.

”Don’t you dare blame me! When did I ever say I was going to use the e-scooter?” Han Ruoxi shot back, turning to face him with a defiant look, her voice rising.

”You’re the one who took it on a late-night food run yesterday and forgot to plug it in when you got back!”

”Tsk, then why didn’t you remind me when the battery light was flashing Red?” Sun Yang threw up his hands, a look of pure innocence on his face.

”Who in this squad loves to tinker with all the equipment? You, that’s who! If you hadn’t been messing with it for half the day, it wouldn’t have been parked in that corner where I couldn’t even see the light!”

”Oh, give it a rest, you two!” Shen Qiuyue said, walking over from the training room. She carried a brightly polished Dueling Sword, and her voice was laced with exasperation.

”I can hear you two bickering first thing in the morning. It’s so annoying. Can’t you figure out how to solve a trivial problem like this yourselves?”

”Hey, easy for you to say!” Sun Yang stood up and pointed at the e-scooter in the garage.

”Captain Li has us on patrol in the northern sector today. The scooter’s dead. You expect me to ride it there?”

”Why don’t you two ride it together? The battery should last for half the trip, and you can pedal the rest of the way,” Shen Qiuyue tossed out nonchalantly before turning back toward the training grounds.

”Hey, come on! Sister Shen, why are you so cold-hearted?” Sun Yang took a half-step after her.

”We’re a team, aren’t we? It’s all about helping each other out. You can’t just leave a man to die!”

”All right, I’ll take care of the battery. Stop causing a scene,” Li Chang’an’s voice called from a distance. He hadn’t even approached yet, but his tone carried a calm, reassuring authority.

”Brilliant, Captain!” Sun Yang immediately snapped to attention, shooting Han Ruoxi a smug look.

”See that? The Captain’s on the case!”

”Oh, stop being so smug,” Han Ruoxi scoffed, gathering up her equipment.

”Even if the Captain hadn’t stepped in, I could have handled it. I’m far more capable than you!”

”Tough talk...” Sun Yang shook his head and walked up to Li Chang’an. Then, he suddenly seemed to remember something.

”Oh, right. Captain, is there anything special about this patrol in the northern sector? I heard rumors that Insect Race activity has been picking up over there.”

”Interesting,” Li Chang’an said, glancing down at the mission briefing on his terminal before casually handing it over.

”Take a look for yourself. The mission file is pretty clear.

It’s just a routine patrol, but there have been signs of Insect Race activity in the area, so we need to stay sharp.”

”The Insect Race again...” Sun Yang grimaced as he took the terminal and started reading.

”These damn things are a plague. You can never wipe them out completely.”

”That’s just how the Insect Race is. It’s impossible to wipe them out in one battle,” Bai Lin interjected calmly as he walked over, holding a portable hacking terminal.