Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

”I’m still catching my breath, and you’re already making us do a debrief. You seem pretty well-rested, though!”

”Whether I rest or not has nothing to do with you.”

Li Chang’an didn’t even look up, his fingers tapping away at the holographic projection screen.

”If you can’t handle it, you can apply to quit at any time.

The Insect Hunter Squad doesn’t force anyone to stay!”

”No, no, no, I was just kidding!”

Sun Yang quickly waved his hands, as if afraid of being kicked out.

”Captain, our squad has such a great atmosphere. How could I bear to leave?

It’s just... can we extend the break time a little? Even one minute would be great!”

”Sun Yang, why don’t you just go back to farming? You don’t need to do debriefs there!”

Han Ruoxi leaned back in her chair, cradling her Superpower Gloves, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

”I can’t even stand to watch you dawdling like this.

We almost got surrounded by the Insect Race during the last mission because you were half a beat too slow. Are you sure you don’t want to free up a spot in logistics?”

”Han Ruoxi, don’t take it too far! If it weren’t for my suppressing fire, you would’ve been dragged off by those guard insects!”

Sun Yang immediately bristled, whirling around to glare at Han Ruoxi.

”It’s one thing not to thank me, but now you’re mocking me? So much for camaraderie!”

”Camaraderie?”

Han Ruoxi sneered and pointed at the holographic projection screen.

”Look at this data. You just wasted over thirty rounds with an accuracy of less than fifty percent. Were you suppressing the enemy or suppressing the air?”

”I...”

Sun Yang was at a loss for words, his face flushing bright red as he stammered, unable to speak.

”Enough!”

Li Chang’an suddenly cut in, breaking up their argument. He looked up at the two of them, his tone so cold no one dared to argue back.

”The mission may be complete, but every single one of you has issues.

This debrief is for you to improve on your shortcomings, not to argue.

If anyone doesn’t want to listen, they can leave right now!”

”...It’s not that I don’t want to listen!”

Sun Yang pouted and muttered under his breath, lowering his head.

’He’s getting stricter and stricter!’

”Han Ruoxi, your Superpower’s control field was effective, but its area of effect was too small, allowing some of the sappers to break through the blockade.

You need to work on that!”

Li Chang’an looked at Han Ruoxi, pointing out her mistake directly.

”Understood!”

Han Ruoxi nodded. Although she felt a little indignant, she didn’t dare talk back.

”Shen Qiuyue, your frontal assault was good, but you were a bit slow clearing the left flank. Especially when the number of guard insects increased, you hesitated a few times.

While it didn’t directly affect the battle, that kind of hesitation can be fatal in live combat!”

Li Chang’an turned to look at Shen Qiuyue.

”Understood.”

Shen Qiuyue remained calm, giving a simple reply as she tightened her grip on the High-Energy Dueling Sword at her waist.

”Bai Lin, your technical support was as precise as ever, but that three-second delay when unlocking the communication device at the end could have cost us the optimal window for withdrawal in a real battle.

You need to improve your real-time reaction speed and minimize unnecessary analysis time!”

Li Chang’an’s gaze shifted to Bai Lin.

”Yes.”

Bai Lin gave a slight nod and jotted something down on his terminal.

Finally, Li Chang’an looked at Sun Yang.

”As for you, your suppressing fire was indeed effective, but your accuracy and ammo efficiency still need improvement.

You wasted a third of your ammunition in that last fight. In a prolonged battle, that’s a fatal mistake.

You’re the team’s fire support, but that’s no excuse to waste resources!”

”...I know!”

Sun Yang hung his head, his expression a mixture of frustration and resignation.

”Captain, don’t worry. Next time, I’ll definitely control my ammo and won’t waste a single round!”

”I hope so.”

Li Chang’an nodded, then pointed to the holographic projection screen.

”Now, let’s review the specific combat process.

Bai Lin, project the combat data from the engagement onto a timeline!”

Bai Lin quickly worked his terminal, and a holographic simulation of the battle reappeared on the screen. It showed everything from the moment the squad entered the mine, clearly displaying each person’s movements, attack trajectories, and the enemy’s reactions.

”Here!”

Li Chang’an pointed to a scene on the screen, a moment when Sun Yang was firing at a guard insect.

”This shot—you were aiming for the insect’s chest, but your hand shook, and the bullet went wide.

That indicates your grip fatigued after prolonged firing. You need to adjust the pressure of your grip!”

”My hand shook?”

Sun Yang stared at the screen, his face a mask of disbelief.

”Did my hand shake? I remember my aim being dead-on!”

”The facts are right here. There’s no need to question them!”

Li Chang’an said coldly.

”This is a problem that must be fixed in training. Otherwise, in a real fight, you’ll be our weak link!”

”...Fine, I’ll fix it!”

Sun Yang hung his head, completely deflated.

”Now, look here.”

Li Chang’an continued, pointing at the screen, which now showed Han Ruoxi releasing an electric arc to block the sappers.

”Your Superpower was effective, but there’s a clear gap in your coverage here, which allowed two sappers to get around your blockade.

Why did that happen?”

Han Ruoxi stared at the screen for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth and said,

”I was trying to conserve my Superpower reserves. I didn’t expect them to circle around from that direction!”

”Conserving your Superpower is understandable, but you can’t afford that kind of oversight in battle!”

Li Chang’an’s tone was still hard as steel.

”If those two sappers had reached Bai Lin, you know exactly what the consequences would have been!”

”...Yes. I’ll be more careful next time!”

Han Ruoxi’s voice was very low, clearly still feeling a bit resentful.

”Shen Qiuyue, this is your mistake!”

Li Chang’an pointed to a scene on the screen where Shen Qiuyue had paused for a split second while fighting a guard insect.

”What was the reason for that pause?”

”The guard insect moved faster than I anticipated.”

Shen Qiuyue answered calmly.

”I instinctively adjusted the angle of my sword to avoid being hit by its forelimb.”

”The pause was logical, but you still need faster reflexes!”

Li Chang’an nodded.

”Your technique is already excellent, but remember, in battle, any hesitation can lead to failure!”

”Understood.”

Shen Qiuyue nodded, tightening her grip on the sword in her hand.

The debrief lasted for nearly an hour. Everyone’s mistakes were pointed out one by one, and even Li Chang’an didn’t spare himself from scrutiny.

He calmly analyzed his own errors and laid out clear requirements for improvement on the next mission.

”Debrief’s over!”

Li Chang’an shut down the holographic projection and turned to his team members.

”That’s all for today’s training.

Go get some rest. Assemble tomorrow morning at 0600 sharp for physical and tactical training!”

”Six o’clock?! Captain, what time is it even now?!”

Sun Yang yelped, nearly jumping to his feet.

”Training at six? Are you trying to keep us from sleeping at all?”

”You have the option of not showing up.”

Li Chang’an said, his face expressionless.

”But I guarantee anyone who doesn’t will be removed from the squad.”

”Captain, I was just complaining! Don’t take it seriously!”

Sun Yang quickly waved his hands, a placating smile plastered on his face.

”Assembly at six! I’ll definitely be on time!”

”Alright, dismissed!”

Li Chang’an waved a hand and turned to leave the training room.

The others all rose, dragging their exhausted bodies toward the dorms.

「And just like that, several weeks passed.」

”Captain, aren’t you being a little too harsh? We just finished breakfast, and you’re already dragging us out for a ten-kilometer run?”

Sun Yang complained as he adjusted his shoelaces.