Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Li Chang’an waved his hand, and Han Ruoxi immediately parked the car under the cover of a cluster of trees.

The team quickly got out of the car and began to check their equipment.

Li Chang’an glanced at their surroundings before issuing his orders.

”Han Ruoxi and Bai Lin, stay with the vehicle. You’re on monitoring and communications. Shen Qiuyue and Sun Yang, you’re with me. We’re heading to the node area to reconnoiter!”

”Copy that!”

Han Ruoxi acknowledged, then pulled out the monitoring equipment inside the vehicle and began calibrating the signal.

”Move fast. Keep communications open!”

Li Chang’an said in a low voice, then led Shen Qiuyue and Sun Yang quickly into the depths of the forest.

The three of them advanced along the route Bai Lin had marked, every step taken with extreme caution to avoid making a sound.

About ten minutes later, they finally neared the location of the transport node.

Peering through the dense foliage, they could see a clearing ahead. Simple metal tracks were laid on the ground, and a small freight train was stopped on them. About a dozen Rebel Army soldiers were scattered around, loading and unloading cargo.

”Looks like we found the right place!”

Sun Yang said, his voice hushed, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

”These guys are sure busy!”

”Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Li Chang’an said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

”This is just the perimeter. The real intelligence is deeper in.”

”So what’s the plan?”

Shen Qiuyue asked quietly.

”We keep observing.”

Li Chang’an took a high-powered observation device from his pack and handed it to her.

”Log the enemy’s numbers, equipment, and cargo type. Gather as much useful information as you can.”

Shen Qiuyue took the device, quickly adjusted the angle, and began observing the enemy’s activities.

Sun Yang, meanwhile, lay prone on the ground, locking onto distant Rebel Army soldiers with his scope while muttering.

”Their gear looks pretty standard. Nothing too special.”

”Don’t underestimate them,”

Li Chang’an reminded him softly.

”The Rebel Army’s strength isn’t in their equipment, but in their tactics.

They might not be stronger than us in a direct confrontation, but they’re masters of guerrilla warfare.”

”Doesn’t that mean we need to be even more careful?”

Sun Yang scratched his head.

”If we get spotted, we won’t even be able to run for it!”

”That’s why we need to stay hidden,”

Li Chang’an said flatly, then glanced at the time on his watch.

”Shen Qiuyue, what’s the situation?”

”Logging now,”

Shen Qiuyue said in a low voice as she adjusted the observation device.

”Their cargo appears to be some kind of metallic ore. It looks like a rare material, but I can’t identify the specific type yet.”

”Rare materials?”

Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed slightly.

”Keep watching. See if you can find anything else.”

Time ticked by, and the Rebel Army soldiers’ loading work gradually came to an end.

A rebel who looked like a commander walked forward, waved at the surrounding soldiers, and then pointed to an armored vehicle nearby, seemingly giving an order.

”They’re pulling out!”

Shen Qiuyue warned in a low voice.

”Wait a little longer.”

Li Chang’an gestured for her to remain calm.

”We’ll move in to check the site after they’ve completely withdrawn.”

The Rebel Army soldiers quickly boarded the armored vehicle. The freight train’s engine started up, and it slowly chugged down the tracks into the distance.

A few minutes later, the entire transport node was deserted, with only a few scattered tools and pieces of equipment left behind.

”Let’s go. Check it out.”

With a wave of his hand, Li Chang’an led the other two as they quickly approached the transport node.

The three of them cautiously searched the ground for any traces and soon found a document that had been left behind.

Li Chang’an picked up the document and skimmed it. His expression immediately grew grave.

”What did you find?”

Shen Qiuyue asked.

”It’s the Rebel Army’s operational plan.”

Li Chang’an handed the document to her.

”It seems their goal isn’t just mining. These materials are for manufacturing weapons!”

”Manufacturing weapons?”

The color drained from Sun Yang’s face.

”They’ve got big ambitions, then!”

”We’ll talk when we get back.”

Li Chang’an ordered decisively.

”Take all the evidence you can find. Retreat immediately!”

As the team retreated, Li Chang’an took the lead, his pace still steady and sure.

He glanced back from time to time, making sure no one had fallen behind.

Behind him, Sun Yang couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Though his voice was kept low, his restless energy still bubbled to the surface.

”Brother Chang’an, where do these Rebel Army guys get the nerve, coming to our turf to stir up trouble? Aren’t they afraid we’ll just wipe out their nest?”

Sun Yang muttered under his breath as he flipped through the documents in his hands.

”If they were afraid, we wouldn’t be on this reconnaissance mission,”

Li Chang’an replied without turning his head, continuing to move forward.

”Ah, true enough!”

Sun Yang scratched his head, then sidled up to Shen Qiuyue and asked in a low voice,

”Sister Qiuyue, what do you think? If the Rebel Army has teamed up with the Insect Race, won’t that be even more trouble?”

”Shut up. Don’t talk while we’re on the move!”

Shen Qiuyue shot back coldly, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings with vigilance.

”Keep talking, and if something happens, you’ll be the first one we use as a shield.”

Sun Yang flinched and sullenly shut his mouth.

A few minutes later, they finally neared the spot where they had parked.

Han Ruoxi and Bai Lin were already waiting by the vehicle. Seeing Li Chang’an return with the team, Han Ruoxi immediately went to meet them.

”How did it go? Did you find anything?”

Han Ruoxi asked, her expression curious.

”We’ve confirmed the Rebel Army’s transport node and brought back some documents.”

Li Chang’an gave a simple answer, then handed the documents to Bai Lin.

”See if you can parse any more information from this data.”