Chen Gu smiled faintly. "Alright, let's find the signal first."

The group continued to retreat, and before long, they re-established communication signals. Back at the command center, a projection screen suddenly crackled, and a series of images reappeared.

Chen Gu merely gave Zheng Zhixing a cold glance and said, "Feel free to go and verify."

Then, ignoring him, he directly called Bai Yunpeng. He had every reason to feel confident in doing so.

Zheng Zhixing was reporting the incident to Ling Yitong but was too embarrassed to admit Chen Gu had hit him; he found the admission humiliating. His report faithfully described the entire conflict between them, but he employed some "little tactics" in his wording. Most people, upon hearing it, would naturally side with Zheng Zhixing and think Chen Gu had gone too far. Even if Chen Gu truly was the Director of the 745 Research Institute, Zheng Zhixing wasn't about to let Ling Yitong develop a dislike for him because of it.

Once Bai Yunpeng answered the call, Chen Gu also recounted the conflict, though he was very direct: "I beat that weakling up."

Bai Yunpeng keenly perceived the underlying issue: Why had Ling Yitong suddenly assigned Zheng Zhixing to this?

Eventually, Bai Yunpeng said quietly on the phone, "Don't worry. You're the Director of the 745 Research Institute and a Colonel. You definitely outrank Zheng Zhixing. You did nothing wrong."

Ling Yitong was also frowning. He wasn't troubled by the thought that he had made a mistake, nor that his trusted subordinate had handled the situation poorly. Instead, his concern was that the incident had reached Bai Yunpeng. He realized he had tried to pull a fast one behind his old superior's back and now had no way to explain it.

"Forget it, come back," Ling Yitong said. "We'll assign the reconnaissance task to Han Zhuangzhi."

Zheng Zhixing bit his lip, bitterly unwilling to accept that such a golden opportunity had slipped through his fingers—all because of that little bastard!

"Yes, General," he said, bowing his head to accept the order, his eyes flickering with fierce hatred.

The danger level here was very low, so Zheng Zhixing could leave on his own. Ling Yitong had already dispatched an aircraft to pick him up.

Watching Zheng Zhixing's retreating figure walk farther and farther down the tunnel, the whole squad smiled at the sight of the "loser." Qiao Shuangyi, fearless to the core, even let out a flippant whistle.

Ling Yitong wasn't surprised to see the exuberance of the new students from Huai Shan Branch School. However, he was taken aback to see that Han Zhuangzhi's group of warriors also appeared relieved, leaving him somewhat puzzled.

Could it be... He had some suspicions, but he wasn't certain yet and needed to observe further.

He excused himself to Director Xue and then went out to call his own old superior.

Director Xue had already prepared to "support" Chen Gu. In past military training for new students, conflicts with military personnel were common. Typically, it was the new students from prominent backgrounds who couldn't handle the strictness and harshness of military life. This usually meant the Huai Shan Branch School was in the wrong. However, every teacher leading the team would find a way to smooth things over, preventing a complete fallout. Only on rare occasions would ill-informed military personnel intentionally make things difficult for the new students.

If Chen Gu had instigated the conflict, Director Xue could understand. Why should Chen Gu, who achieved success so young, listen to some junior officer's commands? She would support the school's student, have Chen Gu transferred to another group, and then, after the operation ended and they returned to school, she would 'educate' Chen Gu in her capacity as Deputy Head of the Guidance Department.

But this time, the situation was far beyond Director Xue's expectations. Regardless of how Zheng Zhixing utilized his "rhetoric," Director Xue—with her Eighth Energy Level, long life, and vast experience—saw right through the heart of the matter: Zheng Zhixing was utterly defeated. He had wanted to suppress Chen Gu, but lacking the strength, he was instead thoroughly humiliated by him. Moreover, Chen Gu's military rank was higher than Zheng Zhixing's, leaving the latter with no recourse. Even Ling Yitong couldn't find any fault with Chen Gu.

Director Xue smiled with satisfaction. If all the students were as capable as Chen Gu, the school's teachers would have a much easier time!

Getting rid of Zheng Zhixing meant a large amount of military merit would soon be theirs. The warriors were in high spirits, flattering "Brother Chen" all the way back to the three tunnel entrances.

This time, Chen Gu didn't rely solely on his previous instincts. He activated Mind Belief once again and still sensed a vague, fog-like danger emanating from the rightmost tunnel.

"Let's go," he said, leading the way straight into it.

This time, Chen Gu didn't dare to be complacent. He immediately activated the Radiation Field, closely monitoring his surroundings.

They hadn't gone far when Chen Gu suddenly stopped and turned to his two classmates. "Lin Xiaochen, what is your profession?"

"I am of the 'Slumbering Ancient Clan'."

Qiao Shuangyi boasted proudly, "Ah, an old profession."

Lin Xiaochen rolled his eyes helplessly. There's a pecking order among professions, with new ones looking down on the old. It's not like he could control which one he awakened.

Lin Xiaochen asked, "Brother Chen, do you need us to take action?"

Chen Gu nodded. His Radiation Field clearly perceived the complex cave topography a hundred meters ahead, along with the densely packed Subterraneans lying in ambush within!

Chen Gu was now certain this tunnel concealed a major secret of the Subterraneans, which was why they were guarding it so heavily.

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