Ling Yitong felt compelled to verify the information. If he issued combat orders based on this intelligence, the front-line troops would cease guarding against the Shamans.

If the intelligence was incorrect, the front-line combat troops would suffer heavy losses.

Chen Gu understood Ling Yitong's concerns and stepped forward. "I guarantee with my life that the intelligence is accurate."

"The General can verify it first, but please be quick."

"I speculate that once the Subterraneans react, the remaining ones will likely retreat deeper underground. We will miss a crucial opportunity to severely damage, or even annihilate, them."

Ling Yitong nodded. Chen Gu's point was valid—opportunities were fleeting. But after weighing the options repeatedly, he still didn't dare to strike rashly.

He called over an elite military officer. "Take your men and go. I need to confirm something..."

Director Xue quietly appeared beside him. "They're too slow! If you don't trust Chen Gu, let me verify."

"This..." Ling Yitong, of course, trusted a super-powerful being of the Eighth Energy Level. However, if Director Xue went and any accident occurred, the military would likely execute him to apologize to the Principal.

Director Xue didn't give him time to refuse and floated away. "Give me ten minutes."

Ling Yitong gritted his teeth. "Get all troops ready!"

Director Xue unleashed her full abilities. As a Quantum Wizard, she used Quantum Teleportation, instantly passing through the complex environments to appear beside Chen Gu!

Chen Gu was startled. "Director Xue..."

Director Xue waved her hand. Her figure, supported by an invisible force, floated into the pitch-black collapsed cave behind them.

Director Xue had requested ten minutes, but her Eighth Energy Level strength far surpassed everyone's imagination. It took her only three minutes. She then directly contacted Ling Yitong: "A large number of Subterranean Shamans are dead—approximately two hundred in total."

Ling Yitong and his men on Maoshi Star had also been collecting data on the Subterraneans. The moment Director Xue reported this number, he knew Chen Gu was right—their Shamans had almost been caught in one fell swoop!

He hesitated no longer and commanded, "Attack! Attack!"

The various units, already poised outside the cave entrance, immediately charged in.

Chen Gu breathed a long sigh of relief. He had been genuinely worried that Ling Yitong would miss this golden opportunity. Yet, due to his advanced tactical understanding, Chen Gu could comprehend Ling Yitong's caution.

He looked at Director Xue with gratitude. Thank goodness for Director Xue.

He recalled how in many movies and comics from his past life, the 'Dean of Discipline' character was often a villain, a magnet for student animosity. Clearly, Director Xue was different.

"Let's go." Director Xue gave them a slight smile and said, "You have all performed excellently in this freshman military training."

Qiao Shuangyi and Lin Xiaochen cheered, waving their arms. Qiao Shuangyi, ever the opportunist, quickly added, "Director Xue, is there a credit reward? When I enrolled, Chen Gu swiped three credits from me..."

Chen Gu's face darkened. He actually still remembers that!

Director Xue said coolly, "That depends on the final rankings." As they walked out, Director Xue continued, "I can tell you this much in advance: this freshman military training will be ranked by your combat merits. First place receives ten credits, second place five, and third place three. All others get one—however, the bottom three will receive no credits."

Chen Gu once again confirmed that the credit reward system at Huai Shan Branch School was very 'casual.' For instance, the first to report received three credits, while struggling to attain third place in combat merits was also worth a mere three credits.

He couldn't help but ask, "Director Xue, who devises our credit reward system?"

"Naturally, the Principal, Your Excellency."

Chen Gu muttered to himself, Just as I thought.

As they walked out, they encountered a troop advancing from their direction. Han Zhuangzhi and his companions spotted a few acquaintances and exchanged greetings.

The Lieutenant Colonel leading the troop shouted, "Who is Chen Gu?"

Someone pushed Chen Gu forward. "Over here."

The Lieutenant Colonel smiled at him and gave a thumbs-up. "Well done, a true Volunteer Warrior Soul!"

The surrounding warriors erupted in loud praise, enough to make even Chen Gu, an old hand at acting with exceptionally thick skin, feel a bit bashful.

「...」

The other three squads were still out of contact with the rear command center. They were too far away and had only felt a slight tremor caused by Chen Gu's Biological Nuclear Explosion.

All attacking units had received orders: any reconnaissance teams they encountered were to withdraw immediately.

Bai Zhijin's group, with two other freshmen, had continually suffered losses. Their reconnaissance squad had already lost four members, and one of the freshmen was also injured.

They had encountered a complete blockade by Subterranean warriors. When the main attacking troops finally arrived, they were pinned down by Subterraneans on both sides, nearly out of ammunition and supplies.

Once the main force arrived, all the squad members collapsed to the ground.

Bai Zhijin lay on his back, gasping heavily. Human troops, with their powerful firepower, quickly cut down more than half of the two hundred Subterranean warriors. The rest fled in disarray, disappearing into the numerous surrounding cave openings.

Next to Bai Zhijin were the other two freshmen, Liao Mingliang and Fan Yutong. Fan Yutong was seriously injured, and Bai Zhijin and Liao Mingliang had been looking after him. The three, initially disdainful of each other, had forged a swift camaraderie through brutal combat. Now, they truly shared a 'life-and-death' bond.

Liao Mingliang, also exhausted, lay motionless and patted Bai Zhijin's shoulder. "We made it through, hahaha!"

Bai Zhijin laughed too. Fan Yutong, however, grimaced and said slyly, "Old Bai, still a virgin, right? When we get back, I'll take you to Dream Jade Pool—it's a great place, hehehe…"

Bai Zhijin scoffed, "As if I need you to take me! This time was dangerous, sure, but our gains were huge. We faced constant blockades and fought battle after battle. I bet our squad encountered the most enemies, so our combat record must be the best!"

Liao Mingliang's eyes lit up. "That's right! Our journey was incredibly fierce, with non-stop battles where we were always outnumbered. We took heavy losses, but each of us racked up a lot of kills!"

He kicked Fan Yutong too. "Bro, how many kills for you?"

Fan Yutong calculated on his personal computer. "Twenty-one for me. After I got injured, I could only hold my gun with one hand, and my combat abilities were also affected. I'm sure I got quite a few less than you two."

Liao Mingliang started to tally his. "Let me check mine." A moment later, his results were in. "Haha, forty-two!"

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