Chapter 702: Chapter 343: A Little Creepy (Part 2)

"The objective is to hold out for twenty minutes. No one can go down during that time, or the training is a failure!"

"Twenty minutes?"

Sun Yang’s eyes went wide.

"Captain, aren’t you being a little too harsh? Twenty minutes? An Insect Race ambush? You’re basically asking us to lie down and die!"

"Any objections?"

Li Chang’an’s gaze fell upon Sun Yang, his voice as cold as a blade.

"N-No..."

Sun Yang shrank back and muttered under his breath.

’Even if I did, I wouldn’t dare say it...’

"Good. Then let’s begin."

Li Chang’an glanced at the projector and pressed a button, activating the training ground’s holographic simulation system.

The area was instantly enveloped by the projection, and the once-empty training room transformed into a desolate battlefield.

Ruined buildings stood all around, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder, and the roars of the Insect Race could be heard in the distance.

"Everyone, listen up! Get to your battle positions, now!"

Li Chang’an’s voice, tinged with unquestionable authority, crackled through their earpieces.

"Sun Yang, covering fire. Han Ruoxi, area control. Shen Qiuyue, you’re on breakthrough. Bai Lin, monitor enemy signals and provide tactical support.

I’ll cover our rear!"

"Understood!"

The squad quickly fanned out, moving to their designated positions as ordered.

The figures of the Insect Race soon appeared in the distance. They charged forward in swarms, their numbers far greater than on any previous mission.

The first wave consisted of at least thirty of them. Each one had sharp claws and a thick carapace, looking incredibly ferocious.

"Here they come!"

Sun Yang shouted as his Pulse Gun instantly opened fire. A blue Energy Beam precisely struck the insects at the front, knocking them back a few steps.

"Expand the control area! Don’t let them get close!"

Han Ruoxi raised a hand, releasing an arc of electricity that instantly struck two insects. The current danced across their bodies, scorching them black.

"Watch the left flank! Four more!"

Bai Lin’s voice came through the earpiece. His terminal screen displayed real-time battlefield data.

"Shen Qiuyue, the left side needs your support!"

"Understood!"

Shen Qiuyue’s High-Energy Dueling Sword was unsheathed in a flash. The blade streaked through the air, directly severing the heads of two insects.

Her movements were swift and precise, each attack clean and efficient, with no wasted motion.

"Two more on the right! Sun Yang, suppress them!"

Li Chang’an ordered as he swung his Saw Chain Sword.

His sword split open an insect’s chest, splattering green fluid all over the ground.

"Roger! Watch this!"

Sun Yang raised his gun and fired three consecutive shots, knocking down the two insects on the right. He then grinned smugly.

"How about that? Dead-on, right? My marksmanship is still top-notch!"

"Don’t celebrate too early. Second wave incoming!"

Bai Lin’s voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of tension.

"The second wave is double the size—at least sixty of them! Arriving in five seconds!"

"What?! Sixty?!"

Sun Yang nearly dropped his gun.

"Isn’t this just training? Why crank up the difficulty this high?"

"It’s training, but it’s also about survival!"

Li Chang’an said coldly.

"The Insect Race won’t give you a chance to breathe, and no one goes easy on you in a real fight.

Maintain formation! Don’t let them break our line!"

The second wave of the Insect Race soon surged forward. They were more numerous and faster than the first, charging the squad’s defensive line with a frenzied momentum.

"Han Ruoxi, expand your battlefield control!"

Li Chang’an shouted as he cut down an insect in front of him.

"Shen Qiuyue, flank them from the left and take out the high-priority targets!"

"Understood!"

Shen Qiuyue charged to the left without hesitation. The gleam of her sword flashed once more as she reaped the lives of the insects like an emissary of death.

"Captain, I’m having trouble holding my ground over here!"

Sun Yang yelled while firing.

"Are these bugs crazy? There are too many of them!"

"Hold on! Just five more minutes!"

Li Chang’an’s voice remained calm, but every word was like a shot of adrenaline, invigorating each squad member’s spirit.

Time ticked by. The squad’s defensive line bent under the pressure, but it never broke.

Everyone gave it their all, pushing themselves to their absolute limits to hold on.

When the last insect fell, the field returned to calm.

The holographic simulation system shut down, and the Insect Hunter Squad found themselves back in the training room.

"Very good. Today’s performance was better than expected."

Li Chang’an looked at the others collapsed on the floor and nodded.

"There are still plenty of issues, but at least no one dropped the ball.

You have one hour to rest. Then we’ll debrief for the next round."

"The next round?!"

Sun Yang shot upright, his face a mask of terror.

"Captain, you want to do a second round? Are you trying to train us to death?!"

"Get used to it."

Li Chang’an said flatly before turning and leaving the training room.

"See you in an hour, don’t be late."

Back in the Insect Hunter Squad’s training room, only Sun Yang’s wails echoed through the air.

He sat slumped on the floor, an expression that screamed ’I want to die’ on his face, pounding the ground with his fists while muttering nonstop.

"One hour... The Captain’s giving us one hour to rest? Is he even human? Is he? Is he made of iron?!"

"Oh, shut up. You were the one screaming the loudest during training, and now you’re the one making a racket!"

Han Ruoxi leaned against the wall, rubbing her shoulder. Her face showed clear signs of exhaustion, but her tone was as sharp as ever.

"No matter how much you yell, the Captain isn’t going to listen to you.

If you have the energy to complain, you’d be better off thinking about how to avoid getting chased around by insects in the next round!"

"I... I was just trying to relieve some stress!"

Sun Yang shot her a glare.

"Besides, I was providing cover for you all! If I hadn’t been desperately laying down suppressive fire, do you think you’d have been so casually zapping those bugs? Don’t be so ungrateful, Han Ruoxi!"

"Cover? Don’t make me laugh. You call that suppressive fire? Looked to me like you nearly suppressed yourself!"

Han Ruoxi scoffed, raising her hand and making an arcing gesture with her Superpower Gloves.

"Next time you can’t handle it, just say the word. I can give you a little jolt to wake you up!"

"Han Ruoxi, could you possibly be any more vicious?"

Sun Yang leaped to his feet, pointing at her.

"Have you no sense of camaraderie? Do you have any idea how hard I fought just now? Can’t you just give me one compliment?"

"Alright, are you two done fighting?"

Shen Qiuyue’s voice came from the side. She was sitting on a stool, wiping down her High-Energy Dueling Sword, her expression as placid as still water.

"Keep arguing, and when the Captain gets back and makes you run another two kilometers, then you’ll know what ’hard’ really is!"

Sun Yang immediately shut his mouth, shrank back, and sullenly sat back down on the floor.

"Fine. Miss Qiuyue has a point. I won’t bicker with her."

"You should have shut up a long time ago."

Shen Qiuyue didn’t even look up, her focus remaining on the sword in her hands. Her tone was as casual as if she were commenting on the weather.

"If that training had been a real battle, your suppressive fire would have lasted five minutes at most.

The Insect Race doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath."

"I... I know!"

Sun Yang scratched his head sheepishly, not daring to argue back.

"Bai Lin, how was the data on your end? Anything else worth noting?"

Shen Qiuyue finished speaking and looked over at Bai Lin, who had been quietly adjusting his terminal in the corner.

Bai Lin looked up and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"There were quite a few problems. The Insect Race’s second wave showed significantly more coordination.

They seemed to be trying to use the terrain to their advantage to surround us, rather than just a simple frontal assault like the first wave.

If we hadn’t adjusted our formation in time, we could have been divided and conquered."

"Divided and conquered?"

Han Ruoxi frowned.

"Doesn’t that sound a bit far-fetched? I thought the Insect Race acted on instinct. Since when did they start using tactics?"

"I’ve said it before: they’re evolving."

Bai Lin stated calmly.

"Based on this simulation, it seems their Commander Level individuals are capable of giving simple commands to the common insects."

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