Chapter 116
At the same time, Jiang Quan was sitting on the command ship of the Empire’s Second Legion, sipping tea. It was widely known that the people of the Empire were experts at enjoying life; even their tea was much more fragrant than that of the Federation. However, after personally tasting it, Jiang Quan found it to be nothing special. Humans tended to romanticize things they rarely encountered. This might not be a good thing.
Leading the search operation was General Wu Lu of the Empire’s Second Legion. Although he didn’t want to deal with this Federation guy, he briefly explained the current situation out of courtesy and concluded, “So far, we only have a dozen or so planets left to search. If things progress quickly, we should be done within a month.”
The term “progress quickly” naturally referred to the fortunate discovery of new clues. However, judging from the current pace, the Second Legion was not among the lucky ones. Jiang Quan placed his teacup on the table, preparing to say something, when a soldier rushed in, “Report, General! Recon ship 4588 has detected traces of insectoid warships near some celestial bodies!”
The presence of insectoid warships in this area surprised both of them. Nevertheless, as Jiang Quan was not the commander of this legion, he didn’t express much. He only furrowed his brow slightly and appeared nonchalant while listening to Wu Lu inquire about the specifics. It wasn’t until he heard that the location of those warships was near Celestial Body 64 that his heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly stood up. Wasn’t that the area assigned to the elite squad for the search in the Kaidos star cluster?
Seeing Wu Lu still contemplating, his tone became more serious, “What are you hesitating for? Just some bugs, let’s go and fight!” These Empire officers were always so indecisive, making people feel annoyed. If the elite squad he had painstakingly put together were to disband due to wasted time, Jiang Quan guaranteed that he would have unfinished business with these Empire bastards!
Wu Lu, looking at Jiang Quan’s decisive attitude, felt a headache coming on. Just as he was about to say something, another soldier rushed in. Fortunately, this time, the news wasn’t bad; it was about the return of one of the Alliance’s elite fleet.
The members of the Starwatch Team, finally back on their Alliance command ship, still held their breath, not daring to relax, not even thinking about taking a sip of water. Finally, in the anxious wait, two figures walked in.
When they saw the familiar figure of Jiang Quan, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat, almost shedding tears of joy. They had never been so happy to see him before. Yan He and Bin quickly took a step forward, saluted properly, and said confidently, “Enemy forces found in the Kaidos star system, requesting headquarters support!”
Jiang Quan glanced at them, hiding a smile at the corner of his mouth, “Headquarters received the request. You’ve done well.”
…
People still on the planet were unaware that a major upheaval was imminent outside. Rather than worrying about wars between different races, their immediate concern was how to survive and leave this place alive. The so-called elite squads they encountered earlier were not the insectoid’s elite forces. However, the most annoying aspect of this species was their sheer numbers, thanks to their overly vigorous reproductive capabilities. They seemed to multiply endlessly.
What troubled Lu Jingning the most was that, according to Tang Jiaze, their spacecraft had already been destroyed. So, the last hope rested on the shoulders of Fan Zhou’s Third Squad. Whether they saw Tang Jiaze’s distress signal or not, it was better if they stayed as far away from this troubled place as possible.
Now that they had arrived, they had walked right into a trap. The only good news was that Lu Jingning was relieved to find that their Starwatch Team’s warship was no longer at the docking site. If they could endure until the reinforcements arrived, it would be another way out.
After resting for a while, the group finally recovered from their weakened state. It was dangerous to stay in one place for too long, so they resumed their journey. The hellish devil training they had undergone earlier seemed to have had an effect; at least, in the short term, they could endure within the limits of their physical stamina, even without eating.
Thanks, Commander Jiang!
After walking for a while, Lu Jingning, although unaware of Bai Chen’s presence on the planet, instinctively sensed a hint of danger from the current situation. They had successively eliminated several waves of insectoid scouts during their journey. There was an unexplainable intuition that the person manipulating things behind the scenes was getting closer.
While the elite squad moved in an orderly manner, their size was too conspicuous. After considering for a moment, Lu Jingning proposed, “You go ahead, I’ll cover the rear.”
Tang Jiaze had no objections to the idea of splitting up. For him, there was another consideration – if they encountered a situation that required the use of pheromones again, with Lu Jingning being a special entity that attacked without distinguishing friend from foe, he was afraid that he might be knocked out by his own people before the enemy got to him.
However, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow at the suggestion to stay behind, “What are you doing? Just split into two groups.”
Lu Jingning glanced at him, “The pursuers are getting closer. Splitting into two groups is meaningless. I’ll stay behind to block them, and you hurry to find Fan Zhou. That’s the priority.”
Tang Jiaze was about to say something, but Wen Xingchen beside him spoke, “Hurry up, we won’t have the strength to support you later.”
Tang Jiaze: “Damn!”
He wanted to say more, but looking at the calm attitude of the two in front of him, he felt like an overbearing old mother. In the end, he swallowed his words. Leaving with a “take care of yourself,” he led his team away.
Although he had always longed for heroism, he was now the captain. He had already lost one team member and had to bring the others back unharmed.
…
After Lu Jingning and Wen Xingchen stayed behind, they were in no hurry at all. Since they were waiting for someone, they found a slightly secluded place and sat down side by side.
Lu Jingning casually picked up a dried leaf, holding it at the corner of his mouth, and couldn’t help but tease, “Brother Wen, do you think we look like a pair of mandarin ducks in distress?”
Wen Xingchen: “Not really.”
Lu Jingning: “Why?”
Wen Xingchen glanced at him, lips curved slightly, “Being with you, how can it be considered distress?”
Lu Jingning unexpectedly heard a sweet remark from him and burst into laughter, “Did you go to Jiang Luan to get some love advice or something?”
Wen Xingchen neither confirmed nor denied, “Hmm, you figured it out.”
Such a conversation continued for a while, with one sentence after another, until they heard faint noises, and then they fell silent completely.
When Lu Jingning saw the familiar white hair in his field of vision, he subconsciously exchanged a glance with Wen Xingchen.
Why was Bai Chen here?!
Associating it with the relentless pursuit and tracking they experienced before, everything seemed to make sense.
Wen Xingchen squinted slightly, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
During the bounty league, holographic instruments were used, and it was regrettable. Otherwise, they should have dealt with him completely at that time.
…
Bai Chen was accompanied by a total of more than ten people, not a large number, but obviously incomparable to the insect henchmen encountered earlier.
The blue scout beside him quickly found clues and reported, “Commander, there are new traces here; they should have left not long ago.”
About to continue chasing with the others, Bai Chen stopped them.
Bai Chen stood in place, gently moving his nose, “Something’s not right.”
Although the sense of smell of the insects was hundreds of times more sensitive than that of humans, Lu Jingning didn’t expect to be discovered so quickly.
He slowed down his breathing, feeling Wen Xingchen next to him becoming equally vigilant.
Bai Chen paused slightly, seeming to sense something, and walked towards them.
Just when he was about to reach them, he didn’t enter their attack range but threw an energy bomb from a distance.
Lu Jingning almost cursed out loud. Damn, this damn insect was too cunning!
He moved his feet, and with Wen Xingchen, they both scattered in different directions, narrowly avoiding the exploding debris.
Bai Chen looked at the two familiar figures appearing in his sight, a hint of delight flashing in his expression, “Ah, what a coincidence, we meet again.”
“Coincidence, my ass!”
Lu Jingning couldn’t stand his creepy and unsettling demeanor, like a madman.
He spat at a distance, not even looking back, and directly attacked the nearby insect soldiers.
On the other side, Wen Xingchen also rushed over. The two of them arrived simultaneously, forming a pincer attack.
Bai Chen lightly whistled, “Play with them.”
Lu Jingning sneered, slashing down a few.
But when he was about to deal with the last three, the blue-haired scout skillfully avoided a fatal blow, revealing a sinister smile.
In such a posture, Lu Jingning rarely felt a chill down his spine. The next moment, he felt a sudden pain in his arm, and crimson blood instantly stained the area.
Without further attacks, he quickly stepped back two steps, maintaining a safe distance.
Seemingly aroused by the scent of blood, Bai Chen reminded from afar, “Don’t be too heavy-handed; I want this Omega alive.”
The blue-haired one smiled obsequiously, “Yes, Commander.”
In an instant, Wen Xingchen no longer lingered in battle, standing in front of Lu Jingning.
At this moment, Lu Jingning’s complexion didn’t look good.
What bothered him was not the strength of the remaining three insect soldiers on the field, but something else.
Lu Jingning exerted force on his hand, tearing off a strip of cloth from his sleeve to bind the wound. His gaze, however, once again turned to this desolate planetary terrain.
Individuals of such strength, even among the vast numbers of the insect race, were extremely rare. Yet, they were simultaneously dispatched here. Could it be that, like them, they were searching for an ordinary energy source?
Or perhaps, this so-called energy source was actually far more crucial than humans realized…
All of this, it seemed, was not so simple.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
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How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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