Chapter 527: Chapter 256: Chainsword Cut
It was a High-Tier, Commander-Level insect. Its body was covered in a thick carapace, its foreclaws were like sharp blades, and its presence was terrifying.
"This is bad, itâs a Commander-Level insect!" Han Ruoxi gasped.
"Looks like a straight escape is out of the question," Shen Qiuyue said calmly, her Dueling Sword already drawn.
Li Changâanâs expression hardened. He knew they had no other choice.
He quickly issued his orders. "Han Ruoxi, hit it with electricity! Sun Yang, provide suppressing fire! Shen Qiuyue, attack from the flank! We need to make this quickâtake it down and pull out!"
"Understood!" they responded in unison.
Han Ruoxi immediately unleashed her Electric Superpower. Arcs of electricity instantly enveloped the massive insect.
The insect let out a furious shriek. Its massive body convulsed, but it wasnât completely subdued.
It swung its sharp foreclaws and lunged toward Han Ruoxi.
"My turn!" Sun Yang squeezed the trigger of his Pulse Gun. A volley of Energy Bullets shot toward the insect, successfully drawing its attention.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Qiuyue struck from the side. Her Dueling Sword stabbed precisely at the insectâs joint, and the blade scraped across its carapace with a piercing metallic shriek.
"This thingâs defense is too tough!" Shen Qiuyue said, frowning. "I can only get through its outer armor!"
"Keep attacking! Donât let up!" Li Changâan yelled. At the same time, he raised his Saw Chain Sword, aimed for the insectâs head, and brought it down with a powerful swing.
The Saw Chain Sword let out a high-pitched whine as it struck the insectâs head, instantly shredding its defenses.
As blackish-green fluid sprayed out, the massive insect let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Its body convulsed violently a few times before it finally crashed to the ground.
"Nice work!" Li Changâan quickly retracted his Saw Chain Sword. "Letâs move! Retreat!"
Without hesitating, they quickly skirted the fallen insect and sprinted toward the ship.
The fight had been incredibly dangerous, but they knew the threats within the Insect Hive were far from over.
The sooner they escaped, the better their chances of avoiding even greater danger.
"Faster! Insect reinforcements are almost here!" Bai Linâs urgent voice came through their earpieces.
The Insect Hunter Squad picked up their pace and finally broke free of the Insect Hiveâs perimeter.
By the time they reached the ship, it was already prepped for takeoff, its hatch open and waiting for them.
"Get on board!" Li Changâan yelled, and the team scrambled into the ship.
The ship powered up, lifted off swiftly, and escaped the area controlled by the Insect Hive.
Through the viewport, Li Changâan saw the swarms of insects on the ground below growing denser. They had gone into a frenzy, frantically converging on the spot from which the team had just escaped.
"Man, that was a close call!" Sun Yang slumped into his seat and let out a long sigh. "Captain, youâre always so cool-headed. If it werenât for your command, we wouldâve been totally screwed back there!"
Before Sun Yang could finish, Han Ruoxi cut him off. "Save the praise for the Captain. Weâre not completely out of danger yet!"
Li Changâan gave a slight smile and leaned back in his seat, but his eyes remained fixed on the viewport.
The ship might have taken off, but he knew the threat from the Insect Race was far from over.
"Sheâs right, we canât let our guard down yet," Li Changâan said, his voice low. "Weâve only temporarily escaped the Insect Hiveâs perimeter, but the scale of the Insect Race is far larger than we anticipated.
If theyâve figured out this was a reconnaissance mission, the days ahead are going to be tough."
Sun Yang shook his head in resignation. "That doesnât sound very optimistic, Captain. I thought we could finally relax after taking out that giant bug!"
"In your dreams," Shen Qiuyue said coldly. "The Insect Race wonât just let us go. We were just lucky to escape this time."
Han Ruoxi sighed, her fingers gently tracing the marks on her Superpower Gloves. "We need to get some good rest. The next mission will probably be even tougher."
Li Changâan nodded and spoke into his comms. "Bai Lin, has the mission data been sent back?"
"Transmission complete," Bai Linâs voice, as calm as ever, came through the earpiece. "Command has received the data we collected and is analyzing it.
Theyâll use this information to plan the next phase of the operation."
"Good," Li Changâan said, breathing a sigh of relief. He turned to the others. "Good work, everyone. Once weâre back at the base, get some proper rest.
The mission is far from over, but we canât stay wound up this tight all the time."
"Rest? I could definitely use some rest!" Sun Yang rolled his shoulders and leaned back in his seat, his expression one of pure relief. "A big meal and a good nightâs sleep... now thatâs the life!"
Han Ruoxi chuckled. "Of course youâre thinking about food.
Werenât you just scared out of your mind back there?"
"It was scary, sure, but look at us. Weâre sitting here on the ship, safe and sound, arenât we?" Sun Yang said with a shrug. "Weâre a capable bunch. Itâs always a close call, but we always pull through."
"Being capable is no excuse to be careless," Shen Qiuyue stated coldly. "That attitude of yours will get you into trouble one day."
Sun Yang shrugged, smiling. "Relax, I know my limits."
Li Changâan cleared his throat, cutting off their bickering. "Alright, everyone. Relax for now. This part of the mission is over, so letâs drop the shop talk.
Command will have new orders for us when we get back to base."
The ship passed smoothly through the atmosphere and returned to the Interstellar Warrior Base on Lionâs Fang Star.
After landing, Li Changâan led the Insect Hunter Squad back to their quarters.