Chapter 725 - 355: I Was Impressive Enough, Wasn’t I?

"Very good!"

Li Chang’an gazed into the depths of the tunnel.

"Stay alert. We’re heading deeper. The objective is to eliminate all signs of Insect Race activity!"

The squad set off again. The terrain inside the Insect Hive grew more complex, but their teamwork became increasingly seamless.

Everyone performed their duties, and under Li Chang’an’s command, they gradually pushed deeper into the core of the Insect Hive.

When they finally cleared out the last wave of insects, everyone was exhausted, but their faces showed a hint of satisfaction.

Sun Yang leaned against a wall, panting, and said with a wide grin.

"Captain, how’d I do this time? My performance was pretty impressive, right?"

"Not bad."

A rare smile touched Li Chang’an’s lips.

"But there’s still room for improvement. Next time, less talk, more action."

"Heh heh, got it!"

Sun Yang looked smug.

"Alright, mission complete!"

Li Chang’an glanced at the time.

"Let’s pull out. Back to base!"

Back at the base, the members of the Insect Hunter Squad had just stepped into their dorm when Sun Yang threw himself onto the sofa, looking completely drained.

"I’m telling you, that Insect Hive is no place for humans. It was so damp, I can still feel how sticky my back is!"

Sun Yang held out a hand from his sprawled position.

"Han Ruoxi, that Electric Power Amplifier of yours is pretty awesome. How about you let me borrow it for a couple more days?"

Han Ruoxi had just picked up a towel to wipe her face. When she heard that, she nearly threw it in his.

"You want to touch my gear again? Did you not learn your lesson from yesterday?"

Han Ruoxi raised her voice.

"I’m warning you, Sun Yang, if you dare touch my things again, I’ll dismantle your Pulse Gun into spare parts!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t do that!"

Sun Yang quickly waved his hands in surrender.

"I was just joking! How would I dare touch your gear? You’re the noble Miss Han Ruoxi, how could I possibly dare!"

"Cut the crap!"

Han Ruoxi looked impatient.

"I’m warning you, stay out of my way!"

Li Chang’an had just placed his gear in his locker when he heard their conversation. He glanced up at Sun Yang.

"You just can’t go one day without causing trouble, can you?"

"Captain, I’m just trying to lighten the mood!"

Sun Yang said with a cheeky grin.

"Otherwise, coming back from such a tiring mission with no entertainment would be too dull, wouldn’t it?"

"Dull is better than noisy," Shen Qiuyue interjected coldly as she returned her sword to its rack.

"If you have this much free time, you might as well go clean your gear. Your Pulse Gun fired at so many insects just now. You don’t want it jamming on you later."

"Sister Qiuyue..." Sun Yang said, looking aggrieved.

"Could you be a little nicer to me?"

"In your dreams!"

Shen Qiuyue ignored him completely and walked toward her own bunk.

Bai Lin sat silently in a corner, recording a mission summary on his portable computer.

He hadn’t said a single word the entire time, but he would occasionally glance up at the bickering Sun Yang and Han Ruoxi before lowering his head to continue typing.

"Bai Lin, what are you writing now?"

Han Ruoxi leaned in, asking curiously.

"Mission summary," Bai Lin answered simply.

"Recording today’s operation, analyzing our shortcomings."

"Oh, in that case, make sure you write a lot about Sun Yang’s ’shortcomings.’ He was ridiculously talkative today!" Han Ruoxi pouted.

"Hey, hey, hey! I’m right here!"

Sun Yang sat up, looking indignant.

"You can’t stab me in the back right in front of me! Han Ruoxi, are you biased against me or something?"

"It’s not bias, it’s a fact!" Han Ruoxi shot back without hesitation.

"Alright, that’s enough. Stop arguing!"

Li Chang’an interrupted them.

"Sun Yang, go clean your gear. Han Ruoxi, you should check your Electric Power Amplifier too. We might have another mission tomorrow."

"Captain, another mission so soon?"

Sun Yang’s face soured.

"We just got back!"

"If you’re tired, you can apply for leave."

Li Chang’an looked at him coolly.

"But if you fall behind tomorrow, don’t blame us for not waiting for you."

"No, no, no!"

Sun Yang immediately waved his hands.

"I’m in great shape! I’ll be a hundred percent tomorrow, guaranteed!"

"Then shut up and get to work."

Li Chang’an waved a dismissive hand.

Sun Yang reluctantly stood up, grabbed his Pulse Gun, and headed for the equipment room.

Han Ruoxi and Shen Qiuyue also got busy checking their own gear, and the room fell silent for a moment.

After a little while, Sun Yang poked his head out of the equipment room, his expression a bit unnatural.

"Um, Captain, there’s a small problem!"

"What is it?"

Li Chang’an frowned.

"I think I... spilled the cleaning solvent!"

Sun Yang scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh.

"It was an accident... Anyway, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just go get another bottle!"

"Can you do one thing without causing trouble?"

Li Chang’an stood up and walked toward the equipment room.

"Forget it, I’ll go take a look."

When Li Chang’an entered the equipment room, the floor was indeed soaking wet, and the strong smell of cleaning solvent filled the air.

He looked at Sun Yang, then at the floor, and couldn’t help but facepalm.

"How on earth did you manage that?"

"I just... I accidentally knocked the bottle over. I really didn’t mean to!"

Sun Yang had an innocent look on his face.

"Stop making excuses and clean it up!"

Li Chang’an pointed to the mop in the corner.

"You’re in charge of this mess. Don’t come out until it’s done."

"Understood!"

Sun Yang nodded quickly and ran to get the mop.

"Don’t worry, Captain. I guarantee this floor will be cleaner than a mirror!"

Li Chang’an sighed and turned to leave.

Returning to the dorm, he saw Han Ruoxi tinkering with her Electric Power Amplifier, her expression focused.

Shen Qiuyue, meanwhile, had finished tidying up and was sitting on the edge of her bunk, polishing her sword.

"Chang’an."

Shen Qiuyue looked up and spoke to him.

"Is there any advance notice on tomorrow’s mission?"

"Nothing yet."

Li Chang’an shook his head.

"But the Insect Race has been active lately. It’ll probably be another extermination mission."