Chapter 29: A Fresh Start!

After a firm and thorough rejection, the trio from Team 1 departed, seething with resentment. Qi An suspected that they had learned of the situation so quickly because of Minister Liu. It was fortunate that she had recently distinguished herself, gained recognition from the Commander-in-Chief, and had the backing of Professor Tang; otherwise, her fate would have been easily manipulated by Liu Hui and that Colonel Wu.

On a beautiful afternoon, the three members of Qi An’s team changed into their training gear. Joined by the rest of their squad, they worked up a sweat on the training grounds. Qi An’s rapid progress had clearly spurred everyone on—Team 2 had become a group of overachievers, making the other teams on the field feel quite intimidated.

The next day, the bonuses were deposited into everyone’s accounts. The team members used the money to support their families or donated it to help the families of their fallen comrades. At dawn, Qi An visited the black market on the northwest edge of the base. With her savings from the past year, she purchased gun parts, anesthetic rounds, and an assortment of silencers, lighters, and canned goods, further enriching her private collection.

On the third day, the approval for their merit awards came through, and on the fifth day, the regiment held a ceremony in the small auditorium for Team 2. As the matter involved classified information, the ceremony was private, attended only by high-ranking officers, but the team was nonetheless overjoyed and proud. Tang Long, who had previously earned a third-class merit, was promoted to Lieutenant due to his accumulated achievements and years of service—a promotion that made Zhuang Xiao green with envy.

On the sixth day, Professor Guan was already walking with ease and went to visit the Research Department with Yang Yuning.

On the seventh day, new orders were issued. The long, albeit busy, break for Team 2 came to an end. Yu Shuang declared, "Time to get back to the grind, little ones!"

"The mission is divided into two phases: first, escort Professor Guan safely back to North Base 1 with Yang Yuning; second, cooperate with teams from North Base 1 and North Base 2 to escort a shipment of supplies back to our Central Base 3."

Zhao Bohan delivered the mission briefing. His expression was grave as he emphasized, "The second phase will be extremely dangerous, as the supplies we are escorting include a massive quantity of insect oil."

Everyone was taken aback. Zhuang Xiao asked in confusion, "Insect oil? Why do we need to transport it from North Base 1?" Was there a shortage? An energy crisis? The sun had been shining brightly lately, and it was said their base’s solar energy storage technology was at the forefront—could they not keep up?

"We don't need to know the purpose of the supplies; we only need to know that even purified insect oil, sealed as tightly as possible, will attract Corrupted Insects," Yu Shuang sighed.

Zhao Bohan traced a line on a paper map of the continent spread across the desk. "From North Base 2 to our base, the straight-line distance is over 900 kilometers. The terrain is complex, and it is impossible to plan a safe route through automation. Therefore, the actual travel time for our return journey could be anywhere from two weeks to a month."

Driving through the wilderness for a month with a massive load of insect oil—one could only imagine how many attacks they would face. The expressions of Team 2’s members grew somber.

"A suicide mission," Zhuang Xiao whispered. Was the command intentionally assigning them this job? The Colonel? Dark suspicions swirled in everyone’s minds, but the order had been given; dwelling on such thoughts would only hurt morale.

Yu Shuang put her hands on her hips. "Cheer up! We’re the ones who stormed a hive! You know the saying: the rougher the waves, the more valuable the fish! The more dangerous the mission, the easier it is to earn merit!"

This rallied the group. Yu Shuang continued, "We depart tomorrow. We’ll pick up our equipment today, then everyone go home and prepare. I want everyone at their best tomorrow!"

The team responded in unison. That afternoon, the entire squad went to the Special Operations Equipment Registration Office. In front of the staff, Yu Shuang and Zhuang Xiao dismantled every firearm and inspected every part. Zhao Bohan and Qi An test-flew every drone until the batteries were dead, and Su Qingran even pulled out rations from every crate, dragging the staff into a taste test.

Such frantic behavior naturally drew a crowd, even attracting high-level officers. Whether or not someone was watching from behind the glass partitions, the team endured the pressure and checked every piece of equipment they could. However, the reputation of "Windrider Team 2" as a bunch of "paranoid lunatics" was firmly established.

Qi An, thanks to her status as a 4-star Purifier, successfully obtained a set of psychic energy conduction equipment. She even had Engineer Xiao check it to confirm it was flawless—much to her slight disappointment.

On March 12, 2055, the team, along with Professor Guan and Yang Yuning, gathered at the East Gate. A convoy of three military-green off-road vehicles set off toward the east.

It was mid-spring; buds bloomed on willow branches, and butterflies danced among the flowers. The weeds on the old highway had turned a fresh, vibrant green, stretching as far as the eye could see toward the rolling blue mountains.

Qi An leaned against the car window, entranced, and couldn't help but recall her time in the wilderness. She had once found the most secure and intact house within the ruins of a village, which was cocooned by a forest, meaning she had essentially lived in the woods. Spring brought beauty, and edible plants became more abundant. But it also meant that beasts and insects became more active, and the weather would grow increasingly hot and humid—dangers and hardships different from those of winter.

Back then, she was too weak, struggling for survival every day, stumbling along without the luxury of appreciating the scenery.

"Professor Guan, is this speed alright? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Yu Shuang asked from the lead vehicle.

Guan Ling smiled and replied, "I'm fine! You can go faster if you need to! I've been reinforced with self-healing, I'm fully recovered!"

"Alright then! We're on a schedule for the escort mission, so we have to pick up the pace. Everyone hold on!" Yu Shuang stepped on the gas.

With drones leading the way, the team covered a quarter of the distance in a single day. However, on such a long journey through the wilderness, primarily following highway routes, it was impossible not to encounter Corrupted Insects.

"Qi An, what’s the scale of that group of Corrupted Insects ahead?" Yu Shuang asked, lying in waist-high grass, looking through binoculars at the shadows crawling in the gaps of a dilapidated toll station.

"Not many. About thirty," Qi An whispered.

"There’s a wild lake on one side and a forest on the other. If we go around, it will take half a day," Yu Shuang said into her radio. "Zhao, scan the area with the drones. See if there are any strongholds within 10 kilometers that could provide support to these insects."

A reply came through a dozen minutes later: "None found."

"Good!" Yu Shuang looked at Qi An. "Qi An, it’s time to test the results of your shooting training! Zhuang Xiao and I will provide cover. The first wave is yours—take the shot."