Chapter 3

Yu Lian moved the gun away, no longer paying attention to the private who was almost scared stiff, and pulled the trigger again, letting the bullets pass through the crowd and pierce two barbarians dancing in a blood-red mouth, and with a "bang," they penetrated the chest of a thorn snake.

"You... can actually do this?" Ina looked at Yu Lian in surprise for the first time.

So, what kind of person am I, the owner of this body?

Yu Lian was filled with curiosity about the current "himself." After all, the so-called "warrant officer" in the Commonwealth refers to reserve officers, in other words, high-achieving students from advanced military academies who haven't graduated yet. They are the pride of the heavens, capable of looking down on the security forces from the clouds, and in the military, they are known as the "elite bureaucracy," with promotions as smooth as riding an elevator. Not making it to general before retirement would truly be considered a failure.

In comparison, the other two officers in the squad, the sword-wielding lieutenant and the second lieutenant who always wanted to abandon him, should be part of the "ordinary group" or "non-professional group." Their ages revealed it all: one was at least in his early forties, and the other was probably around thirty-five. They were typical realists who would be grateful to retire as majors.

... Ah, speaking of which, Lieutenant Monteson is cutting bugs, but where is the second lieutenant with the power armor?

Yu Lian quickly spotted him in the crowd. He wasn't in the front but was a bit in the back, standing in a place where he could run away at any moment.

"Second Lieutenant! What are you doing? You have power armor, why fear beasts? If you don't go, how can you let the unarmored ones go?" Yu Lian's gaze lingered on the power hammer hanging from the second lieutenant's gear, confirming that it was in perfect condition. One strike would definitely shake out the last night's droppings from the jumpers and thorn snakes.

Indeed, the current bugs were clearly unevolved, and even with brute force, they wouldn't be a match for human mobile infantry in power armor. Even with the AS40, an antique with many flaws, having this gear made the mobile infantry a small tank. Not just jumpers, even the massive claw bugs could be fought.

The second lieutenant's face turned red, and he loudly argued, "Shut up! Warrant Officer, you're still a student, what do you know? I'm a coward, no, I need to be in command..."

His face flushed, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He probably wanted to say something like, "How can an officer be a coward?" or "I must ensure command is smooth," but Monteson, who was cutting bugs, loudly said, "Second Lieutenant Don Russo! Get into position!"

The second lieutenant shrank his head, muttered a low "oh," gritted his teeth, and finally picked up the power hammer, advancing to the front line with the attitude of a man walking to the gallows. He sighed, looking like he was about to be killed in the next second.

Giving his power armor to anyone else would be more useful. Yu Lian thought.

Of course, we must understand Second Lieutenant Russo. After all, even with power armor, there are still dangers... For example, the AS40 power armor doesn't come with a helmet, or rather, its helmet lacks a fire control system, camera, and air conditioning, making it too obstructive and uncomfortable to wear, so no one wants to wear it, often opting for a bulletproof helmet instead.

But you can't expect the bugs to be so considerate as to not cut your head off, can you?

However, to be fair, this second lieutenant, though a coward who always wanted to abandon the heavily injured Yu Lian, still had decent combat skills—after all, being in the "non-professional group," he couldn't rely on his academic credentials, so he had to rely on his skills. His use of the power hammer was quite methodical.

With Yu Lian and Ina, the two "special shooters," providing precise output, the three MTs in the front were also doing a great job, and the other soldiers, being proper military personnel, didn't do anything to sabotage. The bug corpses soon piled up, and the strange smell between insect fluids and animal blood became more pungent.

Actually, it could be used as fertilizer, and quite good organic fertilizer, if you could stand the smell. Yu Lian thought.

Estimating that this wave of bugs numbered at least two to three hundred, but eliminating them wasn't a problem. Thus, he also relaxed a bit.

Yes, the goal was to "eliminate," not just "repel."

However, soon, Yu Lian seemed to faintly hear a whistle cutting through the hot air, then disappearing. Then, the creatures, later known as "zerg," stopped as if controlled puppets, turned their heads, and retreated like a tide.

Just as they had surged like a tide. They obeyed orders, moving in unison without any hesitation or panic.

Everyone was stunned, not knowing what had happened, and no one felt the fleeting disturbance. Except for Ina, who raised her eyebrows suspiciously, scanning the surroundings.

Yu Lian cursed under his breath, pushing his body to sit up a bit higher, and grabbed his rifle.

"Phew..." Lieutenant Monteson exhaled, putting down his chainsword, only then feeling the soreness in his arms.

Even with power armor, the battle had been exhausting.

He looked at the sergeant next to him, who was almost as tall as him even without armor. The sergeant, wielding a large, custom power axe, was still not out of breath after a few minutes of fighting. Monteson couldn't help but marvel at how these bear-like people were truly born beasts.

Monteson took a small aluminum flask from his gear and took a swig before passing it to the sergeant.

Second Lieutenant Russo, who had been watching, turned bright red.

However, before the sergeant, who had a simple smile, could take the flask, Yu Lian shouted, "Everyone, scatter!"

No one listened. Everyone was confused, even Ina, who had worked well with Yu Lian, looked puzzled.

"Warrant Officer, mind your place!" Russo shouted back, finally finding a reason to retort.

This weak body is just a student! Yu Lian sighed inwardly, then raised his rifle and aimed at Russo.

What? Even if you're angry, you wouldn't shoot a superior officer, right? I know you "Lunarians" are arrogant, but I've never heard of such an unstable mind!

Russo was terrified, and his first reaction was to raise his hands, not his gun.

Ina was the quickest to react, raising her gun to Yu Lian's head, about to scold him, but he had already pulled the trigger.

"Should I shoot?" the sergeant major hesitated for a moment.

However, several bullets had already been fired, missing Russo and grazing his waist, embedding into the sand.

Then, the sand rippled like a disturbed lake, and a low growl came from the brown rocks and red sand.

"Enemies in the ground!" the lieutenant finally reacted, "But why didn't the sensors detect them?"

Because a spider bug as big as a crocodile makes less noise underground than a gopher, so the old, unupgraded tactical sensors mistook it for a gopher. Yu Lian wanted to say.

"Everyone, scatter!" Ina shouted.

The sergeant major's authority was much higher than Yu Lian's, and the soldiers reacted instinctively.

Russo was still confused, unsure if Yu Lian had really tried to shoot him and missed. Ordinary people couldn't react in such a situation and subconsciously ignored the nearby growls. It wasn't until a huge bug blade emerged from the ground and cut off his neck from behind that he realized what was happening.

His head fell to the ground, his face frozen in confusion and bewilderment.

Broken gun! Can a gun that can't kill a spider bug through thick rock even be called a gun? If he had anything else besides the C10, Yu Lian would have thrown it to the ground.

Everyone fired wildly at the spot where the bug blade emerged, but there was nothing left except disturbed rocks.

The enraged Lieutenant Monteson didn't stop them but picked up his comrade's power hammer and swung it at the ground. The giant sergeant, seeing this, also raised his battle axe and joined in.

"This is just venting..." Yu Lian sighed, removing his mech glove and slowly placing his hand on the ground.

"Warrant Officer..." the plain-looking, plain-bodied, nameless medic looked worried. She was concerned that the heavily injured Yu Lian, touching the alien ground without protection, might catch some parasites, increasing her workload.

Yes, this planet clearly produces a lot of parasites. Isn't that obvious?

"Cease fire," Yu Lian shouted.

No one listened.

"Cease fire!" Ina repeated, her voice nine times louder than Yu Lian's.

Everyone stopped firing, including the raging Lieutenant Monteson and the bear-like sergeant.

Yu Lian closed his eyes, silently feeling the subtle vibrations in the ground.

Of course, his former self wouldn't have needed such trouble, with the superior perception of a Seventh Circle Saint capturing the movements of every bug deep underground from hundreds of kilometers away. But now, being so weak, he had to use human methods.

However, these human methods were essential skills for a qualified pioneer and ranger.

The ground has its own rhythm, and the movement of zerg disrupts this rhythm.

This was a lesson from his most respected mentor.

It sounds mystical, but it's like ancient scouts listening to the ground. Yu Lian's experience was so rich that his hand was enough.

The more classical methods are actually less likely to become outdated. That's the truth.

As mentioned before, spider bugs, the stealthy zerg, make less noise underground than gophers, let alone human footsteps or horse hooves, but they still make some noise.

"17... 21... 25... 30!" Yu Lian muttered, and after a pause, he suddenly shouted, "Ina! Three o'clock, two meters!"

The sergeant major, who had already taken up her chainsword, turned and swung it without hesitation. The chainsaw's roar was quickly drowned out by the sound of bones and metal being torn apart.

A massive, spider-like creature rose silently, but its large bone pincers missed the target and were cut in half by the chainsword.

It didn't make any painful cries, only trying to burrow again, but Ina pressed her rifle against its shell and fired a burst.

The spider was blasted back a few steps, and at this moment, the bear-like sergeant and the black sergeant had already rushed over. The former, with his immense strength, still wielded his large power axe, while the black sergeant, the second strongest in the squad, though without power armor, swung a high-carbon crystal warhammer. They surrounded the giant bug and pounded it, like making rice cakes.

The spider's flesh and blood splattered, and it twitched a few times before dying.

At this point, the medic, who had been gaping, finally let out a "ah" and exhaled. She looked at Yu Lian, her face turning red, and just as she was about to say something, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down.

The medic was pulled to the ground, narrowly avoiding a bug limb that had emerged behind her.

Another spider bug had partially emerged from the ground, missing its target and preparing to retreat.

But before it could, Yu Lian had already opened fire.

He emptied half a magazine, severing its mouthparts, piercing its head shell, and finally destroying its internal central nervous system.

He was relieved that these two spider bugs were unevolved larvae. If they were the future adult stealthers that could extend their stingers hundreds of meters to pierce tank hulls, everyone would have been doomed.

Yes, just like the Commonwealth's regular army using "antiques," the swarm disaster that would one day cast a shadow of terror over the entire galaxy was still in its early stages.

Yu Lian propped himself up, looking seriously at the lieutenant, who had just come to his senses, and said, "Sir, this place is too open; we must move immediately!"

The desert wind blew, and Russo's head rolled a few meters away, bloodied and unrecognizable.