Chapter 1

Time: September 9, Earth Federation Year 107

Location: Alpha Star, C9 Region of the Perseus Constellation.

Qin Hao crouched in a shell hole by the beach, surrounded by the pervasive smoke and the severed limbs of his teammates.

This was the Federation Army's fourth assault on Isis Beach. Although the Federation's fighter jets had already carried out carpet bombing in the vicinity of the beach, it was not very effective against the burrowing insectoids. When the mobile infantry began their landing operation, they still encountered fierce resistance from the enemy.

The fourth charge had clearly failed again. Of the thousands of mobile infantry, only a handful remained, huddled in shell holes, gasping for breath. Qin Hao was one of them.

"Hisss..." Hearing the faint insect sounds in his ears, Qin Hao's nerves tightened once more. He gripped the electromagnetic rifle in his hand, his last line of defense. Although the magazine was almost empty, it was still his means of survival.

"Damn it! I probably won't make it back alive. Come on, one kill to break even, two to make a profit!" Qin Hao roared, then flipped over to the edge of the shell hole and opened fire on the approaching giant armor beetles.

"Rat-tat-tat..." The electromagnetic rifle spat out a stream of fire, the bullets tearing through a giant armor beetle over ten meters away. The two-meter-tall beetle crashed to the ground, but this brought no joy to Qin Hao, as hundreds more were still advancing. Qin Hao's electromagnetic rifle was now flashing a red warning light, indicating that he had fewer than ten bullets left.

"Finished." Qin Hao gripped his rifle tightly, knowing he had no chance against such numbers.

...

"Screech!" With a scream, a giant armor beetle with a golden horn rushed to Qin Hao. By now, Qin Hao was out of ammunition. His electromagnetic rifle had fired its last bullet and could no longer attack.

"Swish!" The giant armor beetle raised one of its forelimbs, the bony insect leg sharp as a blade, stained with the blood of many mobile infantry.

"Hisss..." The giant armor beetle's large mouth opened excitedly, revealing a thick, green, disgusting liquid. It clearly intended to kill Qin Hao and then have him for dinner.

"Thud!" The giant armor beetle's forelimb pierced through Qin Hao's thigh, pulling out a gush of blood.

"Rustle..." The giant armor beetle licked its forelimb, stained with Qin Hao's blood. Although the insect face could not show expressions, Qin Hao could sense its excitement and enjoyment.

"Want to eat me? Dream on! You'll be my grave companion!" Qin Hao roared, forgetting his fear in the heat of battle. He pulled an energy grenade from his waist.

"Screech!" The giant armor beetle, clearly intelligent, knew the destructive power of the energy grenade. When Qin Hao revealed the grenade, it screamed and tried to kill him before he could detonate it.

"Thud!" The sharp bony forelimb pierced through Qin Hao's chest, but at the same time, Qin Hao opened the grenade's safety and pulled the pin!

"Boom!" In the beetle's panicked eyes, the energy grenade detonated, shattering the insect's face. Qin Hao was also mangled in the explosion, the beetle's blue brain matter splattering onto his nearly destroyed chest.

At the same time, the surrounding beetles let out a chorus of mournful cries. They could not believe that their newly hatched prince had been killed on such a low-risk battlefield!

...

Time: September 11, Earth Federation Year 107

Location: Gravity Well of Alpha Star, C9 Region of the Perseus Constellation, Earth Federation Seventh Fleet, Medical Ship 703.

"This kid really has a strong will to live. He was blown to pieces and still managed to survive."

"Yeah... Yeah... But his right arm is gone!"

"To be blown like that and still survive, losing an arm is nothing!"

"Right! Xiao Wang, go get a mechanical arm."

"Yes! Doctor Li."

...

When Qin Hao regained consciousness, his vision was a sea of white. He moved slightly and found himself lying on a soft bed. Looking around, he felt reassured. This was a hospital ward on a medical ship, where he had been before when injured.

"You're awake?" Within a minute of detecting signs of awakening, a nurse entered the ward.

"Uh-huh." Qin Hao nodded. He had been injured before, and although the scene of death was vivid in his mind, seeing everything around him now, he felt relieved. He must have detonated the grenade and killed the beetle, and somehow survived, being rescued by his comrades later.

"You really have a strong will to live, detonating an energy grenade at such close range..." The young nurse, unsure whether to admire Qin Hao or marvel at his luck, described his condition when he was brought in, making Qin Hao shudder with fear.

Despite his bravery on the battlefield, Qin Hao had not been afraid in the heat of the moment. Now, recalling the near-death experience, the fear was even more terrifying.

The young nurse then adjusted some instruments beside Qin Hao and said, "This is the maintenance manual. When you have free time, take a look. Your right arm is gone, and you've been fitted with a Model 034 mechanical arm, a mass-produced model purchased by the Federation Army. You know the drill."

"What?!" Qin Hao quickly extended his right arm and saw a gleaming mechanical arm attached to his shoulder. Although it moved freely and could grip objects, it was not his real arm.

"Don't worry. This mechanical arm is connected to your neurons, so it feels and functions just like a real arm, and it's even stronger. It might have some minor issues occasionally, but the manual explains how to fix them, so you can do it yourself." The nurse smiled. She had worked on the medical ship for over a year and had seen many injured soldiers fitted with mechanical arms or legs, so this was routine for her.

"Alright." Qin Hao nodded, accepting his fate of losing an arm.

However, as the old saying goes: "Misfortune may be an opening for fortune." Although Qin Hao had lost an arm, according to Federation Army regulations, his disability level was classified as Grade 3. Not only could he honorably retire, but he would also receive a substantial pension, enough to live a comfortable life.

In the Federation's interstellar navy, the mortality rate of mobile infantry was several dozen times higher than that of other units. During wartime, very few managed to survive their entire service. Being able to retire due to injury and receive a large pension was a good outcome.