Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Li Chang’an offered a small smile, his eyes filled with a hint of satisfaction as he looked at his teammates.

Han Ruoxi, Shen Qiuyue, Sun Yang, and Bai Lin all wore weary smiles as well.

"Let’s go. Back to the base," Li Chang’an said softly, leading his team on the return journey.

「Half a month passed.」

Li Chang’an sat at the edge of the base’s training grounds, watching a squad train in the distance.

They had been settled at their post for several days, but a real mission had yet to arrive. The atmosphere at the base was peaceful, almost to the point of boredom.

"No new missions today, huh?" Standing beside Li Chang’an, Sun Yang stretched and yawned.

"What’s the rush?" Li Chang’an glanced at him. "It’s good to not have a mission. We should rest. We don’t get many opportunities like this!"

"I guess you’ve got a point there!" Sun Yang pouted, then leaned in with a grin. "But I gotta say, Captain, if it’s this quiet every day... I’m really not used to it!"

"Just stop complaining!" Shen Qiuyue walked over, her High-Energy Dueling Sword in hand. She shot Sun Yang a look. "If you’ve got so much free time, you should use it to train more. Otherwise, when we’re actually on the battlefield, just try not to drag us down with that lazy attitude of yours."

"Hey, Qiuyue, drag you guys down? Me?" Sun Yang immediately shot back, hoisting his Pulse Gun. "I’m the main damage dealer of this squad! Look at this thing. When have I ever been lacking in firepower? You have to admit, I’ve never let you down in that department, have I?"

Shen Qiuyue didn’t bother responding. Instead, she turned to Li Chang’an. "Captain, what do you think? I feel like these idle days should be over. No matter how much we train, it’s no substitute for real combat!"

Li Chang’an nodded. "Of course.

Training is one thing, but real combat isn’t so simple.

Those things in the Insect Race won’t give you a moment’s rest!"

Just then, Han Ruoxi came running over, her face flush with excitement. "Captain! I heard we might be getting sent on a recon mission!"

"A recon mission?" Li Chang’an was a little surprised. "Is that intel solid?"

"It is!" Han Ruoxi nodded. "I overheard it near the command room. The official order hasn’t been given yet, but it feels like it’s basically confirmed!"

"Alright! A mission, finally!" Sun Yang’s face lit up. "It’s about time! I thought we were going to be stuck here for another week or two!"

Shen Qiuyue didn’t say anything, but simply nodded. Clearly, she was also prepared for it.

Li Chang’an frowned. A mission might be imminent, but he didn’t like dealing with unconfirmed reports.

"What are the specifics of the mission? Are there any clear directives?"

Han Ruoxi shrugged. "That, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait for the official orders for the specifics.

But... I have a feeling it won’t be that simple!"

"Anything is better than just milling around here!" Sun Yang cut in. "I’m ready for some real action! I’ve been prepared for a while now!"

"You? Prepared? Looking as nonchalant as you do?" Shen Qiuyue said coldly. "Once the fighting actually starts, aren’t you just going to hug your Pulse Gun and hide in the back?"

Sun Yang was indignant. "Hey, Qiuyue, don’t look down on me! I’ve taken first place in the combat simulations multiple times. When a real fight breaks out, I’ll definitely be the one leading the charge!"

"Alright, alright, our brave warrior who leads the charge. Just make sure you don’t drop the ball when you’re on the field!" Han Ruoxi said with a laugh, patting Sun Yang’s shoulder teasingly.

Seeing them start to bicker again, Li Chang’an smiled faintly and stood up. "Okay, okay, that’s enough. Let’s wait for the mission orders before we get ahead of ourselves.

In the meantime, don’t get too relaxed. Keep training as planned, so you’re not rusty if we get called up suddenly!"

He had barely finished speaking when Bai Lin walked over, holding a tablet. His expression was serious as he said, "Captain, a message from command. Commander Liu Na wants to see you!"

Li Chang’an nodded and waved to the others. "You guys keep training. I’ll go see what’s going on."

When he arrived at the command center, Li Chang’an found Liu Na.

She looked as calm and composed as ever, with a few battle reports stacked on her desk.

She looked up at Li Chang’an and got straight to the point. "Li Chang’an, your Insect Hunter Squad’s performance has been impressive.

I have a reconnaissance mission, and I want you to execute it."

"A recon mission?" Li Chang’an raised an eyebrow. "What are the specifics? Where are you sending us?"

"There’s an area not far from the front lines where Insect Race activity has been unusually high recently.

We suspect there’s a new Insect Hive there. I want you to go investigate and confirm it." Liu Na unfurled a map. "The location is here. It’s not far from the base, but the situation is unclear. You need to be careful."

Li Chang’an studied the map. He already had a rough idea of what to do, but he didn’t say anything more.

He knew Liu Na wouldn’t have sent them on a reconnaissance mission without careful consideration; it wasn’t just a casual probe.

"Don’t worry, Commander. We’ll complete the mission," Li Chang’an said, his voice calm and confident.

Liu Na nodded. "Good. This mission is time-sensitive, so get ready and depart as soon as you can.

Report back immediately if you encounter anything unusual. Don’t make any rash moves."

"Understood!" Li Chang’an turned and left the command center, his mind already starting to formulate a plan for the mission.

Back at the training grounds, Sun Yang was still bickering with Han Ruoxi while Shen Qiuyue looked on from the side with a cold expression.

"Alright, settle down. I have something to say," Li Chang’an said as he walked over, interrupting their idle chatter.

The group immediately gathered around him. Sun Yang asked curiously, "What is it, Captain? Did we get a mission?"

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