Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

"We’ll talk after the recon is done!"

Li Chang’an said no more. He readjusted his gear and signaled for Sun Yang to follow.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the mining area, Han Ruoxi and Shen Qiuyue were lying in ambush behind an abandoned mine cart, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

"Ruo Xi, don’t you think the atmosphere here is a little off?"

Shen Qiuyue lowered her voice, tightening her grip on the Dueling Sword in her hand.

"I can’t shake the feeling that the defenses here are a bit too deliberate!"

"It is a little strange!"

Han Ruoxi nodded, her gaze sweeping over the distant watchtower.

"Look at that sniper’s nest. It has two layers of defense. Logically, an abandoned mining area like this shouldn’t need such tight security, right?"

"What do you think could make them this tense?"

Shen Qiuyue frowned.

"Could it have something to do with the Insect Race?"

"I’d bet on it!"

A faint ball of electricity gathered in Han Ruoxi’s hand.

"But honestly, I hate places like this. It’s so dusty. I’ll have to wash my hair for a whole day when we get back!"

"You’re still in the mood to worry about that?"

Shen Qiuyue shot her a glare.

"Focus! Don’t get distracted!"

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Han Ruoxi raised her hand, and the Electric Power Bracelet on her wrist flashed faintly.

"But don’t worry. If anyone dares to get close, I’ll knock them out with a single jolt of electricity!"

Shen Qiuyue looked at her, shook her head, and said no more.

Elsewhere, Bai Lin was hiding behind a rock face, his eyes glued to his terminal screen.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as complex streams of data scrolled across the screen.

"Captain, the network firewall here is much more complex than expected!"

Bai Lin said in a low voice over the communicator.

"I need some time to crack their internal system!"

"Hurry up!"

Li Chang’an’s voice came through the communicator.

"We’re operating inside. We could be exposed at any moment!"

"Understood!"

Bai Lin nodded and continued his work.

"I’ll be as fast as I can!"

Inside the mining area, Li Chang’an led Sun Yang deeper in.

They passed through a long corridor and finally arrived at a place that looked like a command room.

"Captain, this must be their central hub, right?"

Sun Yang whispered.

"Look at those screens—they’re all surveillance feeds of the mining area. Should we just destroy them and pull out?"

"No!"

Li Chang’an shook his head.

"First, we wait for Bai Lin to crack the system and find the location of the supplies!"

"Understood!"

Sun Yang nodded, raising his gun and standing guard.

"I’m telling you, Captain, if anyone charges in, this gun of mine won’t be showing any mercy!"

"You’d better not waste your bullets!"

Li Chang’an said flatly, then began to inspect the equipment in the command room.

A few minutes later, Bai Lin’s voice came over the communicator.

"I’m in. The supplies are in a warehouse deep inside the mining area. It has its own independent defense system. I’ve sent the exact coordinates to your terminals!"

"Good work!"

Li Chang’an nodded.

"We’re heading over now. What’s the situation on the perimeter?"

"Nothing unusual detected so far!"

Bai Lin replied.

"But I suggest you move quickly. The data stream here shows they’ve likely already received some alarms!"

"Roger that!"

Li Chang’an ended the communication and waved Sun Yang over.

"Let’s go! To the target location!"

"Finally, time for the real deal!"

Sun Yang rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Captain, if we get our hands on anything good this time, can we take some back with us?"

"Shut up and get to work!"

Li Chang’an said coldly.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse entrance.

Just as Bai Lin had said, there was indeed an independent defense system, and several fully-armed Rebel Army guards stood at the door.

"Captain, there are so many of them. What’s the plan?"

Sun Yang asked in a hushed voice.

"Take out the perimeter first!"

Li Chang’an’s eyes scanned the area as he quickly formulated a plan.

"You draw their attention. I’ll circle around from behind and take care of the rest!"

"Draw their attention? Am I really that conspicuous?"

Sun Yang muttered with a look of resignation.

"Alright, alright, Captain’s orders. I’ll just be the bait for you guys this time!"

After speaking, he took a deep breath, stood up from behind cover, and shouted with his gun raised.

"Hey! You guys up front! Stop looking around, I’m the one causing you trouble! Come and get me if you’ve got the guts!"

The Rebel Army guards were instantly drawn by his shouting and raised their weapons in unison.

"Who’s there?!"

Sun Yang continued to shout while pretending to retreat.

"Take a guess! Haha! Can’t catch me, can you? Come on, try and get me!"

While the guards were distracted, Li Chang’an had silently circled around to their rear. With a swing of his Saw Chain Sword, the guards fell one by one.

"Captain! That was way too fast!"

Sun Yang turned and ran back, giving a thumbs-up with a look of admiration.

"I didn’t even get a chance to warm up, and you’ve already taken them all out!"

"Cut the crap!"

Li Chang’an pushed open the warehouse door directly.

"Let’s go in and see what the supplies are!"

Inside the warehouse, they found a huge metal crate connected to complex machinery.

"This thing... it doesn’t look simple..." Sun Yang stared at the metal crate, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Captain, should we open it?"

"Don’t touch it!"

Li Chang’an held up a hand.

"Check if it’s safe first!"

He stepped forward and carefully examined the crate’s latches. After confirming there were no traps, he slowly opened the lid.

Inside were several tube-shaped objects glowing with a faint blue light.

"What’s this?"

Sun Yang leaned in for a look.

"Enhancing Potion?"

"I don’t know!"

Li Chang’an frowned, picking one up to examine it closely.

"We’re taking them back for the higher-ups to identify!"

"Captain, you can tell this stuff is extraordinary just by looking at it!"

Sun Yang said excitedly.

"If we could use it on ourselves, wouldn’t that be a huge score?"

"Don’t get any funny ideas!"

Li Chang’an replied coldly.

"Hurry up and clear the scene. Prepare to withdraw!"

They moved quickly, cleaning up any traces in the warehouse, and then swiftly retreated from the mining area with the potions.

Back at the base, the team was a disheveled mess. As soon as their combat vehicle pulled into the parking area, Sun Yang jumped out of the passenger seat and stretched.

"Captain, my old back is killing me! Look, after this mission, even if we don’t get a medal, can I at least get a couple of days off?"

"If you feel like you haven’t run enough, you can go back to the mining area and do a few more laps!"

Li Chang’an got out of the driver’s seat, casually closing the door and glancing at him.

"Or you could just apply for extra training with the instructor!"

"No, no, no! Captain, I was wrong!"

Sun Yang immediately waved his hands, a pleading look on his face.

"I was just kidding, just kidding! A vacation isn’t important. Being able to go on missions with you, Captain, is all I could ask for!"

"Stop your wise-cracking. Clean the vehicle and check your gear first!"

Li Chang’an walked directly to the supply bay, preparing to hand over the potions they had just brought back.

"Captain, isn’t this kind of work for the logistics crew?"

Sun Yang complained as he followed.

"We worked so hard to get back, can’t we get a little preferential treatment?"

"Preferential treatment, my ass!"

Shen Qiuyue walked past him coldly, hanging her Dueling Sword back on the weapon rack on the wall.

"When would logistics have time to wait on someone like you? If you really don’t want to do it, go report to the instructor. He can give you some ’special treatment’!"

"Sister Qiuyue, can we please stop bringing up the instructor! Is he even human? He’s a Devil!"

Sun Yang said with a mournful look.

"I just got back and I don’t even have time to catch my breath. You guys are so heartless!"

"Alright, that’s enough!"

Han Ruoxi walked over with her gear bag, smiling as she patted Sun Yang’s shoulder.

"Don’t say the Captain isn’t considerate. I’ll get you an extra portion at the mess hall later to reward that mouth of yours, how about it?"

"Ruo Xi, you’re the only one who gets me!"

Hearing this, Sun Yang’s face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Those words make me happier than any vacation!"

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