Chapter 26#
Reconnaissance#
When the logistics team was inventorying equipment, they noticed that the research-specific mecha stored in the warehouse had gone missing. They quickly checked the surveillance footage and found that two hours earlier, during a shift change, Qiao Xi had sneaked into the warehouse, piloted the research mecha, and fled the base.
This shocked everyone.
Qiao Xi had always been well-behaved and never caused trouble. At most, he’d wander near the base to collect alien insect samples. Occasionally, when injured personnel were brought back, he’d rush over to see what rank of alien insect had attacked them, even using this to gauge the frontline situation.
No one expected him to take advantage of their inattention to pilot a mecha and run off.
Although the mecha had a tracking system, Qiao Xi had blocked it before setting out. Sending people out to catch him recklessly would be extremely dangerous.
“I knew this guy was a troublemaker!” Ou Jingshan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, cursing loudly. “Why did we have to bring a researcher? See? Asking for trouble!”
Yin Beichen furrowed his brows silently. Ning Feng pressed his tongue against his cheek, standing loosely beside him. “Ah, Captain Ou, saying that now is useless. Let’s figure out how to save him.”
“What?! Save him?” Ou Jingshan’s nostrils flared in anger, almost as if smoking. “He wanted to go die on his own. Why should I send people to rescue him?”
“Don’t forget our main mission is to collect samples.”
“We can still collect samples without him.”
“Captain Ou—”
Raising his hand to stop the argument, Yin Beichen said indifferently, “Assign someone to monitor the mecha’s signal. The rest of you, prepare to move out.”
“You’re not going to worry about Qiao Xi?” Ning Feng was surprised.
“Collecting samples is the top priority. We have to find the Lord.” Yin Beichen’s gaze remained unreadable, his tone flat. “Besides, Qiao Xi is obsessed with the Xenomorphs. He’ll definitely try to find the Lord’s coordinates on his own.”
Hearing this, Ning Feng pressed his lips together, a complex emotion in his eyes.
True. Since Qiao Xi was so important to Yin Beichen, there was no way he’d ignore him. What was an outsider like him even worrying about?
Meddlesome.
**
Yin Beichen’s answer satisfied Ou Jingshan. He immediately ordered everyone to speed up their preparations.
Not long after, the team set out again.
Based on yesterday’s analysis, assuming this planet had only one Hive Lord, all the fissures here would lead to one destination—the Lord’s hive.
So this time, they chose a fissure that was closer to the predicted hive location.
After yesterday’s survey, they adjusted the mecha’s configuration. Not only did all units have stealth modules installed, but additional support was also stationed near the fissure. Even the battle cruiser’s main cannon was aimed in the vicinity, monitoring the Xenomorphs’ movements in real-time.
The dark cave was like a gaping mouth, swallowing all light. Occasionally, a few beetle-like scorpions scurried past, making faint clicking sounds. As the team delved deeper, they soon reached the first fork in the path.
Unlike yesterday, this time both branches were similar in size, and even the surface soil showed little difference. It was hard to tell them apart by sight alone. One branch had clear signs of digging, though the surface had been somewhat concealed, the marks looked fresh and rough—as if hastily dug.
Were those bugs setting traps to confuse people?
Getting smarter.
Just then, Xiao Wu, who was scouting ahead, noticed something unusual. His voice was a bit hurried. “Commander, we’ve found traces of mecha activity ahead.”
“A mecha?” Yin Beichen’s eyes flickered, and he immediately went forward to check. Ning Feng stayed on guard behind, stealing a glance.
On the loose pile of soil, a series of huge footprints was clearly visible. The prints were somewhat messy, but unlike the light footsteps of a combat mecha, only the heavy armor of a research mecha would leave such deep marks.
“It’s Qiao Xi,” Yin Beichen concluded.
“How did this guy get in here?” Ou Jingshan scratched his bald head irritably.
“Isn’t that a good thing? We can collect samples and find him at the same time, no need for two trips.” Ning Feng rested one hand lazily on the dashboard.
“Ning Feng, contact Qiao Xi.” Yin Beichen gave a direct order.
Raising his eyebrows, Ning Feng tried to connect. But after a long while, there was still no response from the other side of the channel.
The stone walls seemed to have a strange magnetic field. The radar signal was weak. Not only Qiao Xi, but even communications with the outside troops were intermittent. If they were on the same frequency, the interference was minimal—unfortunately, Qiao Xi had been kicked off the channel yesterday.
“If only he could send us his visuals,” Xiao Si said regretfully.
“Don’t be silly. He’s just a researcher. It’ll be a miracle if he’s still alive,” Xiao Wu rolled his eyes.
Yin Beichen’s pale eyebrows knitted together. After a moment of thought, he looked at Ning Feng. “What do you think?”
Ning Feng was taken aback by the question. Looking back, he found the others quietly waiting for his answer too.
In truth, every member of their team had extensive combat experience and wasn’t inferior to him. But thinking back to yesterday, when he had deciphered the insects’ language and given several timely warnings, perhaps that was a factor?
“I suggest taking the natural fork,” the man shrugged.
“Reason?”
“The bugs dug that hole overnight just to confuse us, to stop us from reaching the real hive.” His voice was calm. “Besides, naturally formed caves are always stronger than man-made ones. Our fleet is stationed above. Unless the Lord is tired of living, I can’t think of why it would move.”
After a pause, he chuckled lightly. “Besides, isn’t Qiao Xi over there?”
Hearing this, Yin Beichen’s brows slightly creased. He coldly uttered a few words through gritted teeth.
“Take the natural fork.”
**
After passing several forks, aside from a few scout insects, they hadn’t seen a single second-order or higher alien insect. The deeper they went, the darker it became. Even the searchlights above their heads couldn’t illuminate beyond five meters.
The atmosphere in the squad grew increasingly oppressive. The massive mecha shuffled through the stone corridor, producing a scraping, grinding sound—like teeth grinding… But to Ning Feng’s ears, it felt faint and hollow.
The progress was smooth, and there were no ambushes, but he felt something was off.
What was wrong?
The man chewed gum vigorously, trying to release pressure. Maybe because he was too tense, the scar on the back of his neck started itching faintly again. He couldn’t help rubbing the skin hard.
At that moment, a small private channel window popped up on the big screen, showing Yin Beichen’s indifferent face.
“What’s wrong?”
Ning Feng was startled. He was sure his actions hadn’t shown any sign of trouble, and his control was fluid. How did Yin Beichen notice?
“Ah, is the commander worried about me?” He squinted lazily. “I’m flattered.”
Yin Beichen’s blue eyes locked onto him. “I’m worried you might mess up your controls later.”
“Who messed up? I just feel a bit stuffy,” the man retorted instinctively. “Obviously it’s poor air circulation in the cockpit. The mechanic must have slacked off during maintenance.”
In truth, the cockpit’s air purification system was excellent. But the cave itself lacked oxygen, and the deeper they went, the more stuffy it became. Plus, everyone had been silent for a while, so—
Wait, silent?
Suddenly, someone kicked a rock. It clattered and rolled into the distance. The echo reverberated through the cave, making everyone’s eardrums tingle. The team members grumbled a bit, which lightened the mood.
But those clattering sounds struck Ning Feng’s heart like a hammer.
Right, sound!
Ning Feng’s eyes widened.
Yesterday, as soon as he entered the fissure, he heard all kinds of insect conversations. But today, after walking for so long, he hadn’t heard a single word of the insect language.
Not a single word.
At first, Ning Feng was too annoyed to pay attention, thinking it was because of the antidote he had injected. But when they killed a sub-insect, he still heard its brief scream.
That meant he could still understand the insect language—but the insects simply weren’t talking.
The insects’ collective silence was very strange.
It was like when they were in combat, and the enemy realized their channel was being monitored, they switched to another channel. He didn’t know if the insects had other communication channels, but they had definitely discovered that someone could understand their language.
That was fatal.
The key was: how did they know?
A chill ran down Ning Feng’s spine. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
[Have you noticed?]
Suddenly, a voice sounded deep in his mind.
The voice was low, barely audible, but like a lightning bolt, it struck Ning Feng!
The insects really knew!
The man bit his lower lip. His control of the mecha visibly paused, but less than half a second later, he continued moving steadily forward. He listened intently to the faint sounds around him and stared fixedly at the radar. Ning Feng felt a thin layer of sweat on his palms.
That voice seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Just as Ning Feng was hesitating whether to order the team to stop, the channel suddenly came alive with Ou Jingshan’s urgent voice.
“Commander, there’s something ahead!”
Ning Feng’s eyes sharpened. He immediately opened a video link and looked in the direction Ou Jingshan indicated. Not far away, a researcher’s mecha lay there. The machine was relatively intact, but the cockpit was open, and the pilot was missing.
And farther away, he saw a nearly suffocating sight.
Beyond the small cave entrance was a vast rock cavern. But the dim light made it hard to see clearly. The cave formed a long, gentle curve into a wide tunnel. The walls were covered in an insect blanket, very smooth. The entire cave was packed with alien insects of all sizes and ranks, bustling about. In the center, a spherical object hung from the cave ceiling.
It was an eyeball. A human eyeball—
If a human eyeball could really grow to three meters in diameter.
Behind it trailed a bundle of tendrils, splitting into several branch tips that twisted and tangled around several cave entrances, like a sticky giant web. The eyeball hung at the center of this web, like a grotesque spider, twitching excitedly under the writhing of nearby insects.
This was the Lord.
Twelfth-order alien insect: the Hive Lord.
“God! Look over there!”
Someone shouted. Ning Feng squinted and saw, just in front of the Lord, a few soft tentacles hanging down, twisted and wrapped around a spindle-shaped object that pulsed rhythmically.
That person was the missing Qiao Xi!
He hung his head, crying softly. His light brown hair drooped, and his face was unusually pale. At first glance, he seemed free from fatal injuries. Insects crawled beneath his feet and sometimes climbed onto him, scratching bloody marks. He trembled all over.
“What a troublemaker,” Ou Jingshan cursed. He immediately opened the channel to call for reinforcements.
Ning Feng’s brows were tightly knit. Faintly, he heard something.
[He’s coming, he’s coming…]
[That man has arrived.]
[Shh, the broodmother says not to alarm him.]
[Right, don’t alarm him. That man will know…]
Him? That man?
Not wanting to dwell on who “that man” the insects referred to, Ning Feng felt a headache. Especially the back of his neck, as if something was biting him. The sensation was somewhat like the onset of insect venom, but he had just injected the antidote last night. How could it flare up again?
He shook his head forcefully and glanced at the beautiful face on the small screen. The discomfort in his body eased somewhat.
“Little Chen Chen.”
“Mm.”
“Something’s off here.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know how to put it.” Hesitating for a moment, Ning Feng said quietly, “The insects seem to have found us.”
Yin Beichen frowned.
Everyone was running the highest level of stealth. Unless a radiation insect scanned their positions or they came within three meters, it was impossible to detect them. Moreover, if they had been discovered, why would the swarm of insects ahead show no reaction?
Ning Feng also knew his words were inexplicable, but he couldn’t explain the insect language. In the end, he could only force a bitter smile.
“Little Chen Chen, be careful.”
The darkness was silent. It felt like a long wait before Ning Feng heard a faint “mm” in response.
Ou Jingshan sent the location coordinates to the ground forces waiting outside. The group silently lurked in the darkness, waiting for the other team members to arrive. But before long, Ning Feng heard the indistinct whispers again.
[They’re here, they’re here!]
[The reinforcements are here!]
[Wait a little longer, wait a little longer…]
…
Reinforcements?
Hearing this, Ning Feng was stunned.
The reinforcements the insects mentioned were certainly not their teammates. That could only mean—
The man’s expression changed drastically. He stood up immediately and shouted, “Retreat! Retreat now!”
“Retreat again?” Ou Jingshan twitched his mouth. “But reinforcements are already on the way.”
“Don’t ask! Run!” Ignoring the others, Ning Feng turned and was about to sprint out. But the moment he took a step, a piercing scream echoed in his mind.
[He discovered it! He discovered it!]
[No! Can’t let them escape!]
[Kill that commander!!]
Ning Feng froze, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Whether it was the calmness in high orbit, the ambush buried underground, or the spread of the insect cave—their target, from start to finish, had been Yin Beichen!