Chapter 3#
Reconnaissance#
The date incident had left Ning Feng in a foul mood, but he still remembered his duty and quickly organized a five-person team to carry out the mission, including himself and Yin Beichen.
As the base’s supreme commander, this kind of reconnaissance mission didn’t actually require his personal involvement. Yin Beichen, however, had his own reason.
“Some situations need to be confirmed in person.”
In the past, Ning Feng would have nagged about safety concerns. But now, he only lazily replied, “Yes, sir,” and planned the route with professional detachment.
Before departure, Qu Yan gave him several micro-injectors containing the research department’s newest antidote. In theory, it was “just in case,” but in truth, they were using them as guinea pigs.
Ning Feng accepted them anyway.
After all, he was already infected with fifteenth-tier insect poison—what else was there to fear?
A few days later, the reconnaissance team led by Yin Beichen boarded a transport aircraft carrying mechas and set off for their destination.
Edge Star VIII was an undeveloped wild planet.
With vast forest coverage like a deep green sponge, it was rich in resources. However, data analysis showed that the local organisms had undergone varying degrees of mutation, possibly due to insectoid contamination.
Giant mechas strode forward, crossing river lowlands and leaving deep footprints in the soft mud.
This was the third day of the mission. The humid atmosphere blocked all signals, and they struggled through the rainforest, only to gather random geographical radiation data, signals from various satellites, and virtual imaging of wild animals—experimental animals marked by scientists.
Completely useless.
Still, Yin Beichen insisted on collecting samples by category.
Although Ning Feng understood that the man was merely following the research department’s sampling requirements, the thought of how he had shielded someone else in front of him made him angry whenever he saw that handsome face.
So for the past few days, aside from official matters, Ning Feng had said nothing extra to Yin Beichen.
“Sir, landmark data has been uploaded. You may access it anytime.”
“Sir, a weak biological signal has been detected nearby.”
“Sir, it’s time to eat.”
…
Yin Beichen noticed but said nothing.
The other team members, however, sensed the tense atmosphere between the two and tightened their guard, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
A teammate rushed to collect a fecal sample while Ning Feng, chewing gum in the cockpit, stood guard with his gun. He calculated how many days’ worth of antidote remained in his quarters and thought about how much to apply for during his next leave. Suddenly, a crimson dot appeared on the radar in the cockpit, then vanished instantly.
“Huh?” Ning Feng’s eyes sharpened. He sat up straight and activated the biological scanning system.
Almost simultaneously, a small screen popped up on the display. Yin Beichen looked over.
“Something wrong?”
Ning Feng saw it was a private communication channel and blew a bubble with his gum.
“Sir, did you dial the wrong number?”
“Answer.” Yin Beichen’s voice was cold.
Feeling the pressure of that gaze, Ning Feng shrugged. “Nothing, just found a lost little cutie—probably a local creature.”
Expecting the call to end as usual, he was surprised to find it still ongoing. He raised an eyebrow slightly. “Anything else you need?”
After a moment of silence, Yin Beichen spoke. “The research department’s new antidote has entered Phase I clinical trials.”
“Oh.” Ning Feng knew that, of course—he was one of the test subjects. “That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
“You called me on a private channel just for that?”
“That was the content of Qiao Xi’s report that day.”
Hearing this, Ning Feng’s eyes darkened, but his smile brightened threefold.
“Oh, that night you went on a date, sir?”
“It was a report.”
“A date, with a side of report.”
“…”
A suffocating silence fell. Neither hung up, neither spoke.
Finally, Ning Feng popped his gum again. “Got it. Sir was satisfied with the dishes at the restaurant’s VIP booth. Next time you have a date, I’ll book the table.”
With a snap, he cut the connection.
Yin Beichen stared at the closed small screen, his brow furrowing deeper. His finger hovered over the call-back button for a long time before he finally withdrew it.
Suddenly, the small screen lit up again, revealing Ning Feng’s handsome face.
“There’s something over there. I’m going to check it out.” Without waiting for a response, the man disconnected again.
This time, Yin Beichen quickly called back.
“Our mission is reconnaissance.”
“Yeah, I know, sir.”
“…Don’t stir up trouble.”
Glancing at the screen once more, Yin Beichen quickly ended the call. He watched the silver-white mecha flex its joints, hoist a machine gun, and stride into the dense forest until it disappeared from view, then finally looked away.
The jungle was deep and dark, with countless dangers lurking in the shadows.
Ning Feng activated stealth mode, advancing cautiously step by step. Though the radar showed nothing, he felt something was off—some danger brewing in the unseen.
The mecha’s full-spectrum floodlights illuminated the area. The mecha leaned slightly forward, hugging the machine gun closely, like a nimble predator.
This was Ning Feng’s personal mecha, his closest comrade—Blade.
It had accompanied him through countless major battles, including the critical Battle of the Dominator three years ago. Though it wasn’t the latest model, every component was custom-made by heavy factories. Each piece of equipment, taken individually, was among the best in the empire.
The only other mecha treated to such standards was the base commander Yin Beichen’s mecha—Dawn.
Thinking of him reminded Ning Feng of their earlier conversation, and he felt annoyed again.
A report is a report—why did he have to explain himself?
Still, Yin Beichen’s words did ease his mood a bit.
Speaking of Qiao Xi, last time he called him directly by his first name. Had they gotten that close after just a few meals? Was that possible?
Just as his thoughts began to wander, a glint of reflected light caught his eye.
What’s that?
Ning Feng adjusted the camera’s zoom.
Buried in the tangled grass was a round fruit. Only palm-sized, pure white, with a translucent outer layer that looked juicy and shiny under the strong light, glittering dazzlingly.
“Is that… a Silver Fruit?”
Silver Fruit was a rare fruit. Sweet and refreshing, it was effective in preventing and treating radiation-induced skin diseases, making it highly popular in the market. However, it could only grow on wild, undeveloped planets, so it wasn’t easy to come by unless specially ordered.
He didn’t expect to find one here.
Ning Feng’s heart leaped with joy.
Recently, Yin Beichen had been leading the reconnaissance team. The planet’s outer atmosphere didn’t block space radiation, and Ning Feng had noticed that Yin Beichen’s hands were already showing allergic reactions. Though the symptoms would disappear in a few days, this fruit would certainly help ease them.
Thinking this, Ning Feng quickened his pace and bent down to pick it up.
ROAR!!—
Suddenly, a piercing roar came from behind.
Ning Feng’s pupils contracted sharply. Without a second thought, he spun around, raised his gun, and the mecha’s display system automatically switched to attack mode. In the next instant, a massive black shadow, carrying a gust of wind, charged straight at him.
He immediately dodged to the side. The shadow brushed past him and slammed heavily into a tree behind.
With a crash, the thick trunk snapped cleanly in half.
The floodlights blazed white. Now Ning Feng could see the attacker in full.
A Swift Beast stood about thirty meters away. Its massive hind legs were covered in sharp bristles, its body bore two ivory-like claws and a gaping maw, and its entire form was dotted with throbbing… brown pustules.
Ning Feng’s eyes widened in shock.
This, this is—
In that fleeting moment of distraction, the Swift Beast shrieked and lunged with incredible speed. Ning Feng rolled on the ground to evade, watching coldly as the monster rampaged through the jungle.
He glanced at the Silver Fruit not far away and deliberately led the beast in the opposite direction.
The Swift Beast stumbled a few steps from the collision, but as if it felt no pain, it bared its fangs, turned around swiftly, and charged again.
This time, Ning Feng didn’t move. He raised his machine gun, his hawk-like black eyes locking onto the target. His breathing gradually steadied, and at the moment of pause, he pulled the trigger.
BANG!!
A piercing sonic boom exploded in the air. The bullet tore through flesh, splintering wood and sending debris flying. Yellowish-brown pus spurted from the wound. The Swift Beast screeched, foaming at the mouth, wobbled under the gunfire, then somehow steadied itself and pressed forward relentlessly.
That terrifying, grotesque face drew closer. Ning Feng held his gun steady and fired again.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The ion gun fired several shots in quick succession. Blazing metal streams pierced the monster’s body.
The Swift Beast shrieked and staggered, spraying blue-purple blood that splattered across the silver-white mecha. With a thud, its body slammed into the cockpit.
Ning Feng stared at that speckled, ferocious face, inches away from him. Cloudy eyes glared at him as the creature slid slowly down the cockpit, leaving a thick, viscous trail.
His mind went blank. He stood still, not moving, watching the blood pool on the ground and seep into the grass.
An insect poison infected host…
Looking at the bloodstains on the screen, he suddenly remembered living in the orphanage as a child. The conditions were poor then, and rats often crawled up the pipes, carrying a nauseating odor.
At the thought, every hair on his body stood on end.
In truth, the cockpit’s isolation system was excellent—sitting inside, he couldn’t smell anything. But seeing all this, he seemed to smell again the stench of childhood, the unique foulness of a sewer, the suffocating smell…
Unconsciously, his hand reached up to touch the scar on the back of his neck.
“Bro Feng!”
The loud gunfire had drawn the others. The team members rushed over.
“I’m fine.”
Ning Feng looked away and shook off the grime from his mecha. He turned back to find the Silver Fruit, but the white fruit had been crushed under the beast’s corpse, now a mushy mess.
Tch. Couldn’t even die in a better spot.
Ning Feng clicked his tongue and kicked the Swift Beast hard.
Seeing the corpse, the others’ faces changed. “This is—”
“An egg pod.” Yin Beichen’s cold voice echoed in the cockpit. He crouched beside the corpse to examine it. “It was parasitized by an alien insect—at least a Level 5 or higher Queen.”
A Queen meant there was likely a hidden hive underground, along with an unknown number of eggs.
On this planet, the Swift Beast was an apex predator, a tyrant of the jungle. Yet even such a ferocious creature could be infected by insect poison. What about weaker beings?
It seemed the situation on this planet was worse than expected.
“Ning Feng.”
“Present.”
“Scout ahead.”
Ning Feng: …
His frustration from the crushed fruit remained unresolved, and now he was being sent to scout ahead. His mood soured further. But orders were orders. He hoisted his machine gun, lazily blew a bubble.
“As you command, sir.”
Yin Beichen glanced at the others, his voice flat. “If anyone wants to stay and guard the outpost, I can arrange a squad for them.”
The team members shuddered and quickly hurried after Ning Feng.