Chapter 83#
Patrol#
Since the matter involved the Zerg, they had to take action as quickly as possible.
A few days later, Qu Jingshan swiftly organized a squad to carry out a patrol mission on the target planet. Unsurprisingly, Ning Feng and Yin Beichen were assigned to the same team.
Ning Feng sat in the rear cabin of the transport, frowning as he stared at the straight-backed figure in the cockpit. Internally, he cursed Qu Jingshan seven or eight hundred times.
There were over a dozen people in the team, and with so many random assignments, why did they have to be put together?
When had that guy become such a gossip?
He shouldn’t have been so merciful on the day of the spar. He should have learned from Yin Beichen’s ruthlessness—first cut off the limbs, then force a surrender, and if they didn’t surrender, beat them up again.
Ning Feng was grinding his teeth when he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He turned his head and met Wen Qianyong’s tense face.
“? What’s wrong?”
“I’m… I’m so nervous.” Wen Qianyong rubbed his pants.
“Nervous about what?”
“Zerg, man! We’re going to fight Zerg!”
“Come on, Xiao Yong, you’re too timid, aren’t you?” Crazy Rat in the front row toyed with a screw from his mechanical arm, “You’ve seen Zerg before. You forgot how your Sha Mu got hit?”
Wen Qianyong froze, then clenched his fists. On the other side, Qiu Zhen lowered his head.
“Hey, why bring that up?” Ning Feng shot Crazy Rat a glare, then patted Wen Qianyong’s shoulder. “It’s just a patrol. We might not even run into any.”
Crazy Rat let out a strange cackle. “Hehe, true. Anyway, with General Yin here, nothing will go wrong.”
Hearing that, Ning Feng pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Qiu Zhen casually remarked, “I heard the General joined this operation temporarily for someone. To avoid delaying things, he arranged all his military duties overnight and pulled two all-nighters.”
“Someone?” Sensing gossip, Wen Qianyong immediately leaned in. “Who? Is it in our team?”
“How would I know?” Ning Feng frowned.
“You don’t know?” Qiu Zhen glanced at him.
Ning Feng: …
Ning Feng lazily shot him a look, then leaned back, closed his eyes, and rested.
So what if he knew? So what if he didn’t?
They had already cleared things up that day. There was no relationship anymore. He had joined the patrol team now, running outside every day. The base’s military duties were heavy—Yin Beichen might tag along for a mission or two, but he couldn’t possibly follow every time. Once the Zerg Mother problem was resolved, he could completely extricate himself.
Amid the tangled thoughts, the transport arrived at the destination.
**
This was a wild planet.
Though not large, it had a diverse range of climates—snowy mountains, forests, hills—all present. Some areas weren’t suitable for mecha operations, which added considerable difficulty to the mission.
They landed on an open plain. The team split into two columns, one in front and one behind, to support each other. According to the plan, the team would move together for a while, then split up as arranged. Although Yin Beichen held the highest rank, specific task assignments still fell under the team leader’s command.
Ning Feng was placed at the rear of the team, with Yin Beichen behind him.
He could feel a gaze occasionally sweeping across his back, but he didn’t look back. He just carried his gun and walked forward as if nothing was wrong.
Nearby were dense forests and steep boulders. Further off, snow-capped mountains were visible. Comparatively, the climate here was mild, very suitable for the growth and reproduction of plants and animals.
Including the Zerg.
Along the way, they found many traces of Zerg activity and, following the clues, wiped out several nests. Though they were only low-level, the lack of mecha made dealing with them no easy task, especially as nearly half the team were rookies who had never faced Zerg before. However, with the guidance of a few experienced veterans, they managed to get through without major incidents.
In truth, Ning Feng understood Qu Jingshan’s intentions.
Nola Base was the frontline against the Zerg. Every soldier had to gain substantial practical experience fighting Zerg—at the very least, ensure they wouldn’t wet their pants when those clawing bugs charged at them. And this kind of moderate patrol mission was the perfect place for real combat. Usually, each team would be assigned a few veterans to lead a few rookies.
But stuffing him and Yin Beichen in together—wasn’t that a bit wasteful?
Speaking of Yin Beichen, Ning Feng felt like smacking his head with a gun.
He was responsible for long-range sniping, while Yin Beichen was more about fire support.
Fine, support was support. But what was the point of this guy sticking to his tail like that?
Take the recent nest cleanup. A level-2 nest, all level-1 drone bugs. They looked scary, but they weren’t actually dangerous—perfect for the rookies to practice on. A few little bugs had slipped through and charged at him, but before the rookies could even load their guns, Yin Beichen grabbed an energy rifle and precisely shot them down from over ten meters away.
In the end, the rookies barely fired a few shots before the fight was over.
Watching the veterans stay silent, Ning Feng tactfully reminded him to at least give them some time to prepare.
“Prepare?” Yin Beichen only glanced coldly at the rookies.
“Do the bugs give you time to prepare?” He gave a cold smile, reloading his magazine with a snap. “This is a battlefield, not a field game. Look at you—can’t even snatch a kill from a level-1 drone. I wonder if you’ve ever seen blood.”
Someone couldn’t help but mutter, “Of course I have. I came from the Elite Training Camp.”
Yin Beichen sneered. “What are Zerg? They’re beasts, monsters, creatures with nothing but slaughter on their minds. They don’t care about consequences—their only goal is to tear a piece of flesh from you! Don’t think just because you’ve won a few battles elsewhere, you’re something special. When facing Zerg, I don’t know how many rookies die in their very first fight.”
He paused, his eyes sharp as blades. “And trash like that wants to go to war?”
Every soldier assigned to Nola Base had some fire in them.
They were already nervous facing Zerg for the first time, and now being chewed out by a superior—who could take that?
Most were provoked by Yin Beichen’s contemptuous gaze. Qiu Zhen gritted his teeth, and Wen Qianyong was even pushed into his violent personality. The next time they found Zerg, regardless of veteran or rookie, they grabbed their guns, roared, and charged to snatch kills. They finished the cleanup with surprising ease.
Nothing made people happier than a victory, especially for rookies. Compared to veterans, their performance wasn’t brilliant, and their moves were a bit sloppy, but their confidence had soared. Facing Zerg now, they no longer shrank back as they had at the start.
Ning Feng noticed the change in the rookies and glanced at Yin Beichen. The latter showed no reaction, still standing behind him, shooting down bugs that charged his way.
Every commander had their own method of training.
Some offered patient guidance, some used carrots and sticks, while Yin Beichen preferred direct, hands-on experience.
Ning Feng figured it must be related to Yin Beichen’s own experiences—after all, not everyone could enjoy being swarmed by bugs in their first practical lesson. But once you crossed a certain mental barrier, you realized there wasn’t much to fear.
**
They fought through the morning. The team leader stopped to confirm the route, and Ning Feng took the chance to check his battery.
The climate here was dry with low temperatures, draining batteries quickly. In just half a day, he was down to half power. Just as he was thinking about finding a chance to recharge, Yin Beichen, who had been silent all along, suddenly suggested a halt.
Ning Feng sat on the ground, pulled out his device, and started charging. Beside him, Wen Qianyong and Qiu Zhen bragged to each other about how many bugs they had killed.
Many had witnessed Yin Beichen’s fierce moves earlier.
Because of his position, they didn’t often get to see the highest commander. Now that they had the chance, they crowded around him, eager to ask questions. Though Yin Beichen was cold, he still shared plenty of experience fighting Zerg in the briefest words. This made soldiers who had been upset with him earlier suddenly respect him again.
“General Yin is amazing,” Wen Qianyong said in admiration.
“No kidding. If he weren’t amazing, he wouldn’t be a general,” Qiu Zhen replied.
“Weren’t you mad that he looked down on you?” Crazy Rat teased.
“I don’t care. One thing at a time.”
…
Ning Feng propped his chin and watched Yin Beichen.
To be fair, Yin Beichen was indeed good-looking—eyes were eyes, nose was nose. Standing anywhere, he looked like a painting. Strong abilities, good family background—no wonder he had been so devoted back then.
Thinking about it, his taste really was good.
Ning Feng twitched the corner of his mouth, then quickly dropped it.
Ten years of emotional investment and sacrifice—whether Yin Beichen’s feelings for him were real or fake—couldn’t change the fact that his passion had been drained dry. He didn’t want to dwell on this issue anymore.
Just then, Yin Beichen suddenly looked over.
The moment their eyes met, Ning Feng frowned and quickly looked away.
So he didn’t notice that the chatter around him was gradually fading. Not until a shadow loomed over him did he realize Yin Beichen had walked up. Suddenly, Yin Beichen reached out and touched his back.
The cool palm pressed against his skin through his clothes. Ning Feng felt a shock, his face twitching as he shoved him away with his elbow.
“Sir, what are you doing?”
“Where’s your battery’s protective device?” Yin Beichen asked with a frown.
“On me.”
“What model?”
“…FHA02.”
“That device’s performance is too low.” Yin Beichen said flatly, pulling out a palm-sized device from somewhere. “Switch to this.”
Ning Feng recognized this device. So did many others present.
It was the best battery protection device on the exchange platform, its parameters incomparable to the one he had now. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a better one—he just couldn’t afford it with his merit points. This one was the best he could get.
“Ah, I know this model is a bit old, but at least it’s cost-effective,” Ning Feng said, annoyed, and didn’t take it. “The conditions here aren’t as bad as you say, sir. Equipment just needs to be good enough.”
“The temperature difference in our area is extreme. It can drop to minus twenty or thirty degrees. Even a mecha’s energy cell can’t handle it. Your battery won’t last two hours.” Yin Beichen’s voice was flat, his attitude strictly professional.
“No need. I think this one’s fine.”
“Replace it.”
“Really, no need.”
“Equipment safety is crucial for the mission’s success.”
“…”
A tiny device, and he had to drag mission success into it.
Quite the flattery.
Unable to find a reason to refuse, Ning Feng stared at the sleek device, suddenly feeling a deep irony.
He had worked so hard to get into the patrol team, originally to get away from Yin Beichen and earn some merit points along the way. And now? He had spent all his merit points, and Yin Beichen was still standing right in front of him.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Ning Feng’s brows were tightly furrowed, and he hesitated to take it. Yin Beichen didn’t urge, simply holding it out. The others didn’t know what was happening and could only exchange awkward glances.
The moment froze for a few seconds.
Feeling the gazes grow stranger, Ning Feng suppressed the urge to simply throw it away. Finally, he closed his eyes. “Understood, sir.” He took the device, but didn’t install it—just stuffed it into his pocket.
Seeing he accepted it, Yin Beichen then reminded the team leader to watch the time. The leader, judging they had rested enough, ordered them to assemble and move on.
Just then, Ning Feng glanced at his battery. It was fully charged.
Lucky.
Thinking that, he unplugged the charger and quickly fell in line, waiting for orders.
Soon, there was movement beside him. Someone walked slowly over and stood next to him. They were very close, their combat suits barely touching, occasionally brushing against his skin, tickling.
Feeling that warm gaze sweep across his face, Ning Feng’s eyelids trembled slightly. He pressed his fingertips together hard.
Suddenly, his comm device beeped with a message. It was from Wen Qianyong. Ning Feng looked at Wen Qianyong standing ahead, who was making faces at him.
What?
Suspicious, Ning Feng opened the message.
[Radish, is that “someone” Qiu Zhen mentioned you?]
Ning Feng: …
[Get lost.]