I, Yu Lian, a Moonfolk

The memories belonging to this body are slowly resurfacing. A flood of memories from another person at once would cause even Yu Lian's mental fortitude to falter briefly. However, this reaction was so similar to the stress response from a traumatic brain injury that it was no wonder everyone was so tense.

"Then do you remember how you got injured? What happened before?" Ina asked urgently.

"I... well, I went to save a soldier who was caught up to his waist by a ground trap, and then I was ambushed," Yu Lian said slowly.

Ina breathed a sigh of relief, but then said with lingering fear, "That thing is too terrifying. It tore through the back of your power armor in an instant. If the Lieutenant hadn't thrown a shock grenade, you would have... It was so dangerous!"

Yeah! How could it not be dangerous? The thing that had bitten the unlucky soldier's lower body was clearly a Tank Bug hiding in a sand pit. As for the one who ambushed me, it must have been a Thorned Serpent King! No matter how shoddy the AS40's armor was, ordinary Hydralisks and Zerglings really didn't have the destructive power to break through it in one hit.

So, the fact that I felt pain all over my body just now, like my spine was broken, was probably not just from being ambushed by bugs, but also from the "boom" of your grenade, right?

Thinking of this, Yu Lian couldn't help but cast a rather unfriendly glance at Lieutenant Mondsen. The latter quickly offered an unnatural smile.

Your "manly swordsman" image from a few minutes ago has collapsed.

And another thing, although I always knew that "Second Lieutenant" was a title for elite bureaucrats from military academies, I didn't expect them to be this elite. The Central Defense University, isn't that the top military academy in the entire country? In a sense, it's even harder to get into than the Qingbei or Harvard of my previous life, no, the life before that. They only recruit elites who are skilled in both academics and combat.

Because the military academy headquarters is located in the moon city of Guanghan, its graduates are jokingly called "Moonfolk" by the military, and they are elite talents that any organization in the army covets.

And the Strategic Research department, isn't that the most elite and difficult-to-enter discipline in this top institution? Its graduates are naturally the elite of the elite, known as the "Cradle of Admirals."

Yes, although they are all part of the so-called "elite bureaucratic group," there is still a hierarchy even within this stratum. Graduates from other military academies or departments get promoted like riding an elevator, while those from the Strategic Research department directly jump through stargates. The average retirement rank for students from other military academies is Colonel—I heard there was a survey—but those who graduate from here are embarrassed to attend alumni reunions if they haven't earned the rank of General and been addressed as "Your Excellency" before the age of forty.

And, the 830th graduating class? Isn't that the 830 of later generations?

Also, the Sandfolk army besieging Tulon Port? Commander Bonaparte?

Yes, it should be the "Tulon Port" incident that made it into later history textbooks, which occurred in November of the Galactic Commonwealth Year 829. The series of events it triggered ultimately caused the Blue Star Commonwealth to completely lose control of the stargates and the colonies in the Andromeda galaxy.

As for Commander Bonaparte... a tall, upright, and handsome figure quickly appeared in Yu Lian's memory.

Lieutenant Colonel Eleanor Bonaparte, born into a renowned military family. Three generations of her ancestors produced six generals and one marshal. Like him, she was a graduate of the Strategic Research department. However, when Yu Lian first enrolled, Eleanor was already a graduating student in her final year and later graduated with the highest overall score.

With impeccable academic qualifications, abilities, and background, her future was naturally predictable. She had been out of school for over three years and was already a Lieutenant Colonel. No one doubted she would become a General before the age of thirty—this wasn't unheard of in history, but it only happened during wartime.

Currently, Senior Sister Eleanor is in Tulon City, serving as the Chief of Staff for the New Jade Gate Guard. In other words, she is also trapped within the city, surrounded by the Sandfolk army.

Hmm, it seems we had a pretty good relationship. When I first arrived, she even treated me to roasted groundhog...

Yu Lian suddenly recalled too much, and his head began to ache even more. He wanted to sort out more information from these jumbled memories, but he really didn't have the luxury to do so right now.

"This place is not safe!" Yu Lian said gravely.

I already said that once, Lieutenant Mondsen wanted to say.

"What I mean is..."

"Lieutenant! Look down the mountain!" Soldier A, who was on lookout at the entrance, shouted loudly.

"Silence!" Yu Lian hissed.

Soldier A shivered and fell silent.

Everyone present couldn't help but look at Lieutenant Mondsen, but the latter simply spread his hands calmly, with a helpless and resigned expression that seemed to say, See? It's starting. This is just normal Moonfolk behavior.

Yu Lian, however, didn't have the mind to care about their reactions. He dragged himself to the cave entrance with his newly mended lower body and saw dozens more bugs gathering in the open field below the mountain. Their claws scraped against the ground as they crawled, clearly searching for something, and then slowly moved in this direction.

Although there were only a few dozen, their presence was much more imposing than the hyena-like Zerglings from before.

As expected... Yu Lian pursed his lips.

Those were Raptor bugs, also known as Roach bugs. They were combat bug species that could genuinely fight against heavily armed mechanized infantry—I mean, well-equipped and well-trained Imperial or Alliance Marine Corps soldiers, not the weak and incompetent Commonwealth Guard Team Minions.

As for the Thorned Serpent King, it must be hidden among the Roach swarm. It was a lord bug that had evolved a certain level of intelligence. Although it was only a single-minded intelligence, it could certainly act as a squad leader for the bug army.

Look at them sniffing around on the ground like dogs, their antennae probing. It was only a matter of time before they found this place.

In fact, the sense of smell and hearing of these bugs were more than a magnitude stronger than a dog's.

Is it necessary? Such a big show? To get revenge for what happened earlier? I've never heard of your bug swarms having any sense of camaraderie.

Oh? Perhaps... Yu Lian looked at Ina, who also had a grave expression, and suddenly guessed something.

To the bug swarm, someone like Miss Sergeant Major was like a glowing, mobile nugget of gold.

So, the bugs were actually coming for Ina? Yu Lian looked at Miss Sergeant Major and decided not to tell her yet. Spreading information about the future would most likely get him labeled as a lunatic. Yu Lian had already suffered similar losses in his previous life.

The memories belonging to this body were still chaotic, and everything else would have to wait. These hunters had to be dealt with first.

"Have Sergeant Baka and Sergeant Youyou returned yet?"

"We're back, we're back, sir," the black Sergeant, who had returned at some unknown time, said cheerfully as he ran over.

"What's the situation?"

"There is indeed a small path leading to the back of the mountain. It's just not very easy to travel."

"It's passable with some effort," Sergeant Baka said in a deep voice. Unlike his berserk form during combat, the bear-man Sergeant was a calm and taciturn individual.

Good, if he can barely pass, then everyone else will be fine, Yu Lian thought, then asked, "Sir, how many shock grenades do we have left?"

Shock grenades, as the name suggests, were used for "shocking." This was certainly not a proper lethal weapon, but it was an excellent choice for dealing with the local natives of New Jade Gate, those unruly Sandfolk.

However, could this thing be used against the larger bugs that looked even more difficult to deal with down the mountain? The Lieutenant doubted it but still looked at Ina.

"I have three left. The Lieutenant has two, and Lieutenant Russo's are unused, so that's five. And you, sir..." Miss Sergeant Major said.

Shock grenades were quite large. Only the few armored units present could carry them; making the unarmored grunts carry such heavy items would be too inhumane.

"Enough," Yu Lian calculated. "Go get the stretcher, and the battery from my damaged armor!"

"What are you going to do? Make a booby trap? Then why not use regular grenades?"

"The Type 20 infantry grenades we're equipped with are meant to deter unarmed native Sandfolk. Their power is just so-so; they probably couldn't even collapse this hole, let alone penetrate the shells of those big Bugs. You all saw how tough they are, right? But, with the Exoskeleton battery and a certain amount of concussion grenades, I can rig up an impact bomb! It should be able to cause internal damage directly to their tissues beneath their carapaces."

"The principle sounds right... but you can do this? A Moonfolk, no, Second Lieutenant, aren't you from the Strategic Research department?"

"Well, sir, the so-called Strategic Research department teaches you a little bit of everything, and nothing in particular. That's how you become a leader!" Yu Lian replied matter-of-factly.

Lieutenant Mondsen, who was more than twice Yu Lian's age, felt a pang in his heart. Thinking that in just three to five years after graduation, he would have to call the young man "sir," he wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or more disheartened.

"I heard the Defense University only taught you elite bureaucrats how to cut Alliance Andean beef with Imperial crystal knives and dip it in starfish sauce. I never heard they taught bomb-making," Ina chimed in unexpectedly.

Lieutenant Mondsen's face turned pale with fright, and he frantically signaled to the Sergeant Major. However, she remained oblivious and continued, "Second Lieutenant, you must have learned this skill somewhere else, right?"

It was you, and from those militia training videos you personally appeared in, Yu Lian grumbled inwardly.

Fortunately, she only said it and didn't intend to press further. Yu Lian glossed over that part with a meaningless, awkward laugh. He pulled the safety pins on all the concussion grenades, tied them together, and then took the battery to tinker with. His movements were so practiced, so skilled, it was as if he were a habitual criminal who frequently used all sorts of homemade bombs to rob banks and hijack spaceships. Everyone was stunned for a moment, feeling that this guy's image was increasingly diverging from the "Moonfolk" prodigy they had imagined.

"Even so, the blast radius is limited. We can only detonate it once they're inside the cave. Even if it doesn't kill them, the collapsing cave will bury them!"

Lieutenant Mondsen felt that even though he was asking for a favor from the young man, it was still necessary to say something at this point, otherwise, his position as a superior officer would be compromised. He said, "This, Second Lieutenant, while your skill is astonishing, isn't this a bit redundant? If we hide in this cave, those aliens might not necessarily..."

Before he could finish, a sharp cry came from the swarm of Bugs below the mountain. Those ferocious, terrifying giant insects, with their claws and fangs bared, turned in unison and began to rapidly advance in their direction at speeds exceeding 50 kilometers per hour.