Meaning

Although it was late at night, the campsite was brightly lit by the high-energy bulbs on the fifty-meter-high lampposts.

"Captain, fighting has broken out elsewhere, and we're stuck here guarding the burrow. It's so boring." Winter's squad originally belonged to Major General Porter. After they came to investigate the disappearance of the patrol team, they stayed here.

Later, when Major General Porter replenished Colonel Chloe's lost manpower, he placed their entire team under Colonel Chloe. Overall, Chloe made a huge profit; after losing ordinary recruits, she not only replenished her manpower but also gained a Special Operations Team. Only an elder who loved her could have made such a move.

Moreover, the more than one hundred people who were later rescued were still under her command, so her direct subordinates not only did not decrease but increased.

She will also send troops to support the attack on other Crypt this time. Because when they attacked the Insect Nest next to her base, others had also sent troops to help. Now that others need assistance, it's only right and proper that she sends troops.

Not to mention, one of the Crypt they attacked this time was the main target of her faction.

However, she only had one elite Special Operations Team under her command. Once dispatched, she would temporarily lose control of the troops. If they were sent to the front lines and suffered casualties, it would be disastrous. Even if there were no casualties, she would still feel extremely distressed if they were injured or killed.

Therefore, she only sent out most of her regular troops this time, and also provided a lot of Gunboat and transport ships as support. Anyway, the Crypt near her base has been crippled, and it is estimated that it will not be able to cause trouble in the short term, so it doesn't matter if the defensive strength is reduced a bit.

Winter's Special Operations Team was sent here to guard the pit, citing the need for elite personnel to oversee and command the defenses as a reason.

"Tch, boring is no fun at all. I don't want to fight those bugs," another team member said.

"I know you have claustrophobia! No need to say anything more, buddy, we understand, haha."

"Shut up, you want a one-on-one fight?"

"Come on, who's afraid of who?"

Before long, the two team members were wrestling. Instead of stopping them, the other team members surrounded them and cheered loudly, making the fight even more intense.

Laughter could be heard from the crowd from time to time.

Winter watched his team members fooling around but didn't stop them. He knew that their new commander was protecting their Special Operations Team since they were here on a mission. Although most of the personnel had been evacuated, the defensive facilities hadn't been dismantled, and the tunnels inside the Crypt were riddled with motion-activated mines.

Moreover, this Insect Nest has remained silent ever since its "Granary" was breached. Not a single insect can be found inside, most likely because it realized it was outmatched and fled.

Therefore, overall, their defensive pressure wasn't too great. Under these circumstances, he let the players relax and get along better.

Winter could also enjoy a moment of relaxation, since the battle could begin again at any time.

Chloe Base, though brightly lit, was somewhat vulnerable in its defenses because troops were either deployed to other locations for support or guarding the Insect Nest Pit.

A few scattered groups of Sentry patrolled the fortress-like base buildings. Their main tasks were to check whether the surveillance equipment on the exterior walls had been damaged, and to drive away any wild animals.

The grasslands are home to many wild animals, and some of them are quite bold. They get curious about the behemoth that is the fortress base and come over to take a look.

Of course, most of these braver ones were invited back to base by the enthusiastic Riken Race soldiers and never came out again.

In a shady corner, two Sentry were idly peering out.

"Brother, I heard you were captured by those insects the other day," a Sentry suddenly asked.

Because most of the troops at the base have been deployed elsewhere, the base itself is severely understaffed. There is even a shortage of personnel to maintain daily Sentry duty.

Therefore, some personnel who sustained minor injuries in the previous battle were also assigned tasks.

The wounded couldn't possibly be assigned to the same group. So, as a healthy soldier, he separated from his old partner, each taking on a guard duty with a wounded soldier.

His new partner was supposedly one of those who had been captured by the insects and then rescued. This group of people hadn't suffered any serious injuries, and once the effects of the drug wore off, they had all basically regained their mobility. Compared to those who were truly injured, his new partner was clearly stronger in combat, and at least he wasn't a burden.

However, he was very curious about his new partner's experiences, and since he had nothing else to do, he hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

"Ah, that was quite an unforgettable experience." His new partner seemed lost in memories. He wasn't sure if he should continue asking, but he figured the memory must have been painful. After all, being in a situation where you had no control over your own life and could only wait to die was terrifying to even think about.

At that moment, his new partner seemed to suddenly come to his senses, and said to him with a strange smile, "You know what? There, I found a new meaning to my existence."

"What?" He was stunned, not knowing what his new partner meant. Could it be that he had lost his mind? It was said that an overdose of anesthetic could affect the brain. It seemed that he would have to report this situation to his superiors after today's mission.

"I saw God, and He is the new meaning of my existence." His new partner didn't stop, continuing his nonsensical ramblings. He somewhat regretted bringing up this topic.

"Are you alright?" he asked with some concern. "Do you need me to take you to the medical room?"

"No, I am fine, better than ever before. It's just a pity that you will never see God."

"What... gurgle gurgle..." A sharp, arthropod-like blade pierced through his throat, interrupting his words. A mouthful of blood spurted out, staining his Breathing Mask red.

He vaguely heard his new partner mutter to himself, "God doesn't need useless people... I was just lucky."

Immediately, his consciousness plunged into complete darkness, and his body crashed to the ground. Behind him, a Special Raider with Optical Camouflage appeared.

The Raider did not attack his new partner, but instead left on his own.

At that moment, the routine question came through the communicator, "Group Three, report!"

The new partner smiled slightly, "Report to command center, everything is normal."

Not far from him, swarms of Raider glided in from the distant sky, avoiding the vibration sensors around the base, and landed outside the fortress base.

Once they landed, they moved around the fortress's perimeter as if they were back home, navigating the area with ease.

Soon, Sentry on the perimeter, no matter where they were hiding, were accurately located and silently eliminated.

In order to leave no loopholes, the abnormal Sentry were eliminated one by one after they became ineffective.