Early on the second morning, the storm subsided.
You He contacted headquarters through his upgraded communications backpack, requesting a boat or aircraft to pick them up.
Headquarters replied that they should wait an hour.
While they waited, You He ordered his soldiers to gather all the terrorists they had killed.
The soldiers scattered, and before long, they had gathered the terrorists' bodies.
Only after a careful count did they discover that there had not been 500 terrorists, but just 50!
And every one of those 50 had been in their seventies or eighties. They had barely any cloth on their bodies, wearing things woven from vines and bark in the forest.
Those 50 old men had killed nearly 200 of You He's troops in a single night, at the cost of their own total annihilation.
You He stared silently at the bodies on the ground. Too many questions filled his mind, and he felt as though a fog had descended over his life.
Only when a T'au aircraft swept in from the distance and arrived overhead did he temporarily stop thinking.
The T'au shuttle slowly landed in a forest clearing. Its rear hatch opened, and Flameburst Commander stepped out.
He walked over to You He, clapped him on the shoulder, and said loudly:
"Well done, You He! You carried out the mission to eliminate the terrorists perfectly!
You will receive a commendation, a promotion, an expansion of your forces, and a medal!"
You He asked in confusion:
"But sir, nearly 200 of my troops died, and there weren't 500 enemies like the intelligence said. There were only 50, and all 50 were old men!"
Flameburst Commander waved dismissively.
"That doesn't matter, Commander You He. All I know is that you followed my orders and completed the mission to eliminate the