Chapter Eleven: An Uplifting Speculation

The fallen insects possess an extraordinary 360-degree, no-blind-spot vision capable of detecting moving humanoid shapes within two kilometers—a supernatural sight that humans can only envy!

But it was already too late. Two off-road vehicles barreled recklessly to a stop at the foot of the mountain. Without a second’s hesitation, Qi An and the others sprang inside, kicking up dust as they sped away!

After running over twenty kilometers, the squad finally came to a halt.

No pursuers appeared. The checkpoint at the service station and the reconnaissance hill remained some distance away, and the dilapidated vehicles of the fallen insects simply couldn’t match their military-grade off-road speed.

Qi An immediately performed a mild detoxification on Yu Shuang and Tang Long. Both had absorbed too much eye tissue from the fallen insects during observation and sniper missions—pollution levels of 35% and 37%, respectively.

Night had fallen completely as they entered the mountains, the cold wind howling through the peaks, the calls of wild wolves rising and fading in the darkness.

Fortunately, the beasts posed no real threat. The squad selected a concealed woodland as their temporary campsite.

Zhao Bohai and Tang Long set up a static defense perimeter around the camp using specialized nanowires, leaving just one “gate.” Those on watch only needed to guard this entrance; any living thing approaching from other directions would be sliced to pieces.

Everyone was utterly exhausted, but they rested only for half an hour, crunching on compressed rations. Once finished, the dutiful leader Yu promptly called a meeting.

“First, I want to commend Little Qi for being cautious and meticulous during sentry duty. Thanks to him, we detected the patrolling fallen insects early, preventing a fierce battle! Let’s give him a round of applause!”

Yu Shuang smiled warmly at Qi An. The others softly clapped.

Qi An blushed slightly, lowering his head with a shy smile.

Yu continued, “We’ve gathered a lot of valuable intelligence today. Let me summarize what we know.

“First, of the two suspected initial strongholds, Blue City has been ruled out. Our tracker on the fallen insect truck remains active; it’s now stopped at the second suspected stronghold—Hualin County.

“Second, the service station checkpoint on Huashan Highway is guarded by no fewer than fifty fallen insects, equipped with heavy weaponry.

“Third, the traffic flow at the Huashan service station is considerable. In just one hour of surveillance, two convoys passed through, and inspections were strict.”

Yu tapped through the mission requirements displayed on her tablet. “Our main unknown now is the scale of the Hualin County stronghold.”

“But we can speculate,” Su Qingran said, carefully combing her braid with a small comb she carried. “Judging by the checkpoint’s traffic and its distance from Hualin County, the fallen insects occupying that area number at least a brigade—between 5,000 and 10,000. Besides the service area, there must be many outposts around Hualin County.”

“That may be so,” Yu said, “but when we were on the mountain, we startled a patrol. We’ve likely alerted the enemy, and how badly that will affect us remains to be seen.”

She was strict with herself, but given the squad had gathered so much intelligence in a single day with no casualties, merely disturbing a patrol was an understandable mistake—one that had not yet caused a major incident.

The Huashan service station checkpoint was heavily guarded, making further progress unlikely. At this point, they could return to base and report.

The mission had concluded too swiftly; everyone was still reeling.

Yet, the smoother the mission, the better—no one complained about keeping their heads intact.

Zhuang Xiao wrapped her combat jacket tighter. “What’s the maximum range for receiving the tracker signal? If it’s far enough, maybe we head back tomorrow.”

Yu was uncertain and about to ask Zhao Bohai, only to realize he hadn’t spoken for a long time.

Turning around, she found him fiddling with his phone in the rear seat of the lead vehicle.

“We’re in a meeting! Are you slacking off as the deputy squad leader?” Yu snapped angrily.

Zhao looked up. “Sorry, I was just looking up some information.”

“What information?” Yu demanded.

“Licorice,” Zhao replied.

Yu and the others were momentarily stunned.

Zhao set his phone down. “Sorry for not paying full attention during the meeting. I promise it won’t happen again. But this came to mind, and I couldn’t wait to share.”

His handsome peach blossom eyes gleamed with intensity, though his tone remained calm.

“I once read a paper on the biological habits of the polluters. It mentioned that an extract from licorice roots can be used to produce oxytocin specifically for the female fallen insects.”

The room fell silent. Qi An’s heart began pounding wildly.

Zhao continued, “I wasn’t certain before, but that article came from Southwest Base No. 9, something I read long ago. I just checked my phone’s cached data—it’s true.”

He shook his phone gently.

Everyone’s heart raced in unison.

After mutation into fallen insects, humans’ reproductive organs degenerate—meaning most fallen insects are infertile.

Yet, there exist specialized male and female breeding insects.

Fallen insects, or polluters, are semi-ovoviviparous creatures.

Males and females typically mate from late summer to early autumn. Females gestate through winter and spring, then give birth to a clutch of embryos wrapped in an egg membrane by late spring.

After about a month of incubation, the young break free from their eggs and reach maturity within three years, becoming battle-ready.

During the day, Qi An had seen two fallen insects carrying baskets on their backs, gathering plants.

They were likely harvesting licorice, not ordinary weeds!

The frequent dispatch of convoys to collect nutrient-rich wild vegetables and licorice for oxytocin production suggested that not only was there a large fallen insect stronghold here, but perhaps a mother nest as well.

Mother nests are prime targets for human eradication efforts, as besides preventing mutation, they are the most effective means to curb fallen insect population growth.

If the squad truly discovered a mother nest, especially a large one, collective third-class or even second-class merit awards would not be out of reach.

Yu was stunned for a moment before taking Zhao’s phone and thoroughly reading the paper.

“Well done, Old Zhao! You truly have a whole base’s academic library in your head!

“And Little Qi, for spotting that licorice stem, and Little Su, for recognizing it—heroes all!” Yu praised.

She immediately began organizing the intelligence to report to Wei Fengduo of the Chengfeng Brigade.

Yu trusted Wei Fengduo, her direct superior, so she intended to emphasize the mysterious malfunction of the spy drone again, ensuring proper documentation.

That night, the squad arranged shifts for watch duty. Aside from the first watch—Tang Long and Zhuang Xiao—the others rested inside the vehicles.

The intelligence Yu reported was unsurprisingly met with great attention. Wei Fengduo requested a moment before informing her he had to attend an emergency meeting overnight.

The squad waited quietly and uneasily through the cold night.