War has always been the natural enemy of the layabout.
A sense of alarm immediately went off in Song Lan's heart, and Lu Xiang soon brought him even worse news.
According to the United Government's regulations, during wartime, males over the age of 18 were obligated to serve compulsory military service. Although the Conscription Bureau had adopted a voluntary enlistment process, should the frontline situation change—for instance, if the Neutral Country's war weapons gained an advantage and threatened the territorial security of the United Government— "hot-blooded youths" like Song Lan would be forcibly sent to the front lines.
A suit of exoskeleton armor and an electromagnetic rifle, that was their eventual return journey.
Of course, given Song Lan's level of marksmanship, Lu Xiang sincerely thought that giving him a wooden stick might be much better than an electromagnetic rifle.
At least it's hard to accidentally shoot your own teammates with a stick in the chaos of battle.
